Chapter 153: The Bat Joke That Never Gets Old

When the person on stage casually killed someone and waved in this direction, that familiar, cruel, and life-indifferent attitude instantly triggered a certain memory in Ma Ma Zhaodi's mind; a chilling coldness surged out, making his whole body break out in goosebumps and his scalp go numb.

After fighting for so long on Christmas Eve, how could he fail to recognize the other's parallel universe version, yet he never expected to encounter such a huge trouble immediately after arriving.

At this very moment, his eyes had adapted to the darkness; looking again at the person standing in the shadows—dark green curly hair, skin as pale as a corpse, a sharp nose bridge, two sharp and mean eyebrows, and lips as red as blood.

The slim-fitting black suit and trousers were of extraordinary craftsmanship, the fabric top-tier; the magnificent attire set off his figure as elegant and slender, the white shirt shining on his body, while the dark purple vest and those gloves were the perfect finishing touch, diluting the suit's scholarly feel and adding a touch of stage presence.

Does the Joker in every world dress so damn well?

This sudden, nonsensical thought made Ma Ma Zhaodi look down at himself: a sweater plus jeans, draped with a plain coat; color and style were never considered, with nothing eye-catching except warmth, focusing entirely on being cheap and comfortable.

Using this daydreaming, Ma Ma Zhaodi finally managed to calm his mood slightly; he took a deep breath to soothe his body, then began focusing on observing the Joker on stage—and then his eyes widened again.

The other's signature smile had actually vanished.

The Joker isn't smiling? Oh my god, where exactly did this business trip send me? Is this still Gotham?

At this time, a man in front of him finally shrank forward; his steps were somewhat unsteady, his body trembling; it was clear he was not particularly willing to participate in this joke performance.

Only then did the system's prompt sound in Ma Ma Zhaodi's ears.

【Ding】

【You have a new gig available, please check】

【The Joker Who Cannot Laugh

Mission Description: How strange would a Joker who can't laugh be? Perhaps no less than Grandi becoming sensible; or Gotham City with unlocked doors and no one picking up lost items; or Constantine no longer screwing over allies; or Batman suddenly laughing.

Note: You don't need to make him actually laugh; in fact, the Joker's frowning face is quite amusing, proving one thing—smiles don't disappear; they just transfer from one person's face to another's.

Status: Pending (0/1)

Reward: Local identity of the current universe *1】

The mission requirement was to complete this joke performance facing the Joker; that wasn't too hard; the difficulty lay in surviving after the performance ended—Ma Ma Zhaodi was very certain that given the power of the. 45 caliber (equivalent to 11.43 mm) revolver in his hand, if a large-caliber bullet hit his vital area, there was a certain probability he would meet his great-grandmother.

Looking more closely at this local identity, it turned out to be a member of the Gotham Police Department; starting with an official identity that came with a salary and the right to fire freely, undoubtedly, this was a mission that had to be done.

After reading the panel, Ma Ma Zhaodi instinctively looked at the Joker on stage; the other had already raised his revolver again, apparently not very satisfied with the comedian's joke on stage.

"What to do? Act directly? Can I save the person in time? If the Joker shoots wildly, can I protect others nearby?"

In a flash, thoughts flashed through Ma Ma Zhaodi's mind; after about half a second, he quickly made a decision.

"Upgrade 【I Did Not Kill】, use it on the Joker."

【Understood】

Bang!

The bullet left the barrel; a blood-red flower instantly bloomed on the comedian's chest; he stumbled to the ground—the bullet had pierced him through, leaving a hideous wound, and blood immediately gushed out from it, staining the stage floor red.

Seeing the "Skill Activated" prompt on the panel, Ma Ma Zhaodi finally breathed a sigh of relief; although he couldn't save the previous person, at least he saved this one.

"Next."

At this moment, the Joker's voice sounded; he waved at Ma Ma Zhaodi with a frowning face: "Please come on stage."

"Alright."

Huh?

Hearing the reply, the Joker turned his head and looked at Ma Ma Zhaodi carefully again.

This guy seems a bit off.

He saw the man wearing cheap street-market goods walk out from among the formally dressed actors, calmly step into the spotlight, and tilt his head at the corpse on the ground.

"Should I clean it up?"

The Joker waved his hand indifferently: "If your joke needs it, you can leave it."

"Then forget it, no need."

Ma Ma Zhaodi bent down, skillfully hoisted the "corpse" on stage, and casually threw it into the pile of corpses below the stage; there, bodies lay scattered in all directions, blood under the pile almost forming a small puddle. Neither his expression nor his movements showed the slightest tension; the entire process could even be described as "practice makes perfect."

This made the Joker now start to suspect whether this guy had some side job—or perhaps being a comedian was his side job?

Thinking of this, he licked his lips with some anticipation: "Alright, alright, Mr., what is your name?"

"Ma Ma Zhaodi."

"Oh, Asian—let's begin, Mr. Ma Ma Zhaodi."

The Joker placed his hand on the revolver at his waist, then said: "I am ready to laugh heartily."

Ma Ma Zhaodi had been carefully observing the surroundings during the opportunity just now.

Point one: On the stage, behind the stage, and even in the audience seats, no one else was visible; that is to say, the Joker had no accomplices.

Point two: Many corpses were already piled below the stage, indicating this death performance had been going on in the theater for quite a while.

Point three: The Joker controlled dozens of comedians single-handedly, making absolutely no restrictions; no one's hands or feet were bound, yet not even a single person tried to resist.

Point four: Currently visible, the several doors leading out of the theater did not seem sealed, merely simply closed; escape was possible.

Everything indicated that the Joker's control method was not just the gun in his hand.

"Poison gas? Bombs?" Ma Ma Zhaodi thought in his mind: "As soon as anyone tries to escape, the Joker will immediately activate this control method and kill them."

"Mr. Ma Ma Zhaodi?" The Joker's voice suddenly sounded: "Is your performance over? Is this your joke? A moment of silence?"

"No, not started yet." Ma Ma Zhaodi shook his head: "Sorry, I was just thinking about which joke to tell."

"Then, have you thought of one?"

"Oh, here it is, I have a very short but very funny joke." Ma Ma Zhaodi replied: "One day, the Joker asked Batman, 'Who is your greatest enemy?'"

"Batman said: Super—"

"Shut up!"

The Joker's gunshot immediately rang out.

PS: The book is starting a new volume, so the first chapter is released early to facilitate chapter arrangement; the second chapter will still be released tonight.

(End of this chapter)