521. Resources.
How interesting. Who would have thought that in just a few years, this universe, once on the brink of destruction, would develop into such a radiant and star-studded state?
Hourman, Wildcat, and Doctor Mid-Nite—these are among the finest mortal superheroes. While they may not possess the terrifying combat prowess of Doctor Fate or the Flash, they can occasionally unleash extraordinary abilities.
It's unclear why powerhouses like Dream, the Spectre, or Starman haven't shown up yet. Perhaps such high-end forces don't exist in this universe, or maybe they're still dormant in so corner of the world.
Aside from swapping out the original Flash, Jay Garrick, for young Barry Allen, the Justice Society of Arica in this tiline seems quite complete. Almost all the familiar faces have made their appearances.
With these heroes holding the fort, old Bruce Wayne might even enjoy a peaceful retirent. Unless apocalyptic catastrophes like Darkseid or Apokolips descending on Earth occur, these heroes should be able to overco most challenges.
"So, have you heard of these people in other universes?" Bruce Wayne asked, looking at Alex with a aningful glance and chuckling softly.
"I haven't seen them in person, but I've heard of them." Alex's mind flashed to the first episode of Stargirl. "Ahem, they're all very capable individuals."
Perhaps because the Justice Society of Arica's heroes are from an older generation, Alex recalled that, before his crossing, the JSA didn't fare well in live-action portrayals outside the animated and comic universes.
In Legends of Tomorrow, the JSA felt like a patchwork team hastily put together, with wildly inconsistent combat abilities. Their leader, Hourman, even had his heart ripped out by Reverse-Flash.
In Stargirl, it was even worse. To make room for second-generation heroes, the JSA was first shattered by the Injustice Society and then obliterated by villains like Icicle, Brainwave, the Wizard, The Fiddler, and Solomon Grundy.
Most of their core mbers were annihilated, including Flash, Dream, Wildcat, Green Lantern, Doctor Fate, and Johnny Thunder. Only a few survivors made it out alive.
This record is beyond astonishing—it's downright baffling.
Reflecting on this, Alex strongly suspected that universe suffered from severe narrative pollution. Otherwise, it's hard to explain events akin to Deadpool massacring the Marvel Universe.
Of course, Alex wouldn't share such details with old Bruce Wayne. Besides, the Justice Society in this universe sounded formidable, unlike a team that could be easily wiped out.
While Alex was lost in thought, Tim, who had been silent, spoke up. It seed he wanted to join the conversation.
"I don't know if they're capable, but they sure like to posture. Their power may be diocre, but their egos are enormous."
"You've t them?" Alex's interest was piqued, as he hadn't interacted with these heroes before.
Tim nodded and sighed. "I was responsible for recruiting Doctor Mid-Nite and Hourman. They loved lecturing as if they were my elders, and they didn't take seriously at first."
Bruce Wayne spoke up. "They haven't experienced real war. Building a team requires ti and adjustnt. Give them so ti, and I believe they'll change."
Hearing this, Alex gave old Bruce Wayne a surprised look.
Wow, talking about team-building and adjustnt? This coming from Batman? When forming the Justice League, Batman was the most uncooperative, with his cold-shoulder treatnt of teammates and insistence on working solo until the very last minute.
Alex had always wondered if Batman's rise to the Justice League's Trinity was purely due to his knack for showing up at the most critical monts to save the day.
First, let Superman, the impulsive one, lead the team to charge straight into traps and uncover all of the enemy's sches. Then, after figuring out everything, Batman would swoop in and deliver the decisive blow.
This way, Batman not only demonstrated his prowess but also earned goodwill from his teammates.
"Ahem."
While Alex was internally roasting Batman, old Bruce Wayne seed to sense it and shot him a look.
"Alex, you seem to be thinking sothing unpleasant."
"Not at all. I was just pondering the mbers of the Justice Society," Alex quickly denied and changed the subject.
"By the way, since Doctor Fate exists, it proves this world has gods and magic. But then why didn't they show up at the ti?"
Bruce Wayne naturally understood what Alex ant by "at the ti." After pondering for a mont, he spoke in a deep voice.
"I've actually considered this," Bruce Wayne began. "Doctor Fate and I talked about it. When General Zod waged his war, the Helt of Fate was still sealed in ruins, in a state of containnt. So, I suspect the ancient gods are in a similar situation.
Furthermore, I've secretly investigated matters related to magic, but I couldn't find any docuntation.
So my guess is, the magical forces on Earth today are either sealed away by sothing, or, like Green Lantern, they want to intervene but are powerless to act."
"I see," Alex nodded thoughtfully.
In the past, Alex didn't understand these things and could only speculate based on his worldview and mories. Now, as a master of mysticism himself, he had a much better grasp of magic.
When Alex arrived in this universe, he had already tested it. Casting magic here was seamless, indicating that magical energy did exist in this world. In the future, it was likely that more magic-oriented heroes would erge here.
Heroes like Zatanna and Constantine, for example. Previously, this universe had been dood to destruction, so higher beings had little interest in engaging with it.
But things were different now. Having crossed that threshold, even realms like Heaven, Hell, and various divine domains should start to converge on this universe's dinsion.
After a hearty al, Bruce Wayne sent Tim, who had been busy all evening, off to bed, even though Tim didn't feel the slightest bit tired.
Having just encountered Alex, a being from another universe who had apparently visited several others, the young Tim was visibly excited.
He wanted to have a proper chat with Alex—about how superheroes operated in other universes, or what life was like in a universe ruled by supervillains.
But Tim also understood that Alex and Bruce Wayne, as old friends, probably had a lot to talk about. Despite his curiosity, Tim didn't say much. After washing the dishes, he quietly returned to his room.
Once Tim had gone upstairs, Bruce Wayne turned his attention back to Alex, who was seated on the sofa. In a low voice, he said,
"Out with it. I don't believe you ca all the way here without a reason."
"What's that supposed to an? Can't I just co by to see you?"
"Of course you can," Bruce replied. "But knowing you, you're not the type to sit idle. After leaving this universe, I'm sure you've witnessed plenty of worlds that could drive anyone to despair. For you to specifically co back here, you must have a reason."
As he spoke, Bruce Wayne smiled faintly.
"Besides, if you really just wanted to visit, why didn't you bring Kara and Pietro along? Don't tell you're so busy you couldn't make ti for that."
"Alright, fine. Nothing gets past you," Alex admitted with a smirk.
With the conversation already heading in this direction, Alex dropped the pretense. His expression turned serious as he said,
"Didn't I ntion earlier? The supervillains ruling the Wasteland Universe have been overthrown. The entire planet is now in ruins, and we're working on rebuilding it. We've encountered a lot of challenges, but we're managing to overco them."
"Are you here to take supplies from ?" Bruce Wayne cut straight to the point, not even waiting for Alex to finish.
"Sharp as ever," Alex replied, his lips curling into a smile.
"In a world where civilization has collapsed, rebuilding is nearly impossible without food and resources. Those who control large quantities of supplies will undoubtedly exploit the opportunity to make a fortune. What you need most right now are basic resources," Bruce said thoughtfully.
"Exploiting the situation is out of the question. The alliance we've established in that world has already centralized resource managent. But it's still a massive challenge to distribute everything fairly to everyone," Alex said with a bitter smile, shaking his head.
"There's an old saying: 'Food is the first necessity of the people.' Who would've thought that after toppling the supervillains ruling the world, we'd be defeated by such a fundantal issue?"
Seeing Alex's frustration, Bruce Wayne shook his head slightly as well.
"A skyscraper needs a solid foundation. The Wasteland has gone through so many upheavals that its foundation is riddled with holes. If you want to keep this building from collapsing, you'll have to start by addressing the most basic problems."
"Exactly."
Alex agreed wholeheartedly, letting out a small sigh.
"Winter is coming soon. If we don't secure enough food, a lot of people will die."
"I'll think of sothing to help, but if we're talking about supporting the entire Wasteland, I'm afraid what we have here won't be enough. Besides, if I suddenly move too many supplies, people will start paying attention to ," Bruce said, resting his chin on his hand.
"We don't need to support the entire Wasteland—just the Aricas," Alex clarified. After a mont of thought, he added, "And the supplies don't have to be premium. Whatever you can spare—scraps, leftovers, anything edible—will do."
Bruce Wayne remained calm.
"Those things aren't fit for people to eat."
Alex raised an eyebrow and countered,
"Do survivors even count as people anymore?"
.....
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