Free Web NovelChapter 626: Extra 2 The Dawn of Gotham City and the New Activities of the Super Criminals
The atmosphere in Gotham City had fallen into a strange state; the ominous cloud that Joker represented, which had always loomed over the heads of its citizens, had unnoticeably dissipated, and people had almost forgotten when they last saw the Joker.
"I’m certain that guy is hiding somewhere, concocting some plot with his chemically infused brain," Batman said from his chair, while Alfred stitched his wounds.
"Master Wayne, but the Joker hasn’t been seen for nearly three years, and everyone thinks that laughing madman is already dead," Alfred replied with a gentle smile, his stitching skilled. Yet, seeing so many scars on the body of the Wayne he had looked after, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache.
Gotham City will always be Gotham City, a place rife with sin. Even though the Joker, the very fiend who caused Batman the greatest headaches and snatched Rachel’s life, hadn’t appeared in three years, it didn’t mean Gotham no longer needed the Dark Knight.
Super-villains like the Penguin, Scarecrow, and Riddler were still active in the city, and even if they were locked up in Arkham Asylum, these troublesome characters would from time to time pop up and once again plunge Gotham into chaos.
"No, I know that guy, he’s a madman with nothing but twisted thoughts," Batman shook his head, then flexed his hand. That afternoon, he had encountered a new super-villain, a monster living in the sewers with sharp teeth that had bitten through his armor.
However, Batman didn’t find such brute criminals to be much of a challenge; in fact, compared to those with high intelligence, Batman preferred to deal with these more physically imposing foes.
Batman knew his old adversary all too well. Even if the Joker was confined to the asylum, escaping was merely a matter of whether he wanted to or not. Most of the time, the Joker liked to sit and devise his schemes from within, and once they were ripe, he’d break out and cause trouble.
"I’m sure that guy is hiding in this city," Batman said with conviction, nodding.
...
"So, Mr. Joker, are you saying you called us here just to stand around?" Penguin, Cobblepot, stood holding his umbrella, his face a mix of confusion and irritation, in the lavishly decorated room. And though it was opulently furnished, Penguin still found the situation somewhat inexplicable.
"Oh, why the rush?" Joker, reclining on the sofa, displayed a maniacal grin; by his side sat Harley Quinn, the woman who had treated but also fell for Joker, becoming as insane as he was.
"Yeah, you stinkin’ Penguin, puddin’s got something in mind for sure," Harley Quinn, wrapping her arms around Joker’s neck, laughed hysterically. The room was occupied by some of Gotham’s most notorious super-villains, all acquaintances from Arkham Asylum.
The Joker seemed to have his own standards for invitations; he seldom paid any attention to those super-villains who had never been to Arkham Asylum. This time, he organized an event called "Witnessing the Beauty of the World and Creating Miracles While Doing Away With That Bat-Imitating Nutcase Meetup," inviting only those who had been in Arkham Asylum.
If Batman were to burst in at this moment, facing so many super-villains, he’d probably withdraw instantly, then go back to figure out a way to handle so many of them at once.
"What is it exactly?" Scarecrow asked curtly, impatience in his voice. If it weren’t for the Joker’s insane reputation, he wouldn’t have waited here for half a day.
Before Harley Quinn could speak, Joker stood up, and as he did, each super-villain reached for their weapon, watching the Joker warily.
"Oh, it’s time, my friends, welcome to follow me to a wonderful world, to meet some of my good buddies~ and a kind boss," Joker laughed, spreading his arms wide in an embrace. The very next second, a wooden door appeared right in front of him. The door materialized so suddenly that it left the gathered villains with looks of disbelief on their faces.
These villains were all talented individuals, university professors, inventors, or geniuses in various fields, but even so, none of them could figure out how the wooden door had appeared, considering they had just checked the area thoroughly.
Joker laughed heartily as he pulled the door open and then, with his arm around Harley Quinn’s waist, stepped through. The other supervillains hesitated for a moment, but eventually followed him, confident in their ability to protect themselves.
"Mr. Joker, you’re here for dinner today as well," just as they walked in, the villains saw a man dressed as a chef greeting Joker with a hearty smile. Joker, too, was exchanging pleasantries with Chen Ze in a very polite manner, which left the group of villains somewhat incredulous; it was their first time seeing Joker acting so... so normal.
It was so normal that it almost made one want to vomit.
"Oh? Are these the supervillains from Batman’s world?" a frivolous voice asked. The villains turned their heads, only to see a man with a small mustache looking at them with curiosity.
"Oh~ My Tony, long time no see," Joker said with a smile, walking over and giving Tony a hug. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"Who’s that guy?" Scarecrow asked in surprise. If Joker had come over to hug him like that, he would have definitely reached for his fear gas as a precaution, although it wouldn’t have been of much use.
"Joker, I won’t let you get away in this game of Werewolf, hmm.. Let me introduce myself to all the newbies here, I am Iron Man!" Tony first glared at Joker, then looked arrogantly at the group of supervillains in front of him.
Shaking his head with resignation, Chen Ze thought, Tony is always Tony, his ability to annoy others was still outstanding, almost managing to anger all the supervillains present with just one sentence.
"Daddy! I want to play too!" It was Chen Ze’s daughter, Chen Fu, who spoke. After watching these high-IQ characters play Werewolf, the little girl had grown fond of this mind games-filled game.
"Oh~ If little Chenfu wants to join, then I am most certainly welcoming," Joker said, squatting down with a smile on his face. Some crazy thoughts flashed through his mind, but thinking of the little girl’s eerily extreme capabilities and the mother standing behind her, Joker quickly discarded the ideas.
He did not want to be blacklisted by Chen Ze.
"How interesting, a weekly event," Holmes, Conan, and a number of other detectives also walked in. However, Joker was somewhat surprised when he saw another familiar face standing across from him.
It was a Batman who wore the mask but had the smile of Joker.
"Interesting~ so interesting, too interesting, ahahahaha!" Joker erupted into maniacal laughter.
