151-155

Chapter 151: The Joke and the Riddle - A Joke That's Not Funny 

Cody's second stop was to find Grundy. He went all the way to where the kids were staying, then realized Grundy had to stay put; he needed to watch over the children. 

Couldn't take Grundy. So, he went looking for Mr. Freeze. 

"Going away? How long will you be gone? I'm a little worried about Nora... What about the prison management? Who should I hand things over to?" 

"Forget it, Fries. You better just keep an eye on the inmates here. Without you, the prison just isn't very secure." 

Cody sighed. Batman had been searching for so long and still hadn't found a new backup corrections officer? That just wasn't like Batman. 

So, he decided to go find Batman himself. 

"Hold on, hold on, what are you trying to do?" 

Commissioner Gordon, sporting some serious dark circles under his eyes, grabbed the whirlwind that was Cody rushing through the door. "Slow down, explain yourself first." 

"I need to borrow your key. I gotta get up to the roof and fire up the Bat-Signal to find Batman." 

Gordon's heart skipped a beat when he heard that. "What huge mess has happened now?" 

"Ah, nothing really huge. Just have some personal stuff I need his help with." 

Cody's answer let Gordon breathe a little easier. This was a critical time, the whole police force was swamped, and the old man really didn't want any more headaches popping up. Like Harvey, he was dog-tired. 

"Then you better not go," he replied. "Batman said he's busy himself lately. He left Gotham's patrol duties to Catwoman." 

"Seriously? What's he up to? And can Catwoman handle it all on her own? Why didn't he get the psychotic wheelchair guy?" 

"He said the psychotic wheelchair guy's methods are... well... a little too brutal." 

"FUCKK!" Cody exploded. "How can he talk about other people being brutal?!". 

"Anyway, that's the situation," Commissioner Gordon spread his hands. "And don't just fire up the Bat-Signal whenever you feel like it. He said to only call him when something big really goes down." 

With no other choice, Cody just bolted straight for Wayne Manor. 

"Master Wayne is very busy these days. He's still at the company now and didn't even come back to the Manor last night," the butler Alfred said, ushering him into Wayne Manor nonetheless. "If it weren't for your flower tea, I doubt he'd be holding up." 

"Wait, what's he so busy with? He doesn't usually do any actual work..." 

"Ahem, Mr. Cody, mind your manners." 

Facing Alfred's kind smile, Cody smartly shut his mouth. The old man seemed a little annoyed. 

"It's the Wayne Prison matter, and the Gotham Renovation Project. Both are running concurrently, and the workload is immense. I think Master Wayne might need some time to adjust to a normal pace of life." 

Cody was speechless. 

"So, in the end, I guess I'm going on this business trip alone..." 

Cody packed up, opening his system panel for the first time in a while. It felt like months since he'd last looked at it. 

"But hey, thinking about it, at least I've got quite a few skills now." 

[Asset Points: $153,627] [Panel: Elementary Mental Resistance, Elementary Combat Mastery, Intermediate English Mastery, Intermediate Motorcycle Driving Mastery, Intermediate Lockpicking Mastery, Intermediate Swordsmanship Mastery, Intermediate Physical Enhancement, Intermediate Natural Language Mastery, Advanced Culinary Mastery, Advanced Car Driving Mastery, Advanced Stealth Mastery, Advanced Climbing Mastery, Advanced Tracking Mastery, Advanced Blowgun Mastery, Advanced Acting Mastery, Advanced Disguise Mastery, Advanced Computer Mastery, Advanced Firearm Usage Mastery, Master Wheelchair Driving Mastery.] 

[Items: Night-Crawler Wheelchair, Undying Pumpkin Lantern, Sanity-Draining Pumpkin Mask, Horn of Abundance, Eight-Sided Han Jian Sword, Hacker Two-Piece Set, Eavesdropping/Tracking Lighter, Assassin's Blowgun, Portable Garden (Golden Watering Can, Plant Fertilizer8, Insecticide10, Phonograph, Gardening Gloves, Flower Pots*30, Wheelbarrow), Pumpkin, Clover, Frozen Mushroom, Ice Shooter, Sunflower, Flame-Destroyer Mushroom, Two-Sided Coin (Black and White).] 

[Special Skills: Enhanced Cold Resistance, Deep Sleep, Group Up and Go, I Didn't Kill Anyone.] 

Some skills on the panel had changed. Some he'd spent skill points on to upgrade to Advanced, like Car Driving Mastery. Some he'd just bought outright, like the Disguise skill he used when pretending to be Thomas the electrician earlier. 

The Elementary Combat Mastery skill was a bit special; he didn't buy that one. He'd gotten it from training over a few months. While it wasn't super useful yet, it was still a small step forward. No help for it, the time was too short. A few months of training wasn't even close to years or decades of practice. 

Too bad Gotham didn't have a low-level league. Stuff kept happening one after another, not giving him much time to level up. 

Looking at his panel, Cody finally felt a little sense of security. At least he had some ability to protect himself now... right? 

Hard to say. This panel would definitely be awesome anywhere else, but in Gotham... Cody figured he probably still needed to keep training. 

[Business Trip Remaining Time: One Minute. Please Prepare.] 

The system's notification sounded. Cody sat calmly and waited. He didn't need to prepare anything; weapons, self-defense items, survival gear – they were all in his inventory. 

[Countdown Initiated: Five, Four, Three, Two...] 

[One] 

The system suddenly emitted a faint white light, which grew brighter and brighter, making him dizzy. Then, a strange jolt hit Cody's mind. 

He couldn't see anything in front of him, and his thoughts abruptly froze. 

[Traveling to Business Trip Location...] 

[Arrived at Destination. Confirming world structure based on individual 'Cody's' timeline...] 

[Detecting basic world structure change: "Hypertime" detected] 

[Detecting basic world structure change: "Elemental Forces" - The Red of the Totality, The Green of the Parliament, The Black of the Rot, The Gray of the Stone, The Metal - detected] 

[Detecting basic world structure change: "Court of Owls" detected] 

[Detecting basic world structure change: "Barbatos" detected] 

[Detecting...] 

Cody felt like he was half-asleep, half-awake. 

He groggily opened his eyes, staring blankly at his surroundings. It took several seconds for his mind, like being dragged from the deep sea, to snap from sluggishness to clarity. 

Faintly, he heard a man's voice. Darkness surrounded him. 

"I'm... Cody. Yeah, I'm here for a business trip." 

He looked up and around. He seemed to be standing behind a curtain. Packed around him were people with panicked, frightened faces. They were wearing formal clothes, some with ties, standing behind the curtain just like him. They looked like they were waiting to go on stage to perform. 

Strangely, their eyes were fixed on the person under the spotlight on the stage, seemingly completely unconcerned with the audience. 

No, there didn't seem to be an audience out there. 

Cody poked his head out and finally saw rows and rows of empty seats. 

A performance with no audience? 

Wrong. Cody narrowed his eyes. He spotted one person on stage who was watching the performance. 

"Enough," the figure stood in the darkness outside the spotlight, raising a gun impatiently at the actor in the spotlight. "This joke is boring too." 

"No, please, sir—" 

Bang! 

A bullet flew, and the actor fell. 

The figure in the darkness waved a hand and looked towards Cody. 

"Alright, next." 

Chapter 152: Batman Joke That Never Gets Old 

When the guy on stage casually killed someone and then waved over to his side, that familiar, cruel, disregard for life instantly triggered a memory in Cody’s mind. A bone-chilling cold surged through him, giving him goosebumps all over and making his scalp tingle. 

After fighting him for so long on Christmas night, there was no way he couldn't recognize this parallel universe version of the guy. He just hadn't expected to run into such a huge problem the minute he got here. 

By now, his eyes had also adjusted to the darkness, and he could see the person standing in the shadows clearly – dark green curly hair, skin as pale as a corpse, a sharp, thin nose, two pointed, cruel eyebrows, and lips as red as blood. 

The tailored black tuxedo and pants were exceptionally well-made, and the fabric was top-notch. The luxurious clothes highlighted his elegant and slender figure. His white shirt gleamed on him, and the dark purple vest and those gloves were the perfect finishing touch, balancing the suit's classic look and adding a touch of theatrical flair. 

Does Joker dress this well in every world?! 

This random thought popped into Cody's head, making him look down at himself. Sweater, jeans, and a plain jacket thrown over them. He hadn't given any thought to the color or style; besides being warm, there was nothing special about it. The main thing was it was cheap and comfortable. 

Using this kind of wild thinking, Cody was finally able to calm himself down a bit. He took a deep breath to relax his body and started focusing on Joker on stage – and then his eyes widened again. 

That signature smile on his face was gone. 

Joker's not smiling? Holy smokes, where did this business trip even send me? Is this even Gotham anymore? 

At this moment, a man in front of him finally cowered and shuffled forward. His steps were shaky, and his body was trembling. It was clear he wasn't exactly thrilled to participate in this joke show. 

It wasn’t until then that the system's prompt sounded in Cody's ears. 

[DING!] 

[You have a new gig available. Please check it out.] 

[Mission Objective: Joker Who Can't Laugh - Introduction: How weird would a Joker who can't laugh be? Maybe as weird as a Solomon Grundy who can actually think; or a Gotham City where nobody locks their doors and lost items are returned; or a Constantine who doesn't screw over his allies; or a Batman who suddenly starts laughing. 

Note 1: You don't actually need to make him laugh out loud. Honestly, seeing Joker with a long face is pretty entertaining. This proves one thing – smiles never disappear, they just move from one person's face to another. 

Status: Pending Completion (0/1) 

Reward: Local ID in current universe * 1] 

The mission requirement was to perform this joke routine in front of Joker. That wasn't too hard. The hard part was surviving after completing the performance. Cody was pretty sure that with the power of the .45 caliber (equivalent to 11.43mm) revolver in Joker's hand, there was a certain chance he'd get to see his great-grandmother if he took a large-caliber bullet to a vital spot. 

He looked closer at the local ID and saw that it was for a member of the Gotham City Police Department. Getting a job with a salary right off the bat, plus the official authority and right to open fire – without a doubt, this was a must-do mission. 

After reading the panel, Cody instinctively looked at Joker on stage. Joker had already raised his revolver again, apparently not very satisfied with the performer’s joke. 

"What should I do? Just make a move? Can I get to him in time to save him? If Joker just starts shooting randomly, can I protect the others nearby too?" 

In a flash, thoughts raced through Cody's mind. About half a second later, he quickly made his decision. 

"Upgrade [I Didn't Kill Anyone], and use it on Joker." 

[Understood] 

Bang! 

The bullet left the barrel, and a blood-red flower instantly bloomed on the comedian's chest. He crumpled and fell to his knees. The bullet went right through him, leaving a jagged wound, and blood immediately gushed out, staining the stage floor red. 

Cody saw the "Skill Effect Active" prompt on the panel and finally breathed a slight sigh of relief. Although he couldn't save the previous guy, at least he saved this one. 

"Next." 

At this moment, Joker's voice rang out. With a long face, he waved at Cody, "Please come up." 

"Okay." 

Huh? 

Hearing the reply, Joker turned his head and looked carefully at Cody again. 

This guy seemed a little... off. 

He watched the man in the cheap clothes from a street stall walk out from among the crowd of formally dressed performers, calmly step into the spotlight, and tilt his head towards the body on the ground. 

"Wanna get rid of this?" 

Joker waved dismissively, "If your joke needs it, you can keep it." 

"Nah, don't need it." 

Cody bent down and skillfully hefted the "corpse" on stage, then casually tossed it onto the pile of bodies below the stage. They were lying there haphazardly, blood almost forming a small puddle beneath the heap. Neither his expression nor his movements showed the slightest tension; the whole process could even be described as having "practiced hands." 

This made Joker start wondering if this guy in front of him had some kind of side hustle – or maybe being a comedian was his side hustle? 

Thinking this, he licked his lips somewhat expectantly, "Alright, alright, mister, what's your name?" 

"Cody." 

"Okay, – let's get started, Mr. Cody." 

Joker put his hand on the revolver at his waist and said, "I'm ready for a good laugh." 

Cody had been using the opportunity to carefully observe the surroundings. 

Key point one: On the stage, behind the stage, and even in the audience seats, he couldn't see anyone else. Which meant, Joker had no accomplices. 

Key point two: A large number of bodies had already piled up below the stage, indicating that this deathly performance had been going on in the theater for quite some time. 

Key point three: Joker was controlling dozens of comedians all by himself, and he wasn't restricting them at all. None of them had their hands or feet tied, but not even one person tried to resist. 

Key point four: As far as he could see, the several doors leading out of the theater didn't seem to be locked, just simply closed. Escape was possible. 

Everything indicated that Joker's means of control wasn't just the gun in his hand. 

"Gas? Bombs?" Cody thought to himself, "As soon as someone tries to escape, Joker will immediately activate whatever control method this is and kill them." 

"Mr. Cody?" Joker's voice suddenly cut in, "Is your performance over? Is this your joke? Just silence?" 

"No, it hasn't started yet." Cody shook his head, "Sorry, I was just thinking about which joke to tell." 

"So, have you thought of one?" 

"Oh, yeah, I've got a short but really funny one," Cody replied. "One day, Joker asks Batman, 'Who's your greatest enemy?'" 

"Batman says: Sup--" 

"Shut up!" 

Joker's gun fired instantly. 

Chapter 153: A Special First Day on the Job 

Turns out the system prompt was right: smiles don't disappear, they just transfer. 

"Hahahaha—" 

Lying on the ground, Cody clutched his stomach, laughing weakly. The angrier Joker looked, the more he felt like a total jerk—and that just made him want to keep laughing. 

"Sorry, I can't help it, hahaha..." 

Seeing Cody laughing through the blood soaking his stomach, Joker got angrier the more he thought about it. He gritted his teeth in fury, raised his hand, and fired another shot. 

"Moron!" 

Bang! 

"Ha!" 

Cody's body jerked, like a dead fish that just got punched. 

Then another shot, another, and another... 

Bang! Bang! Bang! 

Cody on the ground kept jerking and laughing: "Haha! Ha! Ha..." 

Like a madman, he kept firing wildly at Cody on the ground, until he'd emptied the cylinder into him, the hammer just clicking on empty chambers. 

Everyone nearby watched in horror as he shot Cody on the ground, turning him into a sieve, his body twitching, dark red blood oozing out, until finally, he stopped moving. 

Breathing heavily in the darkness, Joker finally waved a hand casually at the crowd after a moment: "Nobody else needs to come up. Halftime." 

Hearing him, the tense bodies of all the comedians nearby finally got a moment to relax. 

Then, like wheat in a field, they all collapsed at once—their brains only now realizing their legs had turned to jelly. 

They lay on the ground like survivors of a disaster, gulping down the thick, bloody air. Even though they'd have to perform again soon, every extra moment of life was a glimmer of hope. 

If the cops from the GCPD—or hell, even that pointy-eared Bat-freak—could just get here during this break, maybe we'd stand a chance? 

Nobody dared say it out loud, but everyone was praying desperately in their hearts. 

Meanwhile, Joker reloaded his revolver one bullet at a time, tucking it back into his waistband. He looked at the comedians lying there, their minds blank, and felt even more bored. 

Not funny at all. None of their bits were funny, and they were pointless. 

Damn it, some wiseass even dared to use a Batman joke to tick me off. Just thinking about it pisses me off. Speaking of which, that joke was really pointed. How the hell did he know what I was thinking? Is there someone among the dimwits of Gotham smart enough to see that me and Batman are soulmates? 

He turned his head again to look at the pile of bodies on the ground. That idiot was already mixed in with the heap, impossible to tell who was who. 

Forgot to ask—nah, whatever, he's dead anyway. 

Bored stiff, he walked directly to the side door, pushed it open, and just walked out. 

At that moment, a comedian lying on the ground turned his head and saw this. His face lit up with wild joy, and he immediately grabbed his buddy next to him. 

"Quick, look! Joker's gone! Let's get out of here fast, he said there were bombs in the theater!" 

Before he even finished speaking, Joker, who had just stepped out the door, pressed the detonator in his hand. 

With a massive bang, the entire stage area of the comedy theater was instantly blasted to dust by the bomb. The actors nearby and the bodies in the audience were all caught in the explosion. If nothing went wrong, none of them would survive. 

Joker disappeared from the theater, bored. Only then did someone outside the theater hear the huge blast, pull out their phone, and call the police. 

"Hello? Is this the GCPD? Please hurry to the Unicomp Theater, there's been an explosion!" 

"Oh, man..." 

Amidst the ruins after the explosion, a voice suddenly rang out. 

"You gotta be kidding me... That sonofabitch Joker is still this nuts, using bombs for crowd control and standing on the damn bombsite watching stand-up." 

Covered in blood, Cody mumbled, his mouth full of fruit drops and caramels. He painstakingly pushed away the heavy debris crushing him and finally managed to stand up from the ruins. Right now, he had several bullet holes all over his body, like a sieve, but luckily, the wounds were slowly healing. 

"Too bad about my outfit," Cody scratched his head, annoyed. "I actually liked it." 

At this moment, he was practically a bloody mess, with barely a clean spot on his entire body. The several naked bullet holes were still oozing blood relentlessly, a gruesome sight. 

"First, let's see if anyone survived." 

The Intermediate Physical Enhancement was pretty awesome, at least it made moving heavy stuff around easy and fast. Cody quickly cleared the area around the stage, searching for people in the rubble. 

The people Joker had killed earlier, of course, couldn't be brought back. Cody's focus was on finding those he'd knocked down with gunfire after Joker was hit by the [I Did Not Kill] skill. According to the skill effect, they'd most likely cling to life for 24 hours instead of just biting the dust right there. 

One body, two bodies, three bodies... 

Cody dragged them out one by one, reaching into his inventory for a fruit-flavored lollipop. For every person he pulled out, he'd stick the lollipop into their mouth for a few seconds, then move on to the next, and the next... Finally, he laid them out on the cleared space. Yep, this was the same lollipop he'd used last time to save those Wayne Enterprises board members who were infected by vines. Sticking to the principles of making the most of things and being thrifty, Cody was using it to save people again. 

Anyway, they were all on their last breath right now, barely conscious, so he figured nobody would have any complaints about his method. 

By the time the siren of a police car wailed on the street outside the Unicomp Theater, it had been five minutes since the call came in. No doubt, they had rushed to the scene as fast as they possibly could—and when Commissioner Gordon and his officers busted through the door into the theater's main hall, they saw a group of disheveled, blood-soaked injured people. They were lying on a cleared-out patch of ground, with an exhausted young man lying nearby. 

"Quick! Hurry! Get 'em to the hospital first." 

When Cody opened his eyes, he saw an unfamiliar white ceiling. 

"I'm... in a hospital?" 

Just then, a familiar voice came from beside him. 

"The doctor said you were lucky, didn't get any serious injuries." 

Cody turned his head and saw familiar blond hair and a mustache. 

"Commissioner Gordon?" 

"Cody, a police officer, huh?" 

Gordon flipped through the files in his hand, asking him, "Just transferred to Gotham yesterday, and you're already working today?" 

"Uh..." 

"I don't know how you pissed off your boss to get transferred to this hellhole, but then again—when in Rome, do as the Romans do." 

"That psycho freak you met—Joker, I mean—he's been stirring up trouble in Gotham lately. We're a little short-staffed, but you're new. I'm not putting you on the front lines facing that lunatic." 

"You'll handle a different assignment. Get some rest today, come back to the precinct tomorrow. We need someone for a prisoner detail. It's not too dangerous, and you'll fit right in." 

Cody paused, catching the scent of a side gig. 

"Who am I guarding?" 

"Another not-so-dangerous nutcase, a police cooperator," Commissioner Gordon sighed. 

"Name's—the Riddler." 

Chapter 154: God Showed a Sign 

Inside the theater, you couldn't tell if it was day or night, but actually, the explosion happened during the day. 

Over at Gotham Hospital, the ER docs were in the lobby grabbing coffee and chatting. Patients are always coming in during the day in Gotham, so you really gotta learn how to sneak in breaks here. Plus, they sometimes have to pull all-nighters or deal with crazy people and gang members who are hurt, which is a hassle in itself. So the chill vibe right then wasn't really leisure, it was more like a quick breather in the middle of a grind. 

The head nurse and the attending physician were seasoned pros, so they were pretty chill. They were laughing and talking, keeping the mood light while they had a moment to rest. A couple of the resident doctors stood by, still holding their coffee. They hadn't been there long, though, and still felt a little weird about slacking off. They only loosened up a bit after the head nurse and attending physician egged them on. 

Ring, ring — The phone at the nurse's station rang. The head nurse excused herself from the chatting group and hurried over to the desk phone. 

"This is the Emergency Room—" 

"This is the Gotham Police Department. The Unicorn Comedy Theater just exploded. Twenty-seven people are being transported to the hospital by ambulance crews. Please get the ER ready immediately!" 

That one line wiped the smile right off the head nurse's face. She quietly sighed. Looks like it was going to be another major emergency today. 

She immediately glanced at the clock nearby to check the time. It was 6:21 AM. 

Time was of the essence—no time to waste. So, her next two questions were simple and direct. 

"ETA?" 

"About five minutes." 

"Copy that." 

"Alright, everyone, listen up!" The head nurse hung up the phone and started shouting, grabbing everyone's attention: "Big explosion at the theater! Twenty-seven coming in! Get ready, fast!" 

Nurses immediately started running, moving patients who were waiting for beds to the nursing unit on their own initiative. Maintenance staff quickly set up folding beds for temporary extra capacity. The waiting area conveniently flipped its sign over to show the large letters for "Triage Area" on the back. 

"Same old routine, nobody goes home until this is over!" 

"Call in everyone else who's on duty," the attending physician said, already running. "Doesn't matter which department—they've pretty much all handled major emergencies before. Just tell 'em the theater got bombed this time." 

The resident doctors put down their coffee and let out a breath. This was the atmosphere of Gotham Hospital they were used to – patients streaming in non-stop, crazies causing trouble everywhere. 

Yep, it was back. All of it was back. 

They grabbed medical gloves and disposable gowns on their own. Everyone throughout the hospital started moving in an orderly fashion. Everyone was already well-versed in handling this kind of situation. 

"Everyone coming in has trauma tags on them. Pay attention to the color coding." 

"Green—minor injuries. Yellow—needs observation. Red—immediate treatment. Black—" 

"Black means critical, basically DOA... send 'em to the morgue," a resident doctor finished, picking up the thread. "Wonder how many black tags we'll have this time." 

Amidst the doctors' chatter, the sound of ambulances finally reached them from outside the hospital. The patients were here. 

The EMTs from the ambulances came in with the patients, responsible for handing off information about their injuries. The first guy helped in was in rags, covered in blood and dirt, looking pretty awful—but he had a green tag, which made the doctors breathe a sigh of relief. 

"First one's a green. Good sign." 

"Twenty-five years old, male—he's a cop," the technician said. "No visible injuries at all. Looks like he just passed out from exhaustion." 

The head nurse quickly checked the guy over and really couldn't see anything wrong. 

"Lucky guy. Get him somewhere to rest—next one, quick." 

The next one brought in had a red tag. 

"Trauma to the chest... and the back. Looking at the wound size, it's from a small-caliber bullet. Seems like he lost a ton of blood, but his vital signs are stable. My God..." 

The attending physician took a look. The wound was right where the heart is. So he asked, "Heart not hit?" 

"Weird, doesn't look like it. Plus, his vitals aren't dropping. I've never seen anything like it—God help us, it's like he got shot right through the heart and then immediately healed from the inside out." 

The attending physician frowned. While totally confused by it, there was no time to dwell. "Get him treated, stat. Next!" 

Then another red tag was brought in. 

"Head injury. Small wounds on the forehead and back of the head, bleeding, looks like some brain matter... but vitals are stable. What the heck?" 

"...Get him treated. Next!" 

Another red. This one seemed to have internal bleeding from the blast wave, but weirdly, no source of bleeding. 

"How is this happening again?" 

It was already noon when Cody walked out of the hospital. His sharp senses allowed him to clearly hear the doctors talking inside. 

"This is insane. That criminal didn't just plant a bomb, he freaking shot everyone too? Everyone they're sending in is a red tag patient." 

"They're all red tags, but their vital signs are stable," a resident doctor chimed in. "It's crazy, like they have infinite health turned on in a video game." 

"Has anyone died yet?" 

"Nope, not a single one. Except for the people confirmed dead at the scene itself, everyone brought here is hanging onto life." 

"Seriously? That's like twenty-something people with major injuries." 

"Holy cow, stop chatting! One of the critical patients Dr. Hank got lost his ability to breathe on his own, and he's in a bad head space right now. He just ripped out his own intubation tube! The doctor found him, and now he's fighting with the doc!" 

"Wait, dude? Listen to yourself. Are you talking about a human? A critically injured patient who can't breathe on his own is fighting a doctor?" 

Cody quietly pulled out a Pocky stick and put it in his mouth. He swore, his original intention absolutely wasn't to see this kind of crazy spectacle. 

But man, I really wanna see it. What do I do...? 

Cody didn't waste any more time at the hospital and headed straight for the police station to report in. 

"Commissioner Gordon..." 

"You could take the day off, you know. Didn't have to be this eager." 

"Well, I'm already here." 

Hearing that, Commissioner Gordon waved a hand. "Alright, as long as you're okay. Go report in. This afternoon, you'll be with the guys keeping an eye on the Riddler—listen up, that guy is seriously smart. You're new and don't know him, so don't talk to him first, or he'll easily mess with your head." 

"Got it." 

Just then, the TV in the lobby started broadcasting the morning's medical news. Gotham media is seriously fast. 

"Early this morning, an explosion occurred at the Unicorn Comedy Theater, involving dozens of comedians. Gotham Hospital provided emergency treatment. God be praised, besides the few confirmed dead at the scene, all patients brought to the hospital were critical, yet not a single one died. This is a miracle, a medical miracle that happened twenty-seven times in a row!" 

"What the heck is this guy rambling about?" Gordon heard the report and couldn't help but shake his head. 

"Miracle? This is freaking God showing up!" 

Chapter 155: Something's Off About This Riddler 

Cody turned right around and headed for the prison. 

Seeing him go, Commissioner Gordon grabbed the full cup of coffee from his desk and chugged it in one gulp. He forced himself to look sharp and waved at the officers in the precinct. 

"Alright everyone, gear up! Joker ain't done yet. He just hit the joke shop again and now he's headed for the joke factory—Move it! Move it! Get your weapons and vests ready, we're gonna corner him in that building!" 

It was a clear afternoon in Gotham City, with a warm sun casting a golden glow from a cloudless sky. 

Police cruisers sped through the streets. In just a minute or two, the police convoy would reach their destination, the joke factory. 

"Hey, Carvey, how long's it been since you saw a clear day in Gotham?" 

The cop driving glanced at the sun through his sunglasses and asked casually. 

"Probably a long time," a different officer replied. "But hasn't it been clear the last couple months? I almost miss the old weather." 

"You serious? Rain, snow, or muggy overcast days? You miss that stuff?" 

"There were cold, gloomy days too—I mean, wasn't it kinda nice having a rainy day once in a while?" 

"Man, you're weird." 

Screech— 

Tires gripped the asphalt, leaving a short skid mark. 

"We're here. Surround the building—What's the situation inside? Can we see anything?" 

"Can't see a thing, but word is Joker's rounded up another batch of comedians in there. Probably planning to do the same thing as before." 

"Okay, the plan's already mapped out on the cruiser based on the theater's layout. Everyone get ready, we gotta sneak in and search for Joker and the hostages. Remember, be quiet, be quick." 

"Got it. Ready when you are, Commish Gordon—just say the word." 

Commissioner Gordon pulled the pipe from his mouth, stared at it for a few seconds to make sure nothing was wrong, and then gave the command. 

"Now, breach." 

"Go! Go! Go!" 

Officers, guns drawn, moved quickly toward the building in several teams simultaneously. 

But at the same time, at the very back of the police line, a revolver was aimed at the lookout cop crouched behind a cruiser. 

Boom—! 

The detonator was pressed, and a massive blast of fire and sound erupted from the building, the shockwave knocking all the approaching officers off their feet. 

Bang! 

Simultaneous with the explosion was the sound of a gunshot. 

As the officer farthest back, nobody saw him get shot; the explosion was so loud it drowned out the gunshot anyway; he collapsed listlessly, unnoticed by anyone. 

"A man walks into a bullet, oh dear." 

A purple-gloved hand forcefully pulled the officer's mouth muscles upwards, revealing his gums and teeth: "Isn't that hilarious?" 

Blood flowed silently. Clearly, the officer couldn't answer the question. 

The hand was still unsatisfied, fiddling with the corner of his mouth, seemingly trying to make him smile, but it was never quite right. A high-pitched voice carried a hint of frustration. 

"This should be funny—hmm, no, no, no." 

It's really not funny, Joker thought to himself. 

Just then, a civilian, maybe a reporter or something, ran around the street corner, probably looking to get the scoop on the incident. 

Joker figured why not give it to her and raised his gun. 

"Ah—" 

A scream went off almost at the same time as the gunshot, but then another massive explosion roared from inside the theater, covering up both sounds once more. 

Joker casually put the detonator he was holding back in his pocket but still looked grim, seemingly neither happy about successfully fooling the cops nor finding any amusement in the woman collapsing. 

"A woman walks into a bullet... no, no, no." 

Still not funny, Joker thought, just like the jokes those comedians told, completely pointless. 

He holstered his gun, completely ignoring the highly alert officers behind him, and walked away down the street, clearly annoyed. 

Things that weren't funny didn't interest him much, just like the fate of the comedians in the theater earlier, or whether these two people lived or died. 

Then again, shot point-blank in a vital spot with a large-caliber revolver, how the hell could they possibly be alive? 

Meanwhile, Cody had already arrived at the prison and changed into his uniform. 

Right now, he was talking to an old-timer cop, hoping to learn about this world's Riddler. So far, it seemed like Riddlers in both worlds were probably equally smart and had rap sheets a mile long, but there was one big difference. 

"Riddler? In the GCPD lockup? Sentenced to a year?" 

Cody asked, dumbfounded. "Right here? A year? Balen, you sure about that?" 

Lonnie Balen took a deep drag from the cigarette Cody offered him, then replied, "Course. Ain't this common knowledge? He's been layin' low right here ever since some Bat-freak popped up outta nowhere and put him away almost a year ago." 

"He hasn't tried to break out?" 

"You kiddin' me, rookie?" Lonnie chuckled. "He's just a smart criminal, that's all. Once you slap the cuffs on him, he can't do squat—compared to crime, he's actually pretty good at solving cases and betting on sports." 

Cody's jaw dropped. He couldn't have dreamed of a version of Riddler who'd just hang out in prison, act as a detective consultant for the cops, and especially like betting on sports. 

"What does he need money for?" 

"He doesn't need money for anything, so the money's all mine," Lonnie bragged, beaming. "I just gotta skim a little off the top, buy him some booze, maybe some smokes—the guy's real easy to deal with." 

After he finished bragging, seeing Cody's surprised expression, he realized he might've gotten a little carried away. He coughed a couple of times and said, "Ahem, don't tell anyone about this. Officially, we're definitely not allowed to do stuff like this, understand?" 

At this point, a look of understanding immediately appeared on Cody's face: "Of course, Lonnie. You didn't say anything just now." 

"That's right." 

Just then, a bald Black detective suddenly walked in from outside. It was clear he was in a hurry, having just rushed over from the precinct. 

"Lonnie, I need to see Riddler." 

"No problem. Same deal as usual, half an hour." 

Watching the detective walk into the interrogation room, Cody was a little confused. He asked Lonnie, "Do people come to see him like this often?" 

"Sure. Didn't I tell you? He's amazing at solving cases." 

"So, whenever there's a tough case, people come to him?" 

"Uh-huh—anyway, the guy's crazy already, he just loves puzzles. Any kind of puzzle, he can crack it." 

Hearing this, the sense of disconnect in Cody's mind grew stronger. 

In his Gotham City, Riddler, with no power or influence, could still carve out a life for himself between Falcone and the Holiday Killer using just his brain. In this Gotham City, where Batman had only been around for a year, he couldn't even get out of a regular prison? This wasn't even Arkham. 

Something was off about this Riddler. Really off.