The blade was stuck in the iron table, emitting a faint tremor.
The rusty tabletop was pierced by the Blade, cracks spreading outwards along the blade. The Joker's finger stopped less than half an inch from the tip of the blade.
V suddenly stood up, and the two short guns at his waist slid into his hands at the same time.
Harley Quinn put down the bottle, twirled the scalpel between her fingers, and finally placed it firmly on the back of her hand.
But the Joker simply looked down at the knife and nodded.
"You're right."
This statement stunned both V and Harley Quinn.
The Joker raised his head and looked calmly at Chen Mo.
"I am not qualified to let you join my operation without compensation. My words just now were offensive."
"Honey, you apologized so quickly, what about the threatening lines I prepared?"
Harley Quinn raised the scalpel, a hint of regret on her face.
"Put it away; I don't want this engraved on your tombstone."
The Joker replied casually, then looked back at Chen Mo.
"Dude, I know what you really need."
Chen Mo looked at him and couldn't help but laugh.
He reached for the dinner knife on the iron table, twirled the blade between his fingers, and then casually tossed it to the ground.
"You... know what I need?"
Chen Mo pulled out a chair and sat back down, his tone full of sarcasm.
"Dude, you can't even handle two mortals like Nite Owl and Luthor, yet you have the audacity to talk about studying my life needs?"
V's lips twitched.
Harley Quinn turned her head away abruptly, her shoulders starting to shake uncontrollably.
"Why are you laughing?"
Harley Quinn tried her best to keep a straight face.
"I just think he makes a lot of sense."
The Joker wasn't angry.
He picked up the chipped soup bowl again and slowly took a sip of the now-cold broth.
"I really don't have much ability."
So you admit you're bad at the game?
I admit I wasn't prepared enough.
The Joker put down the bowl, his tone calm.
"However, your needs have nothing to do with whether I'm a novice or not."
"Then tell me, what do I need?"
Chen Mo raised his hand, signaling him to continue.
The Joker was silent for a few seconds.
You are tracking down someone.
Chen Mo's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Continue."
"That person had a communicator with a black crystal."
The Joker's voice wasn't loud, but it gradually quieted the air in the hall.
"He likes to contact people this way, and he also likes to laugh out loud after the conversation ends..."
Chen Mo tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, and as he pondered, a sense of oppressive power began to emanate from him.
The smile on Harley Quinn's face gradually disappeared, and V subconsciously sat up straight.
Chen Mo looked at the Joker, pondering how things would unfold.
He did indeed follow the trail left by that guy to reach this cyber universe.
According to Nite Owl's records, the mastermind has left the same traces in several, even dozens or hundreds of worlds. The other party seems to be constantly looking for collaborators, and those chosen are all extremely selfish, ambitious, or already possess powerful forces.
That's how Nite Owl are.
The same applies to villains who wield power in other worlds.
I never expected that this would fall on the Joker.
"Your world is quite interesting."
Chen Mo looked at the Joker, his voice turning somewhat cold.
" Nite Owl and Luthor practically divided the world, possessing everything while also harboring great ambitions. Then that mysterious person, instead of seeking out anyone else, specifically came after you."
"A whitewashed version of the Joker eats nothing but scraps every day and pays his men with IOUs."
Harley Quinn blinked.
"V, what does 'whitewashing' mean?"
"It's like someone who might have been a bad person before, but now suddenly wants to be a good person."
"Oh! Is that so? Then maybe I count too?"
"You? What were you mainly responsible for before?"
Harley Quinn thought about it seriously.
"To make people laugh, occasionally replacing the anesthetic gas in the hospital with nitrous oxide."
She paused, then added, "But that hospital went out of business later, so it shouldn't be my responsibility, right?"
V raised her hand and covered her face.
The Joker ignored the two people beside him who were interrupting.
He looked at Chen Mo through the white mask and said softly:
"Of course, I didn't agree to it."
Chen Mo's fingers, which were tapping the table, stopped.
"He contacted me again after that."
After those words, Chen Mo fell completely silent.
The machinery in the distance of the hall was still running, the intermittent sound of gears meshing could be heard. Red lights swept across the faces of several people, illuminating the Joker's smile.
Chen Mo was organizing the information he had just received.
The mysterious person contacted the Joker, but not Nite Owl or Luthor.
Is it because the Joker possesses some special value?
Or is it because the changes in this universe have exceeded the other party's original plan?
Or perhaps, this Joker isn't as simple as he seems on the surface?
Chen Mo glanced at the Joker again.
He was certain that the Joker wasn't lying.
"You mean, he proactively sought to collaborate with you?"
"I guess so."
What are the conditions? What about the compensation?
He didn't offer any conditions or compensation.
The Joker tapped his fingers lightly on the table.
"He just told me that someone who doesn't belong here would be coming to Night City. He also said that as long as I bring you to him, all my problems will be solved."
"Damn, just those two sentences? Sounds like a scam call."
I think so too.
"Then why are you still talking to him?"
"Because he knows my true identity."
The Joker paused for a moment.
"They also know when I'm planning to make my move."
Chen Mo's gaze darkened completely.
This is no longer an ordinary observation.
The other party could lock onto him across worlds and also know the Joker's action plans in advance. More importantly, the black crystal seemed to possess some kind of stable cross-dimensional communication capability.
After investigating for so long, he finally caught a clue.
But the other end of this line was clearly connected to a more troublesome guy than expected.
"So, you're planning to hand me over?"
Chen Mo slowly stood up.
Of course not.
The Joker answered quickly.
"I want to work with you."
What kind of cooperation?
"You help me destroy Nite Owl and Luthor, and I'll help you find the person who contacted me."
The Joker stared straight at him.
"In this way, we each get what we need."
Chen Mo nodded happily.
"That's interesting. I didn't expect him to be able to predict this far. I'm becoming more and more curious about him."