American Comics: Trading Tom Cat

"Since you read comics, you should know that most comic book worlds are not so peaceful."

"hiss……"

Barry gasped sharply, his face turning deathly pale.

There are many kinds of comics, including slice-of-life romance comics, comedy comics, and most importantly, classic shonen action comics!

And their world, with Batman, Superman, and himself... it doesn't look like a romance or comedy comic at all; it looks exactly like a classic shonen manga!

A world-destroying boss? Aliens? Interstellar war?

Terrifying words kept flashing through his mind, and Barry's face grew increasingly pale.

"So, Barry, do you want to make a trade?"

"Let me come over. In exchange, I can help you with one transaction and answer no more than three questions for you."

Barry fell silent, realizing that his world was most likely a shonen manga full of ghosts and monsters, with countless crises about to descend from who-knows-where. At this time, a character with immense power, and most likely someone like the 'Traveler,' was coming, and he seemed to have no reason to refuse.

As for why he's a traveler, put yourself in his shoes. If he had the chance to visit the world of the comics he's read, he would have similar thoughts: to see that different world, taste the food, and see different scenery, etc.

Besides, the person on the other side could destroy the Earth with a single slap, so there's no need for him to invade and rule the Earth. Why would a president of a country be interested in controlling a small village?

“Sir, I can agree to your deal, but…” Barry looked conflicted.

"If you have anything to say, just say it."

"Alright, then I'll get straight to the point. Could you please give me a comic book from our world? That's my only request, please!"

Locke remained silent, while Barry looked at Locke with anticipation.

After a long silence without a response from Locke, Barry's face turned utterly dejected.

"Is it not allowed? That's understandable. It might trigger some kind of strange paradox of fate or something."

"No, no, I was just thinking about which one to send you."

"????"

Barry was completely confused. What did he mean by "which book"?

"Wait, wait!!"

Barry's face paled even more.

"Could it be that my world is some kind of comic book series, like Marvel?"

"Congratulations, you answered correctly."

It's quite interesting that there are comics in both the DC universe and the comic book universe.

Locke shook his head as he watched Barry being thoroughly ruined.

"Barry, I have a good feeling about you. Now I'll give you a choice: you can choose your own comic or you can choose one about that Batman."

"So, choose: choose your own destiny, or choose to understand the hidden, massive bombshell."

Barry was almost in tears. He was just a silly, immature teenager, and making him make this choice was really difficult for him.

However, Barry is, after all, a superhero. As the saying goes, in good times you rely on Batman, in bad times you rely on Superman, and in desperate situations you rely on The Flash. Barry, the Flash, has a resilient side that is different from his goofy personality.

After only a few seconds of hesitation, Barry gritted his teeth and said, "Please give me something related to Batman."

The mysterious figure opposite, whose origins are unknown, has mentioned this point several times. Clearly, there is a huge pit here, the kind of super pit that can drown a person.

"Just as you expected~"

As he spoke, a comic book appeared in Locke's hand.

Barry looked at the comic book with a mixture of anticipation and awe.

"Then, what should I give in return?"

"Whatever. The transaction is just a channel. As long as it's completed, a piece of paper doesn't matter."

Locke has been quite open and honest with Barry, this honest boy.

There's no point in playing mind games with an honest kid like that. Locke would only resort to tricks and bullying an honest kid. Locke has no interest in that kind of weird behavior.

Hearing Locke's words, Barry shook his head: "How can that be! The value is completely disproportionate!"

"Let me think about it, please let me think about it."

After thinking for a while, Barry took out his wallet, opened it, and took out the necessary documents such as his driver's license. Then he showed Locke the remaining money cards and other items.

"This is all the money I have left. I'll use it in exchange. I hope you don't mind."

Locke shook his head. What an honest kid.

At that moment, Iris suddenly stomped hard on Barry's foot.

They had agreed to listen to him, but Barry inexplicably stopped paying attention to him and acted as if he had to make a deal with the other side. Now he's even taken out his money. Has he gone mad?

Have they been brainwashed?

Barry glanced at her but stubbornly said, "Airis, don't stop me. I have my reasons for doing this!"

“Alright~” Looking at Barry’s stubborn expression, Iris was silent for a moment before sighing. She knew that Barry, with this expression on his face, was beyond her control.

"Iris, you'll understand that I did the right thing!"

After saying that, he stopped looking at the little black girl and began the transaction with Locke.

A black hole that seemed capable of swallowing everything appeared out of thin air. Looking at the black hole in front of her, Little Black Girl took a deep breath.

Until a second ago, she still believed that the person opposite her must be a superhuman with special abilities, and that they had some kind of conspiracy or plan.

But now, she has changed her mind.

Creating a black hole by hand? With such superpowers, what need is there for conspiracies?

Even Superman in Metropolis probably couldn't withstand it!

Barry was also surprised, but having seen more impactful images before, he quickly recovered and tossed his wallet into the container. A moment later, a book slowly floated out.

Upon seeing this book, the little black girl was dumbfounded.

"Barry, you traded all your wealth for this one book?"

“Yes! This is it!” Barry nodded resolutely.

"Watch it with me, Iris. After you finish watching it, you'll probably understand."

To be honest, the little black girl's curiosity was also piqued, and she huddled up with Barry, looking at the comic book side by side.

The next moment, the two of them almost simultaneously gasped.

The cover features a horrifying image: a bizarre figure with an incredibly ferocious expression, grinning—no, not grinning, but maniacally laughing.

The maniacal laughter, the ferocity, the demonic nature—it's even more impactful than the legendary demons, as if it were the most evil and terrifying embodiment in the world!

At the same time, a few words next to them also came into their view.

The Bat Who Laughs!!

Chapter 145 I Will Kill Batman with My Own Hands

"Hiss, how is this possible!"

"I bought it!"

The two exclaimed in surprise and shocked screams.

Finally, I finished reading this not-so-long comic book.

Iris wiped the cold sweat from her brow: "Damn it, Barry, when did you start liking such hardcore comics? My back is practically soaked with sweat from reading them."

However, instead of the heated discussion she had imagined from Barry, Iris subconsciously turned her head to look, and her expression changed instantly.

At this moment, Barry was covered in sweat, which slid down his sides and completely soaked his collar. Not only that, his face was deathly pale, and his whole body was trembling slightly. His eyes contained an almost tangible fear.

"Barry, Barry, what's wrong!" Iris immediately became anxious. The two were childhood sweethearts and had always had a very good relationship.

Barry turned his head with difficulty, muttering listlessly, "Iris, do you really think this is just a comic book?"

"Batman, Gotham City, Joker, doesn't it feel familiar?"

Iris's eyes narrowed instantly: "Not a comic book, you mean!"

Little Black Girl is never stupid; she's completely different from other naive and sweet female leads.

"This is the future, Iris!" Two streams of tears rolled down Barry's face, it was hard to tell whether they were from excitement or fear.

The Laughing Bat, which is almost in the style of Cthulhu, is really hard to accept, let alone that it's just a chuunibyou (delusional) teenager.

It is eerie, bizarre, laughs maniacally, and is demonic. It ruthlessly destroys everything, and its terrifying aspect has even begun to spread to other universes. It is countless times more terrifying than the most horrible demon. It is a truly terrifying demon king that destroys the universe!

Who could have imagined that the guardian of Gotham would become such a terrifying being?

"No, I can't be this weak anymore!"

Barry quickly composed himself and wiped away his tears.

“I need to grow up quickly. I’m going to Gotham City. I’m going to stop that guy, and even… kill him!”

Looking at the undisguised killing intent in Barry's eyes, one can imagine how shocked and impacted Barry must have been at this moment, given that such a simple-minded, immature teenager was revealing such pure killing intent!

“No, Barry, listen to me. I know Batman, I know the Joker, but you can’t, at least not because of a possibility of the future, kill the guardian of a city.”

"Besides, this future isn't necessarily going to happen, is it?"

Barry's emotions calmed down a bit, and the expression on his face began to become complicated.

The Bat Who Laughs is indeed terrifying. If Barry knows that the other party will definitely change, then he will kill the other party even if it goes against his own beliefs and understanding.

But, as Iris said, that's just one possibility, and as a seasoned comic book reader, Barry also knows that this is just a series.

But that was just too terrifying, really too terrifying. Even if it was just a possibility, he didn't want it to become a reality at all!

"Oh, right, sir, that gentleman!"

Barry suddenly became anxious and began searching around for something.

"Sir, have you arrived yet?"

"Barry, Barry, what are you looking for? Nobody's coming, it's just you and me here!"

"No, that person must have come along."

"Barry, wake up! It really is just you and me here!"

"That's not necessarily true~"

A strange voice suddenly rang out. The little black girl was startled for a moment, and then quickly looked in the direction from which the voice came.

Barry was overjoyed and looked over, only to see an incredibly handsome man who had somehow appeared on the sofa, engrossed in reading a book.

"So handsome!" The little black girl's eyes widened immediately.

She had always thought Barry was just ignorant and that his statement was exaggerated, but now she realized that there really were people who could be that handsome.

Barry paid no attention to any of that and rushed to Locke.

"Sir, please, please tell me what I should do!"

What are the chances that the Batman in Gotham City will become the Batman Who Laughs?

"Don't ask me what you should do. As for the possibility of becoming the Batman Who Laughs, that's not very high. After all, there are more than ten forms of Batman's corruption, seven of which are the most terrifying. The Batman Who Laughs, while terrifying, is just one of those seven: the Dawn Lantern, the Destroyer, the Red Death, and the Drowned Ghost..."

With each name Locke uttered, Barry's expression grew increasingly grim. In the end, a pure killing intent resurfaced in his eyes, even more intense and pure than before.

"Sir, I don't understand?" Barry suppressed the boiling killing intent in his heart, took a deep breath and said, "I don't understand why a city guardian would fall so easily and exhibit so many terrible forms of corruption."

That's not surprising.

"Please tell me, sir, what is the reason?"

At this moment, Barry wanted to kill someone, but his kind-hearted nature made him instinctively want to understand why and what the root cause of everything was.

Instead of answering the question directly, Locke asked a different one: "Barry, do you like blueberries?"

Barry hesitated for a moment, but quickly replied, "No, I don't really like it."

Locke nodded: "There are quite a few people who don't like blueberries. For most people, if they don't like them, they just won't come into contact with them and will simply stay away from them."

"So, Barry, what if a weirdo suddenly made a choice for himself: he would never eat blueberries?"