Norin couldn't help but recall the movie he had watched just before crossing over.

  In that movie, there was a parallel universe that seemed eerily simir to the one he now found himself in.

  If this was indeed the same universe, it would be as disastrous as someone joining the German army in 1944, moving to Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, and pledging allegiance to the commander in 1949.

  No, it might even be worse!

  At least in the former examples, the individuals had a chance to survive.

  But in this universe, survival was all but impossible!

  To confirm his suspicions, Norin gnced toward a certain direction. According to the enthusiastic girl he had met earlier, Wayne Manor was in that direction.

  He fgged down a taxi and, after the driver gave him a few curious gnces, made his way to Wayne Manor.

  When he arrived, the pce looked different than he had imagined.

  Wayne Manor, though still rgely intact, appeared somewhat dipidated.

  The surrounding area was eerily quiet, with no one in sight.

  If someone had told Norin this was a haunted house, he would have believed it.

  As he walked, he carefully listened to the vibrations in the environment.

  The sound of ants marching, the rustling of caterpilrs crawling, but... there was no sound of footsteps.

  Within a radius of several dozen meters, there was no one around except for him.

  A few steps more, and he reached the wrought-iron gates surrounding the manor.

  Norin pressed the doorbell a few times.

  No response from inside.

  Seeing this, Norin's suspicion only grew stronger.

  Without hesitation, he scaled the gate and entered the manor grounds.

  He walked deeper, and soon enough, he detected a slight vibration.

  It was faint, but he was certain: someone was inside the building!

  If he wasn’t mistaken, it was Bruce Wayne—Batman himself!

  This universe, it seemed, was likely the same one from The Fsh, where Barry Allen's interference in the past led to a timeline destined to be destroyed and rebooted.

  In this universe, Bruce Wayne was already in his te 60s or early 70s.

  Decades ago, he had defeated the Joker, Penguin, and other notorious vilins, cleaning up Gotham's dark underworld.

  Over time, using his immense wealth, he had transformed Gotham from the most corrupt city into the safest city in the world!

  But in this universe, certain familiar heroes never emerged.

  Wonder Woman never appeared.

  Arthur Curry’s father never met Queen Atnna of Atntis, and instead, Arthur grew up with a chubby wife and a dog named Arthur.

  Barry Allen was never struck by lightning, so he never gained the Speed Force, nor did he become the fastest man alive.

  And, tragically, he never lost his parents, growing up in a peaceful family.

  Victor Stone was still pying football at Gotham University, without the accident that would turn him into Cyborg.

  As for Superman—Crk Kent had never arrived on Earth.

  Only Kara Zor-El, Crk's cousin, had crash-nded on Earth, likely being held in some facility within the Soviet Union for study.

  If Norin remembered correctly, 2013 was the year General Zod would invade Earth.

  Although Kara Zor-El, the true "Superman" of this universe, possessed the Kryptonian Life Code, she was never given the opportunity to bask in Earth's sun. Her ship was locked away upon arrival, and it wasn't until much ter, after The Fsh rescued her, that she could even feel the warmth of the sun.

  But by then, she was facing Zod and other world-ending threats, far beyond her abilities.

  She would die at Zod’s hands.

  Batman would also fall in that battle.

  Meanwhile, Barry Allen and the alternate universe version of The Fsh would spend decades traveling back in time, attempting to save Kara and Batman, kill Zod, and destroy the World Engine to save Earth.

  But ultimately, this universe would be destroyed.

  The Fsh, having tried for years, would age, never succeeding in saving everyone.

  Finally, the true Fsh would return to the past, rewinding time to reset the universe, essentially destroying it and starting anew.

  If this truly was the doomed universe, Norin knew he was in serious trouble!

  The immediate priority was to confirm his theory.

  If this really is the universe, then solving this problem is a must.

  After all...

  This world has Supergirl Kara Zor-El!

  The perfect combination of beauty and strength in Supergirl!

  She is the true protagonist of the DC universe!

  With the limitless potential of the Kryptonian bloodline!

  If Norin could gain her powers, then returning to the Marvel universe would be a breeze—he could just lie back, bask in the sun, and become invincible.

  However, considering his own limitations, he needed to ensure Kara Zor-El survived for long enough.

  He would need to continually improve her genes, perhaps even copying them until they became a permanent ability for himself.

  But before that, this world couldn’t be destroyed.

  At least, Kara Zor-El couldn’t die.

  As Norin walked, he continued to think about his next steps.

  Before he realized it, he had already reached the gates of the manor.

  The white mansion had an overgrown perimeter, with ivy-like pnts crawling up the walls.

  The whole pce looked abandoned, as if it had been left to decay for years, devoid of life.

  Clearly, the owner of the manor had not bothered to maintain it for a long time.

  Perhaps Bruce Wayne was enjoying his retirement and didn't welcome visitors.

  Despite this, as Norin stood right at the doorstep, Bruce Wayne made no move to “greet” him.

  There were no warning signs either.

  Norin certainly didn’t believe Bruce hadn’t noticed his presence.

  After all, Bruce Wayne was still Batman, even in this doomed universe. Even in his old age, Bruce was still the untouchable billionaire with a dark past.

  This universe's Batman had driven away the darkness from Gotham, clearing the streets of vilins, and brought light back to the city.

  In fact, his accomplishments had surpassed 99% of Batmans across other universes!

  It was like the Chinese national football team winning the World Cup or the national table tennis team finishing st—almost a paradoxical level of achievement!

  Bruce’s vigince may have lowered due to his age, but Norin was certain that Bruce was hiding in a room somewhere, monitoring his every move.

  Bruce was confident. He didn’t believe Norin posed any real threat. In fact, he might have even let him in just to pass the time.

  “Not coming out yet?” Norin muttered, looking up at the security camera above the door.

  Still, no response.

  So, Norin decided to go ahead and push the door open.

  The door wasn’t even locked. From what he knew of Bruce, he probably thought no one would dare approach Wayne Manor.

  It was also possible that Bruce had done this on purpose.

  Once inside, Norin didn’t wander aimlessly. He immediately activated his infrared thermal imaging to record the temperature variations of the house in his mind.

  Soon enough, the corner of Norin's mouth curled up slightly.

  “Found you!”

  With the help of his vibration sense, he made his way toward a specific direction.

  He passed the still-lit firepce in the hall, and then approached a door.

  He paused for a brief moment.

  The infrared thermal imaging revealed the room’s details.

  A pot on the stove, still heating.

  A chair with residual warmth.

  And a mp that had recently been turned off.

  Then, Norin saw him—Bruce Wayne.

  He was inside the room, crouched by a storage cabinet.

  It was clear that Bruce had been preparing lunch when he noticed an intruder, and in a hurry, had hidden in the cabinet to observe.

  The scattered slippers on the floor were proof of this.

  Seeing this, Norin casually pushed the door open.

  A quick gnce around, and his gaze fixed on the storage cabinet.

  “Come out, Bruce Wayne. I don’t have a weapon in my hand.”