One-Faced Two-Face

"Harvey Dent."

When Batman spoke that name, both Zuo Ci and Gordon froze.

"What? Joker is going after Two-Face?"

"What? Joker is going after District Attorney Dent?"

They spoke almost simultaneously, then froze again almost simultaneously.

"Gordon, where is Harvey now?"

Though he was intrigued by the name "Two-Face" that Zuo Ci had mentioned, Batman had no time to dwell on it. Finding Harvey came first.

"Today is Harvey and his wife's first wedding anniversary. They booked a table at the Red Dragon Restaurant... oh my God!"

Gordon instantly realized something, too. He pulled out his phone to call Harvey Dent and check on him, but, unsurprisingly, no one answered.

"I'll take a team over right away. Batman, I'm leaving Harvey to you!"

The situation might have been even more urgent than they had imagined. Gordon wasted no more words, turning and running downstairs to get the officers moving immediately.

He knew his team would probably be too late, so he could only entrust the most important task to Batman.

Batman wasted no time either. He turned to leave, but Zuo Ci stopped him.

"Wait, take me with you! Harvey might already be dying. I can save him!"

Zuo Ci's words did not slow Batman in the slightest. He simply reached out, grabbed Zuo Ci by the collar, and jumped off the building with him, landing inside the Batmobile.

"What a headache. What a goddamn headache."

In the sealed rear seat of the Batmobile, Zuo Ci rubbed his temples, trying to sort out the situation.

It had been less than twenty-four hours since he had crossed into this world, and he had already run into all this crap. He wasn't Batman. He needed some time to get his thoughts straight.

First came the question of which universe this was. DC was like Marvel-or rather, American comics generally shared the same problem: countless alternate universes, with storylines too tangled to describe.

During the Joker Gang's bank robbery, Zuo Ci had wondered whether he was in the world of Batman: The Dark Knight. After all, it had looked an awful lot like the movie's opening.

But Joker's failure to appear in person afterward had shattered that theory. Now, he was more likely in some parallel universe Zuo Ci knew absolutely nothing about.

Then there was Harvey Dent. Though he still didn't know the details, judging by what Gordon had said earlier, Harvey probably hadn't become Two-Face yet. He was still Gotham's district attorney, its respected White Knight.

That was good news and bad news.

The good news was that there was one less supervillain, and one more trustworthy good man and potential ally.

The bad news was that he might be about to become Two-Face, with Joker personally handling the transformation. Zuo Ci didn't even dare imagine what kind of monster might emerge.

God, please let things still be salvageable.

Looking at his meager reserves, Zuo Ci felt utterly drained. If things really were beyond saving, all the money he sank into this would go straight down the drain.

"What are you thinking about?"

As he drove, Batman continued observing Zuo Ci, trying to draw more information out of him.

"I'm worried about running out of money. Hard to save people when you're broke."

"You need money?"

Batman keenly picked out the crucial point in Zuo Ci's words. Without money, saving people became difficult. Did that mean his powers were tied to money?

"What else? What in this world doesn't cost money? Even magic and miracles come at a price, you know.

"Honestly, paying money is about the smallest price you can pay."

Zuo Ci spread his hands helplessly, looking utterly innocent.

Magic and miracles come at a price...

Batman carefully considered those words. What Zuo Ci had just said matched his knowledge of the occult, but the prices others paid seemed greater and far more terrifying. Paying with money... this was the first he'd heard of it.

He made a mental note.

"How much do you need?"

"To be safe, a hundred thousand. We still don't know what condition Harvey is in. If it's really bad, even that might not be enough."

Batman didn't reply. He simply pressed a button, and a card popped out into Zuo Ci's hand.

"A hundred thousand. No PIN."

"Okay, we're good. Give me a moment."

After putting away the card Batman had given him, a strange smile slowly spread across Zuo Ci's face, hidden deep beneath his hood.

Heehee, all according to plan!

Batman thought he had baited information out of him. In reality, Zuo Ci had deliberately let Batman do it.

Zuo Ci knew perfectly well that even if he said nothing, Batman would discover these things sooner or later. Rather than let that cause problems down the line, he might as well reveal some of it now.

Besides, volunteering the information could leave Batman with the impression that he wasn't particularly bright, making it easier to squeeze money out of him later.

Of course, Batman might know perfectly well that he was deliberately revealing it. But the money was already in his hands, so that didn't matter.

"Batman, how long until we get there?"

"Thirty seconds."

"Okay, that's enough. Let me get ready."

As Gotham's most exclusive wealthy neighborhood, the Diamond District had always been home to the rich. Naturally, its restaurants were exceptionally upscale, especially the Red Dragon Restaurant.

Apart from a handful of major figures, even the supposedly superior elites had to book ahead to dine there, and even then, a reservation wasn't guaranteed.

But to those elites, that little inconvenience was a necessary investment. After all, they couldn't possibly go somewhere as lawless as the East End. They might get robbed halfway through their meal.

They just never seemed to consider that they could get robbed here, too.

"Party time~"

Watching the "superior" elites cowering on the floor, Joker stretched his pale face into a blood-red smile that looked like an open wound.

He was very pleased with the party he had so carefully prepared. Now, all he had to do was wait for his dear little birthday prince to arrive, and the delightful games could begin.

"I've seen plenty of thugs and brutes. I've been threatened and shot at from the shadows more than once, but I'm still standing.

"So do you really think you can defeat me with these vile tricks? You're nothing but a clown for people to laugh at."

In the center of the restaurant, Harvey Dent hung upside down from a chandelier, glaring furiously at Joker.

Harvey was smart. The fact that he was the only person in the entire restaurant strung up like this told him that Joker had been targeting him all along.

That was why he was deliberately provoking Joker. If he truly became angry, his attention would slip, buying Gordon and Batman more time.

"Woo-hoo! My dear Mr. Hanged Man, thank you for the compliment. I am indeed a clown who loves bringing joy to others.

"But why don't you look happy?

"Why... so... serious~"