Bang, bang, bang!
Another barrage of gunfire rang out. At the Joker's command, the Joker Gang kept firing at the hologram Zuo Ci had created, but it still had no effect whatsoever.
"B-boss... maybe we should run..."
Faced with this ghostlike monster, the Joker Gang's thugs were starting to shake in their boots.
Following the Joker, they had done plenty of outrageous, downright insane things. They had even fought Batman several times.
But however terrifying Batman was, at least he had a physical body. When a bullet hit him, there was some kind of reaction.
What the hell was this thing in front of them? It was practically a ghost!
The Joker still said nothing in response to his henchman's question. He merely tilted his head and watched him, his thoughts unreadable.
"I gave you a chance. Since you didn't take it, don't blame me."
Seeing that they had stopped moving, Zuo Ci made the hologram raise its staff and aim it at them. The crystal at its tip gradually began glowing red.
"Fireball!"
"Get out of the way... aaah!!!"
Before the warning was even finished, an indescribably intense light swallowed them whole.
Different people would give different answers to the question of which human organ was the most fragile, but the vast majority would choose the eyes. After all, even light alone could damage them without anything touching them.
The blinding flash gave the Joker Gang members the sudden impression that they were staring straight into the sun.
Whether it was their imagination or not, they felt as though their eyeballs were melting.
"Aaah!!! My eyes! My eyes!!!"
"Stop screaming. I'm not done yet. Ice Seal!"
Still reeling from their blindness, the Joker Gang members instinctively tried to flee when they heard his voice. But a sound like a hundred thousand fingernails scraping a blackboard at once instantly pierced their eardrums.
"Aaah!!! My ears! My ears!"
The horrifying shriek made it feel as though a power drill had bored straight through their brains. Their souls seemed to have been shoved somewhere unspeakable while the Grim Reaper threw a party, and their entire bodies felt ready to split apart.
"Mm, good. That worked nicely. Now let's try my final spell, Storm Spell!"
Though they could no longer hear anything, the thugs still instinctively sensed that something even more horrifying was about to descend upon them.
This time, there was no blinding light or terrifying noise. There was only a highly concentrated mixture of chili and pepper spray.
As everyone knew, every person actually had a system-in fact, quite a few systems.
Among them, the immune system was particularly important. It helped fend off invasions by all sorts of bizarre viruses and kept the body healthy, making it arguably the human body's strongest shield.
But that shield was not invincible. Once something broke through it, the consequences were often unpredictable.
"Aaah!!! My... cough, cough, cough... I... urgh!!"
The instant the searing chili and pungent pepper entered their airways, their immune systems completely collapsed under the powerful assault.
Their mouths, nasal passages, throats, and even tonsils immediately became swollen and inflamed. Then their skin rapidly reddened and broke out in welts, leaving them round and swollen like soaked peanuts.
"Excellent. All wrapped up."
After watching the Joker and the Joker Gang go blind, deaf, and suffer severe allergic reactions, Zuo Ci nodded and put away the enormous flashlight in his hand.
[Product name: Multifunction Flashlight Price: $4,000 each Effect: In addition to its powerful light for normal illumination, this product offers various functions, including noise emission, self-defense spray, and electric shocks. It can also be upgraded multiple times. Note: Want more features? Then pay up!]
He had not had much money left to begin with. To resolve the situation quickly and reliably, Zuo Ci had chosen this flashlight.
So far, his choice seemed sound. It had worked extremely well-arguably a little too well.
All he could say was that, thankfully, he could limit its area of effect. If he had unleashed it indiscriminately, the elderly people crouching on the floor would probably have met God or Satan by now.
"Too bad its battery life sucks. One use and it's already dead. Whatever. At least the problem's solved."
He waited a little longer to confirm that none of them could get back up, then dismissed the hologram, changed into the clothes he had redeemed from the system, and stepped out.
[Product name: Cheap Halloween Wizard Costume Price: $30 Effect: An ordinary cosplay costume. Wearing it provides no special effects. Of course, if looking good counts as a special effect, forget I said anything. Note: You really know how to pinch pennies. Can't you buy something decent?]
"When it comes to money, save where you should and spend where you should. You can't just throw it around."
With the costume on, Zuo Ci looked almost exactly like the hologram from earlier.
Then he walked over to the hapless manager. After confirming that the man had not kicked the bucket yet, he stuck a bandage on his forehead.
[Product name: Low-Quality Bandage (single-use) Price: $200 per bandage Effect: Reduces the severity of negative effects such as wound deterioration after use. Effective for five minutes. Note: Don't question why a bandage has this effect. Remember the cartoons you've watched.]
After the bandage was applied, the manager's bleeding visibly slowed. He had originally had no more than three minutes left before he croaked, but now he looked like he could last another ten. That should have been enough to hold on until the ambulance arrived.
The system actually had plenty of items better than this bandage, including loads that could heal him completely in one go. But aside from Zuo Ci being broke at the moment, he would not have used them on this guy even if he had the money.
What a joke. If not for this idiot, he would never have needed to go to all this trouble. Letting him die a little slower was already more than generous.
"You knew I planted a listening device on you?"
Ah, that familiar style, that familiar approach, that familiar voice.
"No shit. You're Batman. You should know your own reputation. But why did you take so long?"
Turning around, Zuo Ci gave the hulking bat a puzzled look.
About ten minutes had passed since the Joker's arrival. It might not have seemed long, but for Batman, that was more than enough time. He should not have taken this long to arrive.
Even if he had only recently started out, he should not have been this slow.
"All the school buses were rigged with bombs. There were children on board."
Fair enough. Defusing bombs and getting here in so little time-what else could he say? That was the big bat for you.
"Enough chit-chat. Go arrest the Joker. Having him out on the loose all the time gives me the creeps."
At Zuo Ci's words, Batman's gaze shifted slightly, making Zuo Ci's skin crawl.
"What are you looking at? The Joker is your archenemy, okay? I don't want anything to do with him."
The attempt to draw him in failed. He's highly vigilant.
Seeing that he had failed to coax Zuo Ci into approaching the Joker, Batman realized he could not gather any more information for now. Without another word, he walked straight over to the Joker Gang.
"Ah, finally over. System, it's time to hand out the mission reward now, right?"
After leaving the situation to Batman, Zuo Ci stretched and turned his attention to his system.
He had little left of the money he had earned earlier. He needed to replenish it with points as soon as possible.
[Mission not yet complete. Reward unavailable.]
?
Just as Zuo Ci was puzzling over this, Batman suddenly called out to him.
"The Joker isn't here."
"Huh?"
Zuo Ci hurried over and looked down. Batman had pulled the mask off the "Joker" who had been wearing a purple suit and holding a hand cannon, but beneath it was nothing like that pale, grinning face.
"Wait, where's my Joker? Where did that whole big Joker go?"
Before you continue