Chapter 101: The Fool's Riddle

"Who is the Holiday Killer?"

He held a cane, wore a round hat printed with a large question mark, green gloves, a green suit, and slim trousers; a black eye patch covered his face. His entire being was a riddle—do not misunderstand, his whole body truly was "riddles," for his green suit was covered densely with question marks of various sizes.

St. Patrick's Day had already passed; his attire had nothing to do with the holiday. He wore green simply because he liked to dress that way.

The Riddler, Edward Nygma, the person with the most problems in all of Gotham City, and possibly one of the most hated supervillains. This was not because he was as evil and chaotic as the Joker, but mainly because he was so annoying.

A narcissist, a sick man, someone hopelessly driven to display his intelligence and clever riddles. Most of the time, the only thing he wanted to do was show off his intellect, which caused him to leave clues and riddles at every crime scene.

A madman who deliberately committed crimes and left clues every single time, a madman forever wanting to prove he was smarter than Batman. Many of the riddles he left were challenges to Batman, yet each time he was ultimately caught and sent back to Arkham. Yet the very fact that he could engage Batman in a battle of wits was enough proof of how smart he was.

Ma Ma Zhaodi looked at the Riddler's face on the left half of the system screen and subconsciously recalled that dialogue about him.

"If you didn't leave riddle clues, wouldn't you avoid getting caught?"

"I don't want to go back to Arkham Asylum either, but... I can't control myself. I might need help... perhaps I really am crazy."

He even used words like "might" and "perhaps"—this man was truly not quite right in the head.

Ma Ma Zhaodi subconsciously thought of certain games he had played. That damn Riddler had scattered his riddle trophies all over Gotham, densely packed and numbering over a hundred, all hidden in every nook and cranny. To catch him, one would have to find all those things, a task that drained the mind and exhausted the spirit.

This was also the reason everyone shouted from the bottom of their hearts, "Riddler, get out of Gotham."

However, the right half of the screen was no slouch either.

"Who is the Holiday Killer?"

A low voice murmured to himself. In his Batcave, facing the case files on his computer, he asked the same question as the Riddler.

Two voices intertwined and echoed. If Ma Ma Zhaodi had not triggered this system gig, he would likely never have witnessed such a scene where two of the world's top, most brilliant minds clashed with such perfect synergy.

Although one was in an office and the other in the Batcave, they seemed unusually in sync at that moment. Their guesses intertwined; even across different spaces, it felt as though they were in the same room, jointly playing a game of deduction.

【The Wise Man's Game of April Fools

Mission Description: April Fools' Day—on a day when everyone tells lies, someone seeks the truth. Is that not a very strange thing?

Note: The Stupid Bar does not accept actual fools. It is time to prove your strength, bro.

Status: In Progress (0/3)

Reward: For every inference object proven true or false through deduction, and for every completed deduction, gain one level of "Acting Mastery." After completing three deductions, gain Advanced "Acting Mastery."】

Ma Ma Zhaodi sat in his own home. He certainly lacked the courage to eavesdrop on either the Godfather or Batman. Fortunately, the system was humanized enough to display both of their images simultaneously, without requiring him to install surveillance devices himself.

On the other end of the screen, the Riddler stared intently at the table before him, still conducting his own deduction.

"It is a riddle—shattered into scattered tangram puzzle pieces—wrapped in riddles—hidden inside a Chinese box."

On the right side of the screen, Batman's actions mirrored the Riddler's exactly. He too stared at the table before him, which similarly held various festive items.

"The clues were all left at the murder scenes. These things can be easily obtained from any cheap goods store, or made by anyone. They were selected to represent the date of each killing."

Pumpkin lantern

"Halloween."

Cornucopia

"Thanksgiving."

Champagne flute

"New Year's Eve"

Red chocolate

"Valentine's Day"

Green magic elf figurine

"St. Patrick's Day"

"All are holidays, just like today—April Fools' Day."

Ma Ma Zhaodi grabbed a handful of popcorn and stuffed it into his mouth: "Right, right."

The Riddler examined the. 22 caliber pistol in his hand, ignoring the two imposing figures standing beside him.

He curled his lips: "A riddle."

Batman used a machine to test an identical pistol. An elderly man in a tuxedo stood behind him, fiddling with a. 22 caliber pistol.

He spoke without expression: "A killer."

Ma Ma Zhaodi grabbed another handful of popcorn and stuffed it into his mouth: "Wrong, wrong."

"Question." The Riddler had arrived at his favorite part: "Why does the Holiday Killer always use the same weapon?"

"Answer: He bought them wholesale."

Ma Ma Zhaodi grabbed another handful of popcorn and stuffed it into his mouth: "No, no. The person wholesaling that stuff would have been thoroughly investigated by Batman long ago."

"Or, let's take a more practical angle—these. 22 caliber pistols are light and easy to carry, most suitable for a—lady."

"A Catwoman."

"During that break-in last June, she opened Mr. Falcone's safe, so the list and ledger recording the names of everyone in the 'Roman' Empire were all in her hands. Plus, Mr. Falcone immediately placed a million-dollar bounty on her head. Suddenly, her best defense..."

"... became active offense."

"No, no." Ma Ma Zhaodi shook his head: "Catwoman is a thief, not a killer. In the second case, the dead Irish mobster didn't even belong to the Falcone family. Killing someone like that makes no sense. On Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day, the victims were all Maroni family members. The target points directly at Maroni—the motive is wrong. It's not Catwoman."

【Mission Status: In Progress (1/3)】

The mission progress increased by one. Ma Ma Zhaodi continued watching the screen. At that moment, another name popped out of Batman's mouth.

"Maroni."

"From the very beginning, all these killings have benefited Sal Maroni—the main rival of the 'Romans' controlling Gotham City."

"He weakened the Falcone family, and each murder grew bolder."

"Who else would shoot Mr. Falcone's own son in the back on New Year's Eve?"

(End of Chapter)