Timothy lay down on the bed, activating the skill to close his eyes and fall asleep.
The dream had only just been established when Colt appeared impatiently before him.
Timothy caught the person lunging into his arms. "You can control when you enter my dream now?"
I installed a program in my brain. Once it detects a Dream Messenger setting off, it automatically pops up a 'Follow' button; I just click it to start entering sleep. When my desire to see you becomes firm and urgent enough, I can meet you at the very beginning of the dream." Colt looked at the shifting ground beneath his feet. "What are you doing?
“Building a Golden Mountain to make you happy.” Timothy received the direct approach and returned a direct approach of his own, thinking to himself that their romance was frighteningly sunny and healthy.
Colt wanted to say that he wasn't that money-obsessed, but he truly could not refuse such lovely and charming gold!
It's only human; most people in this world cannot refuse gold!
Colt stomped on the ground that had turned into gold, abandoning Timothy without hesitation to embrace the massive golden tree beside him.
“I love you, Tim, I'm so happy right now.” Colt pressed his face against the Golden Tree, nuzzling it in ecstasy.
Timothy looked at the empty embrace, he wasn't very happy.
After finishing his time with Golden, Colt pulled Timothy aside to study the Universe Shuttle.
'You're so exhausted you can't even move a finger, yet you still struggled to crawl up, get dressed, fly to New York to stay the night, all just to research the Universe Shuttle in a dream?' Timothy couldn't understand it, but he still cooperated.
Colt had ready-made blueprints for the Universe Shuttle, his knowledge of the materials was precise down to the elemental ratios. He leveraged the Dream's ability to create something from nothing, assembling the Universe Shuttle like building blocks, then used unorthodox methods to increase tomorrow's drop rate: "You understand the principles, you've mastered the manufacturing process. You know exactly how many parts were used and the elemental ratios of the alloys.. Why don't you give it another hug? Treat it like a child you've raised with all your heart and soul?"
Timothy mused, "Instead of gambling on the drop rate of a Dream Treasure Chest, it would be better to hitch a ride on the Watchtower's Interstellar Warp Ship. The Justice League plans to head to the Lord World tomorrow. I can find a way to get Red Robin to join them, bring you along as well."
Batman won't agree." Colt rolled across the golden ground until he reached Timothy's side. "Batman knows everything; he will definitely guess that I am here too, he won't agree.
Timothy pressed his hands on both sides of Colt, pinning him between his arms.
Don't think Batman is that inflexible, Colt. As long as you aren't doing anything bad, even if he knows the truth, he'll turn a blind eye. Dick and Jason always like to mock me as a Birdie, saying I'm too obedient to Batman and can't leave Batman's wings. In reality, I'm the Robin who violates Batman's orders the most, Batman knows that too.
"You, the one who breaks Batman's orders the most?" Colt hooked his arm around Timothy's neck.
Dick has spent the longest time with Batman; their arguments and physical altercations are a common occurrence. Jason always complains that Batman controls him too much, but the louder he scolds, the more he inwardly resents Batman for controlling him too little. Slade just happens to encounter Batman at his most fastidious, like two bombs meeting. As for Damian, he actually listens to Batman and doesn't argue with him, but the imprint of the League of Assassins' training is too deep, Batman finds him quite a headache..
Timothy gazed into Colt's eyes.
Timothy liked Colt's eyes; in those eyes, there was only him. Timothy liked to analyze the meaning behind every shifting gaze, just like solving the most complex mystery.
Colt also liked Timothy's eyes; the ice-blue color looked almost cruelly calm. Timothy was always recording and thinking, like a surveillance system that could see right through him.
“You haven't said anything about yourself yet.”
“They see Batman as a mentor, as a father, whereas I initially only saw Batman as a colleague. What we seek is different, so our way of interacting is naturally different as well. Hmm, I wouldn't say I disobeyed Batman's orders; after all, I never said 'no,' I just used my own methods to make Batman act according to my plan.”
Timothy laughed, his smile so full of pride that it appeared quite adorable.
“You're a little bit right. Batman is really like a cat; you can only pet him the right way. You can't get too close, or he'll get stressed, you can't stay too far away, or he'll worry. Batman doesn't trust his own emotional perception, so you have to tell him you love him, then you will know that Batman's heart is softer than anyone's.”
Colt pulled Timothy closer and kissed those beautiful, smiling eyes. "I suspect you have a kitten filter for Batman, Batman has a little bird filter for you. As for me, I have nothing; he'll probably blame you for corrupting me, just like he blames Joseph for corrupting me, then blame me for corrupting you."
Timothy laughed, burying his face against the side of Colt's neck.
What are you laughing at?
Laughing at how cute you are.
Colt seriously considered whether that statement was a compliment or an insult, concluded that "men cannot be described as cute." Of course, he could think that in his heart, but he couldn't say it out loud.
“I misspoke. I should have used 'handsome' to describe you.” Timothy finally stopped laughing after a long pause. “Do you remember the Interstellar Warp Ship your father developed with Iron Man? Iron Man's goal might have been the Five-Dimensional World, but your father's goal was definitely to find you. Batman knew this; he didn't stop him back then, but instead supported your father's research. Now, he certainly won't stop you from seeking your own secrets.”
My secrets?" Colt shook his head. "I thought that in the eyes of you two detectives, I had no secrets at all.
Timothy denied it: "No, you are absolutely the most complex mystery I have ever encountered in my life."
“You haven't even lived a quarter of your life yet, so don't just say 'the most'; perhaps you will encounter even more complex mysteries in the future,” Colt's voice sounded muffled.
This is the problem with dreams; even though he clearly tried to control it, his voice still fluctuated, making his emotions easy to detect.
Timothy asked seriously, "We need to talk. What makes you feel like you're going to be absent from four-fifths of my future life?"
I don't know, Tim," Colt said, hugging Timothy tightly, "Can we just enjoy the present? Let's not think about the future, just now.
Timothy was silent for two seconds before slowly nodding. "Fine, we won't talk about it. But I want you to know that no matter what happens, I will still be by your side."
If a person refuses to speak of it, then a conversation cannot begin; forcing it will only turn the discussion into an argument, or even cause a rift.
This was the lesson Timothy had learned from Batman and Red Hood.
The unorthodox methods didn't work; what came out of the Dream Treasure Chest wasn't a Universe Shuttle, but a Golden Tree and a Magic Lamp.
The Magic Lamp came from yesterday's treasure chest.
Colt looked at the Golden Tree, puzzled: "You didn't even go near this tree in the dream, so why did a Golden Tree bloom?"
In a Shared Dream, you are also the master of the dream. When your emotions are more intense than mine, there is a high probability that the treasure chest will choose something you cherish." Timothy opened the Dream Product PPT and scrolled to the polygonal chart analyzing the Shared Dream products. "Look here, more than half of these things are things you have had more contact with.
After looking through the PPT, Colt suspected that Timothy had a Quantum Terminal inside his head.
The records of contact time with Dream Products were actually detailed down to the second!
Colt had a question: "I love gold, but I love the Universe Shuttle even more. There's a bug in the Dream Treasure Chest's drop rate; I need to make a spreadsheet."
“I have.” Timothy opened another PPT. “The drop rates of the Dream Treasure Chest follow a pattern. According to the reward levels, information is at the lowest level, followed by food, plants, jewelry, then fantasy items. There are also different tiers among fantasy items; for example, the low-tier Bomb Controller, the mid-tier Knowledge Explorer, currently, the highest tier is the Space Storage Book.”
Fantasy items drain the prize pool, so they don't usually appear in succession. Depending on the grade of the fantasy item, there will be an interval of one, two, or three times. We forgot to open the treasure chests yesterday, but the night before, my dream was a magic world. Today is Bruce's birthday, I want to give him a special gift, like a Magic Potion that allows one to dream of the deceased, or perhaps a Magic Lamp that can illuminate souls. No matter which one is drawn, it's impossible to get a Universe Shuttle today.
A reasonable explanation.
Wish Bruce a happy birthday for me." Colt handed the Magic Lamp to Timothy. "You forgot one: your spleen, a fresh, healthy spleen.
Timothy took the lamp: "I suspect the spleen is a bug; it doesn't fit the logic of the Dream Station."
“I think it is the most precious gift.” Colt poked Timothy's left flank, “When do you plan to have it returned here?”
"When I have time." Timothy was extremely proactive most of the time, but he had a tendency to procrastinate when it came to taking care of his body.
Bruce's birthday was celebrated boisterously online, with celebrities and models offering their congratulations and his company holding grand celebrations, but he himself had changed into his Batman suit and headed to the Watchtower.
The Justice Lords were bound by their limbs and imprisoned in special canisters. The Justice League would send people to the Lord World to collect evidence of their crimes, before deciding whether to send them back to the Lord World to face legal judgment, or to exile them to the Phantom Space.
Red Robin was also a member of the team heading to the Lord World.
Superman would stay at the Watchtower to prevent the Justice Lords from escaping. He was like a big dog forced to stay home, busy asking Wonder Woman to keep close to Batman, ensuring Batman didn't go adventuring alone.
“, Red Robin. B, even if the Justice Lords come to our side, Earth-50 is also full of danger. Wouldn't it be too risky to take the kid along?”
Martian Manhunter looked at Superman, then at Red Robin lining up in front of the Universe Shuttle, then at Batman standing beside Red Robin with an empty space for one person in the middle, finally said nothing, choosing instead to lower his head and look at the data.
Batman ignored Superman and looked at Steel: "Begin."
Red Robin gripped Colt's hand.
The countdown hit zero, the six people vanished all at once.
Martian Manhunter stared at the six names on the Universe Shuttle's display screen, a look of confusion crossing his face.
"J'onn, what's wrong?" Superman asked.
"No, nothing." Martian Manhunter shook his head.
His telepathy could hear the thoughts of those nearby.
Red Robin's mind was filled with thoughts of his boyfriend, while Batman worried that Red Robin's mind was filled with nothing but his boyfriend. In their hearts, did that Ghost boyfriend seem to be human?
He must have misunderstood.
Red Robin is a sapiosexual; once he falls in love with Smart, he treats Smart like a human, much like how many humans treat their cats and dogs like people. After all, Smart is a Smart that Iron Man has certified, he also cannot hear Smart's inner thoughts, so it is normal that the Universe Shuttle did not detect Smart.
Lord World.
The crowd's gaze did not fall upon the Watchtower, but rather upon the Justice Lords Hall. Standing before them was only Wonder Woman, her face marked with scars and her waist devoid of the Lasso of Truth.
Wonder Woman's gaze swept over the crowd and landed on Batman. She lowered her defensive stance and nodded slightly. "I said they wouldn't succeed, indeed, they failed."
“Hello, my counterpart,” Wonder Woman stepped forward to greet him, “you look a bit terrible.”
It seems there's no need to fight.
Colt moved around, noting that the Quantum Terminal still worked across worlds and had connected to the Justice Lords network, but the intrusion from an unknown account caused the computer to sound an alarm. Red Robin raised his left hand, showing the small computer already opened on his arm, apologized sincerely, "I'm sorry, I thought I would have access here too."
Wonder Woman shook her head and turned off the alarm.
Colt kissed Timothy's cheek, thanking him for taking the fall for him, then discovered that Timothy really was also invading the system; he could no longer tell who had actually triggered the alarm just now.
Colt kissed Timothy again, reclaiming his thanks.
He wouldn't be seen by anyone, so he acted without any restraint. Timothy was afraid that someone would notice something was wrong, so he forced himself to look straight ahead, only using the opportunity of turning around to reach out and wrap his arm around Colt's waist, lightly scratching his lower back as he withdrew his hand.
Colt shuddered and scurried away.
Just as a smile began to touch the corners of Red Robin's eyes, he met Batman's disapproving gaze.
With the world's greatest detective around, being in love was truly inconvenient; every little movement was seen through and understood completely.
Red Robin composed his expression and obediently submitted his request: "Batman, I'm going out to take a look."
Batman nodded. "Be careful, keep your tracker on, return to assemble in two hours."
Colt took a tour of the palace-like Justice Lords headquarters and obtained the list of personnel executed in the Lord World over the years.
Lex Luthor was at the top of the list, Bruce Wayne was specially highlighted. Timothy Drake was not mentioned, perhaps because Timothy had only had his frontal lobe burned away; if he wasn't dead, he didn't count as being executed.
Leaving the Justice Lords headquarters, Colt pulled Red Robin into a Ghost field, took out the Knowledge Explorer from the Golden Book, they sat together in the cockpit.
Red Robin said, "We're going to the Batcave first."
The Batcave was a mess, still bearing the traces of a great battle. Red Robin picked up a bloodstained Batarang fragment, wiped the dust off the Batcomputer, then connected several wires to the backup power supply.
The Batcomputer lit up.
This was not Red Robin's world, but his identity was verified, he was automatically granted highest authority.
“Batman is dead,” Red Robin muttered to himself, his typing on the keyboard becoming even faster and more forceful.
Colt hugged him from behind, pressing his face against his.
“I'm fine, Colt, this isn't my Batman,” Red Robin paused. “Fine, I'm angry, this Batman is too foolish, he actually thinks Superman can still be saved!”
Red Robin lifted a panel from the console and pressed a red button inside.
The heavy walls rumbled open, revealing an Anti-Superman Suit powered by Kryptonite, standing silently in the center of the lead-lined studio, its surface flowing with a green light.