I, Joker (Part One)

The golden liquid is poured into the glass, with white foam rising to the edge. Under the light, the whiskey looks like a piece of gold encased in ice, sparkling brightly.

Schiller spun the vinyl record, then turned it on. A low, somber blues tune filled the room. Jack, leaning on the table, slurred, "That's why I don't like bars, especially that Golden Goblet Bar. The bartenders there just like jazz, some really old, awful music..."

"Are you sure you like blues not because it's called Bruce and sounds a bit like Bruce?"

"Don't mention him to me..." Jack put down his glass, Schiller sat back down opposite him. Jack propped two fingers under his eye sockets and said in a hoarse voice, "The tires produced by the Wayne Enterprises are all junk. I've already spent almost $60 this week on tire repairs..."

"They're completely unwilling to adapt to the terrain. Gotham's roads are in such a terrible state, and they're still producing those flimsy, lightweight tires. Bruce's an idiot, a complete idiot..."

Jack tilted his head to one side and reached into his messy hair. He faced a dilemma that all hair dyers face: green hair still remained on his head, but the newly grown parts were already black. He couldn't cut off all the green hair, nor could he dye the black roots green again, so he looked somewhat decadent and comical.

He seemed very unhappy with the state of his hair, but had no other choice, so he reached in and yanked it hard.

Jack took another swig of his drink, and Schiller moved his chair forward, picked up the bottle, and poured himself a glass of wine.

Jack reached out and clinked glasses with him, saying somewhat dejectedly, "The whole world's been terribly boring lately. What's Bat up to? Oh... he's off to be with his sweetheart!"

He lowered his head sharply, his green hair obscuring his deep-set eyes, and Jack's lips curled down sharply, making it clear to anyone that he was imitating Batman.

"Oh! My dear lady! I have brought you the most beautiful gem in the world. Do you love me? Yes! I love you! squeaks..." He pursed his lips and imitated the sound of a kiss, but he looked like he had never kissed anyone before, so he seemed very clumsy.

Suddenly, he slammed his glass on the table, then jerked his head back, revealing his forehead and eyes, and said in a shrill voice, "What does he want? Does he still want to marry her?? Even have a child with her?? He's insane!!"

Then, he froze again, somewhat dazedly turning his head back to its original position. He took a sip of his drink and said sadly, "But he wouldn't even invite me to his wedding..."

"Why can't he understand that I love him more than anyone else in the world, and I don't ask for anything in return. I just want him to smile."

"Perhaps he understands."

"Then tell me, why doesn't he want to smile?"

"If he laughs, will you still exist?"

Jack lowered his head, then looked up at Schiller with anticipation and excitement in his eyes. He said, "You mean, he doesn't smile because he doesn't want me to disappear, and he loves me too, right?"

He began to tremble, the golden liquid in the glass foamed more, and a sharp, snickering laugh emanated from his chest, sounding like metal scraping against glass.

"I always say you two are alike, but if he really became you, would you be happy?"

"He becomes me?... No, no, absolutely not! That would make it the most boring world ever, even more boring than a Batman who never smiles! God! I can't imagine! It's disgusting!" Jack clutched his throat and began to gag.

"A bat grinning? God, how can such a monster exist in this world? If it really comes to that, you must shoot me, please, Professor!"

Jack's arm trembled uncontrollably. He pointed with trembling fingertips to the bottle beside him. Schiller poured him some more wine, and Jack picked up the glass and gulped it down, as if drowning his sorrows in alcohol to escape something terrible.

He turned his mouth down sharply and his eyes drooped, making a crying face.

"What if Batman laughed even louder than me..."

As he spoke, he slowly raised the corners of his mouth, his expression shifting from the cold and serious demeanor typical of Batman to a manic and playful one. His mouth curved wider and wider until it revealed his signature Laughing Man. He said, "Like this..."

"Then I'll kill him! Kill them all, let this world be destroyed! Bastards, die!" Jack violently tore at the hem of his clothes as if he were tearing a piece of paper. He became violent and sat there trembling uncontrollably.

Suddenly, his body stiffened, like a startled owl. He remained frozen, neck craning, turning his head to stare blankly at the doorway, saying, "You've come? Do you really think this day will ever happen? Waaah, I'm scared..."

Another Joker stood in the doorway, tall and handsome, but his face was also covered in a mess of paint. He had beautiful blue eyes and was looking at Jack, saying, "No, you don't need to be afraid. You know best..."

"Every night, you park your car and walk back to your house, which is full of railings. Every day you grab the railings and yell, 'Batman, let me out!'"

"You know where that is, that's Batman's heart, that's where you were born."

"He locked you in his mind and refused to unlock the prison door, so you said, 'Let's try another way, let's find another way to get him to open the door...'"

"So you came here, wanting to send the key in from the outside."

"But you didn't succeed. However, that was just your first attempt. There will be many more opportunities in the future. If you don't want to be locked up forever, then keep trying."

"How did you know?" Jack asked the Joker.

"How would I know? Of course I know..."

As he spoke, Jack opened his mouth in surprise, then began to tremble with fear. The Joker drew closer, and the light cast his Shade on Jack curled up into a ball.

He looked up and, with tears in his eyes, saw Bruce Wayne, dressed as Joker, grinning at him.

Jack stretched out his arms and waved them wildly, as if trying to smash the terrifying figure.

With a bang, the Joker Bruce fell to the ground. Jack was stunned. Behind the fallen Joker Bruce stood another Joker, gun in hand, smoke slowly rising from the muzzle.

"He's lying to you, Jack. He's making up a story. Can't you tell?"

Jack looked at the fallen Bruce Joker with a dazed expression and asked blankly, "If he lied to me, then what is the Truth?"

He said, very disappointed, "If I didn't escape from Batman's cage, then where did I come from?"

"Perhaps you should come from someone more like you..."

The man put down his gun, and Jack looked at him. It was also a Joker, but he was wearing a long black trench coat and holding an umbrella.

"Who are you?" Jack asked him.

"I am you, Jack. Haven't you seen me before? Or rather..."

"... Aren't you facing me right now?"

Jack turned around stiffly, let out a piercing scream, and threw his glass away.

"Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer! You monster, I hate you! Get away from me!!!"

"Don't do this, Jack..."

The voice was deep and gentle, as if trying to soothe him. He said, "Have you forgotten? You lived there for a long time. It was a spacious, beautiful house with over 330 floors..."

"The building is connected by a magnificent spiral staircase in the middle. You live on the 190th floor. Your room has a soft double bed with a dark green quilt and your favorite bat-shaped pillow..."

Jack seemed captivated by his description. He followed the figure towards the door, where the light bulb lit up, growing brighter and brighter until it transformed into a magnificent, enormous Chandelier.

Jack stepped out the door, his eyes stinging from the blinding light. He found himself in a brightly lit corridor. The floor and walls were black, but the blackness was fluid, interspersed with golden threads that shimmered like rays of light.

Stepping out of the corridor, you are greeted by a deep well and a spiral staircase at its edge.

The well is bottomless. Standing next to the railing and looking down, you can only see a faint golden light emanating from the bottom. The edge of the well is marked by spiral staircases leading down to the bottom and the entrances to corridors.

The sound of their footsteps echoed on the empty staircase, sounding somewhat abrupt.

They walked for a long time and then entered a long corridor with only one room in it. Pushing open the door, they went in and found a gray-eyed man sitting amidst a huge pile of documents. Seeing someone arrive, he said, "What, it's you... and you brought guests?... Need the elevator? Okay, 190th floor, go ahead."

As soon as he finished speaking, the floor beneath his feet vanished, and his consciousness began to freefall. The two plummeted to the ground, and Jack looked around. This place wasn't as grand and mysterious as the corridor they had arrived in; instead, it resembled an ordinary hotel floor. The floor was covered in dark red flooring, the ceiling was low, and the air was damp.

After many twists and turns, the two finally arrived at the doorway of the smiling man. The Joker's gray eyes looked at Jack, and the calmness and gentleness within them were captivating.

"See? Isn't this place wonderful? Let's open the door and go home..."

Jack mechanically raised his arm, then suddenly stopped, revealing a wicked smile.

The "thump thump thump" sound came from the end of the corridor. Another Joker turned his head and saw that the blue-eyed Bruce Joker had reappeared at the end of the corridor.

The gray-eyed Joker shivered. Standing face-to-face with the blue-eyed Joker in the hallway, the gray-eyed Joker said, "Bruce, go back! This isn't a place for you!"

"You're bewitching him, Professor. You're trying to lure him in. I won't allow it..."

"What right do you have to say that, Bruce? You want to wipe out all the criminals in the world, including this poor Joker. He just wanted to make you laugh. He did nothing wrong, yet you want to cruelly kill him..."

With two "whoosh" sounds, followed by a "bang," Jack, hiding in the corner, saw the gray-eyed Joker take out an umbrella, open it, and block the two Batarang.

The entire space began to collapse, and golden fragments turned into a rain of light that fell to the ground. Then, the bricks of the dark alleyway flew up and piled up to create another scene.

Jack saw that the puddles on the ground were like mercury mirrors, which reminded him of the fallen leaves that had not been taken away last autumn.

The blue-eyed Joker suddenly roared and turned into a cloud of black mist, baring his teeth and claws, looking extremely ferocious, while the gray-eyed Joker turned into a cloud of gray mist.

Two wisps of mist tore and snapped at each other, emitting a silent roar as they clashed and fought wildly in the sky above Hell. Jack stood below, looking up, and began to laugh silently until the cold rain soaked him to the bone.

"Oh, damn it!" Jack hurriedly stood up from his chair, brushed the spilled drink off his pants, and said, "I've been driving too much lately, my arms are killing me."

"It's okay, go get a cup from the cupboard, and I'll pour you another one."

Schiller picked up the bottle and said, as Jack turned away, Schiller's gray eyes reflected the golden luster of the liquor under the light.