The other three went offline shortly, and Red Robin also logged off, because he believed that if there was any movement, Batman would definitely contact him. Sure enough, Batman quickly sent a message: Doctor Manhattan had gone to him for help.
Anyone who doesn't laugh out loud at this message would be considered extraordinary. Does he really think Batman is some merciful, compassionate Bodhisattva saving people in distress? Even if he were, it's impossible for him to bless someone like Doctor Manhattan. Going to him now is like meat on a chopping board.
However, this is exactly what Batman wanted. Greed and Brainiac had almost driven Doctor Manhattan to a dead end, forcing him to seek Batman's help. In this situation, only Batman could save him.
The poison that Brainiac administered to him was really quite complex. This made it impossible to solve just one part; one must be knowledgeable about all of it to possibly solve his problem.
And the one who understands all this is Batman. Although Batman doesn't have deep knowledge about the Outer Gods, there is an Evil God Batman among them in a universe that's almost symbiotic with the Outer Gods. That's why Doctor Manhattan realized something was wrong and immediately went to Batman.
What follows is naturally a negotiation. If Doctor Manhattan doesn't show some real skill to turn the fate of the dark multiverse, he shouldn't expect Batman to detoxify him.
Red Robin breathed a sigh of relief. Batman didn't actually tell him much, at most hinting for him to bring Lilith over. But through the personnel Batman sent over, Red Robin could roughly see that Batman really wasn't treating this issue like a major deal.
As the saying goes, even if Constantine is the black-haired version, you're still tossing someone with that name over and expecting success?
The sit-back-and-watch-the-tigers-fight plan has successfully concluded, leading to Doctor Manhattan being in the palm of his hand, finally providing a solution for the problem that has long troubled Batman. Red Robin was naturally also pleased, but he was still celebrating too early.
Doctor Manhattan's situation is not looking good, and Batman sent another message: the virus is too strong, and if he can't suppress it, there might appear a Laughing Doctor Manhattan in the multiverse.
At this, Red Robin's mind buzzed. What on Earth do you mean by laughing what?
The Laughing Batman was already retired, and now there's a Laughing Doctor Manhattan. Tomorrow is another day the multiverse isn't well.
But on second thought, Brainiac couldn't possibly just make wedding clothes for Batman. Poisoning Doctor Manhattan besides revenge was obviously to force Batman to yield more space within the multiverse for his development.
The logic here is roughly: Batman is a good person, and usually, good people find themselves at gunpoint.
Batman is responsible for the multiverse, and it's not a vague responsibility, where as long as the final result is beneficial, it doesn't matter how many people are sacrificed. It's the kind where not a single person can be missing. Even though situations are already irretrievable, if one less death can be avoided, it should be.
Under such circumstances, any calamity in the multiverse would definitely hurt Batman more than anyone else. Batman is the least willing to see the emergence of multiverse-level supervillains.
So when Brainiac poisoned Doctor Manhattan, this poison not only made Doctor Manhattan unable to deal with it, but a poisoned Doctor Manhattan also becomes a huge unstable factor, capable of turning into something similar to the Laughing Batman at any time. This also added pressure on Batman.
Batman must help Doctor Manhattan suppress the toxin, but merely suppressing it isn't safe enough; he must enable more universes to have the power to protect themselves, which requires accelerated development, especially the already fragile dark universe. It barely began recovering, and if Doctor Manhattan fails to suppress the toxin and becomes a multiverse-level villain, the dark universe would be the first to suffer.
This means there must be a rush to support the dark multiverse, but the dark multiverse is numerous and in dire condition; Batman doesn't have that much manpower. So despite sending Batman and the Justice League, which could greatly aid the universe's upper limits, Brainiac is the best choice to secure the lower limits.
Artificial intelligence, detailed management down to the individual, can rebuild the order of the dark multiverse at the fastest speed. Establishing order and society is essential before discussing defense. Brainiac would be Batman's indisputable choice.
It's equivalent to Brainiac's poisoning of Manhattan being a way to strengthen the entire multiverse by creating potential villains.
Actually, in combat power comparison, the late-stage Laughing's combat power indisputably surpasses Doctor Manhattan's, but under the intervention of Shiller and others, there is no longer a late-stage for Laughing.
Even if Doctor Manhattan can't overcome the late-stage Laughing, he is still a notable figure in the multiverse. If he has any Laughing attributes, such as prediction, he would definitely be a major enemy of the multiverse.
Thus, not only the dark multiverse, but the bright multiverse must also accelerate its development. If they cannot cope with the potentially emerging Laughing Doctor Manhattan, the baseline is that the entire multiverse would implode, followed by a reboot.
Red Robin increasingly feels that this plan looks less like something Brainiac could devise alone; it carries a strong Shiller style, precisely speaking, a Greed style.
I am only responsible for making you develop rapidly, but don't worry about why or how you need to develop rapidly.
To save the dark multiverse and put pressure on the bright multiverse to develop faster, he chose to poison Doctor Manhattan directly. On one hand, Doctor Manhattan had no choice but to save the dark multiverse; on the other hand, Batman had no choice but to hasten the development of the bright multiverse.
Red Robin was actually a bit relieved that it was Arrogant who came to them, not Greed; otherwise, they might already have opened the multiverse and barged into God's office.
But he quickly recalled what others said about the Fusion Universe. How cunningly coincidental, just when the Fusion Universe released a trailer, could it be just waiting for them to rush into the trap?
Just as he thought of this, Nightwing exclaimed, "Koli agreed! She's very interested in the superheroes of the neighboring world and wants to visit New Earth. I've already edited the electronic invitations, we..."
"Wait!" Red Robin quickly stopped him.
Nightwing turned to look at him, and Red Robin asked, "Have the invitations been sent out?"
"Yes, since it's an electronic invitation, just fill in the content and send it to the group. Check your Battleworld email, you should have also received it..."
"I received it," Damian said, "The layout is quite nice, did Koli do it?"
"Yes, she is quite talented in design." Nightwing replied with a smile, "But I did some tweaks, look at the Teen Titans watermark below..."
Red Hood also saw the electronic invitation. He nodded and said, "Very nice, but who did you send it to?"
"Basically, to those Robins we know, plus some acquaintances from this universe, of course, also sent to people from this universe. I also mentioned that if anyone didn't receive an invitation but wants to come, they're welcome too, since there's enough space anyway."
Red Robin sighed, and Nightwing asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I'm just worried that some people might be plotting something in the Fusion Universe," Red Robin said honestly, "I don't want your wedding to be disrupted."
"My wedding will definitely be interrupted," Nightwing said, "No Nightwing in the entire multiverse has successfully gotten married. Others have already told me. No matter whom I marry or when I marry, someone will inevitably come and interrupt the wedding."
Red Robin was taken aback. Nightwing continued, "I think you've noticed too, whenever we have a major breakthrough or turning point in our lives, something unexpected seems to happen to stop us, keeping us forever in a certain state, preferably like eternal children who never change. It seems like the will of the universe."
"Getting married is one of the most significant milestones. It's not just us, Batman is the same. Every Batman's wedding in every universe will be disrupted for various reasons, and then relationships revert back to the original state. Batman remains Batman, Nightwing remains Nightwing, as if we can't be anything else except for these identities."
Red Robin pressed his lips together. He had already noticed, judging by probability theory, this is impossible. Across so many multiverses, if they're the same individual thus sharing similar fate lines, some have purposefully altered their approach after realizing this, even taking precautionary measures, but still unable to change fate, isn't that peculiar?
For example, some Batmans have long heard from other Batmans that his wedding with Catwoman won't go smoothly. So he made sure to confirm Catwoman's intentions in advance, they talked through the night solving all emotional dilemmas, finally deciding to get married, yet the wedding was still disrupted, Catwoman nearly died, and eventually the wedding didn't happen.
It's like some cosmic will blocks them from significant lifestyle changes. Even changing the wedding partner doesn't work; some Batmans want to marry Talya, some prefer Wonder Woman, and others even a gender-swapped Superman, but few succeed. Even if it begins successfully, it necessarily gets ruined by various disasters later on.
"Even so, do we not resist?" Nightwing said, "So what if unexpected guests ruin the wedding, at least we can walk into the church together. If the Father doesn't declare us partners, that's God's fault, not ours."
Red Robin was silent. Nightwing had a point; even knowing it might not end well, isn't it too regretful if they don't attempt it at all?
Moreover, some things don't require reaching the final step to achieve fulfillment. The vow at weddings might be important, but gathering close friends and family, listening to their blessings, sharing life's joys and sorrows, even enjoying delicious desserts and sipping good wine at the wedding venue, is part of the happiness.
"I support you," Red Hood said, "Of course, we'll also do our utmost to ensure you and Koli get the vows."
"Mere words of assurance are not sufficient," Red Robin said, somewhat troubled, "I need to figure out what exactly they're planning."