Chapter 117: The Playful Madman

Scarecrow, Jonathan Crane, possesses exceptional talent in psychology and chemistry; like most Gotham supervillains, his childhood misfortunes left him with severe psychological trauma. As a psychiatrist and the manufacturer of fear toxin, he also knows well how to inflict mental trauma on others.

So, who is the person opposite him?

The Mad Hatter, Jervis Tetch.

Jervis, born a dwarf, once took an experimental drug on the market hoping to restore his height to normal standards; however, the drug failed, instead turning him into a madman from a pathological standpoint, and he also went bald. He spends his days fantasizing that he is in the fairy-tale world of Alice in Wonderland, convinced he is the Mad Hatter within it, using a tall hat to cover his bald head.

Villains who make a name for themselves in Gotham naturally have their own unique skills: Scarecrow has fear toxin, the Joker has madness and chaos, Poison Ivy is the voice of the Green, and the Mad Hatter possesses a brainwave controller—even though he has gone mad, his own intelligence supports him in creating this bizarre device capable of controlling ordinary people's minds and behaviors.

Although the device must be placed on the hypnotized subject's head to take effect, its control results are indeed excellent; besides ordinary people, dozens of superheroes and super-criminals have fallen victim to it. It is worth mentioning that those with sufficiently strong willpower can break free from the control on their own.

Scarecrow's hat contains no brainwave controller, so he naturally feels no fear toward the Mad Hatter; the Mad Hatter interrupted the nursery rhyme he was singing, which put him in a very bad mood.

"Cake!" "Tea?"

"Cake!" "Tea?"

"Gentlemen." A voice arrived along with footsteps, stopping the two supervillains from arguing like children.

"I spent so much time and effort helping you leave Arkham early, not for you to argue about cake and tea."

The two turned their heads to the side; the Roman slowly emerged from the shadows, his gaze sharp.

"We have business; it concerns the Gotham Bank vault."

【Ding】

【You have a new gig; please check it】

Ma Ma Zhaodi looked at the suddenly popping system prompt and was momentarily stunned.

"Triggering another gig in the middle of one—does that make sense?"

Although he said that, eavesdropping is indeed not a task that completely ties one's hands; since there is automatic recording, listening later during free time poses no problem.

So Ma Ma Zhaodi opened the mission introduction for this gig.

【The Mad Duo on Independence Day

Mission Description: For madmen, the joy of planning a heist far exceeds the final loot; the money casually taken is merely a settlement item after clearing the game—though, come to think of it, no one besides madmen dislikes colorful bills.

Note: Although the enemies are a mad duo, this mission requires no one else; you can handle it yourself—it's time to show the tactical level of a PVZ master! (This mission is time-limited; please complete it before Batman arrives at the scene.)

Status: Incomplete (0/1)

Reward: Basic Mental Resistance】

"Basic Mental Resistance?"

Ma Ma Zhaodi opened the shop to check; this reward is also worth 100,000 dollars in asset points, on the same tier as Intermediate Physical Enhancement.

"Increasing resistance to mental attacks—specialized against the old man in the wheelchair?"

He thought for a moment and roughly guessed who this mission was targeting; after all, the Gotham Police Department had already launched a bounty on Scarecrow and a search for the Riddler, and such large-scale search operations make a huge stir.

"Independence Day, bank vault—hmm, this is Gotham's signature event; so why choose this exact moment to pull off a heist? Afraid Gordon won't catch them?"

Ma Ma Zhaodi's thoughts yielded no answer, while Scarecrow, the Mad Hatter, and Falcone's plan continued to proceed with full intensity.

Independence Day, not far from Father's Day, arrived very quickly.

Selina and Bruce discussed life at Wayne Manor; after Harvey returned home, he did not forget to continue eavesdropping on Maroni and Vernon; Chief Gordon still could not find Scarecrow or the Riddler, yet he also went home normally after work on this day—after all, it was Independence Day.

This holiday is quite grand for America; on this day, the atmosphere in Gotham City is lively, with various vehicle parades and magnificent fireworks displays taking place in Gotham. Walking on the street, Ma Ma Zhaodi could even see a family spanning several generations driving cars, floats, horse-drawn carriages, large toy cars, and so on, all parading together.

Various noisy sounds entered his ears; Ma Ma Zhaodi felt like the Nian beast on New Year's Eve, about to be driven out of the city by citizens with firecrackers. Although he had trained to maintain normal movement under such conditions, noise is still noise, and the sounds on the street were still very uncomfortable.

Today he decided to temporarily not take his wheelchair out on the street, because that outfit was too conspicuous; even amidst the colorful parade, he was the only one using a wheelchair as transportation, making him easily recognizable by gangs.

He strolled along the streetside, wearing a plain short-sleeved T-shirt and shorts—the summer heat had not yet passed, and Gotham remained muggy.

Lowering his head slightly so others wouldn't notice his face, Ma Ma Zhaodi at that moment truly looked like an ordinary passerby wandering the streets, drawing absolutely no attention—of course, one could also say it was acting in character.

Hiss—Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sounds from the sky interrupted Ma Ma Zhaodi's thoughts; firework shells flew toward Gotham's night sky, then exploded with loud booms, turning into colorful sparks. The brilliant fireworks immediately attracted countless Gotham citizens to look up; every year's fireworks are equally beautiful, and people have watched them for so many years, yet they never tire of the sight.

Even the somewhat irritable Ma Ma Zhaodi could not help but look up; this was a sight he had not seen since arriving in Gotham. Once upon a time, he could see fireworks exploding across the sky every Chinese New Year; he had also stood in the courtyard with relatives and friends, holding long firework tubes, adding a few colors to the brilliant display.

Chief Gordon, sitting on the sofa, put down the newspaper clipping in his hand and walked to the window; Barbara also came out holding little Gordon and carrying their daughter. The group looked at the beautiful fireworks, and joy appeared on their faces.

After a short while, Gordon finally reacted; he checked his watch, then looked at the clock tower in the distance, his face showing a puzzled expression as he unconsciously muttered a few words.

"How strange; the time clearly hasn't arrived, yet all the fireworks in the city have been launched early."

"Could it be a few playful children causing trouble?"

(End of Chapter)