"I think I can imagine what major event happened on Earth before this."
Bruce offered a blunt assessment, then pressed his lips together with a grim expression.
"This planet... just like that spaceship before, was dragged back here out of thin air by him, wasn't it?"
"Indeed."
Alfred nodded.
Hearing Alfred's confirmation, Bruce drew a soft breath.
After a moment of silence, he quietly asked Alfred.
"If that's the case, why didn't you tell me the news at the first opportunity?"
Looking at the displeased expression on Bruce's face, Alfred smiled gently. He understood—this wasn't Bruce throwing a tantrum at him.
It was simply that the boy held impossibly high standards for himself, and equally high standards for everyone around him.
So Alfred, long accustomed to it, smiled kindly and patted Bruce's shoulder.
"First, because I was keeping you company in the Batcave, I didn't learn of it immediately either.
Second, by the time I did get word, you had already received Heisenberg's call—our present invitation to tour the Divine Kingdom.
And finally, Bruce, do you remember the things I told you when you were little?"
With that, Alfred spread his hands helplessly, then looked around with a serious gaze.
Watching the planet drawing nearer, he added one last thing.
"Don't forget the lesson I taught you back then.
Never put problems you've already faced, or problems you're currently facing, ahead of the problems you're about to face.
And never put problems we absolutely cannot solve ahead of the problems we're currently solving and have hope of solving!
The planet has already been brought to Earth by Heisenberg and installed within the Divine Kingdom. That is an unchangeable fact.
There's also absolutely no way we can stop what he does—because if he casually bumped the planet he brought over against Earth, our world would simply vanish.
So rather than letting you agonize over something that's already happened and cannot be solved, I think you'd be better off continuing to tinker with that new aircraft of yours.
Don't you agree, Master Bruce?"
With that, Alfred fixed Bruce with a gaze full of kindness and wisdom.
Hearing Alfred's explanation, Bruce could only nod helplessly.
"Fine, you're right."
Nodding, he sat back in the aircraft.
This time, he didn't let his mind wander. For the first time, he seriously focused his attention on the scenery before him.
Mogo was completely different from Earth. Earth's surface was far too dominated by water—over seventy percent of it was ocean.
But looking at this mysterious planet before him, Bruce discovered that its land-to-sea ratio was almost the exact opposite of Earth's.
Land occupied at least seventy percent of this planet's surface!
But unsurprisingly, once Bruce witnessed with his own eyes another planet capable of nurturing life...
He couldn't help but be awestruck.
"Beautiful!"
He remarked with admiration, then switched on the aircraft's thirty-plus other cameras—everything beyond the standard recording equipment—each with different angles and functions, to perform a comprehensive analysis of the planet before him.
As he drew closer, Bruce drew conclusions.
"Diameter roughly 5,726 kilometers. Atmospheric density around eight times that of Earth's. Oxygen content also exceptionally high.
Gravity incalculable—the force field keeps shifting. Heisenberg's power really is convenient.
If a planet like this had been parked beside the solar system long ago, human technology would probably have developed to the point of leaving the solar system by now!"
With that, Bruce gently accelerated the aircraft. As he and Mogo grew closer, he gradually made out Mogo's only current built-up area.
It was a modest complex of buildings, situated beside one of Mogo's few seas.
Even while still in the sky, Bruce's scans picked out Heisenberg, lying on a beach chair by the water, sunbathing.
Inside the aircraft, Alfred, who had been admiring Mogo's scenery, suddenly noticed a virtual projection of Heisenberg appear within the cabin.
Seeing Heisenberg's beach-style getup, the old man burst out laughing.
"Haha, Bruce, come look at him.
It seems we were both mistaken. Perhaps it's only weak little creatures like us humans who always assume that every powerful being in the universe harbors thoughts of destroying us.
But look at the truly powerful—the true gods.
They're just having a good time, aren't they? Haha!"
"Mm..."
Alfred's words made Bruce nod with a grim face.
"That's only one possibility. But we can never gamble on their mindset.
It's like when a human encounters an ant—the ant can never guess whether the human will pass by indifferently, stop to observe it out of curiosity, or even destroy the anthill with a grin.
And everything I'm trying to do is to make the ant certain of that person's mindset—and even, to some degree, give it the power to resist that person!"
At that point, Bruce noticed that his aircraft had been taken over by the Divine Kingdom's intelligent system.
The control stick began operating itself automatically.
Seeing this, Bruce helplessly left the pilot's seat and walked over to Alfred, spreading his hands.
"Advanced technology really is convenient. But thinking from the other side, it's also terrifying. Even my own aircraft is no longer mine.
I know there are plenty of reasons for me to fully trust them.
But what I know even more clearly is this: I can never achieve one hundred percent trust."
With that, Bruce sat down beside Alfred, letting the aircraft be towed toward the ground until it gradually descended.
Meanwhile, Bruce continued without a trace of fear.
"These words—I don't care if Heisenberg can hear them.
Because even if ninety-nine people agree, there always has to be at least one person to disagree.
There has never been a perfect plan in this world. Even I can't achieve that.
So among countless approvals, the single denial is far more precious than the approval itself.
That is my conviction."
Thud.
The moment he finished speaking, the aircraft touched down under the Divine Kingdom's guidance.
After a brief, mild jolt, Bruce and Alfred rose to their feet together.
Before disembarking, Alfred gently patted Bruce's arm and said with emotion.
"Do what you want to do, Bruce.
Unless these old bones go where they're meant to go, I'll always be with you, my boy."
"Yeah."
Bruce nodded, then strode out of the aircraft with a resolute expression.
In the distance, Heisenberg, sitting up on his lounge chair, caught sight of Bruce's face.
That face truly made him want to chuckle.
Of course he'd heard what Batman said. And even if he hadn't, he knew exactly how Batman's mind worked.
After all, this man's personality had been thoroughly picked apart and understood by far too many people in the origin universe.
But no matter how well he knew him, seeing this Bruce—the one who always had a Plan B, yet was still completely manageable—made Heisenberg...
Heisenberg sort of understood the Joker now.
Such an interesting fellow. Such a stubborn soul.
Tsk, who could bear to just kill him off?
Grinning, Heisenberg stood up, cradling his little ball as he stepped past a sizable number of Kryptonians to greet Bruce.
"Welcome, Bruce. You're the first to arrive.
But why did you only bring Alfred? Didn't I tell you that you could bring more people?"
"Uh...?"
Bruce blinked.
"Are you sure that wasn't just small talk?"
"Of course not!"
"But all the secrets here...?"
"No secrets. Everything I have comes from my own power."
"So you just let anyone see it...?"
"Naturally. Don't you think it's more fun with more people around?"
As he spoke, Heisenberg gave Bruce a hearty pat on the shoulder.
"Alright, go find a place to rest. Once a few more people arrive, I'll introduce you all to our new member!
For now, don't interrupt my chat with Alfred!"
Grinning, Heisenberg nudged Bruce aside, then familiarly slung an arm around Alfred's shoulders.
Countless particles instantly converged from all directions, gathering beneath Heisenberg's and Alfred's feet so the two of them could tour more comfortably.
Just like that, the pair drifted away on a platform of particles, chatting casually.
Heisenberg pointed back at Bruce in the distance and asked.
"How long do you think that kid—full of schemes and social anxiety—can stand around over there?"
At Heisenberg's question, Alfred burst out laughing, then answered between chuckles.
"He... haha, he'll definitely stand there by himself until someone he knows takes the initiative to talk to him!"
"Right? This Bruce, tsk tsk.
He's just a young man with an overflowing sense of justice, superhuman execution, severe social anxiety, and an extreme persecution complex and paranoia about being harmed!"
"Alright, alright. If he knew you described him like that, his view of you would only get more dangerous, haha!"
The two of them drifted into the distance, laughing.
After they left, Bruce stood frozen beside his aircraft, face blank.
A second ago, he'd felt like he was Alfred's good son and Heisenberg's good friend.
The next second—so Alfred and Heisenberg were the real brothers, were they?!!
Just leaving on their own like that, and dumping him next to a building complex that had just been constructed?
As he stewed, Bruce glanced at the lounge chairs around him.
Noticing his gaze, quite a few Kryptonians on the chairs couldn't help but look back.
"Who's that?"
Someone asked Noen.
Noen shook his head.
"Who knows?"
"Ha, how could you not know? Even your wife and His Eminence—"
"Don't you slander me! I don't know anything, you hear me?!!"
Noen turned his head away disdainfully and went back to sunbathing.
Listening to the two men's conversation, Bruce frowned in confusion. What kind of dialect was that? He couldn't understand a word!
But even without understanding, he could tell they were somewhat displeased.
So why would his presence displease them?
Heisenberg hadn't explained who those people were, but most likely they were Kryptonians gradually returning?
Could it be that the Kryptonians were unhappy about having to share the Divine Kingdom with the Justice League?
Otherwise, why would they be speaking Kryptonian?
The more Bruce thought about it, the more dangerous it felt. The ground beneath his feet seemed riddled with hidden threats—he even felt like the sand beneath him was watching him!
Sand...?
Wait!
Bruce froze.
Why was there a face in the sand to his left?!!!
Bruce gritted his teeth, edging away from the sand while glancing at the nearest Kryptonian.
At the same time, a green glow gradually rose from the sand. The light draped the sand in a watery green gown as the sand molded itself into the shape of a little girl.
Watching the sand girl walk toward him, Bruce couldn't help but glance again at the Kryptonians resting nearby.
When he confirmed that they truly didn't care about the sand's anomaly, he finally concluded that this sand must be a perfectly normal phenomenon within the Divine Kingdom.
So he said bluntly to the sand girl.
"I'm Bruce Wayne, Justice League."
"Ah, I know, I know! Dad mentioned the Justice League he founded.
I'm Mogo, nice to meet you! Oh, and by the way—I'm the planet beneath your feet.
So, could you please take back the eighty-two micro-bombs you just planted nearby through your shoes?
Trust me, if they go off, I will be very, very angry!!!"
/-\
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