131. Bruce's line: who lives, who dies
"You want to kill me?"
The clown was extremely excited and giggled as if he had finally discovered something interesting. "What a cute idea, kid."
"Do you think that if you throw away the part you hate the most, the whole room will be as clean as new?"
"Aria," Wayne threw down the rope, stepped forward and clasped her hands, his brows slightly furrowed, as if to comfort but also to admonish: "Calm down."
"Batman will find a way."
He is not fighting alone... and even if the time comes when he has to reveal his double identity, Bruce Wayne is prepared.
But the farmer broke free of Wayne's hand.
"No."
People believe that Wayne will find a way, people believe that Batman will find a way, but can a few people really change anything?
In Stardew Valley, it takes a long time for a single farmer to revive the town. How long will it take for Zuzu City to struggle out of the mud? If this group of people can't do it in their lifetime, what will they do?
Aria felt powerless, but she didn't cry - this body was designed without tears, and when the farmer felt a lump in her throat, she could only howl like a cub that had lost its mother.
But she did not howl in vain. Being weak in front of the enemy would only encourage their arrogance.
Something was burning in the chest, forcing the owner of the body to take more specific actions.
So the farmer walked towards the camera.
"Hey, hey, hey! What are you going to do to my and Pudding's live broadcast?" Harley Quinn was a little nervous. After all, she had put in a lot of effort to prevent the live broadcast from being interrupted by Batman.
——This means that whatever the farmer says in front of the camera can be conveyed to the city and every corner.
Harley looked at her pudding, and the Joker was twirling the pistol like a toy, but it didn't move.
After a little interest was aroused, he decided to see what the farmer had to say.
He felt that he couldn't do much alone, and perhaps this was the opportunity Aria was looking for.
“Maybe some people know me, but more people are strangers to me.”
The farmer's figure appeared in front of the camera, and then appeared on the big screen in Gotham Square, the bar, and the old TV with snow flashing in the apartment building.
"I'm not from Gotham. You might be able to guess that from my skin color and accent."
The people of Gotham in front of the TV nodded involuntarily, it was obvious.
"This may be the first and last time I stand in front of the camera and say something to you."
"I've heard so much about this place. They say Gotham is rotten, that madness is the underlying color here - that this is a hopeless place with only hell and no heaven."
"Some even say that the bat flying through the night... is the root of all this chaos."
Aria looked up in front of the camera, revealing her tanned face and bright, burning eyes.
She knew that the initial settings of the game would make the farmers have a certain affinity, but to what extent... Aria herself was not sure.
Just like facing a piggy bank, the farmer can only pick it up and shake it to hear the coins jiggle inside, but how much is inside? He has to ask the city's vigilantes.
After all, these are the people who invest money and sow hope.
"But," her voice suddenly became firm and decisive, "Gotham has never belonged only to Batman."
"This city was built by you, and its every breath is closely linked to your destiny... It is you, the generations of Gothamites who work and live here—you who have built this city."
"So, I beg you to watch over this city as you would your own home. Reach out to her like you would your own child. Please don't let Wayne and Batman fight this battle alone."
"Tonight, please look out your window, look at your neighbors, look at the alley you pass every day... If you can, please step out of your home, light a lamp, and lend a hand..."
"Bang--"
A gunshot interrupted the farmer's speech.
“Bang!”
While Wayne and the Joker were fighting for the pistol, they smashed several cameras one after another.
——The live broadcast that claimed that it would never be interrupted by Batman was interrupted just like that.
…
In the live broadcast room that had lost its display properties, the Joker threw away the pistol with the empty magazine and expressed regret to Wayne:
"Oops, missed~"
Nonsense, the farmer fell to the ground and saw his health dropping rapidly.
Her shot was clearly accurate, far exceeding expectations, so good that even the Joker couldn't guess she did it on purpose.
But Bruce's reaction was still too great -
He swung his fist at the clown, just once, as if all his anger was concentrated in the tip of his fist, and all the resentment burst out at this moment.
Harley Quinn screamed as a tooth broke free from the Joker's mouth, flashed white in front of her, and ran into the vast world.
“How rude!”
"My pudding is going to be disfigured!"
Harley thought they were going to continue fighting, but Bruce Wayne only threw that one punch, then he suppressed his anger, calmly withdrew his hand, quickly walked to Aria, tore off a piece of cloth to bandage her and stop the bleeding.
That's really impulsive, Bruce.
The farmer winked at him softly in his arms. She had clearly told him before that her death would be no different from sleeping.
If someone had to say these words, if someone had to get hurt, the farmer would rather it was her.
But Wayne's blue eyes told her he was sad, so the farmer, hiding behind his clothes, wrote lightly on his palm:
Don't be afraid, Bruce
Aria buried her head in his chest, and through the silk shirt, he could feel the curve of the farmer's smug chuckle.
I will bring you victory
Like a proverb, like a spell.
See you later.
According to the rules of the game, if the farmer is treated by a doctor when his health is reduced to zero, he will wake up in the clinic.
If she remembered correctly, Harley Quinn was a doctor. She certainly didn't expect him to have a change of heart and stop the bleeding, but if she tried to scam him, she could use the system to wake up in a random clinic in Gotham... After dealing with the bomb, she could immediately come back and blow the Joker's head off.
But Bruce's expression clearly showed that he would never accept it.
His movements were so fast that they were almost rough. He used a simple tourniquet to press tightly against the farmer's bleeding wound. It was as tight as a knife blade, almost making people wonder if this was still the Wayne they knew.
"I won't allow it."
Wayne almost uttered these words while gritting his back teeth. At the same time, as if some kind of restriction was broken, the value representing the favorability jumped and soared wildly, and finally froze at the violently flashing eight hearts.
Farmer: ? ? !
…
at the same time.
"Bang!"
The TV screen that was originally showing the football game and was now taken over by the clown was smashed to pieces by a bottle, and someone started cursing and swearing.
"Keep your voice down," someone else advised, "Be careful of the clowns causing you trouble..."
This sentence was like a drop of water splashing into a frying pan, immediately arousing a greater reaction.
"Who does he think he is? God? Gotham is bad enough as it is. I'm really tired of these people causing trouble in Gotham every day. What's the difference between this and shit in my house?"
There was a loud noise of a door being pushed open in the bar. When people thought it was the clown, an old man walked out in the backlight.
Lewis clapped his hands.
"Well said! Very well said!"
The new mayor was very excited to shake hands with the enthusiastic citizens, but was met with a rather puzzled question: "Um... may I ask who you are...?"
Lewis wanted to drop little Pearl, but Lewis held back, because he had a more important task at the moment—as the farmer’s most trusted person in the city, Lewis felt that he had fully understood her hint.
Now is the time to put it into practice.
Lewis cleared his throat and tried to make his voice sound more majestic, but he seemed to have failed, and still sounded like an ordinary old man.
But at times like this, ordinary people may be more touching than the mayor of Gotham.
"Maybe we should also let the Joker see our power." Lewis said: "Gotham is not the villain's Gotham, nor is it Batman's Gotham. It is our own Gotham."
"More than a thousand bombs is an impossible task for a few vigilantes, but what if we are included?"
…
"The drone has been launched." Oracle spoke methodically on the communication channel, but those familiar with her could hear the suppressed tension in her voice: "B's vision sharing has been activated."
"I brought Titus out." Nightwing said: "With him and the Gotham police dogs, we can help us trace some of the bombs..."
His voice stopped abruptly, and just as the Oracle asked him if he was in any trouble, Nightwing's rare, less-than-confident response came from the other end.
"Hmm... How about I also enable vision sharing?"
Barbara confirmed without hesitation, but the next second, this battle-hardened vigilante covered her mouth in shock.
The group that intercepted Nightwing were neither gang members hired by the Joker nor panicked citizens who wanted the vigilante to check their houses first.
The little girl squeezed out of the crowd: "We are here to help!"
"Will that big sister on TV be okay? Will the Joker kill her and Mr. Wayne?" She anxiously grabbed Nightwing's clothes, her voice full of worry: "Every time she saw us, she would stuff us with food. Later... Later, Mr. Wayne funded the construction of a new orphanage, and we all moved in. But I haven't had the chance to say thank you to her in person."
Another child added in a low voice, "And Mr. Wayne... The new orphanage is really good. We have enough food every day and warm clothes in winter. Every night before I go to bed, I pray and ask God to bless Mr. Bruce Wayne."
"We've been wandering around Gotham before, even living in the sewers. We're very familiar with the streets and alleys..."
Renee Montoya glanced at Nightwing with some helplessness. In such a difficult time, even the members of the serious crime squad were transferred to the field. "I tried to persuade him, but it was useless."
"She and Bruce Wayne will be fine." Nightwing squatted down and promised the children, looking at the adults behind them. The adults immediately had an idea: "Yes, yes."
Nightwing continued, "Now I'm giving you a most important task. Because you're in the right shape, only you can complete this task."
"You guys help search for the bomb in the clock tower, right there, don't go anywhere else, okay?"
“I can do it!”
It is not feasible to ban them outright. After all, Nightwing came from this stage, and the danger in the clock tower has been checked, so it is just right to let these children go.
But adults are not easy to fool.
Carol stepped forward, carrying her toolbox. "Just a regular mechanic, but I have a basic understanding of building structures."
"Wayne renovated the shantytowns a while ago, and my family no longer has to walk through a dark and deep alley to get home at night."
She seemed to have more to say, but stopped there: "If you want to know where the most likely places to hide bombs are, take me with you."
"And me!"
Old Joe rubbed his hands together and said, "I used to be a dock loader. This scar on my body was caused by being hit by cargo."
He nodded to Nightwing. "Later, Wayne said that loading and unloading like this was too dangerous. The moment the crane drove in, my heart sank. I thought my job was definitely over... But unexpectedly, people from Wayne Group came to me. They said I was eligible for unemployment benefits, and during that time, I could also participate in free skills training and learn a new craft..."
“Who knows what will become of Wayne after he dies?” someone in the crowd shouted, expressing everyone’s thoughts: “The Joker has no right to ruin everything now.”
"Woof woof woof!" A burst of dog barking came from far away, as if in agreement.
Douglas sat in his wheelchair, and the dogs surrounded him and guarded him as if they were protecting their king.
Nightwing noticed that each dog had a nameplate around their neck.
“Douglas!”
Many people in the crowd came from the slums, so they naturally recognized the famous Dog King.
"The farmer helped me and Wayne provided me with suitable land and another job so I could continue to live with the children."
“A dog will repay a friend.”
"I think the more strength we have, the more chances we have of winning, right?"
…
In addition to the vigilantes tonight, there were many dogs and people joining the ranks. This group of people held flashlights and explosion-proof glue developed by Batman and distributed by the current Robin, spraying them in all suspicious places in turn.
For civilians with no bomb disposal experience, this is the safest method. Batman may have developed this type of equipment in order to promote it widely and minimize casualties - but he didn't expect that its first large-scale application would be today.
As for him... Red Hood originally didn't want to care about the old man's life or death. He just happened to be going out, happened to destroy a dozen bombs installed by unknown people, and happened to meet up with other people.
"Five hundred meters at one o'clock, there's another one," the Oracle said over the airwaves, taking the time to instruct, "Your dog will be waiting for you there."
"knew."
Red Hood starts up his motorcycle, deciding to make this the most outrageous operation he's ever been a part of.
But this city...can still be saved.
…
The time given by the Joker was quite demanding. When the countdown fell into silence with the last tick, he slowly turned his head and enveloped Bruce Wayne with an almost kind and compassionate gaze.
He raised his other gun.
Aria, without hesitation, dragged her body, barely maintained by the tourniquet, and stood in front of Bruce again.
"Oh, my dear Bruce~" The Joker's tone was as sweet as syrup coated with poison. He sighed exaggeratedly, as if he was truly sad. "Look, in the end... Only this brave little lady is willing to play house with you."
"Your city, the Gotham you loved so much, seems to have abandoned you too."
He opened his blood-red mouth, and the smile grew wider and wider, almost tearing his cheeks.
"And Batman? Haha, even if you count his chirping little birds..." He waved his hand dismissively, "how many bombs can they defuse with all their might?"
He took a dramatic step back, arms outstretched, like a master about to finish his work, his voice filled with frantic anticipation.
"Now! Before this finale begins, let us enjoy together... the city's most grand and magnificent—"
He raised his thumb high, then pressed the detonator button with an expression of ecstasy.
"--fireworks--!"
…
The final chapter ends and nothing happens.
The night sky of Gotham was still silent, no different from before.
The farmer laughed again.
"If a man like Bruce Wayne can't be saved, this city is truly doomed."
Wayne grabbed her as if he anticipated what the farmer was going to do next, but Aria was surprisingly strong - she pushed Bruce away and pounced on the Joker like a burning blood bar, trying to snatch the gun from him.
There was a rare look of fear on the Joker's face, just like a nightmare he had once had - there was no Batman in the world, only a frustrated, middle-aged comedian wandering the streets. This fear forced him to eject the magazine when he realized that he was facing a force much stronger than himself - so that even if the farmer took the gun, he could not kill him.
But Aria quickly picked up the magazine from the ground, took out the bullets from it, and loaded it into the slingshot she took out from somewhere.
Let me ask you, when the bullet is shot from the farmer's slingshot, what is the initial velocity and what speed will it fly at?
The answer is that the bullet was ejected with the greatest force she could achieve in her life, flying at a constant speed. If there was no air along the way, it could even fly until it hit an obstacle.
So the Joker dies at this moment.
The passers-by that appear in it are all those who have appeared in the previous article. In fact, there are many more, but for the sake of length and not to appear watery, only a few people are written.
As for the Dionysus factor and the clown polluting the land after his death (?), don't worry, the clown can be buried on the farm and let Grandpa help keep an eye on it (Grandpa:?
There is still one post-mortem for the Batman line, and it will end. I have already written 3k and am still revising it. I will pin a new comment later. If you have any jokes you want to see, you can say it there. I will write a welfare extra
Don't worry, my dear angels, if you have already ordered food, I have written it down in my notebook and I won't forget it.
That’s about it, see you in the next update?
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