Destiny

Chapter 32 Destiny

John Dee was fascinated by dreams from a young age.

He believed that dreams were the most incredible thing in the world. No matter what kind of person you are—poor, weak, or born with defects—only in dreams are all beings equal.

Dreams are God's greatest gift to mankind. Only here can you be free, cast aside all pressure and worries, even break free from the prison of the human body, become anyone, and do anything impossible in the daytime.

He was once obsessed with the study of dreams and the concept of "lucid dreaming," trying to allow his brain to intentionally control his dreams. Unfortunately, this process had some side effects, causing some unexpected impacts on his mental health.

That's why he moved into Arkham.

But this actually brought him new opportunities in life.

The sensory enhancement device was a piece of equipment donated to Arkham Asylum by a cutting-edge research institution. Its purpose was to aid in the study of human dreams and to amplify human senses to some extent.

Because the experimental phase was quite dangerous, and to avoid the need for a large number of experimental volunteers, the research team reached an agreement with the mental hospital to use the inmates there for testing.

This is simply the best gift God could have given John Dee.

He became madly obsessed with the machine, and his most anticipated moment each week was the few minutes he could volunteer to try it out—because of the risks, doctors didn't allow patients to use it for longer.

John succeeded. With the help of this machine, he felt that the dream module in his brain was being developed more and more clearly, and now he could almost control his dreams at will, without any negative impact on him. As a result, the mental problems he had when he was first confined to the mental hospital were also resolved.

"Your recovery is incredible. I'd say you could be discharged next month," the doctor said to him with a smile.

At that time, John thought he was about to reach the peak of his life. It was as if he had gone to Arkham and obtained what he had dreamed of for many years, and was able to get back on track with his life.

Then he got cheated on.

His girlfriend told him this when she learned he would be discharged from the hospital next month. She was already with John's best friend, and they were getting ready to get married.

The sudden cuckoldry left him stunned. But it didn't take long for him to realize that the two of them had definitely been having an affair for a long time, and might even have been going on before he joined Arkham.

Suddenly, his desire to go out faded, which prompted him to have the boldest idea of ​​his life.

He attacked the doctor, illegally activated the dangerous sensory enhancement device, and used it on himself at full power.

He knew it could be dangerous; one wrong move and his brain could turn into a burnt loaf of bread. But he didn't care.

If you don't succeed, you will become benevolent.

And he succeeded. Thus, Doctor Destiny was born, a god of dreams who ruled over dreams and possessed power beyond human reach!

Using this power, he easily killed his ex-girlfriend and the friend who had cheated on him in his dreams. And he soon realized that he was capable of more than just that.

He will drag the world into an eternal nightmare and become the god of the new world!

then

Then he was shot and killed.

Even now, when he returns to reality, he finds that there are still aftereffects.

Now, whenever he closes his eyes, those giant eyes, like two salted eggs, appear before him, bringing with them a feeling of being filled and a tearing pain.

Even when he tried to use his abilities to create any dream, he could never erase that terrifying scene from his mind. The direct consequence was that now, no matter what dream he created, that terrifying giant would always appear in the scene.

The fear of destruction was so deeply ingrained in his DNA that it could not be erased, turning all his dreams into nightmares!

John was in a frenzy when he suddenly realized someone was approaching his hiding place.

The sensory enhancement device not only granted him the ability to manipulate dreams, but also strengthened his mind and senses. He could sense the approach of any thinking, living person within a certain range.

So he quickly figured out who was approaching.

batman.

Batman was probably the first person in the city to notice Doctor Destiny.

What initially caught his attention was the news that John's ex-girlfriend and fiancé had died suddenly in a nightmare. He followed every death in the city every day, meticulously investigating any deaths that the police wouldn't pay attention to or that might be suspicious.

Within a day, he connected the murder case with John Dee, who had escaped from Arkham Prison, and the illegally activated perception enhancer.

Then the nightmare that had gripped Gotham began.

Using some mind control techniques he learned while traveling the world, plus a bit of Batman-like willpower, Batman forcibly broke free from the nightmare. Connecting it to the case from the previous day, he quickly deduced that John Dee, who had gained superpowers, might be the culprit.

Based on his expertise in trace evidence, and following the clues found at the prison break scene, Batman quickly arrived at the hideout of John Dee—or now Doctor Destiny.

But the moment he pushed open the door, the world began to spin around him.

The old room vanished, the scene receding like the tide. The black and white image was like a scene extracted from an old videotape from the last century. When he came to his senses, he found himself in a dark alley, the streetlights casting a somber, dim glow.

Batman's pupils contracted.

This is a scene he will never forget in his life.

Crime Alley.

A man and a woman, holding hands with a small child, walked into this alley.

The reason they arrived at this unfortunate time and place was because the child had stubbornly demanded to leave before the movie ended.

No, this is not true.

Batman tried to close his eyes and shook his head.

At such close range, Doctor Schick's superpowers were amplified to their fullest extent. Without even entering a dream, he could make his target accept his dream-creating ability.

Batman ignored all of this and continued on his way.

Then the gunman appeared.

A robber, clutching an old pistol. Like death itself, guided by fate, destined to pull the trigger at this moment.

No, this is just a nightmare. Batman continued to tell himself.

Focus on the mission. Alfred is still in a nightmare, Gordon is in a nightmare, and the city is dangerous.

It's too late for you; you can't save the two of them, but you can still save others.

It's too late.

boom.

Gunshots rang out, and two streaks of light shattered the silence of the alley.

"No!" he finally couldn't help but cry out.

This was the only scene, this only night, that he could not ignore.

The man and woman fell down, and the pearl necklace bounced on the ground.

In a daze, Batman and the helpless child's figures overlapped, and they knelt down amidst the pearls and blood scattered on the ground.

Despite his superior equipment and the dark cloak, he was ultimately just an eight-year-old boy, kneeling and weeping in a pool of his parents' blood.

Then Thomas Wayne, who was lying on the ground, suddenly moved.

He staggered to his feet from the pool of blood, his face as pale as a zombie, holding a death scythe in his hand.

"It's all your fault."

"If you hadn't insisted on watching this damn movie..."

"If you did not request to leave early"

Batman remained kneeling with his head down, unresponsive.

Thomas Wayne raised the sickle in his hand.

"You killed us!"

The sickle fell.

But in that instant, a hand shot out from under the cloak, grabbing his wrist and stopping the scythe from falling.

Batman slowly raised his head, his eyes beneath the mask flashing with anger but determination.

The scene shifted again. The pool of blood and the pearl necklace, the corpse on the ground, the dim lighting, and the entire crime alley vanished in an instant.

Thomas Wayne's figure also disappeared, replaced by a shocked John Dee, whose hand holding a dagger was gripped by Batman.

"How...how is this possible!?"

John Dee was utterly shocked.

"You resist my nightmares?"

"At this distance? And looking me straight in the eye!?"

He is Doctor Destiny, the master of nightmares! His power is so great that he can drag the entire city into the hell of nightmares, decide their life and death, and make them submit to him for all eternity!

It was bad enough that my dream was shattered by that inexplicable giant—that thing didn't look human at all; it might have been a god or something else entirely.

And the guy in front of me was just an ordinary person dressed in a bat costume.

He can get immune to his own ultimate attack by getting right up to his face!

Why should I?

John met his gaze with difficulty and forced out the final question through gritted teeth.

Why?

A fist landed on his face.

Batman remained expressionless as he looked at John Dee, who lay unconscious on the ground at his feet.

"Because I am Batman."

(End of this chapter)