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263. Worries.
263. Worries.
"It seems you both have a lot to talk about."
Looking at Jason Todd and Black Canary, Alex sighed. These two heroes from another world had finally reunited.
Reflecting on the adventures they had in the wasteland, Alex couldn't help but feel a bit emotional. Before, when he was still an ordinary person, he had been fascinated by wasteland settings. Those lawless worlds filled with endless chaos always gave people the illusion of freedom, as if you could do whatever you wanted.
But after experiencing it firsthand, Alex realized he was just a "Admirer from afar"—this broken place wasn't suitable for anyone. Just look at Jason Todd: even someone with his skills had almost died here, so what chance would he have had?
Alex asked himself: if this had been the first world he'd traveled to, he probably wouldn't have survived.
"I just talked to Jason. I told him about some of your experiences and the development of this world, as well as the backgrounds of Red Skull and HYDRA. Most of this information came from Kate Bishop," Black Canary explained.
By now, they had calmed down from the excitement of their initial reunion. Black Canary had returned to her usual intellectual self, while Jason remained very reserved, giving off an aura that kept others at arm's length.
"HYDRA is history now, and with Red Skull defeated, we've finally done something right," Barton said, feeling relieved.
"Dad, you don't think this is the end of it, do you?" Ashley frowned as she spoke.
Barton froze for a moment at her words, then fell into silence.
"Ashley is right," Frank Castle chimed in quietly. "HYDRA's crumbling empire is bound to cause even greater chaos. In the west, the Hulk Gang is stirring, Doom is also restless, and not to mention all the family gangs. After today, I fear all the major forces will begin to reshuffle."
Frank had remained silent until now, but having been in touch with remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D. over the years, he had a clear view of the global situation.
"So what do we do next? Should we gather enough manpower to solve the problems here?" Pietro asked Alex, hoping he would come up with a plan.
But Ashley was quick to speak up. "Don't we have Osborn City? It's been renamed Blood Hive now. That place can serve as our base. Besides, Blood Baron is bound by a contract with Alex, so there's no need to worry about him not following orders.
Plus, HYDRA is gone, and the world is in chaos. We can take this opportunity to recruit people. For those who've lost hope, they'd be willing to give their lives if someone offers them protection. And don't forget, we also have the Avengers and Bishop's Sanctuary."
Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise, looking at Ashley with admiration. "Not bad, you've got the makings of a gang leader. I didn't expect you to have such a clear understanding of power dynamics."
"Of course! Whose daughter do you think I am?" Barton puffed out his chest proudly.
"I... I just picked up some things while living in Hammerfall," Ashley muttered, ignoring her proud dad, feeling her cheeks heat up. It was the first time she had been praised by someone.
"It's your natural talent," Alex said seriously. "Some people are born with leadership qualities, and many will follow them. But remember, as a leader, choosing the right path is the most important thing."
"I understand," Ashley nodded slightly.
Alex could see that Ashley was genuinely reflecting on his words, which was a good sign. Perhaps this time, she might find a new future for herself.
"Back to the topic, Ashley is right, and I'll add a bit more," Alex continued. "This world no longer needs heroes. What it needs now are warriors and fearless revolutionaries. If we want to restore order to this nightmarish world, we need to eradicate chaos completely."
Alex paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces before continuing.
"You're all experienced veterans, so you should understand what I mean. There's no longer a distinction between good and evil. What's coming is a grand war, the kind where many people will die. And justice? That's something only the victors get to write."
"I'll help you, but Alex, you made me a promise," Black Canary couldn't help but speak up.
Alex, hearing her words, knew exactly what was on her mind.
If time flowed the same in her universe, then it would be the third year since the Apokolips War there. Who knew how far the plot had advanced? If something went wrong on that side, it could easily affect this world too.
"I was just about to bring that up."
Alex rubbed his chin and spoke seriously.
"We still can't be certain of the exact state of Dinah's and Jason's universe. It might even be worse than this one. To prevent their world from crashing into ours, I plan to go over and check it out."
"You're going with us?"
"You're leaving this universe?"
Black Canary and Barton exclaimed simultaneously, then fell silent. After a moment, Barton asked, "This place is about to erupt into chaos, with a world war looming. If you leave now, what will we do?"
"No need to worry about that. Right now, the fighting is mainly focused on various factions consuming what's left of HYDRA. No one will start a war at this moment. Any force that makes a move against others will be attacked by everyone—that's a common understanding."
Alex picked up his glass, took a sip, and continued explaining.
"I'll notify Blood Baron. Your mission is to gather resources and strengthen yourselves as much as possible before I return. Try to unite Bishop's Sanctuary, Blood Hive, and the Avengers. If you can pull that off, no ordinary force will dare provoke you."
Barton didn't respond, seemingly deep in thought about the feasibility of this plan. On the other side, Frank spoke up. "How long do you expect to be gone?"
"I've considered that. Since I'm unsure of the situation over there, I'll allow for some extra time. But overall, it shouldn't take more than a month."
Alex shifted his tone.
"And don't worry, I can return at any moment if something unexpected happens."
Though, it will drain a lot of power, he thought to himself.
Since neither universe had been perfectly recorded by Alex's timepad, he couldn't set a time anchor point like he did in the Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe arc, where he locked an anchor, went off for ten years, and returned to the same moment. However, the good news was that the two universes were currently close enough.
It was like two trains on parallel tracks, so close you could almost see what kind of instant noodles the people in the other train were eating. This allowed Alex to use his timepad to establish a magical link between the universes.
In other words, even if Alex went to the other universe, he could still communicate with people in this one through the raven marks he'd left behind. This way, he could keep better track of both universes' events.
What worried Alex most was that after all the effort he had put into saving the Wasteland Universe, the Apokolips War Universe would suddenly derail and crash into this one, causing both universes to be destroyed.
And that was why he was ready to act immediately.
.....
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264. Adding Another Layer of Lock.
265. Preparation and Departure.
266. Apokolips War.
267. Batwoman Under Siege.
268. The Bat Family’s Ordeal.
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