A letter from two months ago had traveled all the way from the other side of the Pacific to the Parker Group, finally landing in Batman's hands.
Yet, the contents of the letter warned Batman about events taking place two months later—which was today.
Batman did not believe it was a coincidence that one second he told Venom Robin to "go to Wakanda," and the next second, the letter warned him, "Don't go to Wakanda."
Batman didn't believe in coincidences. He inclined to believe that the sender possessed some sort of prophetic ability, having foreseen exactly what Batman was going to do before it even happened.
Examining the stationery repeatedly, Batman confirmed that it was just an ordinary piece of scratch paper, devoid of any strange properties.
"Robin," Batman called out softly, flicking the paper toward Venom Robin. "Destroy it."
The moment he heard his name, Venom Robin whipped his head around, opening his massive maw to catch the paper in his teeth.
Crunch!
His teeth clashed together with a metallic screech, and within seconds, the paper was completely ground to dust.
Seeing this, Batman gave Venom Robin a slight nod, then turned back immediately to throw himself into crafting the Vibranium suit.
Forging a Vibranium suit was different from crafting the Arkham suit. It didn't require various complex techniques; it simply relied on sound waves of a specific frequency to destabilize the Vibranium, which was then molded using a process similar to 3D printing.
This posed no difficulty for Batman; it just required a bit of time.
That afternoon, Batman took Venom Robin with him to the motel where T'Challa was staying.
"T'Challa, before we set out, I need to confirm something with you: Does Wakanda possess magic, witchcraft, or any other phenomena involving supernatural forces?" Batman asked.
T'Challa tore his gaze away from Venom Robin. Given his polite nature, he wouldn't be so rude as to ask Batman why he had brought a monster baby along.
He simply gave Venom Robin a slight nod in greeting, then pondered Batman's question.
"No. At least, not to my knowledge. Why do you ask?"
Batman didn't hide much, briefly explaining that he had received a letter from Tibet.
"Wakanda is a nation founded on technology, but looking deeper, our foundation lies in the Panther God, whom we have worshipped for generations," T'Challa said, knowing Batman wouldn't resort to inventing lies to pry information out of him. "This should count as the supernatural power you mentioned."
Now it was Batman's turn to be puzzled.
"You told me before that upon becoming the Black Panther, the protector of Wakanda, one ingests a Heart-Shaped Herb to grow stronger... Why do you say it's related to the Panther God now?"
"Both are indispensable," T'Challa explained seriously. "It was Vibranium that allowed the Heart-Shaped Herb to grow in Wakanda, but it is also our supreme devotion to the Panther God that allows the chosen Black Panther to attain that power."
Venom Robin squeezed between Batman and T'Challa with great interest, looking back and forth as he listened to this information, which was entirely novel to him.
"What if I don't worship the Panther God, but I eat the Heart-Shaped Herb anyway?" Venom Robin asked on Batman's behalf.
"The deadly toxin would kill you in a matter of moments," T'Challa replied.
"Then why not just turn the Heart-Shaped Herb into a poison? Since anyone who isn't chosen to be the Black Panther dies from eating it anyway," Venom Robin pressed.
T'Challa looked at Venom Robin's intensely curious expression, trying to judge whether the child was joking or genuinely confused about the matter.
But seeing that Batman remained silent, T'Challa shook his head and continued to explain patiently, "The yield of the Heart-Shaped Herb is extremely scarce, and doing such a thing would be a desecration of the Panther God."
"I don't understand, but I respect you," Venom Robin said, trying to sound incredibly cool.
Little did he know, since he was currently wearing the mask of a blonde, blue-eyed little boy, the statement only looked to T'Challa like a child mimicking adult behavior.
T'Challa still didn't ask Batman why he had brought the kid along. Instead, he said to Batman, "If that prophet really foresaw something in advance, perhaps you should heed their advice... I don't want you to put yourself in danger by meddling in Wakanda's affairs."
"I have already decided to accompany you to Wakanda," Batman's voice held a note of resolve. He pointed a finger at Venom Robin. "This is Robin, the team member I intend to bring along."
"It's an honor to meet you, Robin." T'Challa crossed his fists over his chest and bowed slightly to Venom Robin.
He believed Batman had a reason for bringing Robin, and at a critical juncture like this, anyone willing to go to Wakanda to help him was a benefactor.
However, in his heart, T'Challa had already made up his mind: the moment an unpredictable situation arose, he would immediately find a way to get Robin and Batman out of Wakanda.
"How much longer until the Vibranium suit is ready?" T'Challa asked.
"Before nine o'clock tonight," Batman said.
T'Challa nodded and returned to the map of Wakanda he had drawn earlier, lost in thought.
8:50 PM.
"Tonight at ten o'clock, Reed Richards, widely considered one of the smartest men in the world, announced that they are about to embark on another space voyage from a private aerospace base in California."
"This is a scientific expedition aimed at studying cosmic radiation. Reporters from the Daily Bugle will head to the California aerospace base to provide live coverage of the entire journey..."
In the Batcave on Bat-Island, Venom Robin watched the news broadcast with keen interest.
Venom Robin didn't consider himself a little brat anymore. It had been a long time since he watched the educational cartoons he used to love; instead, he had begun paying attention to other subjects, like outer space, the subterranean world, and the deep sea.
Having decided to turn off his brain, Venom Robin didn't need to make any preparations for the Wakanda mission. Thus, while T'Challa made his final arrangements at the motel and Batman simulated plans in his mind...
...he was the only one sitting cheerfully in his chair, watching the four people on the screen smiling and waving at the camera: Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm.
"Hey, Old Bats, if there comes a day in the future when you don't need me anymore, do you think I could use my physiology to become an astronaut? I wouldn't even need a spacesuit to move around in space."
Venom Robin asked excitedly.
Batman didn't answer. Instead, he frowned, pondering whether his contingency plans would be sufficient if Wakanda truly possessed elements of magic or witchcraft.
Batman decided they weren't enough, so he added a few more backup plans.
At exactly nine o'clock, atop the Empire State Building, T'Challa crouched on the rooftop in the Vibranium suit Batman had built for him. Braving the howling winds, he looked down at the sea of city lights below.
At 9:10 PM, a strangely shaped aircraft dove down from the clouds. Batman sat firmly in the cockpit, while Venom Robin stood by the window, frantically waving at T'Challa.
As T'Challa boarded the Batwing, the aircraft soared back into the clouds with a barely audible hum, silhouetted against the moon.
In the next second, the Batwing accelerated sharply, cutting through the clouds like a sharp sword as it flew toward Africa.
At ten o'clock, at the private aerospace base in California, a blue-and-white spacecraft dripping with sci-fi aesthetic blasted its exhaust, accelerating continuously beyond the atmosphere until it broke into outer space.
At 10:05 PM, a robot wearing the Arkham suit, its appearance bearing a slight resemblance to Ultron, stood atop the Parker Building overlooking New York. Upon intercepting a faint, barely audible cry for help through the air, it leapt forward, gliding toward the crime scene.
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