Despite everything that had happened, the Batcave was restored to its original state in the shortest time possible.
During this period, Bruce and Jessica had no time to check on what was happening outside of New York City.
Being able to spare even a little time each day to tidy up New York was already a form of relaxation for Bruce.
And now, compared to when Aunt May left, the Batcave had undergone an earth-shattering transformation.
Aside from the passageway required for the Batmobile's deployment, nearly every inch of the cave was now covered with various mechanical devices.
"Honestly, one of these days, we really need to take some time to clean all this up. Otherwise, I might just end up sleeping in a pile of machinery."
Jessica was no longer walking on the ground—she was hanging upside down from the ceiling, only dropping down to assist Bruce whenever he spoke.
At that moment, Bruce was underneath the elevated Batmobile, preparing to upgrade it once again.
"As long as we get everything done, it'll be fine."
Hearing Bruce's words, Jessica chose to stay silent. This had been the routine for the past few days.
After all, when she first saw Bruce's designs, she was convinced that he had gone insane.
Otherwise, why would he need so much equipment?
Even with just one Batmobile, Jessica felt that most opponents wouldn't stand a chance against Bruce.
Of course, those particularly monstrous foes were another matter entirely.
According to Jessica's own calculations, some of these gadgets were so powerful that even if ten of her were tied together, she still wouldn't be confident in winning.
Especially since one could never predict what kind of modifications the Bat had made to his arsenal.
It was completely unpredictable.
There was always a possibility that he had built something specifically designed to counter a particular enemy.
Nothing was out of the question.
Jessica landed in front of the control console and switched on the news—one of the few joys she had left these days.
Looking at the map of America displayed on the news, she was already used to it.
After all, this America was no longer the same as before.
Everything had changed.
Even New York itself had undergone a dramatic transformation.
If not for the fact that the Triskelion still stood in New York, the city might as well have been renamed Gotham.
The Bat's influence over the city had become absolutely crucial.
Just a few days ago, the NYPD had actually set up a Bat-Signal.
Initially, their intention was to apprehend Bruce, but they soon realized that working with the Bat was far more beneficial to them.
And so, a scene straight out of a comic book became a real part of everyday life for New Yorkers.
The Bat had become a fixture of their nights.
However, this also meant that nearly every other superhero in New York had been completely overshadowed by his reputation.
If not for the fact that Little Black Spider had inherited Peter Parker's name, even Miles' own reputation might have faded into obscurity.
Jessica had personally witnessed Bruce using equipment provided by Nick Fury to build a high-speed computing system—one that monitored all of New York in real time.
It was only because she knew Bruce was a good person that Jessica didn't immediately lock him up in the Triskelion alongside Reed Richards.
As for America at large...
"The southwestern states are in utter chaos. The once-American desert regions are rapidly descending into a living nightmare of terror and slaughter."
"Several cities have already been destroyed, and tens of thousands of former American citizens, fleeing death, hunger, and destruction, are risking their lives migrating toward the western territories."
"In Sacramento, two Silicon Valley billionaires, Alan Stanford and Casey Holt, have declared the establishment of a unified government—the so-called 'West Coast Nation.'"
"These business moguls-turned-politicians have refused to open their borders to refugees. Experts warn that a humanitarian crisis is inevitable."
"The New Texas Republic has threatened to take 'immediate and decisive action' in the southwestern states to contain the devastation caused by the war."
"The leadership of the American government vanished after the attack on Washington, and there is no indication that the newly appointed President Howard will—"
"Wait."
"There's been a sudden development."
The screen shifted from the American map to a live broadcast.
"This is a live feed from downtown Dallas. As you can see, just moments ago, a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier appeared over the city."
"S.H.I.E.L.D. is moving quickly," Bruce remarked, appearing beside Jessica without her noticing.
"My god, can you not walk so silently?" Jessica jumped in shock at Bruce's sudden words.
She hadn't heard a single thing.
If Bruce had approached with a knife just now, she might not have even had time to react before getting her throat slit.
"You were too focused," Bruce replied.
Bruce glanced at the news screen. At the moment, he had neither the means to confront these events nor the energy to prevent other developments from unfolding elsewhere.
"Come here, I need your help."
The reason he had come to find Jessica was that he needed her assistance in handling some mechanical structures.
"Understood, boss."
Jessica sighed, closed the news interface she had been browsing, and followed Bruce.
But just like Jessica and the others, there was someone else paying close attention to the news—someone currently in Washington.
The phone rang.
He answered unhurriedly, "I'm busy."
"Morez! Where the hell have you gone?" The voice on the other end was furious.
It was clear that Morez's departure had left this person deeply dissatisfied.
"I'm in Washington, Paul. Get ready to face a future you never expected," Morez said expressionlessly as he watched the images on the TV. It was as if nothing and no one had any relevance to him. "You've realized that America is attacking you, haven't you?"
Meanwhile, in Dallas, New Texas Republic.
Paul, the blond man whom Morez had just mentioned, was now speaking anxiously on the phone. As the President of the New Texas Republic, he was visibly distressed.
"We know, Morez. A space carrier appeared out of nowhere—"
Before Paul could finish, Morez interrupted him.
"Listen, this is a great opportunity to show the world that Texas means business."
Paul wanted to argue—after all, he wasn't ready to escalate things so quickly. "But we—"
"That gold has brought you significant military power. It's time to put it to use."
Morez continued watching the situation unfold on the television screen. "It's time to launch your nuclear weapons."
The moment Morez hung up, a woman walked into the room.
"Apologies, Mr. Morez, but Senator Underwood will not be able to meet you today. Now really isn't the time—for anyone."
The secretary spoke urgently, clearly eager to get her message across.
"I'm quite certain the senator will see me immediately. Please inform her that I bring greetings from Guilford, Idaho." Morez replied politely.
It was only then that his full appearance became visible to those around him.
His eyes were mismatched—one red, one blue—giving him an aura of mystery.
On the TV, the news broadcast continued:
"It appears that Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor are already in Texas. The Ultimate Team has invaded a nuclear-armed nation."
At that moment, air raid sirens blared across New York.
Carol watched it all unfold from within her spacecraft.
The Texans had done exactly what they said they would. The moment anyone set foot in Texas, they would launch their nukes.
Their target: New York City.
In the Batcave, the shrill sound of alarms echoed relentlessly.
Red warning lights flashed throughout the entire cave.
Bruce and Jessica had both stopped what they were doing.
"I'd say this is a pretty serious problem," Jessica remarked. She had never seen such intense red alerts before.
"Someone just flipped the nuclear war switch," Bruce said grimly.
He didn't know who would so recklessly launch a nuclear missile, but one thing was certain—that person was no politician.
Politicians wouldn't make a decision like this.
"The Ultimate Team is in Texas. Maybe they can stop this," Jessica quickly pulled up the latest situation on the screen.
Texas had long been known as a nuclear state.
But no one had expected them to actually go through with initiating a nuclear war.
"Sometimes, we can't put all our hope in others," Bruce said simply.
He turned and walked toward the section where his battle suit was stored.
Next to the suit, there was a container filled with a large quantity of black liquid.
Bruce glanced at it for a moment before looking away.
That thing wasn't ready yet.
(End of Chapter)
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