Chapter 4 Chapter 4 (Overhaul)
The Joker got his goods and had to take the trouble to place them. It was inconvenient to be disturbed at this time, but he always had a way -
There was already a Joker in Arkham Asylum. Even if he was terrified to disguise himself as a Joker, he would always complete the task well in order to avoid the worst possible outcome. Besides, what was he dissatisfied with? When the Joker could act tyrannically and laugh wildly, everyone was afraid of him and no one dared to provoke him, and he also got a lot of money.
Of course there was a risk of being exposed, but would his good neighbors in Arkham take the initiative to tip off the prison guards or Batman? They were only too happy to see their common enemy being teased, and it would be a good thing if they didn't join forces with him to cause a big incident.
And when will Batman realize this?
In fact, the Joker believes that there is a tacit understanding between him and Batman, that is, they both know that the Joker's game usually starts after he has done something and ends when he is imprisoned back in Arkham.
As for the time before and after the game? That's when he rests and prepares for the next game.
Please, even if it's the Joker, the game he carefully arranged will not last long when it encounters real kryptonian players. It will be often interrupted in the middle, the surprise projects will be completely ruined, and the interest in playing the game will be completely destroyed. But it doesn't matter, this is the classic drama they keep repeating.
It is precisely because they have such a tacit understanding that the Joker brings his "surprises" to the world time and time again - why not do this?
Gotham forgave him, law and justice made way for him, he held the baton that controlled chaos, bloodshed and death, the audience was the entire Gotham, they obeyed his command, and the Blue Boys were a group of ignorant and reckless children who made trouble at his concert, and only bats danced for his performance.
…
Nothing unexpected happened, and the clown was not disturbed at all until the shipment was completely arranged.
He was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed in the two-story house bought by Bob, thinking about things. There was a little distance between the back of the sofa and the wall, and there was a little mouse hiding inside. She was so dark and shameful, and the clown was used to it.
After being out of the dark and cramped cell without seeing the sun for so long, it’s time for him to create some surprises for the world and bring new games.
Only disorder is the norm, only chaos is the reality, but people always pretend to be righteous, talking about etiquette and morality, and acting under the guise of being noble. They are extremely hypocritical. They abide by the rules of social operation... Society constrains people's behavior, so is everything absolute and correct?
The clown's face was dull, and he tapped the wooden armrest of the sofa with his index finger, "Pour me a cup of tea."
The little mouse hiding behind the sofa remained silent, so the clown didn't expect her to move. But as soon as she moved, the clown said, "I wasn't calling you, I was calling the other idiot." Among the two idiots present, he only had a little patience for one of them, but he had no patience for most of them.
Bob brought him a cup of tea tremblingly. The clown didn't care about this little thing. He took the cup, took a sip and returned it to him. He picked up the tuxedo jacket and cane beside him, stood up and prepared to leave, but when he turned around, he suddenly realized something.
He looked at the little mouse's hiding place behind the sofa with interest, and then he had a new idea. "Okay, kid, do you want to come out by yourself or do you want me to carry you out? Although the ending is the same, it may affect your fortune today."
"You've seen a lot of death and are too familiar with it. So, do you want to participate in my game today and be my surprise guest?" His face was filled with a ferocious and exaggerated smile, and his tone was full of coaxing. As he spoke, he couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth curve wider and wider. He was looking forward to that scene.
He waited patiently, knowing full well that she would come out on her own.
There was a rustling sound coming from behind the sofa. I couldn't understand how she squeezed herself into such a narrow gap. The key was that she could come out by herself after squeezing in, but after several squeezes, she came out in a messy and frizzy state.
The clown bent down and raised his hand to brush away the messy curly hair in front of her forehead. The skin under his hand was certainly not as pale as his. The cheeks of the child who was no longer on a hunger strike were no longer sunken, and there was more blood on her face. However, her figure was still short and thin. She was wearing pure cotton pajamas and her feet were bare on the floor - this was not Bob's fault, it was her own bad habit that she had not changed despite repeated warnings.
She lowered her eyes and remained like a piece of wood, without any extra emotions or feelings. Like a clockwork doll, she had to wind up the spring and give orders before she could act. But being obedient was an advantage for the Joker, which made him more patient.
He patted the child's head in satisfaction and said, "Follow me."
Regardless of whether it was appropriate for her to walk outside in this outfit at this time of year, he was the first to go out. The weather in November was already cold, especially at night. It was okay because the air conditioner was on in the small building, but when he walked to the wide-open door, the cold wind rushed in and hit the child violently.
The biting cold wind blew her messy hair and the corners of her pajamas backwards. Her balance was poor and her center of gravity was shaking, making her whole body seem to be blown by the wind, but she still followed the clown. After he got into an ordinary-looking black car, she stopped outside the car.
After hesitating for a long time, he raised his empty and lifeless eyes and stared at the clown.
She needed further instructions, otherwise she would remain stuck outside the car. The Joker was already very familiar with this clockwork wooden puppet, and the men around him did the same. They got out of the driver's seat, opened the door for her, and carried her in.
The vehicle drove towards the Upper East Side, where the Joker had arranged everything, waiting for the main actors he planned to appear.
The clown sat in the back seat with her and threw his cane into her arms without even looking. There was a dull sound, as if it hit a bone in her body, but it didn't matter. They didn't care about it. He looked out the window and felt very happy.
Bob stayed in the small building. If he wasn't called, it meant that he was not needed. Besides, Bob himself knew that... he had no other value except taking care of the little girl raised by the clown. It would be fine for him to stay here if the clown didn't tell him to, but if he followed and got involved in those terrible things, it would mean that he would be finished.
In the crazy and chaotic city of Gotham, self-knowledge is more important than anything else. Maybe it was unfortunate for Bob to be pointed out by the Joker from the crowd, but life like this is more stable than before. The Joker is also very generous when it comes to money and never deducts anything.
Bob stood at the door, watching the child he was caring for get into the same car as the clown, and could only pray that she would come back after today so that he would not lose his job.
As for the Joker, he just brought a follower with him. Unless he personally stopped the command of 'follow me', she would always carry out this order. Of course, the Joker also tested that if he left her halfway or disappeared to do other things, she would 'freeze' on her own in this case.
Even though the Joker had previously confirmed that her consciousness had slightly recovered, the essence of her pursuit of death was still as bad as before, so she was both interesting and boring, and the Joker only wanted to have fun for himself, so she had to become interesting, and he would make it happen.
When they arrived at their destination, the clown, surrounded by his gang of clowns, headed for his destination, and no one cared about the child who stumbled after him.
She walked at the end of the crowd, wearing extremely thin pajamas and walking barefoot on the ground. It was late November and the temperature was only a few to ten degrees Celsius. She would definitely catch a cold and have a high fever if she dressed like that, but no one dared to say a word.
They walked into an office building that looked abandoned for some time. The lobby on the first floor was full of clutter, and only a few light bulbs were on overhead. Upstairs, the broken light bulbs and broken wires had all been replaced and reconnected, and the building was as brightly lit as many of the surrounding buildings.
It was also a group of people wearing clown masks who were responsible for guarding the hostages who were knocked unconscious and tied up.
The clown immediately occupied the only intact office chair present, spun around in his wheelchair, smiled, and waved his cane, "Game on—"
The scene was a classic two-choice scenario game. The hostages were divided into two groups. The bombs placed next to them were given some "small designs" and modified along with the remote control.
Once you get the remote control, you can only choose to save one of them. The other party will explode into fireworks the moment they make their choice and are abandoned. Of course, it is also possible that they will all be exploded into fireworks. Who can predict how it will happen?
If the signal is blocked, the remote control will be useless, but maybe there is more than one bomb? Mercury rod trigger or pressure sensor structure are very common...
When Bat or his assistant arrives here, whether it is snatching the remote control, blocking the signal, or defusing the bomb on the spot, it is all part of his game and will bring great fun.
But such a game is too simple and simplistic. Usually at this time, the Joker will give another more important or even more deadly option. He is of course well aware of his old rival's thinking, ideas and choices, and will make more arrangements for this.
The game must be enjoyed to the fullest, and the Joker never takes his games lightly.
So, on the other side——
Gotham City's Upper West Side subway system was attacked by an explosion, and the signal was cut off, and all communication was lost.
The nature of this incident was bad enough, as too many people were trapped and lost contact. However, related news was released just as the attack began and before the signal was blocked, which was enough to cause an uproar in the outside world.
The overwhelming public opinion on the Internet and television urged the GCPD to dispatch police forces to the scene, comfort the relatives of the trapped people who came from all over, and deal with media questioning. Also, because it was November and the end of the year, officials did not want any major incidents that would affect their political achievements, so they asked the police to deal with it immediately, suppress public opinion, and not let their reputation and resumes be tarnished.
The Blue Boys are in a state of panic. Their incompetence is almost a common perception among the lower-class people in Gotham. Only people with a slightly better living standard feel that the police can still be relied upon.
But they should be thankful that night is falling and it is time for certain nocturnal creatures to come out.
The bat searchlight lit up, projecting a huge bat mark on the dark clouds above the Gotham Police Department. In fact, Batman, who was guarding Gotham's darkness, set out the moment he received the message, without waiting for the batlight to work.
The situation of the attacked subway was unclear. Even though he received additional information that the Joker had kidnapped a group of people and was waiting for his arrival in the Upper East Side, he could only let Robin go first. Of course, because of his partnership with James Gordon, a team of police officers was also assigned to the scene.
The Upper West Side and the Upper East Side are on a diagonal line, separated by a large park and a wide river, which means that once Batman makes a choice, he cannot pay attention to and respond to the other side in time.
One of the two options is for Batman, and in this building, the Joker is twirling a revolver boredly. It may be loaded with bullets or a funny little flag. In short, this is a secret that no one knows except him.
He wanted to amuse himself, so he asked the child standing in front of him with a cheerful and expectant look, "Good boy, who do you want to choose?"
Those people were unconscious. On one side was a family of three, and on the other side were the old, weak, sick and disabled. He believed that this choice was easy to make.
How about the family of three? They look like a truly heartwarming family, why not let them continue to be happy? How about the four elderly, frail, and disabled people? Their lives are already hard enough, and perhaps they need to pray to God for a little luck today, so that they don't lose their lives in a tragic coma.
…
Batman rode the Batmobile and arrived at the Upper West Side before the police. He entered the subway station alone and saw people wearing clown masks picking up the fallen banknotes. He could tell without a doubt that they were real banknotes. Everyone was busy with this task, and on the big screen that originally displayed the train schedule, a few large words flashed:
Clown Carnival Day.
Below is the event description: 'Wearing a clown mask means participating in this event. You can pick up any dropped unclaimed banknotes. Fighting, violence, bloodshed and death are allowed. The clown is responsible for this.' There is also a countdown in the lower left corner.
He swept his sharp eyes over the crowd and saw that after all the scattered banknotes on the ground were picked up, people wearing clown masks, hiding their faces and identities, looked at each other. They had no idea who each other was, nor did they care about the issue. They could not restrain their greed at all, and soon they started to quarrel and push each other.
One of them said, "I saw you robbed a lot." The other person over there violently stripped the coat of the person next to him. The person screamed, but when the coat was half taken off, a lot of banknotes fell out. He felt scared at first, but then he was filled with another kind of fanaticism.
A few people in the crowd seemed to be passing messages to each other, but when they turned around, the gradually chaotic scene completely obscured their whereabouts.
Police cars were approaching with sirens blaring, while violent incidents continued to occur at the scene.
The atmosphere at the scene was manic. Batman took out an instrument and detected trace amounts of irritating poison gas in the air, but it was not lethal. There were other important things now. He locked up a man and dragged him to a corner to interrogate him about the situation. He learned from him that the subway was forced to stop by the explosion, and those who bought tickets, checked tickets, and waited to get on the train were also driven to the ground floor. Those who did not wear clown masks were shot.
He asked in a deep voice: "Where's the countdown?"
The man suddenly trembled and fell silent. It was not until Batman lifted him up by the collar that he uttered in fear, "Time bomb!"
Just before the police rushed into the subway station, Batman disappeared around the corner.
On the other side, Robin and the police team were also dragged away. There were also people wearing clown masks wandering the streets. They had no dangerous weapons in their hands, but each of them was filled with violent and aggressive desires. In fact, they were not members of the Joker Gang. Just as the Joker had always known about their existence, Batman, Robin and the GCPD all knew -
The members of the clown gang are often a mixed bunch. After someone walked onto the street wearing a funny clown mask, more and more people joined the team. Among them were many clown admirers, and many people who used the mask to vent their anger and malice. They didn't dare to do bad things in front of others, but they had the courage to join this team full of lunatics.
These people are often crazier and bring greater chaos, but the number of such people is no less than that of official members of the Joker Gang. They are different from those fixed faces. Today they change clothes and put on masks to blend in, and then turn around and put on their daily clothes again. No one knows who they are.
Therefore, they are more difficult to deal with, and undoubtedly hinder Robin and the police from rescuing the hostages kidnapped by the Joker.
In the abandoned office building, before the child could answer, the clown's smile did not fade. He reached out and stroked her head, "Why are you so stingy? Please answer me, otherwise it will seem like I'm performing a one-man show." He pretended to be pitiful. To be honest, with such a pale face, any expression he made would be exaggerated, which would only make him look more hideous and terrifying.
The night was dark, and a cold wind blew in from the broken French window. Her pajamas seemed thin, and she was shivering all over. But she raised her dry, dead, and lifeless eyes and met the clown's crazy and malicious gaze.
She has closed her self-awareness and finds it difficult to understand the outside world, but in the sight of the clown she slowly realizes something and begins to understand.
Responding is painful and difficult. If you don't respond or if you can't perceive it, you won't be hurt.
But she raised her hand and pointed at herself, a tiny smile on her cheek, and a longing for death emerged in her eyes, which were like dry depressions.
She wanted to die.
The author has something to say:
Major overhaul, word count increased from 3500 to 4900 (nods), finally feeling comfortable.
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