American comics: Starting in Arkham, a system-based Batman

Chapter 77 Silence is Cambridge tonight

Chapter 77 Silence is Cambridge tonight

Mentor Batman neither confirmed nor denied Zheng En's guess, asking, "Do you think that's the Joker's real name?"

"Let's give it a try; it's the only way."

How could Jung Eun know something that even the screenwriter couldn't predict? She could only take it one step at a time, hoping to help the Joker get back to the killing line before he was born.

It's good that the Joker wasn't born!

The Joker has been created, so there's nothing we can do about it. Let it be.

Although she didn't think things would be that simple, Jung Eun wouldn't be satisfied without giving it her all. "There are also circus clowns and chemical plant employees."

"Those with wives should also pay attention. You never know, someone might quit a perfectly good job to pursue their dream of becoming a comedian, only to fail and end up on the verge of death. By the way, I think this is called the Alice Thread here."

Zheng En knew more about Gotham than Batman had anticipated, but to say he was wary of him was an understatement—as the other man trusted him just as deeply.

"I will look into it."

Batman agreed to Zheng En's request, but he also had his questions: "What exactly is your background?"

He didn't ask at first because he didn't think Zheng En would tell the truth, but after spending more time together, he gradually changed his opinion.

"Huh? You didn't know?" Zheng En was shocked. He had never hidden his abnormality and thought Batman had already figured it out.

"—I do have this inference."

This wasn't the first time Batman had encountered someone like Jung Eun who trusted him so much, but the other man's candid attitude still left him speechless. "In your world, we're just characters in a comic book, aren't we?"

"Yeah, just like Marvel here."

Fun fact: DC and Marvel have interspersed Easter eggs in each other's publications. Batman can be linked to Spider-Man, and Captain America can be linked to Superman.

This world retains this setting, which also makes it easier for Jung to describe to Batman, "In my previous world, you all came from a comic book company called DC, which first created Superman, but its name, Detective Comic, comes from you."

The world's greatest detective.

"Like Marvel, DC also has various branching storylines and parallel universes. But regarding the Joker, no publication has yet been able to definitively say who he is."

At this point, Zheng En couldn't help but complain, "I don't know if the editorial department saw that the Joker was popular, so they added all sorts of fancy tricks, and the intensity in the later episodes is almost off the charts."

"Even the Möbius Chair, which knows everything about the universe, doesn't know his origins, is that right?"

Zheng En felt powerless, but as a reader, he was actually very clear about the editorial department's thoughts.

Batman gains experience rapidly as he travels with the Justice League, a group of aliens, demigods, and superpowered individuals. And since the Joker is portrayed as Batman's nemesis, the other side of the same coin, he naturally can't be left out.

Just like in a certain male-oriented online novel a decade or so ago, when the protagonist leveled up, the people around him would also automatically level up and rocket to new heights.

Zheng En could only pray that the clown, who was currently hiding in some unknown corner, wouldn't have accomplished such a feat. "In any case, let's try to nip the possibility of the clown appearing in the bud."

"In the most widely circulated origin story, the Joker was originally just an events manager at a chemical plant who quit his job to pursue his dreams," he said, referring to the version with the fatal joke. "But unfortunately, he failed. Without a source of income and with his wife pregnant, he accepted the criminal gang's offer to wear the Red Hood for money."

"It's the kind that happens tonight," Batman murmured. His memory was incomplete, and he could only recall fragments when Jung Eun brought it up.

"Yes, before committing the crime, he received news that his wife had died from an electric shock caused by a bottle warmer. He wanted to back out but there was no turning back, and then, while being chased, he jumped into a chemical pool in a panic."

"And that's how the Joker was born."

Batman picked up where he left off, which didn't surprise Zheng En. After all, his mentor Batman was clearly a veteran of countless battles, and these were likely things he had personally experienced in the past.

"I want to see if I can make a change before he joins the Red Hood gang."

Even if the clown might be born from someone else, Jung Eun wanted to give it a try; after all, trying wouldn't kill her.

"I see."

Batman agreed and then fell silent, but Zheng En had no intention of ending the conversation there.

Having a rare opportunity to talk about things before he traveled through time, he became more talkative. "Speaking of which, DC and Marvel are actually mortal enemies with a love-hate relationship. In some crossover publications, they've even become a couple."

Batman: "Huh?"

"I remember a cover where the DC Universe was modeled as a woman and the Marvel Universe as a man —" Zheng En recalled a video she had seen before, "and they even got up from the same bed."

Batman fell silent, wanting to say so much, yet unsure of what to say for a moment.

Silence, silence is Cambridge tonight.

Zheng En caught Batman and started rambling on about things before he time-traveled, like how Warner Bros. was being inhumane, Marvel was about to end, the DC Extended Universe was still making origin stories, Superman was rebooting again, and Batman was still making detective movies—

"Detective movies are good, but I'd still much rather see the Justice League assembled!"

That night, Jung Eun went to sleep with resentment towards DC.

Thanks to Batman and his help, those who attended the charity gala did not suffer significant losses. Although they were somewhat shaken, most of their belongings were recovered.

After all, the items were taken out shortly after they were put into the robbers' sack, and there wasn't even time to dispose of them.

Before he could even savor the money and jewels he'd acquired from the upper class, Batman and a whole bunch of robbers had already taken him to the police station.

As for the subsequent handling results—

"According to our reporter's follow-up report, all suspects involved in the charity gala robbery on the evening of October 15 have been arrested by the GCPD."

In a small house where a secondhand television had recently been installed, several children were arguing and fighting over the remote control. The child who got the remote control held it high, and a hand reaching out from the side tried to snatch it away, but instead pressed a button on it.

The channel suddenly switched to a news flash broadcast by an unknown radio station.

"According to reliable sources, Batman, who has been rumored to be involved in the operation to capture the Red Hood gang, made an outstanding contribution by rescuing Bruce from his kidnapping and notifying the GCPD to arrest the kidnappers."

"Meanwhile, some prisoners claimed that Batman is not human in the true sense, and that he is aided by vengeful spirits, ghosts, or demons during his actions."

The Gotham Police Department stated that this was pure nonsense, a hallucination caused by an overdose of addictive drugs. However, some believe it is related to two recent incidents of people being hung from heights, with the victims claiming it was the work of ghosts after being rescued.

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