Chapter 1015: Joker's Stroke of Bad Luck (Part 1)

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Watching as the police carried away the unconscious Jonathan, Batman turned back, staring at the water stains on the table. Under the dim light, they exuded a dreamy and captivating hue.

After leaving the alleyway on Green Street, Batman intended to head to the nearby high-rise building to call for his aircraft. However, as he turned the corner from Green Street, he noticed the bright headlights of a truck casting a distinct arc on the wall.

The headlights approached closer and closer to Batman until they illuminated his face. A massive truck came towards him, but Batman squinted, making no attempt to evade until the vehicle stopped just less than a meter in front of him.

Raising his head, Batman saw a pallid face—Joker's wide grin. Joker leaned out of the window, resting his head on his elbow at the window's bottom. He looked at Batman and said, "Look at our big Hero, nabbing another evil Criminals today!"

"In the chaos and madness of Gotham, I should feel very happy, but lately, I've been sad. It's all because of you, Batman! Without you in Gotham, I don't even have anyone to chat with!"

Joker lit a cigarette, placed it in his mouth, but didn't puff. He let the smoke drift out of the window. Batman glanced up at the looming truck.

This colossal truck resembled a terrifying beast. In the past, Batman would never allow such a madman to drive a truck so close to him.

Because Batman didn't know if Joker would step on the gas. If he did, Batman would have nowhere to hide. Before this, he had never entrusted his life to a madman's whims.

Previously, he always thought these lunatics were chaotic and insane, completely incomprehensible. But now, Batman felt they were no different from one mathematics problem after another. Though each problem was different, the core theories and formulas were entirely consistent.

So Batman spoke up, "Can you give me a ride?"

Joker flicked the cigarette ash with his finger, glanced into the car, and Batman walked to the other side of the car, opened the door, and got in. Joker skillfully held the cigarette in his mouth, gripping the steering wheel with both hands like a seasoned taxi driver, and asked, "Where to?"

"Rodriguez Manor," Batman replied.

As the truck started, it emitted a rumbling sound. The engine's vibrations, reminiscent of industrial power, felt like a fast-paced symphony.

Batman heard a clinking noise from the rear compartment. He turned his head and said to Joker, "Professor Victor told me that you and other truck drivers help transport the frozen mad citizens, dealing with the big trouble in Gotham."

"For you, what counts as a big trouble?" Joker said as he drove. "If Batman were here, there would surely be more efficient methods, rather than us poor citizens resorting to the dumbest ones."

"I didn't mean to abandon Gotham."

As Batman finished speaking, Joker's grip tightened. He lowered his head, letting his disheveled hair cover his eyes. Then he rubbed the corners of his mouth with his palm, smudging the lipstick he had applied, making his smile look even more rotten.

"...Unexpected things happened. I had to deal with some trouble in another world. So, I had to leave it to Gordon Victor and the gang. I heard you've been working well with the gang?" Batman turned his head to Joker.

Joker paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Yeah, Batman, of course, I'll do well. Because if we don't, and you see a chaotic, dirty, and broken garden, you'll whip us, ohhh..."

"In your eyes, is Wayne Enterprises such an image?" Batman seemed somewhat relaxed. He leaned back against the seat and said, "Although I haven't participated in Gotham's rescue, this journey has indeed taught me some reasons."

Batman felt like a returning traveler, wanting to share the beautiful moments of his journey with his friend. But Joker's hand tightened, and he seemed nervous instead.

"Someone told me that Wayne Enterprises is wrong, not in our business strategies or development plans, but in our existence."

"As long as capitalists like me exist, people like you, ordinary folks, will never have a happy life. Do you think this theory is correct?" Batman asked Joker.

"This needs to be looked at as two separate questions." Suddenly, Joker's tone became solemn, like a philosopher contemplating while speaking. He said, "If you don't exist, would Gotham become better? If capitalists don't exist, would the world become better?"

"Isn't this a problem?" Joker shook his head vigorously. When the green mop on his head swayed, it looked somewhat comical. He said, "I guess you're now filled with noble enlightenment, thinking that by burning yourself, you can save me, thinking that by sacrificing Wayne Enterprises, you can save Gotham..."

"But you're not a capitalist. There will always be someone. Batman, the reason I've always wanted to tell you is, don't think about saving those less noble than you, and don't even think about sacrificing yourself for them because it's simply not worth it..."

"You must love yourself, of course you must. You're the most perfect genius in this world, far from me and other ordinary people." Joker's tone became much calmer. The truck kept moving forward, but the muscles in his arms when he turned hinted that his mood was not as calm as he pretended.

"Without capitalists, without oppression and exploitation, everyone would be equal... But do you think they would be satisfied?" Joker shook his head gently. "If I and other truck drivers lived ten times better than now, no, not just ten times, maybe a hundred times, a thousand times, then each of us would have mansions, yachts. We would all be Bruce Wayne."

"But nobody would be satisfied." Joker made another turn with the truck. "If we all had a hundred houses, then someone would want a hundred and one."

"If it's for living, one house is enough. And the extra house is just to be superior to others."

"Batman, you have to understand, humans are so ugly. They spend their lives resorting to all kinds of despicable means just to trample on their own kind, to satisfy their greedy desires and vanity."

"Even if you give away all your wealth, ensuring everyone in the world can eat and dress warmly, they won't appreciate you. They'll only wonder why you didn't choose them, why you didn't make them the most special, superior to everyone else."

"And if, indeed, you choose a leader, or simply give someone a higher status than others, they still won't appreciate you. They'll only think they deserve it because of their own wisdom, courage, and other virtues."

"They might even look down on you for it, or be dissatisfied that you're trying to replace them. They might even think you're foolish, believing that if they were in your position, they wouldn't care about anyone else's well-being."

"Wake up, Batman. No one in this world can understand you. Those you've saved aren't your subjects. What you've sacrificed doesn't buy you anything."

Joker turned his head to look at Batman. Under the glare of the headlights, their faces were equally pallid, giving them a semblance of similarity. Joker spoke softly, "They're simply not worth your sacrifice."

"And what about you?" Batman asked.

Joker paused, repeating, "...What did you say?"

"I said, what about you? Do you think you're worth my sacrifice?" Batman met Joker's eyes, and in that moment of eye contact, Joker turned his head away first.

"If I were to give up all my wealth to ensure you live the life you truly want, not the life you have as a criminal now but the one you once hoped for, the one you once saw hope in..."

"Jack, if I did that, would you choose not to be a criminal?"

Screech! The harsh sound of brakes pierced the air. Joker slammed onto the steering wheel, and when he straightened up, blood streamed down his forehead, staining half his face red. With an earnestness akin to a child's, he looked at Batman and said:

"Batman, you're insane!"

"I'm not," Batman shook his head. "Before coming here, I took the prescribed medication. My mind is clear now, allowing me to propose such a hypothesis."

Batman repeated, "If I were willing to give up everything to save you, to let you go back to the moment of your greatest hope, to make a different choice, would you still choose this path?"

Joker gripped the steering wheel, looking at the road outside through the windshield.

It was raining in Gotham again. Rainwater splashed on the ground, creating a mist under the glare of the headlights, resembling cigarette smoke rising from the ground.

"I know I've made many mistakes in the past, and the biggest one was that I wasn't firm enough."

"If I truly wanted to fight criminals, I shouldn't have held back any power. Whether it's Batman or Wayne Enterprises, as long as I wished, when the massive capitalist machine starts, all evil will be wiped out by me, even if it means becoming an evil dictator."

"And if I wanted to save the people, I shouldn't have divided them into criminals and ordinary folks because of my personal vendetta. If I want to save, then I must save everyone, including those I hate the most, criminals like you, Jack, regardless of whether they deserve to be saved or whether they want to be saved."

Suddenly, Joker's body trembled. His chest heaved violently, and he covered his face with both hands, slowly sliding down until even the red blood vessels inside his eyelids were visible.

"What do you think I chose?" Batman looked at him and asked.

Suddenly, Joker flashed a smile. But to Batman, this smile seemed less manic than before, carrying some pleading and humility.

Joker bent down and took out a flashlight from the toolbox next to the driver's seat. With that humble smile, he looked at Batman and said:

"Batman, do you want to hear a joke?"

Without waiting for Batman's response, Joker pushed open the driver's door and ran into the rain in Gotham. He went to the truck, opened the flashlight, and the beam shot up into the sky.

Struggling to wipe the rain from his eyes, Joker stumbled through his words, "You see, there's a pillar here. As long as I climb up along this pillar, I can pass through the rain clouds and never get wet again."

"But I can't climb. Do you know why I can't climb?"

Batman silently watched him. Joker brought the flashlight in front of him, blocking his eyes with the beam of light. He put his hand on the switch, looking into Batman's eyes.

Joker sniffed hard, shrugged, his eyes curved into an arc, his figure somewhat hunched. Batman saw in him those old men he had encountered before, with a familiar servility, like every little person living in the lower depths of Gotham.

But suddenly, his facial expression turned fierce. The muscles around his nose flared up, his features twisted, his lips peeled back, baring his teeth. He gritted his teeth and said:

"I will never allow a perfect genius to burn himself, to become a ladder, to send those ugly idiots to heaven!"

"Batman... they don't deserve it!"

Joker turned off the flashlight and slammed it hard on the ground. As the parts scattered, he looked at Batman, speaking slowly and deliberately:

"If one day, you really want to save all these idiots here, then leave Gotham's rainy night to me, bid farewell to your dear friends and respected foes forever. I will never join those ugly, dirty, and foolish ordinary people!"

"What if I choose you?" Batman asked.

Joker stood there, incredulous, repeating once again, "...What did you say?"

"You don't want to be saved alongside those ugly, dirty, and foolish ordinary people you speak of. But what if, between the two of you, I chose you?"

"You wouldn't... You couldn't! Of course not... You couldn't possibly..." Joker yelled, "I'm a criminal! I've tried to kill you multiple times! I could blow up half of Gotham right now!"

Just as Batman was about to speak, Joker erupted in fury, "Stop making assumptions, Batman!! I know you've learned a lot of persuasive techniques from your psychology professor!! Just to anger me!! You couldn't possibly do that!!!"

"How could you possibly choose criminals over the Gotham citizens you've always wanted to save, over the evil criminals who are your sworn enemies?! There's no logic to support your choice!!"

Batman sat in the truck seat, looking down at Joker. Though his actual position was indeed higher than Joker's, there was no doubt that he still held the upper hand in terms of dominance.

For the first time, he looked Joker straight in the eyes and said calmly:

"So, why do you think I left Gotham?"

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 1016: Joker's Big Misfortune (Part 1)