Chapter 606: I, Joker (V)
Chapter 606: I, Joker (V)
For The_Bruce, tonight’s ritual wasn’t a “game” at all—it was pure execution.
Every year, he and his Army secretly arrested several individuals who opposed Batman or showed disloyalty to “Faith.” With the technology of Doctor Klepper, these captives were transformed into super criminals. Then, on the night of December 21st, they were released to participate in this so-called chase game.
On the surface, everyone had a chance to win. The “Villains” could earn freedom by killing The_Bruce, while civilians could challenge the Gotham King and claim the throne by slaying any Villain.
But in reality, everything was under The_Bruce’s control. The Villains’ transportation was rigged, their brains scrambled by chips, their operations monitored, and the weapons issued to them contained only a single bullet.
In past years, not a single Villain had ever escaped their vehicle. Without tools or external help, they couldn’t unbuckle their safety belts. All they could do was drive wildly through the city in a confused state, dying in crashes or hunted down by The_Bruce.
Only in rare cases were Villains killed by armed civilians. When this happened, The_Bruce would honor his promise and face the challenger directly. Yet the outcome was obvious—the civilians in this universe were mere commoners, while The_Bruce’s body was a war machine honed over years. Victory? Self-evident.
To put it bluntly, the annual “ritual” was nothing more than a blood sacrifice steeped in religious overtones.
To let the populace, tormented by tyranny and poverty, release their frustrations and strengthen their faith; to make them feel Batman’s power and mercy; to remind them how horrifying life would be without Batman—the ritual would continue indefinitely.
“Gordon, I’ll rest for fifteen minutes after eliminating Two-Face. Have the ‘Robins’ locate Harley and Poison Ivy’s coordinates for the next slaughter,” The_Bruce planned his next operation as he piloted his aircraft toward Xiao Tan.
“Ah… about that,” Gordon’s hesitant voice crackled through the radio. “Two minutes ago, Poison Ivy’s tracking signal was also lost… Now both Joker and her are off-grid.” He paused. “And… that Harley… she somehow got ahold of a cold weapon, destroyed all the mobile cameras approaching her, and even hacked two of our hovercrafts to pieces… I’ve ordered all units to keep their distance for now.”
“What did you say?” Bruce could hardly believe his ears (in this independent parallel universe, there was no Justice League setting). “Have you gone mad? Is she an alien?” He snapped angrily, “Forget it… I’ll deal with this after handling Two-Face.” With that, Bruce cut the communication, as his Batman aircraft neared Two-Face’s out-of-control vehicle.
“Do you have faith?” Bruce activated the aircraft’s broadcast function, hovering midair to shout at the civilians below.
“We do!” “Praise Batman!” “Loyalty to Batman!” “Long live the Batman God!” The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers.
“Good… then I shall grant you… Two-Face!” Bruce declared, accelerating toward the spinning disc-shaped vehicle in the sky.
At this moment, Xiao Tan remained strapped to the flying disc. Despite its violent rotations, he didn’t fall. The endless, uncontrollable flips left him dizzy and nauseous—vomiting would’ve been a relief. Facing the charging aircraft, he was already cornered.
“Hmph… child’s play.” Two seconds before impact, Bruce’s lips curled into a smug smirk.
But then—
Boom—a deafening explosion.
A crimson figure descended from the heavens like a red missile, slamming straight into the nose of the Batman aircraft.
“What the hell…?” The_Bruce’s face, for once, showed shock. Through the cockpit glass, he saw the impossible—Joker.
Days ago, this “Joker” had been lying in the Batmancastle laboratory, trembling in fear during his transformation surgery. Now, he stood majestically atop the cockpit, his face twisted in a maniacal grin.
Bruce’s surprise didn’t last long. A ruler of Gotham for decades, he was no ordinary man. Within two seconds, he regained composure, gripped the control stick, stabilized the tilting aircraft, and activated the weapon system.
Screech—screech—two machine guns extended from the wings, locking onto the target inches away.
“Guess I’ll deal with you first…” The_Bruce, calm and ruthless, showed no fear at this inexplicable anomaly. “Hmph… those rabble below are getting impatient anyway.”
He expected the machine guns to eliminate this “Joker” instantly, but—
As Bruce’s finger neared the trigger, Feng Bu Jue suddenly punched through the cockpit canopy, thrusting his upper body into the pilot’s seat.
“Cough—” The next second, a powerful hand clamped around Bruce’s throat, cutting off his scream to a single choked syllable.
“Hey, Batman.” Feng Bu Jue grinned like a madman—eerily accurate in every way. “The game’s just starting. Why rush?” He yanked hard, pulling The_Bruce out of the cockpit.
“You… are… what…” Bruce clawed at Feng Bu Jue’s wrist, easing the crushing pressure just enough to gasp out the words.
“Hehehe… Who knows?” Feng Bu Jue chuckled, then raised his hand and hurled Gotham’s King from the aircraft.
Silence fell over the ground. The crowd stared skyward, watching Gotham King plummet from the heavens.
From the sky came a berserk laugh…
(End of Chapter)
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