Newcomer: Toyman

Batman endured the pain and bent down to help the female clerk, who was still on the floor clutching her stomach and laughing wildly, to her feet.

The clerk seemed incapable of doing anything but laugh, with no sense of danger whatsoever.

Batman's staggering was enough to make her laugh. The corpses all over the floor were enough to make her laugh. Even the bomb beeping urgently was enough to make her laugh!

The two staggered around the corner, narrowly escaping the explosion.

BOOM!!

The blast wave from behind knocked them to the ground.

"Ha ha ha..." The woman was still laughing, coughing amid her laughter.

Tears from her coughing, drool, upturned lips, and two neat rows of teeth formed a picture called "bizarre."

Batman silently stared at her face, his expression grave.

"It's some kind of neurotoxin." He had identified the problem just as he reached out to touch the clerk.

"Ha ha ha... Hic!" Her laughter abruptly stopped.

She was dead.

Yet the dead clerk's face was still piled with a smile.

Her unfocused pupils stared at Batman.

"Joker!"

The armored truck tore out of Gotham Merchants Bank.

Joker spun the steering wheel wildly, cackling.

He knocked over two Christmas trees by the roadside and sped away amid the towering sprays of water from two fire hydrants.

"Why didn't you kill him?" Li Zu sat in the passenger seat, holding the Meat Saw that was still making Joker's shoulder bleed profusely.

"What could be more interesting than making a self-proclaimed hero face reality?" Joker's voice was full of pride. "In the end, he'll understand that no one in this world is undeserving of death, and no one is incapable of killing~ Hahahaha!!!"

Batman's bottom line was never killing, while Joker looked forward to making Batman break his own rule—even if the person Batman killed when he broke it might be Joker himself!

He was a madman. As long as he could drag something into darkness and find it interesting, that was enough for him.

Joker believed Li Zu would understand him.

They were the same kind of person.

Could there be two Jokers in this world? Of course. Anyone could become the Joker after learning too many truths, or becoming mad enough.

Joker had formed this idea because Li Zu had ignored the gun pointed at him earlier, and his eyes had revealed an indifference toward life and death.

It was precisely that "madness" that made Joker believe Li Zu was a mad dog, a mad dog just like himself.

"You really do have twisted tastes." Li Zu put away the Meat Saw and shrugged.

His true confidence was completely different from what Joker imagined.

He was actually very afraid of death. It was just that something else had given him confidence.

World Exploration Progress 60%

Revives +1

Gotham,

Christmas,

0:55

The bell hanging at the entrance of the department store began to sway.

Its jingling tried to summon a reindeer sleigh.

Bzzz~

What approached was the roar of a car engine, not a reindeer-drawn sleigh.

The car drifted to a stop and smashed through the department store's doors. The driver's door swung open, and Joker, wearing a Black Mask, jumped out. His voice had shifted from strange and crazed to much more "proper," like the Black Mask people knew.

He said to Li Zu in the passenger seat, "Want to meet the other friends? Our new quarterly review meeting is about to begin~"

Li Zu pushed open the passenger door.

The one-eyed mercenary had left after receiving his share of the payment, and Joker had not stopped him at all.

Joker did not want to provoke Deathstroke. He could tell Deathstroke had no interest in the truckload of cash, and he had no interest in Deathstroke either.

Besides, his madness was completely useless against Deathstroke.

Li Zu patted the red Christmas hat on his head.

He smiled. "Of course~!"

Gotham City Hall.

A massive Christmas tree, like the one in Flashpoint World, decorated the holiday, along with gift boxes tied with bows and sparkling star ornaments...

On the fifteenth floor.

Inside an office controlled by Black Mask's thugs.

A group of people had gathered there.

"Well, well, well~"

Black Mask clapped his hands. "Killers, assassins, and arsonists... Hmm, welcome to the first-quarter Kill Batman technical review meeting~"

He stood before the table.

A cake sat on the table, divided into four slices.

"First, let's welcome a new member. Please introduce yourself~~~"

"Black Mask's" voice was extremely high-pitched, and his raised arms trembled.

The other three turned their gazes toward Li Zu, who stood to one side wearing a Christmas hat.

"Merry Christmas~"

Li Zu stepped from the corner into the center of everyone's attention.

"Allow me to introduce myself." He held a toy gun in his left hand, and his swaying manner of introduction made the other three frown.

"Now is the time to take out Batman, not recruit some yellow-skinned monkey," said the burly man in a black mask in a muffled voice.

He was extremely disdainful of Li Zu. Even the way he looked at Black Mask, the "boss," was filled with contempt.

On the other side, the burly man sitting in a chair and wearing electrified gloves stood up.

Electrocutioner, a terrifying man who attacked with high-voltage electric gloves.

The arcs dancing around his fists possessed a strange pull that could make one's heart stop.

"Can this guy take down Batman? With a toy gun?"

Electrocutioner strode heavily toward Li Zu.

Blue arcs flickered between his spread fingers, and the air turned scorching hot.

His hand reached for the toy gun in Li Zu's hand.

Bang~

The bullet struck Electrocutioner in the shoulder, bursting into a vivid spray of blood.

The toy gun had become a real gun.

Electrocutioner froze as well. He could not withstand bullets.

"I'm not here to steal your job. I just wanted to... take a look at you interesting people." Li Zu looked at the other two.

The man in the black mask was Bane.

The arsonist clad in specialized gear and holding a flamethrower was Firefly.

"Mm, mm~"

Li Zu suddenly thrust his gun forward, pressing it against Electrocutioner's brow. "What do you think you can do besides shoot electricity? Take down Batman and collect the bounty?"

"Careful~" Electrocutioner slightly raised his hands, signaling Li Zu to be careful so the gun would not accidentally go off.

Bang!

A crisp gunshot rang out. Electrocutioner's right leg buckled, and he dropped to one knee.

It was "Black Mask" standing behind him who had fired. But he had now removed the Black Mask, revealing green hair and a crazed smile.

"HAHAHAHA!!"

He rapidly fired several shots into Electrocutioner.

With a thud, the body hit the floor, and Electrocutioner completely lost all signs of life.

"Four slices of cake. Now it'll be easier to divide~" Joker picked up a slice and took a bite. "Mmm~~, I love this flavor!!"

Holding the cake, he comically imitated a British gentleman and raised a hand to invite Li Zu over.

Li Zu turning a toy into a weapon, and "Black Mask" suddenly becoming a green-haired freak—both events had thoroughly shocked Bane and Firefly.

"Allow me to introduce myself."

Li Zu cleared his throat. A smile appeared on his pale, frail face. "You may call me,"

"Toyman!"

(End of Chapter)