The Amusement Park's Judgment

"Gotham City has been getting better lately."

That was James Gordon's most immediate impression recently. Ever since Bane's uprising had been ended with thunderous force by that mysterious "new" Batman, whose methods had changed so drastically, the city's crime rate had plummeted at an unbelievable speed.

Street robberies and gunfights had nearly vanished. The gangs that had once entrenched themselves in every district had either disappeared without a trace or tucked their tails between their legs, even beginning to learn how to run legitimate businesses. For the first time, Gotham's nights had become so "quiet" that Gordon found himself unaccustomed to it.

Yet Gordon's heart remained shrouded in an inescapable gloom. He knew that the deepest madness in this city, the embodiment of chaos, had yet to be caught.

The Joker had vanished.

Today, a bizarre missing-person case drew Gordon's attention to the long-abandoned Seaside Amusement Park on the outskirts of the city. His instincts told him that the green-haired lunatic had to be behind this.

He came here alone in a police cruiser. The air was thick with the stench of rust and rotting seawater. The faded carousel and Ferris wheel stood beneath the lingering sunset like silent, grotesque giants, casting twisted shadows.

Gordon drew his gun and cautiously entered the infamous hall of mirrors.

Suddenly, piercing, spine-chilling laughter erupted from every direction! Countless twisted, distorted faces painted with Joker makeup appeared in the mirrors, spinning and sneering at him!

Bang!

Before Gordon could react, a heavy blow struck the back of his head. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness completely.

When he woke again, he found himself tightly bound to a cold iron chair. Across from him stood a tall, thin figure in a flashy purple suit, with green hair and thick makeup smeared across his face. He held a camera, its lens trained on Gordon.

It was the Joker! He was back!

"Good evening, Commissioner Gordon!" the Joker laughed in his uniquely shrill, neurotic voice. "Don't be nervous. We're just filming a little movie, a true work of art! It's called... Reunion of Old Friends! And the stars, of course, are me... and your best friend, my dear Batboy!"

He turned the camera toward Gordon, his face blooming with manic ecstasy. "Come on, Batboy! Look at the surprise I prepared for you! I've strapped enough C4 to your beloved police commissioner to flatten an entire city block! Tick-tock... tick-tock... You have ten minutes to come play this passionate, spark-filled reunion game with me!"

Just as the Joker was crazily monologuing into the camera, immersed in the drama he had directed himself, an unexpected change erupted!

Rumble—!!

An entire wall of the hall of mirrors was smashed apart by an unstoppable, terrifying force! Countless shards of glass blasted inward like a torrential storm!

Amid the billowing dust, the black Batmobile, like an armored beast from hell, crushed through the rubble and charged inside with an utterly unmatched, domineering presence!

Its doors rose upward like a demon's spread wings. Two figures emerged, one from each side.

On the left was Batman, clad in the latest black heavy armor, as steady as a mountain, every step seeming to stamp upon the human heart.

On the right was Red Hood, wearing a scarlet metal helmet and radiating undisguised savage killing intent, a gun in each hand!

"Oh-ho!" Rather than feeling the slightest fear at the sight, the Joker clapped excitedly and laughed so hard he bent over. "Buy one, get one free? Double the surprise! Batboy, you finally made a new friend? Or is this... your long-lost little bird that I played with until he broke?"

"Shut up!" Jason roared, raising his hand and firing without hesitation!

The bullet struck precisely at the Joker's feet, spraying a burst of glaring sparks.

Bruce and Jason exchanged no words. With astonishing coordination beyond language, born from blood and shared hatred, they moved at the same time!

Bruce became a phantom, leaving an afterimage where he stood as he rushed toward Gordon, bound to the chair. High-frequency cutting blades sprang from the gloves of his V8.03 suit. Within a fraction of a second, he severed every rope and bomb wire binding Gordon, then dismantled the complex explosive device into a pile of scrap metal.

"Get down!" Bruce growled, shoving the still-dazed Gordon behind solid cover.

Meanwhile, Jason had already unleashed full firepower! With a gun in each hand, he moved through the cramped space like a death artist dancing on a blade. Every bullet struck with precision into the knees or shoulders of the Joker Gang thugs rushing out from the shadows!

Screams rose one after another! In less than ten seconds, every thug had lost the ability to fight, writhing on the ground in agony. Yet not a single one had died. This was Jason's silent promise to Bruce.

After finishing all that, the two of them—one black, one red—advanced slowly, step by step, on the Joker, the only one still standing in the center of the room, like judges returned from hell.

The Joker watched them, and the insane smile on his face only became more radiant. He spread his arms as though embracing his most perfect masterpiece, embracing the fate he had awaited for so long.

"Come on! Come on! Let me see what you've become, Bruce! Let me see what kind of transformation my death can bring you!"

Bruce walked to his left, and Jason to his right.

The two exchanged a glance. In each other's eyes, they saw the same coldness and resolve. Then, they raised their heavy combat boots at the same time!

Crack!

Crack!

Two crisp, grating sounds of bones breaking rang out almost simultaneously!

The Joker's legs were snapped cleanly beneath their boots, one foot each! The twisted angles declared that those legs would never recover.

"Ah... ha... hahahahahahaha!!"

The excruciating pain did not draw even a scream from the Joker. Instead, it sent him into unprecedented, hysterical laughter! He collapsed to the ground, his body convulsing violently with uncontrollable laughter, physiological tears streaming from his eyes.

"Yes! Just like that! Just like that!!" He pointed at Bruce and shrieked excitedly, his voice cracking with emotion. "Bruce! You finally... finally replaced someone! This is the Batman I wanted! Look at your eyes now, filled with pure killing intent! You can't wait to kill me, can you?!"

He gasped violently, a dreamlike, sickly flush spreading across his face.

"I had a dream, Bruce... a very, very beautiful dream!" he said nervously, as if sharing an earth-shattering secret. "In that dream, I killed Gordon, killed the parents of every happy family in Gotham, and then I forced you... forced you to snap my neck with your own hands! At that moment, the purest, most refined toxin in my heart entered your body! You became me! A more perfect me! We became one! Together, we killed all your little birds, killed the Justice League, and turned the whole world into our amusement park! Wouldn't... wouldn't that be beautiful!"

He looked at Bruce with seduction and anticipation in his eyes, as though inviting him to complete that "beautiful" dream and fulfill his ultimate work of art.

Bruce looked at him. Beneath his mask, the corner of his mouth curved into a cold smile filled with endless mockery.

"Heh..."

Bruce let out a very soft laugh, as though it had risen from the depths of hell. He bent down beside the Joker's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Joker, I know what you're thinking. I also know what that 'dream' in your head is about. Batman Who Laughs, right?"

For the first time, the Joker's laughter caught in his throat.

"But," Bruce's voice grew colder still, "I won't kill you with my own hands. That would be letting you off too easily. It would be indulging your fantasy."

"You want me to become you? No, you're wrong. I won't become you. I'll let you live—live with a clear mind—and watch how I use my own way to grind every bit of the 'chaos' and 'jokes' you cherish into meaningless dust, little by little."

"I know every mad thought in your head. And you will know nothing about me. This is your greatest, eternal torment."