Joker's Vengeful Undertaking

Night, a stormy night with thunder and rain.

Allen rode his Electric Bicycle back to Arkham Asylum.

The gatekeeper opened the gate and let him pass without much trouble.

"You've all worked hard, here, take these and smoke as you please."

Allen pulled out an unopened pack of cigarettes and gave it to the security guards.

He had to admit, Gotham City's charity organizations were quite humane, even distributing cigarettes. Adhering to the principle of "if you don't take it, you're losing out," Allen pocketed them while he was out and about.

As for why he gave them away.

First, he didn't smoke.

Second, it was about social graces.

They were guarding the gate for him, and even opened it for him when he was late. He had to show some appreciation, otherwise, it wouldn't feel right.

Familiar with the path, he parked and returned to his ward, preparing to shower and sleep. He saw an acquaintance in the adjacent private room.

"Hey Greenie, you're back."

Allen greeted Poison Ivy Lillian enthusiastically.

Lillian shot him an annoyed glance, then covered her head with the blanket, ignoring him.

After wandering outside for only a few days, she'd been caught and brought back. She couldn't possibly be in a good mood.

A moment later, Lillian lifted the blanket to breathe and was horrified to find Allen's entire face pressed against the glass of her room, distorted and squeezed. His eyes were wide open, staring directly at her.

"Allen, what are you doing?"

"You didn't say hello to me."

As Allen spoke, his warm breath condensed into a mist on the glass.

He's sick.

Staring at me with his face pressed against the glass without saying hello? He knows how creepy that is.

"Mhm, I'm back."

Lillian responded reluctantly.

She genuinely worried that Allen would stay up all night, staring at her like a ghost.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

BOOM!

Lightning flashed across the rainy night.

A figure stood on the rooftop, emitting painful, mad laughter.

Arthur's heart was filled with anguish, but his laughter condition made him unable to control his terrifying guffaws.

His trembling hands clutched his scarred head, memories of Allen burning his hair flashing through his mind.

At that time, he had threatened, he had cursed, he had begged, but in the end, he couldn't escape Allen's cruel hand.

"Batman, Bat-Man, I will make you pay a hundred, a thousand times over for my suffering."

Arthur's fists clenched in anger as he pounded the concrete railing to vent his resentment.

A lifetime of misfortune had ignited the darkness within him, ultimately turning him into the Joker, a figure Gotham feared.

Batman was the nightmare of criminals.

And he, Arthur, transformed into the Joker, was Batman's nightmare.

But all of that had been ruined by Allen.

When the lighter burned away his green hair, the symbol of his Joker identity, Arthur's Joker persona vanished with the smoke.

"Do you want revenge?"

At that moment, a Talons leader stood behind him.

Arthur turned back and smiled coldly, "Name your price."

"Batman's identity is Bruce Wayne."

As soon as the words fell, the Talons leader leaped down, giving Arthur no chance to ask further questions.

"Bruce Wayne?"

Arthur froze, recalling a deeply buried memory.

It was the secret of his parentage that his mother had told him before she died – that he was Mr. Wayne's illegitimate son.

Upon learning the truth, he had rushed to Wayne Manor to confirm it, only to be met with humiliation and denial from the butler, Alfred.

"Your mother suffered from schizophrenia and received treatment at Arkham Asylum. Mr. Wayne, out of consideration for his loyalty, provided financial assistance for her treatment. Thus, she fantasized about having an illegitimate son. Please recognize yourself and do not harbor any improper thoughts about the Wayne family."

Butler Alfred's exact words still echoed in his memory, deeply piercing young Arthur's heart.

He was like a shameless beggar trying to seize the Wayne family's assets.

Arthur was willing to stay honestly in Arkham Asylum, simply because it felt like staying by his deceased mother's side.

"Hahaha..."

Arthur spread his arms wide, laughing up at the sky, letting the cold rain lash his face. At this moment, his laughter was filled with madness and exhilaration.

"Batman, Bruce, hahaha..."

Hiding in a skyscraper a block away, the Owl Judges observed Arthur's behavior through their binoculars.

"Will the Joker complete the planned operation?"

"It doesn't matter. He's just one of many arrangements; whether it succeeds is insignificant."

"Yes, multiple arrangements proceeding together are the only way to ensure it's foolproof."

"It's quite amusing, the Joker's biological father was a drunkard, and he's always believed it was Thomas Wayne."

"Anyone struggling to survive at the bottom would rather believe a beautiful lie."

The Batcave.

Dick drove the engineering vehicle underground.

Before long, he returned, bringing both fortunate and unfortunate news.

The fortunate part was that they had indeed found a pool filled with Serpent's Blood. The unfortunate part was that Allen's claims about the Dark Multiverse invasion might be true.

Bruce, with his body having slightly recovered, went to the underground river.

The pool of Serpent's Blood emitted a faint green glow. Judging by its color and clarity, it was indeed very pure.

"Father, how could there be a Lazarus Pit here?"

Damian looked at the pool in shock.

He had seen Lazarus Pits used for resurrection in the League of Assassins, but he didn't know if it was the same substance as Serpent's Blood.

Moreover, the Blade of Redemption had not been recovered, and the League of Assassins hadn't performed resurrection rituals in a long time, as those who came back were monsters who had lost their sanity.

Bruce was equally bewildered. He had always thought they were two different things.

After all, Allen had said Serpent's Blood was a metal. It should have looked like mercury, or at least some form of liquid metal.

"I'll wait for Allen to come tomorrow and ask him about Serpent's Blood."

Bruce was reluctant to destroy the Serpent's Blood, mainly because of its healing and resurrection effects.

He couldn't guarantee that the people around him wouldn't have accidents. Perhaps one day it might be useful.

After all, everyone has selfish desires.

Bruce was no exception.

Furthermore, he wanted to ask Allen if he had brought back the Blade of Redemption. Using both together would be equivalent to possessing an infinite resurrection pool.

During their trip to Silent Hill, he and Oliver had left first and were unaware of what happened afterward. It might have been lost in the Inner World.

Therefore, he hadn't revealed anything about the Blade of Redemption to Damian, to avoid the "disobedient son" provoking the Ninja Master.

"Take some samples for chemical analysis."

The Wayne Group possessed numerous top-tier technologies. Bruce thought that perhaps they could research a method to remove the side effects. If that didn't work, he could call upon the Justice League to research it together.

If that still didn't work, he'd call those Avengers guys and share the research technology for Serpent's Blood.

Superheroes saved the world and fought crime, and casualties were inevitable. If the problem of Serpent's Blood could be solved, it would be an unpayable debt owed to him.

At that time, he could stand tall and speak with authority. None of the people present would have any objections.

Thinking of this, Bruce couldn't help but smile knowingly.

"Father, what are you smiling about?"

Damian looked at him with confusion. In his perception, Bruce was always a stoic man who rarely smiled.

Bruce stroked the top of his head. "Don't ask about adult matters, child."

This unintentional gesture made Damian a little flustered. An indescribable sense of comfort welled up in his heart, and he stubbornly thought to himself, 'Is this fatherly love? I don't care for it.'