Night. A thunderstorm raged over Gotham.
Alan rode his electric bicycle back to Arkham Asylum. The guard, now familiar with his comings and goings, opened the gate without making things difficult.
"Thanks for your hard work," Alan said, fishing out an unopened pack of cigarettes and handing it to the security guard. "Take it, smoke it, enjoy."
He had to admit, the Gotham City charity organizations were quite humane; they even distributed cigarettes. Adhering to the principle of never turning down free stuff, Alan had pocketed the pack while he was out and about. As for why he was giving them away, first, he didn't smoke. Second, it was just good human relations.
He parked his bike as if he owned the place and headed back to his room, preparing to shower and go to bed, when he saw an acquaintance in the cell next to his.
"Lillian, you're back," Alan greeted Poison Ivy warmly.
Lillian glanced at him unhappily, then turned her head and pulled the quilt over it, ignoring him. After just a few days of freedom, she had been caught again. How could she possibly be in a good mood?
After a while, Lillian lifted the quilt to get some fresh air and was horrified to find Alan's entire face pressed against the glass of her cell, his features squeezed and distorted, his eyes staring straight at her.
"Alan, what are you doing?"
"You didn't say hello to me." As Alan spoke, the hot air from his mouth condensed into a layer of mist on the glass.
You are sick. she thought. You press your face against the glass and stare at me just because I don't say hello? Do you know how scary that is?
"Fine. I'm back," Lillian responded reluctantly. She was genuinely worried that if she didn't, Alan would stay up all night and stare at her like a ghost.
"Good night."
"Good night."
Boom!
Thunder and lightning tore across the rainy night sky. On a lonely rooftop, a figure stood, laughing in a painful, crazed way. Arthur felt a deep well of pain and sorrow inside, but his laughter disorder made him unable to control the terrifying sound.
He held his scarred head with trembling hands, recalling the scene of Alan burning off his hair. He had threatened, he had cursed, and he had begged, but in the end, he could not escape the clutches of that madman.
"Batman… Batman… my pain will be returned to you a hundredfold, a thousandfold." Arthur clenched his fists in anger, pounding the concrete parapet to vent his resentment. The misfortunes of his life had brought out the darkness in his heart, eventually turning him into the Joker, the clown that all of Gotham feared.
Batman was the criminal's nightmare. And Arthur's transformation into the Joker was Batman's nightmare. But all of this had been ruined by Alan. When the lighter burned off the green hair that symbolized his identity, Arthur's identity as the Joker disappeared with it.
"Do you want revenge?"
At this time, a Talon Commander stood behind him.
Arthur turned around and smiled grimly. "Tell me your conditions."
"Batman's identity is Bruce Wayne."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Talon Commander jumped off the building, not giving Arthur any chance to ask more questions.
"Bruce Wayne?"
Arthur stood there in a daze, recalling the memories hidden deep in his heart. It was the secret his mother had told him before she died: he was the illegitimate son of Mr. Wayne. After learning the truth, he had gone to Wayne Manor to verify it but was met with humiliation and denial from the butler, Alfred.
"Your mother suffers from schizophrenia and was treated in Arkham Asylum. Master Wayne helped with the treatment costs out of the bond between master and servant, so she fantasized about having an illegitimate child. Please recognize yourself and do not have any unreasonable thoughts about the Wayne family."
Alfred's original words were still fresh in young Arthur's mind, a deep wound in his heart. He was like a poor wretch, shamelessly trying to seize the Wayne family's assets. He was willing to stay in Arkham Asylum simply because it felt like staying next to his deceased mother.
"Hahahaha…"
Arthur opened his arms, looked up to the sky, and laughed, letting the cold rain hit his face. At this moment, his smile was one of pure madness and joy.
"Batman… Bruce… hahahaha…"
Hidden in a high-rise building a block away, the Owl Judges watched Arthur's behavior through telescopes.
"Can the Joker complete his intended plan?"
"It doesn't matter. He is just one of many plans. Whether he succeeds or not is insignificant."
"Yes, we need to deploy multiple plans at once to ensure that nothing goes wrong… It's funny, the Joker's biological father was an alcoholic, and he always believed it was Thomas Wayne."
"Anyone who lives a miserable life would rather believe in a beautiful lie."
In the Batcave, Dick drove the construction vehicle back into the underground cavern. Not long after, he returned and brought a piece of good news and bad news. Fortunately, they had discovered a pool of water filled with the Dionysus factor. Unfortunately, what Alan had said about the invasion of the dark multiverse might be true.
Bruce dragged his slightly recovered body to the underground river. The pool of Dionysus factor emitted a green glow, and judging from its color and clarity, it was indeed very pure.
"Father, how could there be a Lazarus Pit here?" Damian looked at the pool in shock. He had seen the Lazarus Pit used for resurrection in the League of Assassins, but he didn't know it was the same substance as the Dionysus Factor.
Bruce was also confused. He always felt that they were two different things. After all, Alan had said that the Dionysus factor was a metal, so it should have looked like mercury or at least had some resemblance to a liquid metal.
"Wait for Alan to come over tomorrow and ask him about the Dionysus factor," Bruce decided. He was reluctant to destroy it, mainly because of its therapeutic and resurrection effects. He couldn't guarantee that something unexpected wouldn't happen to the people around him, and maybe it would come in handy one day. After all, everyone has selfish desires. Bruce was no exception.
Moreover, he wanted to ask Alan whether he had brought back the Blade of Redemption. Using the two together would be equivalent to having an infinite resurrection pool. Therefore, he did not reveal anything about the Blade of Redemption to Damian in order to prevent his rebellious son from provoking the Master of the League.
"Take a sample and analyze it," Bruce ordered. Wayne Enterprises possessed many top technologies, and Bruce thought that he might be able to research a way to eliminate the side effects. If not, he could call on the Justice League to research it together. If that still didn't work, he could call on the Avengers and share the technology. When superheroes save the world and fight crime, casualties are inevitable. To be able to solve the problem of the Dionysus factor would be to earn him a favor that couldn't be repaid.
Thinking of this, Bruce couldn't help but smile knowingly.
"Father, what are you laughing at?" Damian looked at him in confusion. In his mind, Bruce was always a serious and steady man.
Bruce stroked the top of his head. "Children shouldn't ask about adult matters."
Damian was a little overwhelmed by the unintentional action. He felt an indescribable sense of comfort in his heart. He thought stubbornly, Is this fatherly love? I don't want it.
***********
✨ 300 gems = 1 bonus chapter
✨ 500 gems = another bonus chapter
Get access to advanced chapters at my P@treon.
[email protected]/meowthtl