I was really starting to regret getting into this body. With my whole face covered by a mask under the hood, anyone who saw me immediately moved aside like I was some kind of psycho.
Reaching the cyber café, I checked the rates and paid for an hour before taking a seat. I'll need to get a smartphone soon, along with a SIM card. Though… that might require an ID.
Yeah, that's a problem.
My legal identity is Jason Todd, the adopted son of Bruce Wayne… who is officially dead. Not exactly something I can use right now. So anything I need, I'll either have to pay for in cash… or steal.
"…Not a bad idea." I could just grab a phone off some mob guy.
Shaking that thought aside for now, I focused on the screen. It was really boring to live alone without my smartphone to read webnovels.
Let's see what's happened in the last few months for timepass.
My eyes scanned through the news until something caught my attention.
Senators debating the existence of the Justice League.
"…Wait a second."
Justice League?
Since when?
Jason's memories had nothing about this. Don't tell me Superboy Prime or Manhattan actually changed the timeline.
Frowning, I quickly searched through major events from the past four months, and the answer showed up almost immediately.
About a month after Jason's death… Earth was invaded.
By the aliens.
The Appellaxians.
"…Right." That explains it. In some timelines, their invasion is what brings the Justice League together in the first place.
The public wasn't completely unaware of aliens. Superman had already revealed himself, so people knew there were beings beyond Earth. There had been incidents before too. Like Lobo showing up to capture Superman and causing chaos, and a few other smaller encounters here and there.
But those were isolated cases. None of big players like Darkseid were involved. Nothing on the scale of a full invasion. Until now.
So they finally came together, huh…
I felt a small hint of disappointment. It would've been amazing to see it happen in person. The moment the Justice League was formed. Still… this is DC. There will be plenty of chances in the future.
Why am I saying it like it's a good thing?
Whatever.
I leaned back slightly and continued scrolling. Let's see who the current members are. According to the announcement made by Superman, the team includes him, Flash, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Green Lantern… and Cyborg.
…No Batman. That wasn't surprising, but still interesting. Is he shy to join? Or just doing his usual thing, working from the shadows?
I kept reading, and then something else caught my attention.
Wayne Enterprises.
They had officially announced that they would be sponsoring the Justice League, including funding the construction of a headquarters as a show of support after the invasion.
Yeah, that sounds like him. Not officially part of the team… but still involved anyway.
Another blog caught my attention, and as I started reading, my expression slowly changed. During the invasion, a large number of criminals had escaped from Arkham Asylum… including Scarecrow.
And Joker.
The moment I saw that name, something twisted inside me.
An itch.
No… something deeper.
My grip tightened slightly as flashes of memories surfaced. Pain. Laughter. Chains. Blood. The sound of his voice echoing again and again. Jason's memories weren't just memories anymore, they felt almost alive like they were mine.
And with them came a thought. A very clear one.
Kill him.
Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him.
"Huff… Huff…"
My breathing turned heavy as I tried to steady myself. My hands clenched into fists, nails digging into my palm as I forced those thoughts down. This… this was new. I had never wanted to kill someone like this before. Not just kill… but tear them apart. Make them feel everything.
I shut my eyes for a moment, taking a slow, deep breath.
"…Control." I needed control.
Because this?
This wasn't just anger. It was obsession.
I knew it was his influence… the pain, the torture, the rage he carried until his last breath. Anyone in his place would feel the same.
But even knowing that… the thought didn't go away.
I opened my eyes again, staring at the screen.
…He must die.
I made this decision immediately. Not just because of Jason. But because of what Joker is. A walking disaster.
I don't want to see something like Injustice Superman… or the Batman Who Laughs.
A chill ran down my spine just thinking about those possibilities.
"…Yeah." That settles it. I'm saving them.
Phew~
To lighten my mood, I shifted my focus back to the screen and started scrolling through other news. One article caught my attention, Michael Holt, the CEO of TerrificTech, was publicly praising the Justice League and supporting their decision to work together.
"…Holt, huh." Is he already aligned with the JSA?
I frowned slightly. Bruce never really shared much about them with Jason, so my knowledge there is… vague at best. Actually, now that I think about it, Jason didn't really care much about that kind of information.
During his training under Batman, he focused more on practical things. Tricks, movement, combat. He wasn't the type to sit around collecting intel or studying the bigger picture. He was angry. Impatient. Someone who believed problems could be solved with fists.
And honestly… that made sense. That's how he survived. This version of Jason was an orphan who ran away from Wayne Orphanage and lived on the streets, getting by however he could. The only reason he lasted that long was because of the support from Wayne's charity groups helping the homeless across Gotham.
As for how he met Batman… I couldn't help but let out a small breath.
He tried to steal the Batmobile and ofcourse got caught. Though batman didn't do anything just let him go and a week later, Jason Todd was adopted by Gotham's most famous orphan.
Bruce Wayne.
He also had an inferiority complex. He saw himself as just a replacement for Dick, and no matter what he did, it never felt like enough. In his mind, he was always falling short, never quite living up to what Robin was supposed to be.
But the truth was a lot simpler. He was only trained for a year, while Dick had been Robin for over three. Of course he couldn't match him. It wasn't a fair comparison to begin with… but Jason never really saw it that way.
All he wanted was to prove himself worthy of inheriting the Robin legacy and to show that Batman's choice wasn't wrong. He threw himself into stopping Gotham's criminals, pushing harder every day, trying to close that invisible gap he felt between himself and Dick. And in doing so, he got so caught up in proving his worth on the streets that he barely paid any attention to the world beyond Gotham.
Taking a deep breath, I stopped digging through Jason's memories and looked back at the screen.
If the Justice League has formed… then the level of threats in this world is only going to rise.
From Apokolips to things like the so-called "Bat God"… the scale isn't just a city or a country. It's the entire world and much more.
The kind of destruction they bring isn't something I can just avoid by running to another world. Even if I had a way to travel freely across the multiverse, at best it'll only buy me time.
Because at the end of the day… there are beings out there who want to destroy everything. Not just a planet. The whole multiverse. And I can't escape that truth just by avoiding it.
Leaning back slightly, I let out a slow breath.
"…Damn." I had cursed this situation more than once. Cursed whoever or whatever was responsible for throwing me here.
But even then…a small smile formed on my face. I am excited.
I get to see all of this for real. The heroes, the villains… the world I used to only read about. Places I never thought I'd ever reach.
And not just that, I even have superpower and will have more in future. I have a chance to grow stronger. A chance to be part of it.
I want to enjoy this life. Not just survive it. There's too much to see, too many people to meet, too many things to experience. I don't want this journey to end anytime soon.
"…I'm not ending this adventure anytime soon."
I'm going to live.
I'm going to have fun.
And anyone who tries to get in my way… I'll deal with them.
************
Blue Marvel vs Sentry