Soon, the three arrived in Binhai City.
The situation here was slightly better than in Washington, at least the buildings in the city were intact.
The reason for this was the nightmares manifested by the Deceitful Lantern Ring. The monsters manifested from nightmares were highly powerful and endless in number. Almost all residents had been tied to the Dark Tower in the city center, leaving it an empty city.
"Ding... ding... clatter..."
An empty can was blown off the trash can by the wind, falling and rolling a distance on the sewage-covered alley floor, with the sound echoing strangely loud in the desolate city.
All three felt a strange oppression, caused by the void in Batman's heart manifested by the Deceitful Lantern Ring. The power of this void was so overwhelming, it seemed to beckon people towards annihilation.
"That guy has created a massive underground space in Binhai City to serve as his Bat Cave, let us find it," Su Ming drew his weapon, observing his surroundings.
There was no life around; they were at the back door of a small restaurant, but even the usual 'Cuisine Rat Kings' in the trash cans had fled due to the ominous atmosphere.
Roaches, flies, and stinkbugs, the insects that once thrived here, running in the shadows, had all disappeared.
"Why do these guys always like to dig holes underground in cities? Now, it's as if there are Bat Caves all over the United States."
Barry said helplessly, as it was mostly up to him to trace the enemy's whereabouts and find the right clues in this vast city as quickly as possible.
.................
In an unknown time in the Dark Multiverse, on Earth -32.
"Bang! Bang!"
With two gunshots, the Waynes fell in the dim alley, their blood mingling with the sewage on the ground as life left their bodies.
"Kneel, kid, I'm done," the robber who killed his parents pointed the gun at the young Bruce, holding a bloodstained wallet and pearl necklace in the other hand, "Close your eyes and enjoy the darkness, as long as you don't look, I won't kill you."
With that, the robber turned and ran away, disappearing behind a building.
The young Bruce, eyes closed under the gunpoint, turned his head, missing the bat flying through the light.
As the footsteps faded, Bruce opened his eyes and looked at his parents' bodies, feeling as if the sky had fallen. There was no fear, no despair, only an overwhelming emptiness remained, and his heart died.
He felt powerless, not even human, as void took over everything, losing all emotions. He wiped his tears and pursued in the direction of the fleeing criminal, having lost the will to live.
Just then, a green light rushed towards him at incredible speed, and an intensely glowing ring hovered before him, bearing an hourglass-like symbol. A voice echoed directly in front of him.
"Wise lifeform locked! Bruce Wayne from Sector 2814 Earth, you have the ability to overcome great fear. Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps!"
Bruce knew he hadn't conquered fear, he had merely discarded it, his heart was empty.
Yet, the ring's mighty power drew him in, and he put it on, which then led him to the murderer.
He soared into the air, hoping that by killing this criminal, he could feel alive again, dispel the emptiness?
"Kill him! Ring!" Eventually, he found the murderer in a corner of Gotham, counting the stolen money from Bruce's father's wallet, stained with blood.
"Error! First law of the Green Lantern Corps, lethal force not approved under current circumstances."
The ring countered.
Bruce looked at the cringing criminal on the ground; his bullets were ineffective against the airborne Green Lantern Hero. He could only kneel and beg for mercy, just as Bruce had.
"I don't care! I said, kill him!"
"Error... Willpower level at 100%, error... Willpower level at 127%."
The ring did not execute, only emitting error warning tones.
The emptiness in Bruce's heart made him resolute; he had only one wish, his sole wish.
"He deserves it! Obey me!"
"Error... Willpower level at 184%..."
The ring's voice echoed in his mind, with numbers Bruce couldn't decipher, but he knew his efforts had effect. He doubled down on believing in himself, steadfastly walking this path.
"Error... Willpower level at 200%, exceeding... crackle... screech..."
Strange sounds came from the ring, and moments later, it emitted odd grey smoke, like fog, or special energy. Then, a distorted, ghostly-like voice spoke.
"Lethal force approved."
"Ah!!!!"
Instantly, a grey-green light burst from the ring, and the criminal bathed in the light turned to white bone in a flash.
He possessed one of the most powerful forces in the universe.
But this power could not resurrect his parents, and his heart remained an empty void.
He began to hunt down the criminals in this city, never lost, never regretful, he simply killed. Why could so many criminals live while his parents could not?
Scarecrow, dragged to the sky and killed; Penguin Man, dismembered in outer space.
One by one, criminals disappeared from Gotham.
"Green Lantern Hero, you have to stop, this is not justice."
Gordon saw him again on the roof of the police station. He was supposed to be a hero.
"You don't understand me," Bruce replied coldly.
"I know who you are. Aren't you tired, Bruce, of everything that happened in that alley a few years ago..."
Director Gordon tried to persuade him, too many had died in Gotham.
"I said, shut up!"
A powerful gray-green light flashed, and Director Gordon turned to bones.
His parents were dead, so no one should live.
Just then, more Green Lantern Heroes arrived to stop him, feeling the maddening ring all the way to Oa Star like a thorn in their side.
Yet, despite their numbers and the aid of the Corps' Guardian, they were no match for the Deceitful Lantern Ring's lights-out protocol; they all perished. The nightmare Bruce had created within himself manifested for the first time and obliterated his opponents in the darkness with overwhelming force.
Among the corpses of the Green Lantern Heroes, the strongest Guardian, Ganser, still had a breath left: "S... Stop... that darkness will destroy the Cosmos..."
Bruce did not answer him. A giant nightmare creature plucked Ganser's head like picking mushrooms.
He seized countless rings, gaining knowledge and intelligence, proceeded to Oa Star to eradicate, and obtained the Corps' Green Lantern Power Source Furnace before returning to Gotham City.
There was one thing Director Gordon said that was right: he was tired; he did not want to be a Green Lantern Hero anymore, as they were too weak.
At that moment, he saw a group of bats flying over the shadow in front of the furnace. The flapping little creatures made him squint unconsciously.
He recalled the cellar at home; he had fallen into it as a child. The bats inside made him feel afraid.
He no longer had any emotions, but he could make the world fear; he was the Bat.
A powerful gray-green light flooded into the gigantic furnace, and the dozens of meters high furnace was instantly filled with empty power.
He also threw himself into it.
When he emerged from the furnace, he chose the Bat as his new totem, put on a bat-shaped helmet, the Green Lantern emblem on his chest turned into the shape of a bat, and endless gray light poured from his ring, spreading over him; he became the Dawn Deceit Lantern.
He created his own Deceit Lantern Corps, reciting his Corps' oath:
The night vast, snuffs out the gleam;
The daylight wan, no longer king;
Dawn fleeting, midnight prolonged;
Deceit Lantern eternal, dawn extinguished!
The balance was broken; Green Lanterns no longer existed; the Emotional Spectrum was permanently lost.
He continued his slaughter.
Destroyed all Lantern Groups, destroyed all emotions.
A Cosmos without the Emotional Spectrum was too conspicuous, quickly drawing the attention of Barbatos.
Taking advantage, Barbatos unleashed his power, a strong Dark Power began to corrode the entire world. The cosmos collapsed like melting snow, Earth -32 was destroyed...
The power of the Deceit Lantern spared Bruce. Amid the fragmented universe, a person with a genuine smile invited him to join the Dark Knight Order, his face showing nothing but a wide, grinning mouth.
He said his master, Barbatos, greatly admired warriors of darkness, and far away, in another universe, he needed the lights-out ring to extinguish the light of hope.
Upon success, Barbatos would grant Bruce the thing he most desired in his heart—his parents would be resurrected.
Bruce felt only a void inside, unsure how to react, but perhaps resurrecting his parents could fill his emptiness?
"I join."
This question was not one the Dawn Deceit Lantern needed to ponder; his inner hollow wished to devour everything, especially light...