The Joker's Performance

"Why so serious~"

The cold blade pressed against his cheek. Harvey could feel his skin being sliced open little by little, blood slowly trickling down the edge.

"You think you can scare me with tricks like this? I told you, you're nothing but a joke."

"Ah, yes, yes, I'm the joke that brings everyone the most joy~"

Joker paid no attention whatsoever to Harvey's mockery. He simply kept pressing down with the knife in his hand.

"Oh~ dear Harvey, if you say I'm a joke, why aren't you laughing?"

Just as Harvey felt the blade was about to cut all the way through his skin and pierce his cheek, Joker suddenly pulled back, babbling nonsense as he wiped the knife on Harvey's tie.

"Mm-hmm, I get it. You don't have to tell someone a joke to make them laugh. Telling it to someone they love is often a much better choice, wouldn't you agree~"

Suddenly, Joker made an exaggerated show of having thought of something, then immediately turned around and dragged Harvey's lover, Gilda, and an unfamiliar little girl over.

At the sight, Harvey, who had managed to stay calm until now, panicked.

"What are you doing! Come at me if you want someone! Let them go!"

Ignoring Harvey Dent's shouts, Joker hauled them up by their hair and turned them to face Harvey. Their hands were bound behind their backs, and tablecloths stuffed into their mouths kept them from making a sound.

"Ah~ ah~ ah~ time for a new joke! Which of these two will come out unharmed, dear, great, noble Prosecutor Harvey?"

The trolley problem...

The first words that popped into Harvey's head were "the trolley problem." He understood that Joker was handing the choice to him. As long as he chose, one of them would be saved.

But what would happen to the other was equally obvious.

"You... you..."

"You only have five seconds to answer. Five..."

"Enough, Joker! This ends here!"

Just as Joker began his countdown, Batman's gravelly voice rang out, accompanied by a powerful elbow strike.

With a crack, Joker's nose broke. His grip loosened as he flew backward and crashed heavily into a dining table, overturning it.

"Thank God, you're finally here..."

Seeing Batman arrive, Harvey finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had been about to lose his mind with worry.

But Batman had no time to talk to him. In an instant, he lunged back toward Joker and lashed out with a kick.

Bang!

A dull thud was accompanied by a sharp cracking sound. Had Batman's kick connected, it probably would have finished Joker right then and there. Unfortunately, Joker dodged at the last possible moment, leaving Batman's foot to shatter only the floor tiles.

"Cough, cough. What a warm embrace, wouldn't you say, my dear little prince of parties~"

After staggering to his feet, Joker didn't attack. He didn't even bother with his nose, which had been knocked crooked. Instead, he spread his arms and tried to hug Batman.

Of course, Batman wanted no part of that, so he instinctively threw an uppercut.

This time, however, Joker had clearly anticipated it. Twisting into a grotesque posture to evade the attack, he gripped his knife and stabbed toward Batman's kidney.

They were too close, and Joker was too fast. Even Batman couldn't dodge it.

Of course, he hadn't intended to dodge in the first place.

With a swish, the sharp blade sliced through the air and tore through Batman's body.

But Joker wasn't pleased. He hadn't felt the blade connect at all, as though he hadn't hit anything.

[Product name: Mysterio's drone (modified)

Price: $12,000/unit

Effect: Adds a small air cannon to its existing hologram projection capabilities, allowing it to deliver close-range blasts against enemies.

Note: Poor drone battery life is a common problem, so why not try installing a couple of Nanfu batteries?]

"Didn't think it'd get exposed this quickly. I thought it'd last a little longer."

In a corner by the entrance to the Red Dragon Restaurant, Zuo Ci held his equipment and watched the live feed on the monitor.

Since Joker was far too unpredictable, Zuo Ci had never intended to get anywhere near him. Instead, he had spent a little money upgrading the drone to buy some time.

He hadn't expected a single drone to take Joker down, but he hadn't thought it would be discovered so quickly, either. Joker really was hard to deal with.

Still, it didn't matter. Even if Joker had figured it out, he could keep fighting!

"Cough, cough... I didn't expect anyone at the party to have a present ready for the clown."

Realizing that the Batman before him was merely some kind of intangible projection, Joker immediately changed tactics. He pulled out several grenades and tossed them into the crowd.

"And now, it's time for the star to take the stage~"

"You ****** Joker!"

Whether Joker tried to run or kept fighting, Zuo Ci could have continued engaging him, even though the drone had already used up most of its battery.

But this sudden move was more than Zuo Ci could handle. The drone didn't have a bomb disposal function!

Left with no choice, Zuo Ci hurried into the restaurant and threw several objects at the grenades on the floor.

[Product name: Dave's Pumpkin Shield

Price: $5,000/unit

Effect: Can be applied to a wide range of targets, including humans, pets, and inanimate objects. Offers considerable defensive strength.

Note: Of course, pumpkins can break too, so don't try wearing one to watch a nuclear explosion.]

"Here you go!"

As soon as he spoke, several enormous pumpkin heads landed on the floor with a series of thumps, completely enclosing the grenades inside them.

BOOM!!!

Everyone tensed at the sudden explosion. Yet after that single blast, they realized that seemingly nothing had happened.

No, wait. One of the Pumpkin Shields that had suddenly appeared seemed to be missing.

"Four, five... out of five grenades, only one exploded. Mixing real ones with fakes. You really are something, Joker."

Being fooled yet again left Zuo Ci thoroughly annoyed. Fortunately, all the Pumpkin Shields he had bought this time were permanent versions, so he didn't have to worry about wasting them.

"Hmm? Who are you? A little Halloween sprite? But I don't think today's Halloween."

The unexpected interloper didn't spoil Joker's fun. Instead, he grew even more excited, like a child discovering a surprise at his birthday party.

Ignoring his still-bleeding wounds, he made an exaggerated show of knocking on an invisible door, like a mime.

"Knock, knock. Trick or treat~"

"Sure, I love handing out candy. Would you like one bat candy, or two?"