Moonlight

Lincoln March was a paper character. He had never existed at all.

The Court of Owls created him. After being brainwashed, Lincoln March firmly believed that he was Bruce Wayne's younger brother, who had been born prematurely and lived for only twelve hours.

Martha Wayne often visited Willow Creek Hospital while she was alive.

She visited every child she sponsored, and that heart-shaped pin was a mark of honor. The Court of Owls used this evidence to convince Lincoln that he was Bruce Wayne's younger brother.

They slowly guided Lincoln March, telling him that he was a child abandoned by his parents and elder brother. Bit by bit, they nurtured Lincoln March's hatred for the Wayne family.

They had originally planned to use Lincoln March to seize the Wayne Group's fortune, but unfortunately, Bruce Wayne returned at that time—and the plan was shelved.

So they created Lincoln March and had him help them reshape the city in another way—"You will become the beak of the giant owl!"

But it was equally obvious that Lincoln March was not as obedient as he appeared. He sincerely wanted to possess the city, making him no different from the villains who wanted to control the entire city.

But when all was said and done, among the reasons Lincoln March opposed Bruce Wayne, aside from their irreconcilable conflict over control of the city, his hatred for Bruce Wayne amounted to little more than, "My brother forgot me."

And if Chen Tao told him a new story he had fabricated at this moment—"Your parents never abandoned you. Your brother never gave up searching for you. But the Court of Owls stopped all of it. They stole you from your hospital bed and caused the tragedy of your life."

How would Lincoln March's attitude change?

"Listen, Joker."

Scarecrow walked up behind Joker. "Batman is deliberately provoking you. He wants you to lose your temper and fight Bane. That would play right into Batman's hands."

He spoke extremely quickly. Even though he racked his brains, he had no confidence that he could calm the enraged Joker down. Lunatics like them were all highly emotional creatures. A normal person like him, who specialized in and studied fear, was instead in the minority.

Although he was a psychologist, Scarecrow truly had no experience dealing with a lunatic on Joker's level.

"Hahahaha..." He heard Joker let out a low chuckle, then begin laughing hysterically. "Hahahahahahahaha!"

With a clang, Joker suddenly leaped up from the ground and kicked the drone, sending it tumbling to the floor.

A nearby Joker gang member failed to dodge in time and was immediately knocked to the ground. Before anyone could react, Joker snatched a submachine gun from one of his men and opened fire directly at the drone and the fallen gang member. Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat...

The muzzle flash illuminated his pale face, and then the radio...

By the time Joker had vented his rage, only a corpse with its eyes still open and a pile of scrap metal remained at the scene.

Everyone present fell silent, trembling in fear.

"...Joker?"

Only Scarecrow dared to speak without fear. He asked tentatively:

"Your mental state doesn't look very good."

"I'm perfectly fine, hahahahaha... What could possibly be wrong with me?"

Laughing, he tossed the submachine gun back to the nearby henchman. Like an ordinary company boss, he bumped his forehead against the other man's to offer encouragement.

He smiled and said, "Batman is trying to provoke me with such despicable tactics... What an utterly foolish choice."

He said, "Crane, you don't need to treat me like an idiot. Do I look like the kind of lunatic who would lose his temper, do exactly what Batman wants, and immediately attack Bane?"

That's right. You are a lunatic. The probability of the above happening might be small, but it certainly isn't zero, Scarecrow thought.

Of course, he would never say such a thing in front of Joker.

So the taciturn Scarecrow merely nodded slightly before saying:

"All right, then what do we do next?"

"What do we do?"

Joker picked up a submachine gun. "What else? Our old bat has already calculated that we won't kill Mayor Carlo today—haha, hahahahaha!"

"So he has nothing to fear... Then why don't we go find him ourselves?"

"What? Then do you know where Batman's lo—"

Before Scarecrow could finish speaking, he saw Joker turn the radio over and search its back for a while. Then he found the address of the old Wayne Tower in Gotham.

"We're going straight into Wayne Tower."

He said it.

"This is very likely a trap." Scarecrow carefully examined the address that had been secretly placed inside the radio, then said, "Batman is practically challenging you openly. Going there now is definitely a trap."

The slender Scarecrow gave his opinion. "I suggest ignoring him. We shouldn't go there at all. It isn't worth risking ourselves."

Before he could finish, he saw the red eyes of Joker, and immediately knew that his words had been wasted.

"I told you, you don't understand me."

Blackness. Utter blackness.

"I don't laugh because you've never made me laugh."

Joker heard Batman say this in the darkness.

It was always like this. He and the Bat faced each other in the darkness.

Again and again, year after year. But this time, the other man had hurt him too deeply.

"I'm not listening to this ridiculous nonsense."

"Think about it, Joker. I lack a sense of humor, and I don't understand what makes a good joke. But that doesn't mean you're funny."

"Shut up!"

Joker cursed loudly. "Shut up! Bat!"

"I mean—prank buttons and fake flowers that spray water are outdated. Where are the new tricks? Making faces, taking off your pants, things like that."

"No, get out here!"

"You make me laugh only because you're so utterly pathetic—"

"Hahahahahahahahahaha—"

It began as a low, winding chuckle, then gradually rose in pitch.

Joker heard Batman's manic laughter. The sound chilled him to the bone, leaving him cold all over.

"Enough! Stop laughing! I won't allow you to laugh like that!"

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha----"

"So you fell into a vat of acid and decided to become a super-criminal? What, couldn't you get a job at the circus? Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"

"What's wrong? I thought the Joker always wanted Batman to laugh—"

"No, you're not Batman! Get out here!"

Then Joker saw that person. The Bat Demon King he had dreamed of day and night.

"You wanted to see me, didn't you, Joker? You wanted to make me laugh. Now I'm laughing, and you're unhappy?"

"I'm asking you..."

Joker saw Batman slowly remove his cowl.

Silver-white particles coiled around his body, creating a scene so dreamlike it seemed beyond the mortal world.

He heard Batman softly murmur, "I'm asking you, Joker..."

"Have you ever danced with the devil beneath the bright moonlight?"

With a clang, Joker dropped his gun to the ground. Beneath the bright moonlight, the Pale One gazed at that equally pale face...

As if he had fallen into an icy abyss.

Let's turn the clock back two hours.

Thanks to the great Sadoks for the ten-thousand-yuan reward!

Thanks to the great Bihua Bihua Bihua for the 1,500 Qidian coins!