At Wayne Group, Alfred sat in front of a computer, phone in hand, giving Lucius a helpless look.
Lucius frowned. "Is it… Axel?"
"That's right. Probably back at the manor, sigh…" Alfred murmured, raising the phone to his ear.
On the other end, Axel, holding a plate of messy spaghetti, growled, "Alfred, my old buddy, you better hurry back. Without you, Selina can't even make a decent plate of spaghetti, and she's half-Italian for crying out loud!"
Alfred swallowed. "Uh… I'll refrain from asking who Selina is. I only pray you won't allow cheap prostitutes into a manor passed down for hundreds of years. And Master Axel… you just ate three pounds of steak an hour ago, didn't you?"
"My appetite's huge!" Axel shot back.
"Understood. I'll head back immediately." Alfred hung up and turned to Lucius. "He's rushing me hard. Bruce went to Nepal overnight again, so it's all on you, Lucius."
Lucius shook his head. "Don't worry about me. I should be worrying about you. Are you sure you can handle your own safety, especially after sending him… his hair?"
Alfred smiled calmly. "No problem. He doesn't really notice anyone, nor does he care about the small favors we do for Bruce. Everything we do is not betrayal in his eyes—it's just part of the game. We can try to make him happy, but that's all we can do."
Alfred picked up his umbrella, ready to leave the R&D department.
Before he stepped out, Lucius tossed him a report. "Before you go, can you check this? I don't know if I'm misreading or if the machine is off. All reports show Axel is an ordinary human. After removing his hair, even his physical data reads as normal. Scientifically, nothing stands out. I'm starting to think his power comes from theology, not biology."
Alfred examined the report for two minutes, then shook his head. "If this is accurate, his abilities aren't genetic… or our technology simply can't detect them. Lucius, when I hit a wall like this, I always want to try the particle collider one last time. That might help."
"I'll run it through later. But if he truly defies science… are we left to pray and hope the scholars we invited can surprise us?"
"Perhaps. No matter how dire, at least we still have the right to pray." Alfred left Wayne Group, and the invitation letters he had sent crossed countless distances, reaching their recipients.
In a small town near Salem Bay, Massachusetts, a sudden radiance erupted from a house next to the church. It drifted across the sky toward the bay, passing through the seemingly shattered space and entering an unseen, unknowable location.
Above Salem Bay, in the invisible Tower of Destiny, an old man cuffed to a massive bed froze mid-motion. He clamped his legs around a woman pouncing on him. "Inza, we have to stop! Nabu just sent me a signal. Since the Lord of Chaos and Hitler appeared, this is only the third time Nabu has revealed destiny to me directly. I must check it and decide immediately!"
"What?!" The woman on top of him screamed in disbelief. "Kent, don't tell me that's just an excuse! Why does your helmet light up now, just as I finally pique your rare interest? We haven't done this in two months, and now you're telling me Nabu cares too? Why don't you just live with your helmet, idiot!"
Inza uncuffed Kent angrily, stomping on his foot before rushing to the bathroom. Gradually emerging sounds betrayed her… satisfaction. Kent pursed his lips, got dressed, and left for the Chamber of Destiny, where his helmet was stored.
He pressed his hands on the gold, Babylonian-style helmet. A sky-blue fabric enveloped him, and instantly, he gained Nabu's vision.
He saw desolate lands, drying rivers, barren seas, and the Earth in ruins. Among countless doomed futures, his vision focused on Nabu—the deity seeking to show him something crucial.
The vision revealed an email:
"Why invite me to a Mythology and Archaeology symposium in Gotham, New Jersey? America only has the history of Native civilizations, and New Jersey isn't a major area for them. Gotham thrived because the British were given unwanted land by the Native people, turning it into a foothold. That same land brewed the destiny that destroyed Native civilization. Many stories arose, but few hold historical depth… damn it."
Kent's focus shifted. He saw Axel laughing amid a bombing, dodging air-to-ground missiles. Weak and human, yet unstoppable, Axel's chaotic energy was undeniable.
Kent floated in the air, muttering, "Logically, no superpower should reach infinity. Even God is limited, destined for death. I shouldn't believe this email—I've seen countless immortals. But Nabu warned me… Axel's power could grow beyond even Nabu's tolerance. Resurrection, chaos, sheer unpredictability… and he enjoys it. My research focuses on Sumerian civilization, not Asia, but his personality reminds me of Hanuman, or some other chaotic monkey god. He's not peaceful. I have to intervene, or Gotham will be in serious trouble."