American comics: Damn it, I’m surrounded by those who worry about their fathers!.

Chapter 996 Batman vs. the Pharaoh
“You seem confused, Bruce.”

Peter greeted Alfred and then walked toward Bruce.

"Yes, I devised a plan to imprison Rorschach in Arkham and had Alfred pretend to be a psychiatrist to communicate with him in an attempt to obtain some useful information, but he was eventually rescued by a mysterious person."

Bruce briefly told Peter what had happened to Rorschach.

"Is that so?"

After listening to Bruce's words, Peter stroked his chin and fell into deep thought.

He has now roughly determined that the superheroes, or rather supervillains, from the Watchmen universe include Rorschach II, Ozymandias, the Mime Couple, and The Comedian.

Could there be other people from the Watchers universe who rescued Rorschach?

"Sir, how much do you know about Dr. Manhattan?"

Seeing Peter deep in thought, Bruce took the initiative to ask him a question.

He had long ago discovered that Peter seemed to know a great deal about things beyond other universes.

Now Bruce has no choice but to ask Peter for help.

Peter walked to the window, his shadow stretched out.

“Jon Osterman, also known as Dr. Manhattan, is both a god and an observer.”

Peter spoke softly to Bruce and Alfred, “His universe, the Watchers’ universe, he witnessed the Pharaoh using three million lives to forge peace, yet he could not change the outcome; he saw through the flow of time, knowing that his universe would eventually be destroyed by humanity’s self-destructive tendencies, yet he could not find a way to save it.”

"So he escaped his own universe and most likely entered our universe. He has always been very observant, and may have been secretly observing us all along."

Peter paused for a moment, then told Bruce that the death of the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, and the disappearance of the Justice Society were all the work of Doctor Manhattan.

Bruce's eyes flickered with confusion upon hearing this.

"I don't understand, sir, why would he do that?"

"Because of Clark's existence, Dr. Manhattan has always been interested in Superman, and I suspect that his target is Clark."

Peter knew from his past life that Dr. Manhattan seemed to have an unusual interest in Superman.

He speculated that it was because Dr. Manhattan gradually lost his humanity after gaining superpowers, becoming indifferent and detached.

Clark, on the other hand, always maintained his humanity and cared about the fate of mankind.

This contrast between humanity and superpowers may be one of the reasons why Dr. Manhattan is interested in Superman.

"Clark?"

Bruce was taken aback; he hadn't expected Clark to get involved as well.

With a furrowed brow, he asked Peter, "So, sir, he's using our universe as a testing ground?"

"It's not an experimental field, it's an observation field."

Peter corrected him.

"I suspect that the most likely reason Manhattan erased the Justice Society and altered Alan Scott's fate was to observe whether Superman's 'light' could still illuminate the darkness after the variables were missing, and whether he could truly create possibilities that he could not foresee."

Peter turned his gaze from the window and looked intently at Bruce.

"Now that the Pharaoh has joined in, I think things will become more complicated."

As Bruce listened to Peter's words, his brow furrowed even more.

"We need to find Dr. Manhattan first, no matter what."

Bruce stood up and said to Peter seriously, "Sir, you said that you sent Pharaoh King to the Metropolitan Medical Center, is that right?"

"Correct."

"Then I'll go visit him; perhaps I can get some clues."

Bruce said he wanted to go to the hospital to see the Pharaoh.

"of course can."

Peter naturally didn't object and said to him, "Let's split up. I'll go find Rorschach, and you go to the hospital and talk to Pharaoh. That guy is quite dangerous, so take care of yourself."

"I will."

Bruce nodded to Peter and then prepared to head to Metropolitan Medical Center.

"and many more."

Seeing Bruce about to leave, Peter called him back and reminded him, "Things are a bit chaotic outside right now. Dr. Manhattan has altered the timeline and removed the Justice Society. Without the contributions and subtle influence of the older generation of heroes, people no longer trust superheroes. Now, everyone hates superpowered people, so be careful on the road."

Looking into Peter's concerned eyes, Bruce felt a warm current flow through his heart.

"I will, Godfather. You be careful too."

The windows of the top-floor intensive care unit at Gotham General Hospital were wide open, letting in a blast of cold air.

The expensive electrocardiogram monitor's leads were violently severed, leaving jarring straight lines on the screen.

Bruce Wayne stood before the disheveled hospital bed, his fingers brushing against the still-warm sheets.

The Pharaoh, who was supposed to receive treatment here, has escaped from the hospital.

I was a step too late.

Bruce's face didn't show much expression when he didn't see the Pharaoh.

He had prepared himself for this, knowing that the other party was very likely to leave the hospital early. However...
Bruce shook his head and reached out to operate the personal terminal in his left hand.

Since the other party arrived in Gotham in a spaceship, finding their spaceship might lead to finding the Owl.

Bruce had already had Alfred search the entire Gotham area and roughly pinpoint the location of the spaceship.

"Whoosh"!
Bruce fired his hook gun and jumped out of the window.

A dozen minutes later, Bruce pinpointed the location to the abandoned Third Dock area in Gotham Harbor.

The wreckage of a crashed, twisted spaceship lies half-buried among silt and rusted containers.

With a whoosh, Bruce spread his wings and slid into the torn hatch of the spaceship like a shadow.

Inside the spacecraft, there was a pungent smell of coolant and a burnt smell of short circuits.

He deactivated the night vision system on his hood, completely immersing himself in the densest darkness deep within the spaceship, becoming darkness itself.

Only the cloak made an almost inaudible rustling sound in the breeze seeping through the gaps in the spaceship's structure.

Time passed in the deathly silence and the damp ticking of the clock.

Bruce knew that the most likely place the Ozymandias would come after escaping from the hospital was his own spaceship, so he waited here.

After an unknown amount of time, a faint but unusually regular sound of footsteps approached from afar.

The heavy hatch was pushed open, and the moonlight briefly outlined a tall and imposing figure before it was swallowed up.

The Pharaoh entered, smoothly bypassing the obstacles on the ground, and headed straight for the main control panel.

He skillfully pried open a panel, his fingers moving rapidly along the wires. The damaged engine groaned, and several emergency lights flickered on and off, casting an indistinct glow on his profile.

He looked paler than he did on the hospital bed, but his eyes remained sharp, carrying a calmness born of liberation.

"I already know about your deeds."

A deep, hoarse voice suddenly erupted from the darkness behind the Pharaoh.

The Pharaoh's fingers did not pause for a moment, continuing his work, only his shoulder line tensed almost imperceptibly for a second.

"Batman."

He didn't turn around, and replied in a steady voice, "Not bad efficiency, you found me so quickly."

Bruce stepped out of the shadows and asked him, "What are you trying to do by entering my world?"

The Pharaoh finally stopped what he was doing and slowly turned around.

The stark white light of the emergency lights cast deep shadows on his face.

"attempt?"

He repeated softly, a slight smile playing at the corners of his lips, a smile tinged with an indescribable weariness and mockery, "What could I possibly be planning, dragging this body, gnawed by disease, from the sky into your playground? Seeking refuge? Or..."

He spread his hands, surveying the dilapidated state of the spaceship's interior. "Starting over? Don't be nervous, Dark Knight. The trouble I bring is far less than the trouble you create yourselves."

He turned back to the control panel, his fingers continuing to fiddle with the circuitry. A low hum echoed from inside the spaceship, as if some core system had been forcibly activated.

"Look at your world, Bruce Wayne. Thousands of people have signed a petition demanding the arrest of Batman, accusing you of lynching. Arkham Asylum, your private 'Villain Museum' has once again broken out en masse."

The hum of the spaceship's engines gradually subsided, and the Pharaoh's voice grew colder.

"This world is more... vibrant, and more dangerous than the Watchers universe. I am just a spectator, a spectator who can't find a seat for the time being. I will have no impact on your world. On the contrary, it is you who make this world more dangerous."

"You claim to be a harmless audience member?"

Bruce's voice suddenly rose, and he said bluntly, "A butcher who slaughtered three million people to buy a false peace has the right to be a spectator?!"

He took a step closer. "What do you think you are? A god? A scientist who experiments on countless lives? No, none of these. You just have a hero's delusions, and your 'hero's delusions' are quite severe."

As Pharaoh listened to Bruce's words, his body finally turned completely around.

The emergency light illuminated his entire face.

His face showed no anger, no defense, only a deep, unfathomable calm, as if Bruce were accusing someone completely unrelated.

"Delusion? Illness?"

He repeated softly, gazing at Batman's figure, "Perhaps, but Batman, tell me."

His voice suddenly became shrill.

"Is the catastrophe that is plunging this world into the abyss caused by me, Witte Vitius? Did I ignite the people's anger towards the 'vigilantes'? Did I open the gates of Arkham?"

He took a step forward, for the first time actively shortening the distance between himself and Batman, his powerful aura overwhelming him.

"No! Bruce Wayne! It's precisely because of you—you, and those 'kin' who wear outlandish costumes and are obsessed with playing the hero!"

"You're busy stuffing 'supervillains' into that revolving door prison that can never hold them, and you're satisfied with the fleeting cheers that come with each 'victory.' You're obsessed with that black-and-white, simplistic morality that's like something out of a cheap comic book! You're indulging in this self-amusing, cyclical game, while turning a blind eye to the crumbling foundations of this world!"

"The gap between the rich and the poor, the corruption of the system, the spread of despair... these are real cancers that you cannot cure, and you are even unwilling to face! You just keep putting 'hero' bandages on the wounds, pretending not to see the festering sores underneath!"

The Pharaoh's voice echoed deafeningly through the wreckage of the spaceship.

"No wonder Dr. Manhattan came here. No wonder he wanted to observe your bizarre world and the futile struggles of your colorful lives."

"What did he see? A group of actors on a sinking deck, still arguing about whose action was cooler."

"shut up!"

(End of this chapter)