louisehourcade Chapter 747 Dedicated to Every Batman
Chapter 747 Dedicated to Every Batman
Chapter 747 Dedicated to Every Batman (Special Edition Celebrating Batman's Birthday)
Superman the Magnus accepted the Foolish Owl's plan.
He agreed to the other party's idea and promised Chen Tao that he would not rush to the Presidential Palace in a frenzy and fight with the imposter, causing the deaths of hundreds of millions of people.
He knew that the Foolish Owl's plan was unreliable. From the moment Superman Supreme took over the identity of the Time Trapped, it was as if he inherited the enormous blood debts caused by the Laughing Ones and the Time Trapped in the Flashpoint timeline of the main universe in a short period of time.
Superman is a superman, he just doesn't use his super hearing, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have it.
He knew that the malice and hatred directed at the name Superman would overwhelm Superman Supreme, and he had to stop it. He had to…
Chen Tao was tired.
After regaining his senses, his thinking made him realize that the Batman Who Laughs was waiting for his challenge. This game had begun the moment he manipulated the Ventriloquist and decided to hire mercenaries to besiege Bane.
World Forger, Time Trapped, The Bat Who Laughs, Perpetua, Hand of the Void, Parallax Morhal, Superman Supreme, the man behind the Killing Machines...
Chen Tao was surprised to find that he could actually feel fear.
So many years, so many years, my friend.
This game will never end.
He thought about it.
He wondered what choice Batman would make in such a situation.
He knew that the Batman he imagined was simply a combination of all the good qualities of Batman, but he did it anyway; he was used to doing it.
He can always find a way to understand Batman's actions, but this time...
His understanding of Batman gave him the answer.
If it were Batman, when he was enduring the torment of coldness and pain, when he was trying to lift the boulder of Sisyphus again and again in vain, he might pour out everything in front of his parents' photos.
Despite all the cheesy jokes about Batman's parents, we still have to admit the truth:
Whenever Bruce lost hope and sank into darkness, the spiritual strength left by his parents gave him the greatest support, rekindling his motivation to keep going...
Just as the dawn gently brushes across the frozen earth with its delicate fingertips, heralding another brand new day.
(Note: Please refer to "Batman: Self" for Bruce Wayne's experience of not never doubting himself.)
But Chen Tao...
He didn't even know who his parents were in his previous life.
The bone-chilling cold only served as a spur, as if urging him to eradicate those difficulties, as if fate was wielding a long whip, striking his bleeding back again and again.
"I can't do it. I can't anymore."
In an instant, the pain subsided slightly, the whip lashing his back temporarily stopped, and Chen Tao seemed to have regained 20 years of peace...
But this feeling only lasted for 20 seconds.
"You idiot!"
Chen Tao, who was deep in thought, was taken aback.
He looked up and saw a huge, bat-like monster standing in front of him.
"You think you know what pain is, you coward? Let me show you what real pain is."
I am Chen Tao.
I stared blankly at the monster in front of me.
A tireless monster.
There is one thing I am quite certain of:
I am facing myself.
"Did I get your attention, Chen Tao?"
"That's what the monster said."
"Who are you?"
"Who am I? Don't be silly, Chen Tao. You know who I am and why I'm here."
"Haha! So heartbroken that you imagine a non-existent friend to comfort yourself, and then you become sentimental? You old fool, you're something else."
"You might still be fantasizing about something falling from the sky—an external force you can't even imagine, supporting you, protecting you, and assigning you a clear task, like a student taking an exam where passing the exam guarantees the greatest happiness and joy?"
"That's impossible, Chen Tao."
"You know."
"No one will step forward to help you, and no one can solve your problems for you. All of your fantasies are just—"
That's enough.
Chen Tao waved his hand, and the next second, this friend he had imagined vanished without a trace.
Even imaginary friends are lecturing you to hurry up and think of a solution, you rascal.
Chen Tao shook his head, but despite this, he still had no clue what a solution was; his enemy was the void.
Alright, that's enough time to lick your wounds.
Next, he should think about what kind of plan to prepare, and then...
When Chen Tao turned his head, he saw a cloud of smoke rise in front of him, and the next moment, the huge bat monster stood in it!
He stood there straight, like a giant—human bat!
"God."
Chen Tao said.
"Whether all of this happens in the distant outer space or is just a thought in the mind, it doesn't matter."
What you need to know is that I cannot be erased. I am not an outer garment, not a character that can be discarded at will. I am Batman, I am your true self.
As a teenager, I slept inside you, hidden away, silently residing there, but I could hear... I could feel.
"In every night when you're deep in thought..."
"When the shadow of failure looms over you..."
"One last heavy breath before you step onto the stage..."
"In every dark moment of your life... I am with you. Secretly, imperceptibly, I can feel you, and you can often sense me."
"But this relationship was suddenly changed by an external force. You really came to Gotham City, traveled through time and became Batman, fear took over everything, and I suddenly filled your young heart."
Chen Tao didn't know how to describe the expression on the bat monster's face.
Compassion, or pity?
"From that moment on, we became eternal companions. I will protect you as you strive forward."
I urge you to become that name, to stop the world from falling into darkness and evil.
All your travels, all your trials, all your thirst for knowledge and desire for adventure—it is I silently driving you, accompanying you on your journey.
"I am right here, I cannot escape, but you still cannot call me by name."
"The black robes we donned brought us together; neither of us had a choice. You prefer to call me Batman, but you can never escape me because..."
"My name is Fear, and I live deep within you."
"You've always known that I'm just providing a way. We're willing to bear all the pain, all the anger, all the deepest fears in your heart, and we share it, we share what we deserve."
"We are noble, and our consciousness drives us like a chariot, crushing one giant after another."
"More evil than them, darker than them."
"But now... you think I'm crazy? You think you're Chen Tao, not Batman? You're actually thinking of abandoning your duties and trying to escape?"
The bat-like monster said, enunciating each word clearly, "You just thought about going back to Earth-15 in the timeline, erasing the Earth-15 incident, and then escaping with the people you care about..."
"You're thinking of such a cowardly plan, a cowardly plan... isn't that right?"
Chen Tao stared intently at the monster, then chuckled, "What a joke, I'm the one who..."
Then, halfway through his sentence, he laughed out loud: "Come on, I'm actually talking to a character I imagined, a delusional creation? That's really pretty insane."
He was thinking this when he heard the bat monster roar in his ear: "Shut up! You think this is madness? What will you think when you become me? If you ignore me, I guarantee you'll regret it."
Chen Tao turned his head and saw the huge bat monster getting closer and closer to him, casting his shadow into it.
"You swore you would become Batman, you swore you would dedicate half your life to your world and justice..."
"And now you want to shut me out? What excuse do you have?"
"You mean life? Fiji?"
In an instant, a large number of phantoms were created by the bat monster.
Under the bright, dazzling lights, a slender beauty...
When Chen Tao heard her voice, it was as if she were breathing into his ear: "I know you're very wealthy. Tell me, are you satisfied with that?"
Or perhaps it's on the golf course, among drinking buddies leaning on their golf clubs...
"...Golf is my favorite sport, but you know, the woman I started dating last week, she likes..."
In the shopping mall.
"...Blue, but I prefer dark cyan, Bruce, about our honeymoon..."
on the wine table.
What do you think of the recent election? In my opinion, the loser is definitely...
Inside the foundation.
"...the endowment fund must..."
Chen Tao heard the bat monster's voice at the end.
"You actually want to get rid of me? You've broken my heart."
The bat monster looked sad.
"I've had enough of this madness."
Chen Tao said.
"crazy?"
"The bat monster said."
"Let me show you what madness is."
Flames gradually ignited on his body, illuminating the surrounding darkness bit by bit, eventually transforming into a raging inferno that seemed poised to devour the person before him.
"If you condemn me! If you relegate me to the depths of your subconscious, then I promise I will torment you until we die! I guarantee that for the rest of your miserable life, you will wake up screaming every night—that is the true path to madness!"
Chen Tao fell silent.
"You told me I had to make a choice. You said I had to move forward without getting rid of you, but I can't. Because of all this..."
"It's fucking tough."
He said.
"If it were just me alone, I would have died long ago."
"The Lady of Death likes me very much, and she offered me a good salary... but... I'm afraid I have to refuse."
"So tell me, since you're so smart, tell me, tell me how to continue."
The bat monster fell silent.
Then he said, "I have an idea, I learned it from an old friend in Gotham. Let's talk about Harvey. Two-Face."
"When concentrated sulfuric acid was poured on him, a new personality was born in his body. His situation allowed his unknown partner to do whatever she wanted, and his mental state ensured that he himself would not have to take any responsibility for the mistakes and actions of a new personality."
Chen Tao understood what the bat monster meant.
"What? His situation? He has a mental illness! You want to make me split my personality so I can escape the pressure of potential failure and the responsibilities of being Batman? That's just burying my head in the sand."
"All right."
The bat-monster said, "Perhaps you'd prefer... another option."
"You see, even though we share the same body, I suggest you acknowledge that we are, in a factual sense, two separate individuals. You are not responsible for my actions, just as I am not responsible for yours."
"As Chen Tao, you can indulge in women, do charity work, and please the public to your heart's content. You can retire happily in any universe you like."
"And I, the Batman Dragon, or the Batman Supreme, have stripped myself of your influence and completely transformed into the ultimate machine of justice."
"You have the ability to separate us into two completely different individuals."
"Chen Tao will no longer be bound to the Supreme Bat in battle."
"And the Supreme Bat will no longer have to feel Chen Tao's sorrow."
"What nonsense are you spouting? Self-induced psychosis? Voluntary splitting?"
"I'm talking about freedom of action, to fulfill our individual destinies."
"That's what the bat monster said."
"You...you are so cold-blooded, I should have known."
Chen Tao said.
"My power was created using you as a template, but I drew out your raging will. I forged you and brought you to heights that even I could not reach."
"But despite all that, a Batman without humanity could be anything but Batman!"
Chen Tao said, "So my answer is no!"
"Then you've left us both with no other choice."
"The bat monster said."
"You are neither willing to submit to me nor yield to my will."
"You've always longed for a normal life, but that longing inevitably comes at the cost of driving me away, so..."
Chen Tao found a gun in his hand, and the muzzle was pointed directly at the bat monster's head.
"Kill me!"
The bat monster said, "One bullet out of the barrel is all it takes to completely and utterly eliminate me. Just think about that, a whole new life."
"Break free from fear, cast aside the heavy burden of those terrifying responsibilities, release me, and liberate yourself."
Chen Tao and the bat monster locked eyes.
His hand was on the trigger.
"I………"
He said.
"I can't. That would be suicide. Chen Tao can't lose Batman."
He suddenly threw the pistol to the ground:
"Damn it!"
"Yes," the bat monster said.
"This is our fate. You've never had a normal life in a long time. You can't change your past self, and all we can do is..."
It's about guaranteeing and promising others the opportunity to have a happiness we've never had.
"You have to accept this."
"The bat monster said."
Chen Tao wanted to imagine when he would retire, he wanted to picture what retirement would feel like, but he…
I can't imagine it.
He couldn't imagine what would happen then.
He hadn't been to a party in a long time, and he couldn't even imagine himself drinking.
"The truth is painful."
He said.
"The truth will set you free. You'll never become Batman if you don't travel through time."
Chen Tao looked at the bat monster.
"Batman is a symbol. He's practically synonymous with terror to evil people, but he's also a symbol to those who are saved..."
A symbol of hope.
He said, "If Batman can coexist with hope..."
"Then Chen Tao can coexist with Batman."
"Agreed."
"The bat monster said."
Hope is the glue that holds Chen Tao together... at least for now.
In an instant, the bat monster vanished without a trace, and Chen Tao opened his eyes to see the killing machine standing in front of him.
"What's wrong with you? Ever since just now, you've been walking around like a madman."
"It's nothing..." Chen Tao said.
"What I mean is..."
"Bats strike."
(End of this chapter)