Chapter 178: If You've Got the Guts, Come Out and Fight One-on-One!

Why would an ordinary person be remembered by the Joker?

Even if the greatest detective or Batman himself were to solve this, he would likely find no answer, because as stated before—a madman does not need the logic of a normal person; even if he is smart enough to understand normal logic, he remains a madman.

"Mr. Joker, I am very glad you still remember me, uh, extremely honored."

"I once read some comics; they were funny, at least they used to be—have you read comics, Chuck? There was a 'Chuck Brown' in there; I found that quite amusing at the time."

"Well..."

"But now, they mean nothing, not a single laugh, Chuck; do you still find them interesting?"

"I didn't—"

However, the Joker seemed not to care about Chuck's answer at all; he just kept talking to himself, and without waiting for a reply, he began chattering on again.

"Nine authors sit on a boat; one jumps into the river; how many creators are left?"

"What?"

"The answer is none; the rest are all plagiarists—is this a joke, or a riddle?"

Listening to the Joker's question, Chuck stammered, unable to speak.

The next night, inside the bar.

Ma Ma Zhaodi sat at the counter drinking orange juice and eating steak—it turned out Riles' cooking skills were quite good; although not up to Ma Ma Zhaodi's skill level, the taste was still quite delicious.

Since he didn't have to cook himself, Ma Ma Zhaodi ate quite happily, but Riles was not so happy; every time he saw the glass of juice next to Ma Ma Zhaodi, he felt a bit annoyed.

"Kid, can you go eat in the corner?" He tapped the table: "This is a bar, not some children's restaurant."

"Another one, please."

Ma Ma Zhaodi took out a fifty-dollar bill and handed it to Riles along with the empty glass.

"No problem."

Riles swiftly took the bill, pulled a bottle of orange juice from under the counter, and poured a glass for Ma Ma Zhaodi.

Ma Ma Zhaodi shrugged; he didn't want to buy such overpriced orange juice either, as it looked silly, but since he had to wait for someone here and he didn't drink alcohol, he had no choice.

Just as he lifted the glass, he suddenly set it down again, because someone had arrived—but it was not Chuck.

A super-muscular man wearing an orange shirt and loose jeans, his body bulging with muscles, walked over; his bulk was nearly that of two whole people, and if Ma Ma Zhaodi hadn't heard a hint of the other's background, he would almost suspect this guy was Bane.

"Kid," he said in a muffled voice: "Don't drink orange juice here, and don't eat steak here—get out."

Ma Ma Zhaodi looked at the remaining orange juice in his cup, then looked at the big guy beside him, reached out to pick up the cup, and aimed it at the other, as if considering where best to splash it.

Seeing his movement, a trace of imperceptible panic appeared on the muscular man's face.

"Finish your orange juice quickly, then scram."

"That's not impossible," Ma Ma Zhaodi shrugged: "But I just spent fifty dollars, and the steak cost another fifty, making it one hundred dollars total; if you want me to leave, you'll have to compensate me."

Anger immediately surfaced on the muscular man's face, but glancing at the men and women drinking in the bar and the bottles of wine on the shelf, he ultimately suppressed his rage.

"Want to come out and fight one-on-one, kid?"

"No, I can't beat you."

Ma Ma Zhaodi answered righteously: "But if you dare to start trouble proactively, the boss will kick you out."

At this moment, Riles nearby had already grabbed the shotgun from under the counter, though he hadn't raised the muzzle yet: "Kid, I don't care what grudge you two have, but don't cause trouble in my bar—Big Guy, him drinking his orange juice, how does that affect you?"

Obviously, one side was a regular customer and tenant, while the other was a stranger; Riles could decide whom to support without even thinking.

The muscular man gritted his teeth, then actually took one hundred dollars out of his pocket and handed it to Ma Ma Zhaodi: "Is this enough? If so, leave."

"Enough, enough, the boss is generous."

Ma Ma Zhaodi chuckled, drained the orange juice in one gulp, then stuffed the steak into his mouth in two or three bites, finally wiped his mouth, and walked straight out the bar's main door.

After going outside, he first took out his phone to check it, then hummed a tune as he headed in the direction of home.

That muscular man followed him out, and only after seeing Ma Ma Zhaodi disappear around the street corner did he take out a mobile phone and make a call.

"Hello—Boss, yes, that guy has left, hmm, correct, he probably didn't notice me."

Chuck was walking on the way to the bar.

He had only arranged a meeting with the Joker yesterday, but the time was not set for today; the other party also needed to make some preparations, so Chuck's life today remained unchanged, and he still planned to go to the bar to get drunk.

"Ding—"

Just as he was halfway there, a crisp sound suddenly came from beside Chuck's foot; he felt his toe seemed to have kicked something.

"What is this?"

He looked down and saw a small square outline on the ground, sparkling under the streetlight.

"Hmm? Someone's lighter?"

He picked up the lighter from the ground; it shone brightly, but felt very light in his hand, not made of iron, but cheap plastic material.

It also had a logo with a kite pattern; that logo was very good-looking, but likewise not from any famous brand, probably produced by some unknown small workshop.

"Hmm, this kite looks quite pretty—what is installed in this space? A small plant seed? This design is truly special..."

Chuck toyed with the lighter, looked around for the owner, but could never find them; after thinking carefully, he still put it into his pocket.

"Probably the owner doesn't intend to specifically come back looking for such a cheap lighter."

He walked with light steps toward the bar.

"Eh? Ma Ma Zhaodi didn't come today?"

When Chuck arrived at the bar, he discovered that Ma Ma Zhaodi, who had been frequenting the bar during this period, was missing, and his mood immediately turned bad.

Losing a drinking buddy was naturally sad, but he was even more worried about another matter—last night, after getting drunk, he had told Ma Ma Zhaodi about Batman's plan, which included arranging a meeting with the Joker; although the other party had expressed disbelief at the time, Chuck could not be sure whether he was lying.

If Ma Ma Zhaodi believed what he said and decided to avoid danger, or planned to use this to gain some benefit, then of course he wouldn't come today, because he knew this place was about to become the core battleground between Batman and the Joker, possibly today, possibly tomorrow.

Either situation could cause deviations in the plan.

"Hey, Riles," he called out to the boss: "Give me a tequila—why didn't Ma Ma Zhaodi come today?"

"He did come, but was chased away by a big guy," Riles pushed the wine glass toward Chuck: "That guy is truly a jerk, but he really does look strong."

"Big guy?" Chuck, while breathing a sigh of relief, also recalled the large man he had seen at the bar entrance.

"Orange shirt, jeans?"

"That's right—what, did you see him?"

"I saw him. That guy is indeed dead strong."

Chuck and Reels talked as they drank, just as they always did.

At this moment, a pair of eyes was quietly peering into the bar's interior through the window.

(End of this chapter)