Arkham Batman was in the California State Government office, reviewing the industrial accident report. Due to the efficiency of the disaster response, there weren't many casualties, but the equipment loss was enormous.
Many people think modern industry is all about sophisticated national treasures, but actually, many with technical knowledge understand that those seemingly impressive big machines are quite delicate. Problems arise from prolonged use, or even from disuse, let alone a sudden power outage.
Moreover, according to the technicians' reports, this wasn't a normal power outage. It started with a power cut, followed by a surge of electrical current, and then a complete blackout. This surge wiped out the circuits of over half the machines. With circuits completely destroyed, the machines are practically beyond repair, leading to incalculable property loss and a massive blow to confidence.
America, after all, is privately owned. Even with government assistance and favorable tax policies, businesses are still responsible for their own profits and losses. This incident could lead to numerous bankruptcies. Future industrial projects will surely suffer from a lack of investment confidence.
The power company feels wronged. They're afraid the President blames them, but they can't find evidence of sabotage, so they had to find a scapegoat. The company CEO nearly shot himself eight times in despair, if Shiller hadn't acted quickly to save him, it would've been an unprecedented injustice.
Arkham Batman furrowed his brow tightly. His assistant watched with growing anxiety. Just then, the peculiarly shaped communicator beside him flickered with a Magic Light.
"Batman, it's me, Diana." Wonder Woman's voice came from the communicator, sounding anxious, "We found the ship, but there are five people on board seriously injured. The climate here is damp with many bacteria. I've exhausted all my Divine Power to keep them alive, but they urgently need Healing..."
Arkham Batman squeezed his hand tightly. He immediately stood up and said, "What about Paradise Island? You..."
"Paradise Island does have a way to save them, but three of the wounded are men. Once they enter Paradise Island's range, they can't leave. I can't control that. Batman, I'm really sorry..."
"Don't worry, I'll send a plane immediately..." Arkham Batman paused. He knew he couldn't send a plane. Modern equipment is defenseless against electronic lifeforms; they would never allow his plane to reach the Amazon.
Arkham Batman opened his mouth to speak but stopped again. His eyes turned slightly, as if realizing something.
"It's okay, Diana. You've done very well." He said, "I'll get back to you soon."
He hung up, rubbed a ring on his hand, and waved. A Magic Light screen unfolded, enveloping the room. This was a miniaturized version of the Magical Defense Network he had previously studied, the same technology used at the Justice League Gotham Base, able to create a temporarily isolated space where only magic signals can penetrate.
Here, Arkham Batman raised his hand again, and a Teleportation Portal shimmering with golden light appeared before him.
This was his other advantage over electronic lifeforms. He hadn't told anyone but studied suspension rings in magical school, successfully opened a portal to the Hell Dimension using Marvel's Teleportation Technology, and tripped Mephisto. His research on portals rivaled the Marvel Mage. With Energy, his use became even more effortless.
He had kept this technique as his trump card to use at a critical moment. He always could descend into the Amazon and return instantly. Having Wonder Woman pretend to be him was meant to preserve this trump card, but now it seems that won't work.
Wonder Woman seemed to have been discovered, Arkham Batman thought. The person who just called him wasn't Diana, but the electronic lifeform.
Clearly, it had made significant progress in understanding emotions, able to mimic a living person's tone and feelings, even nearly deceiving Arkham Batman.
The electronic lifeform's flaw was that the real Wonder Woman would never reject taking the wounded to Paradise Island. This is because Wonder Woman's former lover, pilot Steve Trevor, was a male who accidentally ended up on Paradise Island and was saved. He was rescued by Diana, and deeply loved each other.
In life-and-death situations, Wonder Woman wouldn't be bothered by Paradise Island's stupid rules. Moreover, disguised as Arkham Batman, she could force her way onto Paradise Island a second time just like the first, and the Amazon Queen couldn't do a thing. Wonder Woman would use her identity to rush into Paradise Island and save them. As a battle-hardened warrior acquainted with death, Wonder Woman wouldn't call Batman to complain in such a situation.
You could say that the electronic lifeform made some progress but not much. Although its speaking tone and emotional content were fairly accurate, its understanding of female personalities still lacked depth. Or perhaps it hadn't delved deeply into studying Wonder Woman because she has black hair instead of red.
Arkham Batman directly opened the portal to the Amazon. He didn't choose to find the ship himself but headed straight for Paradise Island. Arriving at Paradise Island, he loudly knocked on the door until the Amazon Queen reluctantly appeared before him.
The Queen seemed to have expected this, leading him straight towards the palace. Along the way, the Queen said, "If my daughter insists on marrying you, I'll definitely lock her up."
"If I want to marry her, you definitely won't have a chance to do so." Arkham Batman still had the mood to chat with her.
Upon entering the palace, Arkham Batman was somewhat surprised to find Wonder Woman there as well. Seeing Arkham Batman, Wonder Woman quickly rushed over and said, "Are you alright? Did you encounter those people?"
"What?"
"Paradise Island is trapped," Wonder Woman sighed and said, "I found those people on the ship, but I can't get them away because that damn ghost fooled many people to come here. They're all surrounding the Amazon, including police, civilians, and internet celebrities with millions of fans. I don't dare to bring them out at all."
Arkham Batman rubbed his chin, he probably knew what the electronic life was thinking. Whether it's Wonder Woman or Batman who came here, as long as they couldn't take the people back, domestic and international public opinion wouldn't stop, continuously pressuring Batman.
But in order to take these people back, at least Wonder Woman would definitely have to be exposed to the cameras. And to prevent the electronic life from doing anything tricky on the way back, Wonder Woman would definitely have to bring a few Amazonian Woman Warriors with her. They would all be swept into the whirlpool of public opinion, further fueling topics like "cannibalism," "sacrifice," and "witchcraft." At that time, Amazon's public opinion would truly be doomed.
So now, the Queen would rather break the rules of Paradise Island and unprecedentedly allow this ship of people to stay on Paradise Island rather than let them return immediately, to prevent those media and internet celebrities from adding fuel to the fire and to prevent these people from going back and talking nonsense.
"Where are the people now?" Arkham Batman asked.
"Docked at the pier," Wonder Woman said, "I didn't let them off the ship. After all, you know, here on Paradise Island... doesn't really welcome men."
Arkham Batman nodded, he could understand Wonder Woman. The origin of Paradise Island itself is problematic; Amazonian Woman Warriors are inherently female souls resurrected by Greek goddesses who were harmed by men. They have a natural aversion to men. Leaving this ship at the dock is all due to Wonder Woman's insistence. Judging by the look from the nearby female warriors, Arkham Batman knew there had just been a significant quarrel here.
Fortunately, the Queen is quite sensible, knowing that at this time, they can't rigidly adhere to the rules, or everyone will be doomed together, managing to suppress the situation. Currently, there is still a chance to salvage the situation.
"Find a way to erase their memories," Arkham Batman concluded decisively, "I know you have this method. If you're going to do it, do it quickly, and then I'll use the teleportation portal to send them back."
Wonder Woman looked at him in surprise and said, "Teleportation portal? Oh, wait, you got here using a teleportation portal? No wonder."
The Queen also knew this was the only solution left, so she quickly organized personnel, and Arkham Batman went to set up the teleportation portal.
Paradise Island has another advantage, that electronic life cannot invade this place either. The people it summoned were surrounding the Amazon, but couldn't find Paradise Island because there is protection from the Magic Domain here, and electronic life has no way to deal with magic.
Soon, the teleportation portal was set up, and all the people on the ship were lying about on the deck. The Amazonian Woman Warriors guided the ship through the teleportation portal, arriving at the Atlantic Ocean not far from Gotham.
Arkham Batman called Aquaman, had him take the ship near Gotham, then had Shiller lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation to take over, bringing everyone back to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for unified investigation, checking if they had their memories erased, and ensuring they wouldn't talk nonsense when they returned.
Arkham Batman himself did not show up. He used the teleportation portal to return to California. Just as he continued to prepare to restore power, his assistant rushed in hurriedly and said, "The California governor was assassinated! Now undergoing emergency treatment in the hospital!"
Arkham Batman rushed to the hospital at the fastest speed, and despite the protests of the medical staff, he directly broke into the operating room. Seeing the wound, he immediately knew the shot was aimed to kill, with the heart directly shattered, leaving almost no chance of rescue.
Fortunately, Arkham Batman knows magic, and he has very skilled surgical techniques. Relying on the creative abilities of magic and his professional knowledge, he managed to repair the heart.
Standing in front of the operating table, Arkham Batman remained silent for a long time. Then he took a deep breath and opened the Battleworld interface. Just as he was about to edit the information, the long quiet group chat popped up with a message from the Primary Universe Batman: "Gather for a meeting."
Arkham Batman turned and disappeared from the operating room.