On the streets of Gotham, a group of thugs wearing clown masks was wreaking havoc. They carried all kinds of weapons—some held steel baseball bats, while others carried pistols and rifles.
At the center of the chaos stood their leader.
A man with green hair and unnaturally pale skin.
The Joker.
"Hahaha! We're rich! We're rich!"
One thug waved his baseball bat wildly, smashing the glass of a jewelry store before greedily grabbing the gold and silver jewelry inside.
"Da-da-da!!"
Other thugs raised their rifles and pistols, firing wildly into the sky.
Their madness felt like a declaration that Gotham City now belonged to them.
Terrified pedestrians ran in every direction, desperate to escape before these criminals took their lives.
But strangely, the Joker himself looked somewhat dissatisfied.
He always felt that something was missing.
"Ahhh…"
The Joker scratched his head in frustration, unable to figure out why. His irritation grew stronger and stronger until he suddenly snatched a rifle from a nearby thug.
"Da-da-da!!"
The dark muzzle pointed directly at the fleeing civilians as he emptied the magazine into the crowd.
Several unlucky pedestrians, unable to run fast enough, were mercilessly cut down by the Joker's bullets.
"Woohoo!!"
The surrounding thugs cheered excitedly at the sight of their idol shooting civilians.
To them, the Joker's absolute freedom was something to worship.
As for the law?
It was nothing but garbage.
Soon, the rifle's magazine was empty. The overheated barrel released thin trails of smoke.
"Swish!"
Suddenly, three Batarangs flew down from above.
The moment they hit the ground, thick white smoke exploded outward, instantly filling the area and blocking everyone's vision.
The Joker burst into laughter.
"Kahahaha! He's finally here."
At last, he understood what had been missing.
His most important opponent in this game.
Batman.
Through the smoke, two figures dropped down from above—one black and one red.
Their fists struck rapidly, knocking the clown thugs to the ground one after another.
Batman and Robin.
With their superior combat skills and the advantage of surprise, the two quickly overwhelmed the mob.
Batman glanced at the lifeless bodies of civilians on the ground.
His eyes filled with fury.
He rushed forward, grabbed the Joker by the collar, and lifted him into the air.
"You bastard!!"
"Kahahaha! The game isn't over yet, Bats."
"Watch out, Batman!!"
Suddenly, Robin shouted in alarm.
Batman quickly turned his head and saw a massive shadow rushing toward him.
He had no choice but to release the Joker and block the attack.
"Boom!"
The impact forced him back several meters.
"Hmm…"
Batman glanced at his aching arm before raising his eyes toward his opponent.
A familiar figure stood before him.
Bane.
A dangerous light flashed in Bane's eyes.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time, Batman."
Batman's expression turned serious.
Bane was one of his most dangerous enemies.
Although Batman knew Bane's weakness—the venom tubes on his back—it would still take time to exploit it.
Meanwhile, the Joker was already preparing to escape.
If he got away again, countless people would suffer.
Robin—Jason—noticed the Joker slipping away.
Seeing Batman occupied by Bane, Jason felt that this was his chance to prove himself.
"I'll go after him!"
"Wait! Robin! Come back!"
Batman tried to stop him.
He knew Jason was still too impulsive.
Facing the Joker alone would be extremely dangerous.
But Bane wasn't about to let Batman leave so easily.
Jason chased the Joker all the way to a warehouse near the docks.
He looked around carefully, but there was no sign of the Joker anywhere.
"Tch… did he run away?"
Jason clenched his teeth in frustration.
This had been the perfect opportunity to catch the Joker.
But just as he turned to leave—
"Bang!"
The warehouse door suddenly slammed shut.
Jason immediately became alert.
So the Joker was still here.
"Come out!" Jason shouted. "You piece of trash! I'm going to smash your face in!"
"Hmph… hahaha…"
The Joker's insane laughter echoed throughout the warehouse.
Jason could hear him clearly.
But he couldn't see him.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two gunshots rang out.
Bullets pierced through Jason's ankles.
"AHHH!"
Jason cried out in pain.
When he looked up—
A crowbar swung down toward him.
"Thud!"
Unable to dodge, Jason took the full hit.
Blood immediately streamed from his nose.
The Joker slowly approached him, looking down at the fallen Robin with a twisted smile.
"Hmph hahaha… remember this next time, kid."
"Don't chase too far."
With a casual wave of his hand, two large thugs wearing clown masks approached and tied Jason's hands and feet.
"You two can leave."
"I want to play a little game with this child."
"Kahaha… now it's just the two of us."
The Joker casually swung the crowbar in his hand.
"How about a little experiment?"
"Let's see… which hurts more?"
"The left side?"
"Or the right side?"
The crowbar struck Jason's body again and again.
His head was already bleeding heavily.
Bruises covered his body, and several bones had likely been broken.
The Joker grabbed Jason by the hair and forced him to look up.
"Anything you want to say?"
"Pfft!"
Jason spat a mouthful of blood directly onto the Joker's face.
He had nothing to say to this monster.
Only one sentence.
"Fuck… you."
For the first time, the Joker's expression darkened slightly.
Without another word, he continued beating Jason with the crowbar.
No one knew how long the torture lasted.
Finally, the Joker stopped.
"Oh right."
"If you see the Bat… say hello to him for me."
After adjusting the time bomb that was powerful enough to destroy the entire warehouse, the Joker prepared to leave.
He grinned widely.
"Although… that's unlikely."
"Kahahaha!"
After the Joker left, Jason slowly opened his exhausted eyes.
He looked toward the ticking bomb counting down nearby.
He knew it wasn't fake.
He was going to die.
A memory surfaced in his mind.
[Jason, your biggest flaw is that you're too impulsive. One day, that could put you in a very dangerous situation.]
He remembered Jin saying those words to him during training.
A bitter smile appeared on Jason's face.
"Sorry… Jin."
"I failed your teaching."
He couldn't bear to leave Alfred.
He couldn't bear to leave Dick.
He couldn't bear to leave Jin—who had been both a teacher and a friend.
But the one he was most reluctant to leave…
Was Bruce.
The man who had taught him everything.
The man who was like a father to him.
"Beep… beep… beep…"
"BOOM!!"