บท 4: Chapter 3: Am I in the DC Universe...? DAMN!!!! (Rewritten)

Chapter 3: Am I in the DC Universe...? DAMN!!!!

February 23, 1990

A week after being sent back to his childhood, Carlos and his mother were sitting on a bus returning to their hometown. Carlos was calm while his mother was sullen and a bit sour. She held a bag tightly in her hands and occasionally looked around, afraid that someone might be following her.

"Cachoerinha, who's getting off?" suddenly a voice sounded on the bus, and some people began to prepare to get off, Carlos and his mother among them. They both got off at the small bus terminal and headed to Carlos's grandmother's house.

They were coming from Caxias because after much insistence, Carlos managed to convince his mother and grandmother to withdraw all their savings from the bank and keep it with them. How? A pinch of mysticism, faith, and lies.

Brazil is the homeland of a mixed-race people, and the blend of customs and religions among indigenous peoples, slaves, and Europeans gave rise to an entirely new culture, a unique identity for a unique country. So, all Carlos had to do was say that he dreamt of his deceased grandfather and that he warned them to remove all their savings from the bank and keep it with them.

After getting off the bus, Carlos and his mother headed to his grandmother's house. It was a quick trip by motorcycle, about 10 minutes. Once they arrived, the three gathered at the table for lunch, and after finishing, his mother spread a large amount of money on the table.

She separated the notes on the table into two small piles, one totaling 82,000 and the other totaling 117,000 new cruzados. His mother had a somewhat exasperated expression, while his grandmother was surprised by the amount, with only Carlos showing relief. After a week of incessant effort, he finally managed to convince his mother and grandmother to withdraw all their savings from the bank account.

Carlos was worried that his mother would lose her few savings. Although 82,000 cruzados seemed like a large amount, considering the current inflation and the absurd increase it would have in the next four years, this amount was not enough even to buy a simple basic basket.

"I can't believe I actually did this," his mother sighed, scratching her head a little and looking at Carlos, who had a relieved smile on his face.

It wasn't that Eliane didn't believe in her son, it was just that she didn't want to withdraw her money from the savings account now. Due to the instability in which the country still found itself at this moment, banks were paying a good amount for those who deposited their money in savings accounts.

This was a unique opportunity, and she had already managed to go from 60,000 to just over 80,000 in the last month. If this pace continued, she would have more than 100,000 before the new president's inauguration in a few days, and with that, she could buy a larger plot of land where she could build a new house or leave it for Carlos to build his house in the future.

"Mom, here's the withdrawal receipt from your account, it's 117,000 cruzados," Eliane said to her mother, handing her the amount along with a receipt. "I withdrew everything from your account too, just as you asked."

"Thank you, my daughter," Luzia smiled a little before turning to Carlos. "Carlos, could you put this money in the wardrobe, at the top in the middle part?"

"Yes, ma'am." Carlos put the money in a bag and took it into the room.

While Carlos was putting the money away, his mother and grandmother talked a little, and soon after, his mother went to school. She had missed the morning but would have to teach in the afternoon.

Carlos spent the rest of the day helping his grandmother before going to play a little in the afternoon and returning home at night.

<><><><><>

February 24, 1990

The next day, Carlos woke up early and immediately started doing some light exercises. Since he went back in time, he has been doing this in an attempt to return to the Chad physique he had before.

Carlos wasn't vain, but he knew that a good appearance was his calling card, and he knew he wasn't exactly the national beauty standard. In his last life, until he was 19, he was just a skinny boy with an average appearance. It was only after joining the ESA that he started to change.

Luckily, Carlos had good genetics, so he didn't need steroids. Just diligent training and a good diet were enough for him to achieve an athletic physique, making him more confident and attractive.

Even the mother of his daughter was only interested in him because of his athletic build. Carlos never reached his physical peak because he started training very late, and his body no longer produced as much testosterone or GH as in his youth. And after becoming a police officer and having a daughter, he distanced himself from the gyms a bit.

"38, 39... 40" Carlos finished his push-up session with great difficulty and lay down a bit on the cement floor. "Damn, I used to be able to do 100 with one hand."

Feeling the cold of the floor, he got up and went to take a shower before packing his things for school.

Carlos wasn't like those protagonists who didn't like reliving the high school period. Yes, it was boring to have to learn about verb agreement and verbs in the imperfect indicative, but at least he could enjoy the moment to think and have fun with friends with whom he wouldn't have contact when he was older.

During history class, while listening to the teacher talk about the beginning of the country's colonization, Carlos began to think about how to maintain the purchasing power of his mother's and grandmother's money. Now that he had ensured that both had their savings safe, he had to think of ways to save it from inflation.

In the afternoon, after returning home, Carlos turned on the TV and started watching a rerun of the 1976 soap opera Escrava Isaura, a good soap opera. To the sound of the memorable and unmistakable opening song 'Vida de Negro,' he began to think of ways to maintain his family's purchasing power.

(A.N.: 'Vida de Negro' is a powerful song about the life of black people in Brazil, highlighting the physical and emotional suffering they endured. Lyrics and link at the end.)

'The best way would be to have a stronger currency, like the dollar, but I have no way to convince either of them to do that now. I can wait until the start of the confiscation, but then I doubt the money changers will want to part with their dollars due to such an unstable currency.'

Watching the soap opera begin, Carlos lay down a bit on the couch while continuing to think.

'Another option is gold; many people from the city went to Serra Pelada, most didn't get anything, but I know of some people who still keep some with them. I can try to buy it, but it's dangerous.'

Carlos remembered some prospectors from the city who got some gold in Serra Pelada in the previous decade. One of his uncles also went but died. His grandmother never knew if he died due to some illness or if he was killed because he found some gold; the body ended up being buried there, and now, due to age, she couldn't even visit her son's grave.

'Investments? Could be... but how to convince them?'

sigh

Seeing the soap opera go to a commercial break, Carlos got up and went to get a snack in the kitchen before returning and continuing to think about how to protect the integrity of his mother's and grandmother's hard-earned money.

'The system?' Carlos thought suddenly.

Since he asked not to be disturbed, the so-called system has remained silent, in its so-called resting state.

His decision may have been made in the heat of the moment, but Carlos knew that giving in to the use of the system meant complying with his reincarnation or whatever had happened to him.

Not that he wasn't happy to be with his grandmother again or to be a child again. It's just that, after living what he at least considered to be a good life, he lost his right to the so-called eternal rest. After being literally snatched from the arms of death and thrown back into this earthly existence, it was irritating and unpleasant, making it seem like everything he did before was for nothing.

Besides, even if the system was useful, it was still a damn mercenary and expensive system. Although Carlos knew that to make money, you first had to spend money, he wasn't going to use his mother's or grandmother's money without knowing exactly the risks.

Returning to the living room, he enjoyed his snack and indulged in the entertainment of the soap opera while thinking of ways to save the little he had.

<><><><><>

At night, after the 9 PM soap opera, Carlos stayed alone to watch a movie on TV while his mother went to sleep. Around midnight, the movie ended, and the midnight news was starting. Carlos didn't want to waste time and quickly got up to turn off the TV.

"You'll see soon on Globo's news: The proposal that workers and businessmen will discuss tomorrow with the government in the national understanding meeting. The Argentine army informs: 'the military rebellion of the carapintadas is over.' The final preparations for Collor's inauguration in a few days and the latest information about the end of the Wayne Industries partnership in the country. Coming up soon, on Globo's news."

'Wayne?' Hearing the news, Carlos stopped for a moment and frowned. He looked at the TV, which had gone to a commercial break, trying to judge if he had really heard what he thought or if it was a sleep-delusion.

'I guess it wouldn't hurt to watch a little.'

Although sleepy, Carlos decided to watch a bit to see what company was leaving the country. He didn't remember much about what happened in the country during his youth; in fact, he knew almost nothing about what happened in Brazil throughout the 90s and the first decade of the 2000s, besides certain events that were really important.

Gradually, the midnight news was being broadcast, most of which Carlos simply ignored. He started to doze off on the couch when suddenly the news he wanted to see began. However, the more he listened, the more shocked Carlos felt.

"...The abrupt departure of Wayne Industries from the country means the end of the beginning of a partnership with the new government... some important Brazilian companies like Gurgel... The death of the President of Wayne Enterprises and his wife last year... Bruce Wayne, 9 years old..."

Carlos watched the news that lasted no more than 3 minutes but contained more information than he could absorb. After a while, when other news began to be broadcast, Carlos took a deep breath before calming down a bit and thinking.

The existence of the so-called Wayne Enterprises doesn't mean anything. The fact that it is located in a city known as Gotham could also be a coincidence. The death of the owner and majority shareholder and his wife in front of their 8-year-old son and this boy being named Bruce. None of this information means much separately, but when you put it all together...

"Damn?" Carlos got up from the couch, his sleep being driven away by the shock brought by the news. He walked around for a while before going to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

After refreshing himself a bit, Carlos called the only entity that could give him answers.

"System..."

{...}

"Damn... system, answer me."

{...}

Seeing the system stay quiet, Carlos began to get a bit anxious before calming down a bit and returning to the living room to watch some other news.

The other news was of little value to Carlos, who at some point started scratching his head while thinking about what to do next.

'Forget the threat caused by Collor to the national economy, if what was presented in the news was true, he had much bigger problems than a miserable financial crisis.'

{...}

Seeing the system still silent, Carlos couldn't help but feel apprehensive before cursing softly.

"Mercenary system."

{I am not a mercenary.}

"Finally. Why did you take so long to answer me?"

{I thought I was clear when I said I would enter a suspension state. I needed a moment to start my functions.}

"Do you use Windows?"

{...}

"Okay, whatever. System, tell me... what the hell is happening here? Why is there a company called Wayne, why was its president killed with his wife, why is their son named Bruce Wayne?"

{I think it's quite clear what is happening here, host.}

"Damn." Carlos sat weakly on the couch, accepting his new reality.

When Carlos died, the country was in the midst of an economic, social, and health crisis. Diseases once considered eradicated, like Polio, Rubella, and Diphtheria, were re-emerging due to low vaccination coverage in the country. The agro sector, the main economic pillar of the country, was in crisis, and the lack of other profitable industries and high taxes led the country to an absurd crisis. Political polarization had become unsustainable, leading to daily discussions inside and outside social media.

However, even faced with this grim and tumultuous future, Carlos still had confidence that he could thrive, become wealthy, lead a good life with few worries, and secure a future for himself and his family.

But surviving all this in the DC universe? Carlos had no confidence at all.

'A new god, crazy and obsessed with mathematics. A four-eyed multiverse demon. A supercomputer that likes to shrink cities and destroy worlds. A speedster who plays with the timeline, occasionally altering the past. An immortal Neanderthal with a need for control. A super adaptable monster. That's if this isn't the Injustice universe or any other grim DC universe.'

"I am... completely screwed." Carlos gave a smile and leaned back on the couch with a lost look.

{If I may, host. I would like to inform you of my functions.}

Hearing the system, a light shone in Carlos's eyes, and he straightened up while attentively listening to his mercenary system.

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Original lyrics / translation

Vida de negro / Life of a black