Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics-Chapter 4415 - 3503: The Study of Cats and Dogs (14)

Batman knows better than anyone the principle of "to take, one must first give." If he doesn't put some chips on the table, there's no way to make the other side reveal information to him.

Since the other side already knows the general situation of their universe, learning more about the origins of these events wouldn't hurt. Besides, the root cause of it all isn't him, it's the Joker.

Thus, Injustice Batman briefly explained the story of his universe to Clark and Lex.

Simply put, the Joker killed Lois, Superman killed the Joker in revenge. Batman disapproved of Superman's actions, and the two had a falling out. Superman formed the Injustice League and took over Earth.

After hearing the story, Clark and Lex exchanged glances.

Injustice Batman had assumed they'd start arguing because everything in this story was indeed worth debating—like whether Superman should've killed the Joker, whether Batman should've criticized Superman, or whether Superman ought to rule Earth.

Unexpectedly, they sat on opposite sofas, both staring at Injustice Batman, saying, "Let's hear the details."

Injustice Batman glanced at Lex, thinking: Weren't you just the one saying you didn't have time for nonsense?

Lex and Clark remained unmoved, insisting that Batman use his extraordinary memory to recount every detail from beginning to end, including who showed what expressions at what time and what tone they used to say certain things.

Injustice Batman hadn't intended to be so meticulous since the matter was quite unflattering for him as well. But Lex and Clark seemed very enthusiastic—Clark even opened the group voice chat, broadcasting the entire retelling live to Diana and others who were still eating.

It was as if this wasn't a life-and-death issue but instead some gossip session in a university dorm.

With no support and battered by their relentless questioning, Injustice Batman had no choice but to start narrating from the beginning.

Batman's memory was indeed extraordinary, and his recounting was logically rigorous and fluently expressed. Though the events were not pleasant, they were harrowing enough to be downright thrilling listening—a perfect accompaniment to a meal.

Diana's muffled voice came through the group call, saying, "Superman's beloved got killed—his desire for revenge is perfectly understandable. Batman adheres to a non-killing principle and believes killing a criminal doesn't solve the root problems; there's nothing wrong with that.

"Superman feeling wronged because Batman stopped him is completely normal. Batman feeling disappointed in Superman for knowingly ignoring his non-killing principle is also understandable.

"But here's my only question: What were the other members of the Justice League doing? And what about Wonder Woman?"

Injustice Batman was just about to explain on Diana's behalf.

"Was she on your side?"

"Not exactly."

"So she picked a side, just like everyone else?"

"Some weren't entirely willing."

"But they were gravely mistaken." Diana's voice was calm, almost indifferent, as she said, "When two lunatics start fighting, the first thing sane people should do isn't judging who's right or wrong, but separating them and prescribing medication."

Injustice Batman had no retort.

"I think the same," Clark said, "They shouldn't have picked sides between you two; they should've united to form a sufficiently strong, albeit impartial, third party—to separate you both first."

"But the problem still has to be resolved," Injustice Batman countered.

"Did picking sides solve the problem?" Lex asked cynically.

Injustice Batman had no answer to that. He had considered such scenarios but was also empathetic to his friends' inability to stay rational in that situation.

"What would you do?" Injustice Batman asked.

"Do you mean Bruce and Clark arguing?" Diana thought for a moment before replying, "Let's assume it's not just petty disagreements over daily trivialities, but rooted in matters of principle..."

"I can't even think of what principles Bruce might still hold." Arthur's voice came through the call.

"What if he killed Lois?" Hal joked, offering a grim hypothetical.

"Then he could revive her, though Clark would probably beat him to a pulp over it, but it's not a completely unsolvable issue."

"What if Clark killed Selina?" Hal continued.

"Then I'd have to deal with Aisha first." Clark replied, "Aisha's getting sharper these days; I don't think I'd even get the chance."

"Okay, then Dick, Jason, or Tim," Hal said.

"Stop telling horror stories," Diana suddenly interjected, "None of them are under Bruce's watch anymore."

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

"Alright, leaving the specifics aside, let's assume there's an irreconcilable rift between those two," Diana hypothetically posed again, "I would consider using the Lasso of Truth to bind Clark and take him back to Mount Olympus to calm down."

"Then I'd take Bruce back to Green Lantern Headquarters? Or forget it—he'd tear the place apart. Maybe better to send him to Arkham Asylum."

"I think you should send him to Gotham University directly," Arthur suggested, "If he goes berserk and wrecks Gotham University, then this conflict would be completely resolved."

"True, Bruce would be thoroughly resolved too."

"Oh, I've got it!" Diana suddenly exclaimed, "I know the kind of principle-related conflict they'd have!"

"What is it?" Clark asked curiously.

"Suppose—just suppose—one day Bruce writes a groundbreaking, soul-stirring, peerless paper, and then Clark burns it..."

"That premise doesn't hold water," Lex said, sipping his drink, "Expecting him to write a peerless paper? Better consider the possibility of killing Robin."

"Diana, I think if such a paper were written and I burned it, the issue wouldn't be between just the two of us anymore." Clark said, thoughtfully.

"No, no, no." Diana continued, "If you burned it, then no one could prove Bruce actually wrote it. No one would believe he did. Only Bruce would know. And that makes it a conflict purely between you two."

The group collectively came to a realization. Lex couldn't resist giving Diana a thumbs-up via the call, saying, "That's Immortal Species wisdom for you."

"Alright, even though it's hypothetical, I feel a little sorry for Bruce." Clark said, "I promise I wouldn't do that. If something like that ever accidentally happened, I'd do anything to make up for it. Do you think Bruce would forgive me?"

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"He would," Diana responded, "But you'd never be able to hold your head high around him. He'd use it to blackmail you until the cosmos ends."

"Fair enough, if it gets him to let it go, I'm fine with it."

"Then that's not a principle-related conflict at all." Hal interjected, "You'd both need equally non-negotiable reasons."

"How about Bruce didn't actually write the perfect paper but accused Clark of burning it?" Diana marvelled at her own creativity.

"That absolutely cannot be tolerated." Hal stated.

"But as we mentioned earlier," Clark hesitated for a moment before saying, "If it really came to the wire, I could still cover for him."

"You're sure?!" Diana was shocked, saying, "You'd dare shoulder the blame for that? When the Professor storms into Metropolis, don't blame me for running away fast."

"I'd sincerely apologize," Clark said, "This always works with the Professor; he wouldn't really do anything to me."

"Seriously though, Clark," Hal's tone grew sharp, "Bruce turned out like this largely because of you. If you hadn't indulged him, he wouldn't have done so many incomprehensible things."

"That's true," Arthur chimed in, "Though he is a bit unhinged, if not for you constantly cleaning up after his messes, he wouldn't be this reckless today. You really ought to tone it down."

"Not every time," Clark defended, "Honestly, it's just occasional—one or two times tops."

"Occasional?"

"One or two times?"

Hal and Diana spoke in unison, then both mockingly mimicked Clark's words.

Clark sighed helplessly and turned to Lex. Lex finished his last slice of pizza, wiping his hands with a wet napkin as he said, "You want me to release the surveillance footage, don't you?"

Clark hurriedly turned his head away.

If Injustice Batman had any thoughts about their conversation, it was probably a chill down his spine.

It's rare for Batman to feel unnerved, but the ambiance of this universe's Justice League ranked first among sources of discomfort.

If Batman were to explain his feelings, they'd be something like this: Everyone spoke about terrifying things in such a casual tone—and the most chilling part was the way the conversation ended, still in that casual tone.

The topic of irreconcilable conflict between two individuals is inherently contentious, as it always touches on principles. And in the Justice League, everyone's principles were uniquely different—or rather, all human principles differ inherently.

If two people's principles differ, they'll inevitably fight; if they're the same but differ in degree, they'll also fight; if their principles and degrees align but their methods of upholding them differ, they'll still fight.

Principles ensure endless arguments. Injustice Batman had witnessed such disputes countless times within the Justice League.

So they'd developed a tacit agreement: though aware of each other's principles, they generally avoided discussing them outright. If the topic came up, it was almost always within the context of addressing specific issues, not hypothetically inventing scenarios out of nowhere.

If any Justice League member ever voluntarily brought up such matters, Batman would assume they were spoiling for a fight.

But this universe's Justice League members seemed unconcerned about such things. Injustice Batman realized they lacked the drive to uphold their principles.

It may sound trivial, but for superheroes, this was quite strange. Being a superhero inherently requires unwavering dedication to one's principles. If principles were easily changed, there'd be no meaning in being one.

Because adhering to principles is central to a superhero's existence, discussions about principles often flared into fierce arguments. Even the mild-mannered ones would become sharp and combative when defending their principles, as it was integral to their existence.

While these disputes could spark division, the collective commitment to their principles served as a unifying force—this shared devotion was the basic foundation for superhero alliances.

Yet this universe's Justice League didn't exhibit such extreme defensiveness toward principles, which explained their lack of quarrels.

No arguments, but without this shared commitment, what was binding them together?

As Lex finished his meal and Clark took out the trash, Injustice Batman finally asked, "What do you think holds your universe's Justice League together?"

Lex was genuinely surprised that after all his pondering, Injustice Batman's question turned out to be this one. After a moment of thought, Lex ventured, "Is it...Oliver?"