Comics multiverse: Reborn as a special mutant

"I know you're in the closet. A closet can't hide you from me."

Bruce still didn't move.

But Norin could "see" Bruce's hand gripping the closet door tightly.

It looked like it could swing open at any moment.

Norin didn't see any weapons on him.

He trusted his eyes.

So Norin stayed calm. He walked over to the stove, lifted the lid of the boiling pot to let the steam out, and dropped in some ramen, stirring to keep it from clumping.

Then he pulled out a tall wooden stool, sat down, and said:

"Bruce Wayne, the mysterious Batman of Gotham, I mean you no harm."

"Let me introduce myself briefly. I'm not from your universe. I come from another world and have some superpowers. Well, I think you know what superpowers are. It's exactly what you're thinking."

"If you don't believe me, you can look me up online later. It won't be hard for you."

"Maybe you don't believe me, but I know some things about your universe. Specifically, within the next year, your universe will be destroyed because of an accident."

"You heard me right."

"Not just Gotham, but Earth and the entire universe will be destroyed."

"If you believe me, come out now."

"If you don't, I'll leave in a minute."

"I won't interfere with your universe's terrible future."

After speaking, Norin glanced at the wall clock.

He started counting down.

Norin wasn't sure if Bruce would believe him. He knew Bruce's personality well.

Bruce Wayne was naturally suspicious, much like Tony Stark.

Whether it was enemies or allies, Bruce never fully trusted anyone.

He'd secretly study their weaknesses and design contingency plans.

That way, he could deal with them if they ever turned against humanity.

Even Superman had a countermeasure.

It was almost impossible for someone like Bruce to trust a stranger at first meeting.

Even though Norin was being honest.

He hadn't lied at all.

He'd even mentioned things from other universes.

Still, Bruce might believe half of it. If Bruce came out, they could find Supergirl as soon as she arrived on Earth.

They could also design multiple plans to counter Zod in advance.

Once Norin permanently copied Supergirl's powers, everything would be fine.

If Bruce didn't come out,

Norin wouldn't abandon the world entirely.

He could find other computer experts and use some tricks to get them to work for him.

Money, poison, or even mind-control drugs.

However, this approach carried risks. Ordinary computer experts didn't have the skills or equipment to hack into Russia's networks.

Only someone like Bruce, with his wealth and private satellites, could monitor the world at any time.

Without Bruce's help, defeating Zod would be much harder. Norin would likely have to settle for extracting some of Kara Zor-El's genes and blood for research.

If it was just blood, it would have less impact on Norin, but Kryptonian blood was priceless no matter where you were.

Currently, Norin couldn't bring others across universes. The passage only allowed him to travel alone for now.

So the idea of taking Kara to Marvel to avoid the Flash's mess wasn't possible.

Time ticked by.

With three seconds left in the countdown,

The closet door creaked open.

An old man in a gray coat, with shoulder-length hair and a scruffy beard, stepped out.

He glanced at the boiling water and ramen, then looked at Norin. "Are you hungry?"

"No, thank you."

"…"

A few minutes later,

Old Bruce prepared the ramen and took a bite. It seemed to taste good.

"So, what you're saying is that sometime in the future, an idiot who can reverse time will come to our universe, mess everything up, and then leave. In the end, our universe will be restarted—or destroyed, as you put it?"

"It's a good story. I think it could be published in a sci-fi magazine. Maybe a lot of people would like it. If we're lucky, someone might even invest in turning it into a blockbuster. Let's call it The Flash."

"But I wouldn't invest. The story's not rigorous enough. It's too reckless. As a superhero, he should be mature, but instead, he goes back in time, changes history, and destabilizes the universe. Then he has to go back again to fix it, restarting everything."

"And he still hasn't learned his lesson. He keeps changing known history."

"Is the Flash stupid, or is the writer who came up with this story stupid?"

"A guaranteed money loser. I don't think anyone in the world would be foolish enough to do this, right?"

Bruce glanced at Norin and paused, "It seems there really are idiots out there... Unbelievable."

"Is this how they define a superhero? Even if an immature superhero needs to grow, the cost is too high! Sacrificing dozens of universes just for his development... Are they insane?"

"What does this say about his character? Who has that kind of money to burn so recklessly? It seems he's richer than me."

"I can assure you, he's not. You're definitely richer." Norin replied without hesitation.

Warner Bros. and Wayne Enterprises were on completely different levels when it came to capital.

Bruce kept eating his noodles, not bothering to argue, and said, "Honestly, if what you're saying is true, then I really need to think about what to do next. I don't want some fool messing around in my universe. He can run away anytime, but we can't."

"Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

"But let me make this clear. If you're lying to me, I'll show you just how powerful the Dark Knight is." (TN: Uncharacteristic... But bear with me, please.)

Hearing this, Norin smiled slightly.

"I need you to monitor Russia, especially the Siberian region. If I remember correctly, an alien spacecraft has either already landed or is about to land there."

"If you find it, I need the exact location as soon as possible, and I'll need you to take me there."

"A Kryptonian superhuman? I'm really looking forward to seeing her shoot lasers from her eyes or freeze everything in her path."

Bruce nodded in agreement.

He finished the noodles in a few bites and placed the bowl in the sink.

"Let's go find this invincible Supergirl."

Norin glanced at the messy room, shrugged, and said nothing.

In this universe, Alfred had been dead for a long time.

It seemed that after the butler's death, Bruce hadn't hired a replacement.

After all, not everyone could earn Bruce's trust like Alfred had.

If loyalty couldn't be guaranteed, it was better to live alone in the manor.

That was Batman for you.