When Primary Universe Batman came out, Jason turned his head to glance at him and said, "Batman, what kind of burger do you want? We have beef cheese, pork, fried chicken leg, and veggie burgers here."
"I'll have a beef cheese one," Primary Universe Batman said, "Make it double patties with extra lettuce. Hold the peppers and onions."
"Yay!" Pamela cheered, winking at Tim.
"Oh, no." Tim scrunched up his face and said, "Why do all of you love cheese so much? There's already butter on the toasted bun; won't it be too greasy?"
"My food choices usually depend on my caloric needs. I still have to head to the lab for research in the afternoon, and I need some high-energy food to last until the evening," Primary Universe Batman patiently explained.
Then he added, "Tim, I heard you're planning to study abroad in Europe. Have you prepared your application materials?"
Tim paused for a moment, then said, "Actually, I haven't. Jason, how did you apply back then?"
"That depends on what major you're applying for. First, you need to prepare your university degree certificate, then your university transcripts, letters of recommendation from professors, and your personal identification information. That's about it."
"That's easy." Tim waved his hand and said, "I'll finish it in a bit."
"I heard you're considering the art department," Primary Universe Batman continued, "Most university art departments in Europe require applicants to prepare a portfolio when applying. Have you got that ready?"
Tim was genuinely taken aback and said, "A portfolio is required? But I wasn't in the art department for my undergrad. Is it mandatory?"
"If you have a really strong letter of recommendation, you might not need one," Primary Universe Batman said, "Do you know any professors in Gotham University's art department?"
"Uh, no, I don't. Even if I did, they probably wouldn't give me a recommendation letter since I didn't study my undergrad with them," Tim scratched his head and said, "So, I still need to draw a few pieces."
"Not just a few," Primary Universe Batman said, "Usually, the school's website will have portfolio requirements, and you typically need to prepare dozens of different types of art pieces. Check the website of the school you want to apply to."
Tim sighed heavily and chose to directly open his phone to inquire with Brainiac. Unfortunately, Brainiac hadn't changed the admission requirements for art universities, meaning Tim would indeed need to prepare a portfolio first.
"Alright, it's not like I can't draw," Tim said, "When I was a kid, my watercolor works even won awards. It's time to pick it up again!"
"But if you're going to draw, you need to sketch from nature, right? And with the lockdown, you can't go anywhere. How do you plan on doing that?" Pamela asked.
Tim pondered for a bit but quickly came up with an answer. Then they focused on eating their meal. Besides burgers, there was also salad and soda water. Dick even fried some pumpkin pancakes, and they all feasted again.
After the meal, most people went upstairs to catch up on sleep since they had a rough night. Primary Universe Batman headed to the lab, while Tim went to the back garden.
When they woke up, it was already afternoon, and Pamela groggily got dragged to the back garden by Tim.
"What is it?" Pamela asked weakly.
"I've been thinking, I can draw the scenes in the garden. That way, I can draw the forest, the flowerbed, buildings, and some small objects like fruits. But there's just one small problem..."
"What is it?"
"It's not ideal to draw only autumn scenes, so could you help me create some scenes from other seasons?"
Pamela rolled her eyes dramatically and said, "Isn't that staged? How is that any different from drawing from photos?"
"Of course, I just checked the website requirements. They demand a series of interconnected works with a span of time in the creation process, meaning long-term works. But I obviously can't spend a whole year creating a portfolio, so I can only trouble you."
"Alright, alright. I can help you with spring and summer, but what about winter?"
Tim pulled out Victor's freeze gun from behind him, or more accurately, a somewhat retro Blizzard Gun. Tim shook the gun and said, "The professor gave me this before. It can spray snow mist, which is enough to create a winter scene."
"You're quite resourceful," Pamela said, "Where do you plan to paint? This woodland? Or this flowerbed?"
"Where do you think is better?"
"If I were you, I'd choose to paint the architecture hidden in the woods. A Gothic Mansion like Wayne Manor is rare even in Europe. Painting it should look fantastic."
Tim thoughtfully nodded and then said, "Alright, let's paint this piece of the forest first. I'll start with the autumn scene, but the branches might need your pruning. It's too dense now, and the building isn't very visible."
"Alright, step back a bit. I'll do some trimming."
The two of them busied themselves in the back garden, and Jason wasn't idle either. He was in the garage's tool room assembling guns while haggling with Brainiac.
"Seriously, shouldn't you give me that Garland back by now? I'm not planning on using it to actually shoot anyone. Don't you believe me?"
"You don't have a legal gun permit," Brainiac reminded, "The handgun you're holding is also an illegal firearm. I haven't confiscated it precisely because I trust your character."
"Sounds nice," Jason smirked.
"Jason! Jason!" Dick's voice came from behind the door, "Come quickly, put these in the freezer..."
"Coming!"
Jason put things down and went to the manor's entrance. A large pile of supplies was left at the door, clearly just delivered by a drone.
"Oh my God, why so much?!" Jason said in a bit of panic, "Brainiac, you're not planning another year of martial law, are you?!"
"No," Dick explained, "Some of this is for laboratory use, seems like Batman requested it."
Jason immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then said, "I'll carry the food; you deliver the stuff to Batman. He can't afford any delays."
Dick nodded, then called Raven and used magic to move the items to the laboratory. He curiously poked his head inside and said, "Are you still researching Brainiac's program error, Batman?"
"No, I'm studying something else. Want to come in and have a look?"
Dick shook his head and said, "During martial law, the theater troupe will perform online, and every member must present a program. I have to write the script and rehearse. See you tonight."
After he left, the Primary Universe Batman turned his attention back to the items on the table, which turned out to be the supposedly lost Mother Box. The box had been opened, revealing a floating, shiny little point - the Crystal that the Primary Universe Batman had previously studied. He was still researching it.
He had previously checked the usage records of this item and was now investigating what the former owner used it for. After all, being able to clear the accumulated misfortunes on it proved that the former owner must have known its side effects but still continued using it. The Primary Universe Batman was keen to know what he was up to.
"You seem very interested in this," Brainiac said.
"Yes, to be honest, things aren't peaceful in the Multiverse either," the primary universe Batman said, his voice lowering, "A dark force is stirring, and the Multiverse Alliance is investigating it. I'm here to seek Bruce's help."
"Can I help?" Brainiac asked.
"If you can safeguard this universe's Earth, that would be a huge help. Also, you guys should set up a magical defense network. Otherwise, if invaders directly attack Earth, what will you do?"
"I won't lie to you, there was more than one invader who attacked Earth directly before, and didn't I repel them all?"
"This time it's different," the Primary Universe Batman said with a slightly heavy tone.
"I can't use magic at all, nor can I set up any magical defense network," Brainiac said, "In fact, I don't trust magic either. The research team on Krypton is developing a planet's shield suitable for Earth."
"Well, I wish you the best of luck," the Primary Universe Batman said.
While everyone under lockdown was busy with their own affairs, Barry couldn't stay at home as calmly as them. Even though Brainiac would replace the police entirely during martial law, and anyone who dared to violate the martial law regulations would be forcibly dealt with, making crimes impossible, the investigation of who stole valuable research materials still needed to be conducted.
Therefore, special departments like the Behavioral Sciences Unit couldn't go home; they had to stay working, ready to support Brainiac at any time. Due to his special abilities, Barry kept running back and forth and didn't even have time for a break to drink coffee.
Despite this, he received somewhat desperate news: Brainiac suspected that the thief of the Mother Box was an alien superpower user, so he decided to use the Federation Shield, Amanda's team, to investigate this damned thief.
Barry had no choice but to muster the courage to go to the Federation Shield's office. Since the Federation Shield appeared, there has been a dedicated team in the Federal Bureau of Investigation responsible for causing trouble for them. The two departments can't be said to coexist peacefully, more like they're at daggers drawn.
Barry bought a cup of coffee and knocked on Amanda's office door. Amanda, sitting behind the desk, looked at Barry as he walked in and said, "Has Brainiac finally realized that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is a bunch of incompetents?"
"It's not us who are against you," Barry retorted, "As far as I know, you haven't gained any advantage from the Federal Bureau of Investigation either. If we're useless, aren't you even more so?"
"Cut the crap, where's your data?"
"Still organizing."
"When will it be finished?"
"By tonight," Barry said, giving a slightly conservative estimate, "Currently, we can only prove that child kidnappers and cultists belong to the same organization, but there's no evidence to suggest the child kidnapper and the thief are the same person, so the previous behavioral analysis conclusions can't be used, and we have to re-investigate and gather evidence."
"You need to understand we're not investigating our fellow citizens' crimes," Amanda walked out from behind her desk, saying, "To avoid wronging innocents, we need evidence and logical chains. But if the other side is likely an alien, what's the point of delaying? You just need to tell me how to find him."
"Precisely because the cultists and child kidnappers are human, and the thief may not be, we can't give you the previous data, or it might mislead you. Furthermore, if it's a superpowered alien, shouldn't you be more knowledgeable about them?"
"Forget it; I knew I couldn't count on you," Amanda waved dismissively, "Fortunately, I recruited a good intern here. Jenna, what do you think?"