Chapter 5 Chapter 5
Upper West Side, subway station.
Dozens of police officers arrived and controlled the crowd that was in chaos due to the influence of the gas, while Batman had already found the location of the time bomb. On the communication channel, Penny was telling him the route and roadblocks.
Through the surveillance video retrieved by Penny, they saw that the subway that was originally moving was forced to stop by the explosion, and the crowd on the train was in turmoil and panic. Then some passengers took out clown masks and guns from their suitcases. They drove all the other passengers, including the driver and the attendants, out of the subway and walked into the subway tunnel.
Before leaving, a member of the Joker Gang walked past the surveillance camera with a bomb and then shot it down.
Batman was sure that he had seen his face in the photos taken when he entered the station and in the carriage. It was indeed a member of the Joker's gang, and not an insignificant little character, but a smart, obedient subordinate who worked for the Joker.
The subway incident and the kidnapping case were both arranged by the Joker. The situation on his side is complicated. If the Joker is not here, the other side will face a worse situation, and he already has a premonition.
He sprinted through the concrete tunnel, raising his hand to shoot out a grappling hook, which made him move quickly. At the same time, he connected to Robin's channel, "Robin, tell me about your situation."
On the streets of the Upper East Side, the almost adult Robin was agile and swift. As soon as he ran into the group of people wearing clown masks, he had an idea. He carried a lot of props with him, and the grappling gun was the one he used most often. As for aerial acrobatics, he had mastered it since he was a child. The rope took him to secretly shuttle between the buildings on both sides of the road where the group passed, and the night also concealed his figure.
Self-centered
From his high position, he could clearly see the real members of the Joker Gang in the crowd, and the most important one was -
They carried guns and had a different temperament from those who had sneaked in to create chaos and vent their malice. They stood in key positions in the team, deliberately driving the crowd to wander on the streets, completely allowing those guys who took advantage of the situation to break down the doors of shops and rob, smash vending machines and newsstands, or even set fire to the streets.
They brought chaos and wreaked havoc. Robin dropped several eavesdropping devices from high in the sky and heard too many malicious and obscene words. There were people who were obviously not members of the Joker Gang mingling together, discussing where to go and who to give "a hard time". What drove them to do this was nothing more than negative emotions such as jealousy, resentment, and dissatisfaction, but there was no life-and-death hatred at all.
Robin saw those people leaving the team and communicated the news with James Gordon on the communication channel. The police officers sent to work with him were already prepared. Since those people did not have dangerous weapons, two police officers with tranquilizer guns were assigned to go over.
Robin didn't act rashly. Pennywise also provided him with assistance. He recorded the routes of the Joker gang members in mid-air, and combined with the surveillance footage found in the Batcave, he roughly confirmed that they were moving around a certain point.
It is obvious that they are walking around the streets so brazenly just to attract the attention of the police and vigilantes, and to divert their attention so that they cannot rush to rescue the hostages kidnapped by the clown in time.
This is a very simple conspiracy, but it is also very effective. They cannot be allowed to destroy the city.
The team wearing clown masks had about sixty or seventy people, but the police and vigilantes had very limited manpower. After all, they faced greater pressure from the attack on the Upper West Side subway. But Robin was not afraid at all and dropped directly from the sky. The reason why he took action at this time was, of course, because Pennywise had already verified the location of the clown.
His movements were swift, but even faster was the Robin Dart that flew out of his hand. When facing ordinary people in a dense crowd, his Robin Dart was equipped with chemical substances that would release anesthetic gas once it touched the target.
This method was used to first eliminate the real Joker Gang members in the team, but due to the crowds, several Robin Darts deviated from the target and the Robins landed almost at the same time.
But they reacted quickly and raised their guns quickly. They did not show any recognition to the people around them who were also wearing clown masks and just opened fire. This is almost a bad habit of the Joker Gang. When they can't figure out where the enemy is, they start to attack indiscriminately. But they are still afraid of being attacked, so they subconsciously avoid the gang members who are also armed with guns.
This just gave Robin an opportunity. He knocked out several people, found a gap and slipped into the center of their position, throwing Robin Darts at the panicked people wearing clown masks who were scattered farther away. As for the members of the Joker Gang, he smiled with ease and swung the rope directly to hook their arms.
He dealt with the team from the center to the outside, and at several street intersections, police cars were parked quietly, and the police officers were almost waiting for them. As long as anyone fled, they would shoot and tranquilize them.
Even though the enemy was several times the number of police officers and vigilantes combined, when the scene was in chaos, without the Joker Gang members to give them the "confidence" and courage, they were running around like headless flies, but had nowhere to escape. There were police officers standing guard everywhere, and soon people fell to the ground in large numbers.
A tall and thin policeman stepped on the clown mask and crushed it with the sole of his shoe, saying in disgust, "What bastards." But he didn't notice that someone was hiding behind the corner of the street, rushing towards him with a wooden stick. When he saw it, he only had time to raise his hands to block it.
A gun was extended from the car window, knocking the man to the ground. The wooden stick hit the instep of the tall and thin police officer, causing him to gasp. The police officer in the car then leaned over and said, "Who said it wasn't? But if I weren't there, you'd be in danger."
"Ha, got knocked down by a bastard." They laughed and cursed.
The threat to this team was lifted, but the police had to stay at the scene to avoid any accidents. Only Robin went to find the Joker. He stepped into the shadows again, but at this time he received a call from Batman.
Opposite: "Robin, tell me about your situation."
Robin moved his neck, not quite satisfied with his questioning tone, but still reported seriously: "I've taken out a team of Joker Gang members and garbage men. Pennywise has found the Joker's location."
Batman: "You haven't left yet? Stay..." and wait for me to come over.
Robin scoffed and interrupted him, "Don't worry, B, the situation is urgent. We don't know the current condition of the hostages yet. I have to go there quickly." He closed the communication with Batman.
He flew between the tall buildings. Penny wanted to say something on the channel, but Robin whispered, "I know what he wants to say. Maybe I shouldn't say it, but..." He rarely laughed, or rather, he rarely laughed since that incident, except when facing some really funny enemies.
"I can't accept that ending, you know, Alfred. Am I angry? Or am I dissatisfied with myself?" How can he accept the fact that Batgirl was so cruelly harmed by the Joker that she could never stand up again?
Barbara is clearly Batman's assistant and that's why the Joker doesn't get punished at all? He's just locked up back in Arkham Asylum, and then just like before -
Just like before, he escaped from Arkham and continued to commit unforgivable crimes, but his destination was never the law or death. Only Barbara, the smart and proud Batgirl, was paralyzed and paid the price for her crime-fighting career, and her father James Gordon suffered psychological trauma. This is not fair at all.
But he was powerless to do anything about it, because he knew clearly what Batman's bottom line was, what was the barrier between the vigilante identity and official law enforcement officers and the law, and he knew Barbara's choice. She would hate herself for not being able to stand up again, but she would never regret what she had done. She also saw that no matter how painful Gordon was, he still insisted on justice.
Pennywise on the other side seemed to sigh.
Robin landed on a platform outside a building and promised, "I'll be careful, but I'll get everything done before Batman gets here—and I'll give that scumbag a few good punches."
Pence said: "I wish you all the best."
…
In the abandoned office building, the clown looked around.
The child in front of her had a pair of pure green eyes, empty inside, but because of her longing for death, she 'saw' the clown. He was also broken in it, but was directly linked to death, as if with his consent, she would get what she wanted.
——This is what she understood.
In his opinion, it was ridiculous and full of fallacies. In fact, her choice was not unexpected to the clown, but he had never expected such a simple mind.
The clown narrowed his eyes slightly. Anyway, this result was enough to satisfy him and surprise him enough. He grinned even wider and stroked her cheek through his leather gloves.
She looked so pitiful, so thinly dressed that she must have been freezing. Her short black curly hair had long been blown into a mess, and there was a slight fever on her forehead, but she only cared about death, and she only saw him.
She thought she would be granted the answer, and that tiny smile was filled with all the beautiful hopes that could perhaps be called happiness.
Could he bring her happiness and what she wanted?
Of course, the clown couldn't do that. He raised his revolver, pointed the muzzle at the child's forehead, and watched her soul, attracted by death, rise. But when he pulled the trigger—
Only a flag with a clown's expression on it bounced out and hit her hard on the forehead, shattering everything she had in that instant and making her soul return to silence. She lost her balance and fell to the ground, still dazed, with tears flowing from her eyes due to the pain.
But the Joker didn't just do that. He pulled the trigger a second time at the unconscious hostage tied to the ground. This time, a bullet hit one of them in the thigh, and blood flowed out.
The child who did not die as she wished trembled when she saw the blood flowing out. The pain came back and her remaining consciousness became even more confused.
Her reaction amused the clown. He poked her red forehead with his cane and said in an exaggerated tone: "Oh! Child, I am not your Santa Claus. If you make a wish to me, I will only bring you..."
"Everything you don't want."
He sat crookedly in the chair, but he controlled everything about her. This was the truth, and it was what he wanted to instill in her. No matter life or death, no matter what, it was something only the Joker could give her.
The author has something to say:
A lot of changes were made in the previous chapter, and Robin is now the eldest son.
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