"Harry, no matter what you become, I believe you are still yourself at heart."
As the dark clouds parted, Batman stood under the blazing sun and spoke to the New Goblin:
"You haven't harmed anyone or destroyed anything. You were simply crushed by one blow after another."
The New Goblin's eyes held no tears at all; instead, they narrowed slightly, looking exceedingly sinister and uncanny:
"Are you really so sure?"
"I have been watching you all along, Harry." Batman nodded. "Even coming here this time was only to say a few words to you, not to take you back."
"Then you can leave now," the New Goblin said.
"Before I go, I want to introduce someone to you," Batman said.
Without even turning his head, the New Goblin pointed off in the distance at Thor, the God of Thunder, who was playing with Mjolnir:
"Him? I have no interest in meeting him."
"Not him. A young man named Jack Monroe, who is about the same age as you and me," Batman said.
"Never heard of him, and I'm equally uninterested." The New Goblin turned his head away.
Batman didn't reach out to turn the New Goblin's head back. He simply sat beside him and spoke slowly:
"When I first met Jack Monroe, he was full of hope for the future..."
Batman recounted to the New Goblin their first meeting, as well as their second encounter where Jack had lost everything except a single truck:
"...The last time I saw him was a week ago. He was calling himself the second Bucky, and he got to meet his idol's partner, Captain America."
"He is still full of hope for the future."
The New Goblin didn't say another word, and it was impossible to tell how much of Batman's story he had actually taken to heart.
Batman didn't mind. The purpose of his trip had already been served.
"Harry, you once said that no matter what happens, you would always and steadfastly stand by my side."
Batman stood up as he spoke and walked in the direction of Thor, his voice drifting further away:
"I'll be waiting for you in New York."
The New Goblin didn't turn around. It wasn't until the voices of Batman and Thor had completely faded and the two took off in the Batwing, disappearing into the sky, that he suddenly stood up and looked toward the horizon.
"Loki?"
Aboard the Batwing, Thor looked at Batman and spoke cautiously.
Batman gave Thor a puzzled glance:
"I am not Loki."
"From what I have seen, only Loki can persuade others using mere words," Thor said.
This time, Batman didn't build on the conversation. Instead, he focused on piloting the Batwing back toward New York.
"Is your name Peter?" Thor took the initiative to strike up a conversation again.
"Peter Parker," Batman said. "Remember to keep it a secret for me. I have an aunt who can't take a fright."
With a solemn expression, Thor held his hammer upright in front of his face and said with extreme gravity:
"I swear by Mjolnir to the All-Father Odin that everything you have told me shall be buried deep within my chest like fire in a mountain, lest my title as the God of Thunder be stripped away!"
Batman already had a certain understanding of Norse mythology—and Asgard in reality. He knew that Thor's oath was by no means a casual promise that ordinary people could throw around.
If Thor were to leak even a single word to anyone else, he really would lose his title as the God of Thunder, just as his oath stated.
"Tony, help me contact Captain America."
Upon returning to New York, the first thing Batman did was ask Tony to contact Steve Rogers.
After the Battle of Manhattan a week ago, Captain America had led his temporary team away, but in reality, they had never left New York.
With Batman's covert assistance, Iron Man quickly found Captain America's hiding spot and even invited him to join the Avengers.
Not only Captain America, but Batman, Black Panther, Wolverine, and others had all received invitations from Iron Man.
However, aside from Batman and Black Panther T'Challa joining the Avengers, Wolverine, Black Knight, Blade, and the others politely declined Iron Man's offer.
They were all lone-wolf superheroes and had no desire to join any Avengers setup. Wolverine, in particular, didn't have a good impression of Iron Man, giving him even less reason to join.
Captain America, on the other hand, readily agreed to join the Avengers and even brought along most of the members from that temporarily formed team.
For a time, Captain America—who had joined later—actually ended up with the highest authority among the Avengers.
"Captain America?" Iron Man's voice came through the encrypted comms. "If I had to guess, he's at the Avengers headquarters right now."
"Avengers headquarters?" Batman asked, knowing the answer full well.
"Of course. I couldn't just let a huge group like that roam the streets all day, nor could I hand over my company for them to use... So I bought a manor in Queens to serve as a temporary headquarters," Iron Man said. "Why are you looking for him?"
"I'm worried about the mental state of one of their members," Batman replied without hiding it from Tony Stark.
The temporary Avengers headquarters was located in Queens, not too far from the Osborn Estate.
While talking to Tony Stark, Batman stood in the equipment fabrication area of the Batcave, watching mechanical arms assemble individual components together.
This was a massive engine far exceeding the current world's technology level. Designed entirely by Batman from scratch, it was intended to be installed in the new Batmobile.
However, since Dr. Otto Octavius had yet to analyze the exact composition of Adamantium, the new Batmobile remained strictly on the drawing board for now.
"Mental state? You're doing post-war psychological counseling now?" Tony Stark asked, puzzled.
"No, it has nothing to do with the battle from a week ago," Batman said. "The person I'm worried about is Jack Monroe."
"That guy calling himself the second Bucky?" Iron Man had a slight impression of Jack Monroe. "Mm, I've confirmed that Captain America and the others are all at the temporary headquarters right now. If you're going now, wait ten minutes for me."
"Alright," Batman agreed.
"I'll go with you," Thor said, stepping up to Batman after taking a large lap around the Batcave.
"Then I'm coming too!" Seeing that there was action to join, Venom Robin quickly raised his hand as well.
Batman didn't stop them. After rendezvousing with Iron Man, the four of them headed toward the temporary Avengers headquarters together.
Half an hour later, inside the headquarters manor.
"Batman, you came at just the right time," Captain America spoke the moment he saw Batman.
He wasn't wearing that filthy, foul-smelling suit anymore, and he was groomed completely clean, looking full of energy.
Dressed in a white T-shirt with a brown jacket over it, Captain America looked every bit the classic American sweetheart.
However, no one here actually viewed the Captain as a sweetheart. When Batman heard Captain America say he came at just the right time, his eyebrows couldn't help but knit together tightly.
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