Arkham Asylum, Full of Talent

Gotham had once been a city shrouded in chaos and violence.

Through the tireless efforts of Commissioner Gordon, the light of justice, criminal talents were sent one by one to Blackgate Prison and Arkham Asylum.

Yet beneath the calm façade of recent years lay darkness within darkness, madness brewing within madness.

Arkham Asylum, surrounded by towering walls, held countless criminals whose names filled citizens with dread.

Of course, Arkham Asylum was a renowned medical institution. It did not merely detain infamous lunatics; it also treated psychiatric patients from every walk of life.

Penguin, known as Gotham's Little Zebra and the ruler of both the underworld and the law, had already graduated from Arkham Asylum and was now pursuing further studies at Blackgate Prison.

"I am the knight of justice walking through darkness, the embodiment of every criminal's fear. Joker, Scarecrow, Riddler, Two-Face, and all you other cruel perpetrators—I will watch you forever."

Beside a cracked windowsill stood a man draped in a black cape and wearing a bat-shaped mask.

His eyes never left the many criminals.

"Allen, it's time for your medicine."

A plump Black nurse in a tightly fitted uniform approached while pushing a medicine cart, offering him his daily psychiatric medication.

Allen said righteously, "Beautiful Ms. Catherine, you have mistaken me for someone else. I am Bat-Man, the Dark Knight."

"I have to admit, talking to you is a real pleasure."

Catherine could not hide the delight on her face. Since childhood, people had mocked her as a fat girl, and even her partner sometimes used it to humiliate her.

Only after she began working as a nurse at the dreaded Arkham Asylum and met Allen did her face gradually begin to show more smiles.

She knew he was a mentally ill lunatic, but his words were simply too pleasant to resist.

"Allen, don't steal curtains from the director's office next time. There are plenty in the storage room—I put some in the second compartment of the first-row cabinet. And you tore up Director Quincy's treasured limited-edition Playboy magazine. He's furious and may put you in solitary confinement."

Catherine reminded him with concern. She did not want frail-looking Allen to be punished.

During her work, she had found that most patients had violent tendencies. Allen alone was different. He always played the role of a righteous hero and had never caused trouble.

"Thank you very much for your kind reminder. Your kindness is like the stars in the night sky."

Allen pinched the curtain cape with one hand, covering his front and revealing only his eyes as he struck Batman's iconic entrance pose.

The problem was that the eyeholes of his bat-shaped mask happened to be decorated with a red bikini pattern.

"Your little mouth is so sweet. What a pity—I'm already married and have children."

"I don't mind having another daughter."

"I gave birth to a boy."

Allen flashed a lecherous grin, and Catherine immediately caught the different implication behind it. She snapped coyly, "You little brat. Take your medicine."

"Ah."

"You're such a grown man, yet you still need someone to feed you."

Catherine habitually stuffed the capsule into Allen's mouth, then hurriedly pushed the medicine cart toward the other patients. Her dark face had already turned a flushed shade of red.

Once she had gone far enough away, Allen discreetly spat out the medicine.

"I will not allow anyone to take away my right to be an idiot. No one can."

Allen, surname Ai, given name Lun, had originally been a VIP patient at Qingshan Rehabilitation Center. Once, while secretly playing on his attending doctor's computer, he suffered an electric leak accident and woke up in Arkham Asylum.

Naturally, Allen was not panicked in the slightest. After reviewing classic cases, refining top-tier industry strategies, linking deep-rooted thought models, and identifying the key path to explosive breakthroughs, he reached one conclusion: as long as he was electrocuted again, he could travel back to Blue Star.

His goal of returning to Qingshan Rehabilitation Center was clear: erase the browser history from his attending doctor's computer.

As a spirited young man, Allen declared that spending even one yuan to browse the Japanese and Korean sections was an act of betraying his country.

"Ah! Edward, when did you get behind me?"

Startled like a young girl, Allen instinctively covered his chest with both hands and looked in lingering fright at Edward Nygma, the Riddler.

"I challenge you once again. We will duel with wisdom."

The Riddler clenched both fists, his expression serious as he raised his voice in challenge.

At once, the criminals in the activity area turned toward them, cheering and shouting for a duel.

The guards watching over the corridor were already used to it.

It was another routine riddle-and-brain-teaser program, and they enjoyed it just as much.

"The usual rules."

"No problem."

The arena was set.

The patients wisely fell silent.

This was a duel between intellectuals. Mental patients generally thought they were very clever, and sometimes, when faced with the two men's questions, they would raise their hands to compete for the answer.

"Ladies and gentlemen."

With an exaggerated gesture, Arthur drew everyone's attention. "I am the referee and commentator for this duel."

He gestured to the left and grandly announced, "On my left is the knight of justice, Bat-Man."

Boo...

The watching patients immediately broke into scornful jeers.

Talking about justice in Arkham Asylum was as hypocritical as capitalists doing charity.

Allen did not care in the slightest and calmly nodded to the crowd.

"On my right is Gotham's master of wisdom, Edward the Riddler."

Applause.

Whistles.

Some female patients even bared their shoulders and shouted that they wanted to bear the Riddler's children to show their love.

Now this was more like it.

At Arkham Asylum, criminals deserved admiration. The Riddler had toyed with a whole crowd of psychiatric patients as if they were in the palm of his hand.

"The duel begins. The loser asks first."

Arthur pointed at Edward, signaling him to pose the question.

At that moment, Edward pushed up his glasses, and his expression became serious.

"I take you at night and bring you back by day. No one suffers from having me, but they suffer from lacking me. What am I?"

The riddle slipped from Edward's lips. He looked pleased with himself, as though victory were already within reach.

The patients who had gathered to watch sank into thought. Some scratched their ears and cheeks, some frantically clawed at their hair, and some pounded their heads with their fists. Their poor CPUs were practically smoking.

"Now for the countdown. Ten, nine, eight..."

"Sleep."

Allen lowered his voice and gave the answer in a magnetic, sexy tone.

For a moment, the place fell silent. Pair after pair of eyes turned toward the Riddler, waiting for him to declare the answer wrong.

"You got it right."

Edward admitted it dejectedly. It was clear that he was disappointed his riddle, which he had spent an entire night devising, had failed to stump his opponent.

"Allen, you're amazing! I'll give you my first kiss."

Taking advantage of the moment, Poison Ivy Lillian approached, puckering her lips in preparation to kiss him.

Allen raised both clenched fists before him and said with a sincere expression, "My ex and my current girlfriend would get jealous. I can't guarantee whether they'd do something to you. Also, where did you get a first kiss?"

What a joke. One kiss from Lillian could kill him on the spot with poison. Then how would he get electrocuted back to Qingshan Rehabilitation Center and erase the browser history?

"My turn. Listen carefully."

"A medium-rare steak and a well-done steak are frying in the same pan. Why aren't they talking?"

Allen had asked a brain teaser rather than a riddle with clues, but no one had said brain teasers were forbidden from the start.

"Objection! Steaks aren't people. How could they talk?"

"Counter-objection! You're discriminating against steaks."

"Objection overruled."

Arthur turned toward the restless patients, revealing a chilling smile as he threatened domineeringly, "Anyone else who objects, I'll turn him into steak."

Arthur was known for doing exactly what he said, for his style of slaughtering a whole police station if he said he would. His intimidation was beyond doubt. The patients immediately became obedient and quietly waited for the Riddler's answer.

Edward repeatedly wiped the corner of his mouth, pushed up his glasses again, then wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. After thinking for a long time, he carefully answered.

"They aren't done."

"Congratulations. Correct."

The patients cheered loudly, sparing no praise for the Riddler's exceptional intelligence.

Edward let out a long breath, thankful that he had survived the first round.

"If you know me, you want to share me. If you share me, I disappear. What am I?"

It was still a profound riddle. Even an ordinary person might not have been able to answer it.

But who was Allen? Before crossing over, he had read the Riddler's Complete Book of Riddles, and all the answers were stored in his mind. The reason he did not answer immediately was to build anticipation and create a tense atmosphere for everyone.

"I'm about to start the countdown."

Arthur wore a malicious grin. He was deliberately favoring the Riddler, always starting a countdown whenever it was Allen's turn.

"A secret."

The instant he heard the answer, Edward's pupils contracted. His astonished expression froze for a second before he reluctantly admitted, "The answer is correct."

"I'm increasing the difficulty. Listen carefully."

"A Black woman who does not speak English marries a genuine American. She goes to the supermarket to buy chicken, and after using gestures to ask the salesperson, she successfully buys what she wants. The next day, she wants to buy sausages, so she brings her husband along. How does she buy the sausages?"

At this point, everyone wore knowing smiles that said they all understood.

The same expression appeared on Edward's face as he confidently answered, "She pointed at her husband's lower—"

Bang!

A sudden explosion interrupted the heated duel.

A group of armed Jokers poured in from the corridor, taking control of Arkham Asylum's security personnel.

Joker's Gang—a group so shameless that they would squeeze instant noodles and grab Dami while shopping at the supermarket—had finally come to welcome their clown king, Arthur.

At this moment, the silent king had finally received his chance to break free.

Many patients escaped along with him, including no shortage of deranged criminals.

"It's time for me to go home."

Allen could not find a single outlet in the patient activity area, so he had no choice but to wait for an opportunity. Before acting, he did not forget to tell the Riddler, who was waiting for the answer, "You lost. Her husband can speak English."

Defeat and frustration instantly flooded Edward's heart, leaving him unable to pull himself together.

Once he regained his senses, Edward chased after him, only to find a mask and a curtain beside an outlet.

"I don't believe it. You're lying to me..."

The Riddler's unwilling roar echoed through the corridor.