"I honestly never expected you two to have the guts to step into New York."
Carol was clearly impressed by their audacity.
Although the current chaos across the United States had stretched the military thin, leaving them with little manpower to handle such situations, that didn't mean the U.S. government had given up on capturing these individuals.
Moreover, with access to the Heavenly Serum, the U.S. government had already developed its own super soldiers.
While the serum's secrets hadn't been fully unraveled, the supply initially provided by the Heavenly faction was more than enough to form a specialized super soldier unit.
They also had sufficient samples for their scientists to analyze and break down.
Had the city's counterattack not come so swiftly and fiercely, the U.S. might have already perfected its own version of the super soldier serum.
Even so, controlling Stark and the now-powerless Thor wasn't exactly a difficult task.
"No choice, sometimes you just have to be bold." Stark casually raised his glass toward Carol, showing not a hint of concern about the possibility of being taken into custody.
"The president's stance is clear—you can meet him, but only if you disarm and surrender first. Otherwise, there's nothing to discuss."
"Besides—"
Before Carol could finish her sentence, the sound of commotion erupted from outside.
She had already ordered the soldiers to remain quiet before coming in, so why were they making a scene now, of all times?
Stark and Thor, however, were completely unfazed.
If Carol had shown up without backup, that would've been surprising.
Besides, since they had already planned to meet with the U.S. president, they were fully prepared for any scenario.
"Let's go see what's making our troops so nervous," Stark said as he downed the rest of his drink.
Thor grabbed another drink before following them outside.
Carol pushed open the door, but before she could say a word, she immediately saw what had thrown her soldiers into such disarray.
The Batmobile was parked right in front of them.
Clang!
Behind them, the bar owner wasted no time locking his doors.
It probably wouldn't make a difference, but at least it gave him some peace of mind.
And sometimes, that's all people need—something to ease their nerves.
Carol shoved aside the soldiers and stepped up to the Batmobile.
"I know you dealt with the chaos in New York. Now tell me, what the hell are you doing here?" she shouted at the vehicle.
No response.
Just as she was about to speak again, a dark figure appeared behind her.
The soldiers immediately turned their weapons on the caped figure.
"I want to know—what are you doing in New York?"
That terrifying voice sent a shiver down Carol's spine, even though she prided herself on having nerves of steel.
The Bat turned, scanning the well-equipped soldiers surrounding him.
They kept their weapons trained on him, but their trembling fingers betrayed their fear.
Meanwhile, Stark and Thor casually waved at the man, as if greeting an old friend who shared their level of madness.
"We're here to get someone out," Carol said, slowly turning to face the Bat's back.
At that moment, she debated whether she should make a move against him.
Right now, he seemed completely unguarded.
Her instincts ultimately told her not to take action—otherwise, the consequences would be dire.
"That's right, buddy. There's no need to be so tense. We're just having a conversation here," Stark said confidently, addressing the Batman before him.
Batman glanced at Stark, then turned around and walked toward his Batmobile.
Just as he was about to enter the cockpit, Bruce looked back at Carol. He said nothing, but his gaze carried an unmistakable warning.
Even after the Batmobile's doors closed, they could still feel the weight of his stare.
Only when the Batmobile disappeared did the soldiers present finally let out a breath of relief.
As Carol turned back toward Batman, the machine guns mounted on the Batmobile had already begun to move.
It was clear—if anything went wrong, those weapons could tear them all to pieces in an instant.
"Looks like New York has gained quite the formidable figure," Stark remarked, his tone casual, as if he were unaffected by the tension.
Only then did Carol realize her back was drenched in cold sweat.
"We should leave here as soon as possible," she said. She had no intention of lingering.
That Batman just now had sent a chill down her spine.
Carol understood why New York had stabilized so quickly, yet she didn't see Batman as much of a threat.
After all, a hero who had saved New York wasn't someone they needed to be wary of.
The only one displeased was the President of the United States. He clearly wasn't a fan of individual heroics—perhaps because, in his mind, he was the only one entitled to such a role.
"So, what do we do now?" Stark asked, finally shifting his focus away from Batman's earlier presence.
He wanted to know how Carol planned to get them an audience with the President.
What they didn't realize was that Batman was still watching them.
"You were reckless," said Thomas's voice in Bruce's mind.
He understood better than anyone that if things had escalated earlier, Bruce wouldn't have been able to handle the situation smoothly.
"They have the manpower, yet they only go after the easy targets," Bruce said calmly from inside the car.
But there was an unmistakable edge of dissatisfaction in his tone toward the U.S. government.
If they had deployed even a fraction of their forces to suppress the chaos, countless lives could have been saved that night.
Thomas remained silent.
He was becoming more and more familiar with this world.
A world of superhuman battles and widespread chaos.
Yet the U.S. government still clung to its dreams of global dominance.
In his own world, nothing had ever struck America with such devastation.
"Let me out, and I'll kill every last one of them for you," Red Death spoke, the Speed Force shaped like a bat swirling behind him.
"No."
Two voices answered simultaneously—one calm, the other filled with emotion.
"The Bruce outside—you can't listen to my world's Bruce. You just need to—"
Before Barry Allen could finish his sentence, Red Death's consciousness forcibly suppressed him.
Bruce's eyes, however, remained locked on a small red dot moving slowly across his map.
He was going to put an end to this.
At the very least, he would do what he could.
(End of Chapter)
Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon
https://patreon.com/Glimmer09