The Death Knell

What is clownphobia? Why do people in this city have a phobia of clowns?

In the past, a long time ago, this term was not equated with that smile. Everyone knew that the clown was a funny, mysterious, and mischievous character.

But in the past few years, more and more people in Gotham have developed clown phobia, and again, this fear can only go in two directions.

One is to continue to swallow the news and do everything in one's power not to lose one's life when this dark city falls into chaos.

The other is to have hallucinations similar to Stockholm Syndrome, start worshiping the clown, start laughing together, and gradually become him.

The image of the clown appears in the records of various civilizations, from the Celestial Dynasty to Rome, from the indigenous to the upper class. Comedy usually comes from people's greedy desires for food, sex, alcohol and violent behavior.

Sometimes vulgar things are funnier, and clowns are the ones who carry these jokes, and this kind of funny that points directly to human nature always makes people feel a little too naked and full of malice.

But Gotham is different, and he reflects this society in strange ways.

I don't know if it's Gotham's good luck or bad luck. He rarely makes vulgar jokes. What he likes is darker methods.

Year after year, day after day, that laughter always echoes in this concrete forest.

His expression of comedy has gradually changed the meaning of the word clown. Now people on earth will think of him first when they think of clown.

Comedy is a kind of communication, not deception. A smile reflects a person's true emotions, rather than a mask that blocks their emotions, making them look pure and evil.

The clown's repertoire has never been about malicious attacks, he represents love.

When you look at him, you will feel that you are slowly approaching a place full of love and joy, and then you will find that this love is true and not false.

However, this love is so crazy that no one except Batman can accept it.

A qualified actor must love his audience. He has always worked hard to make Bat laugh, while Batman is always serious.

This only makes the Joker crazier and crazier.

"Have you ever seen him smile?" The clown scratched his back with the revolver and shuddered comfortably. A curious smile appeared on his face. He squatted in front of Barbara and looked into her eyes.

The sky was gradually covered by dark clouds, but his face was still pale and clear. Barbara looked at him. Although she tried her best to restrain herself, fear was still unavoidable in her eyes.

This look will only disappoint the clown. What he wants is never fear, he wants to see others smile.

He used the barrel of the gun to pull the red bomb in front of him, and the clicking sound of the timers became clearer: "Tell me the answer, and I will take away a bomb for you. In this way, there will only be 99 left at your feet." Alright, haha."

"Uh-huh!!!" Barbara shook her head violently. She tried to kick the bombs with her feet, but it only made the red hills squirm a little.

The clown covered his forehead and sighed toward the sky.

"I was wrong, I forgot that you were still gagged, hahahahaha..."

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand and pulled away the dirty cloth from Barbara's mouth, stuffing it into his chest pocket like a handkerchief. Then he opened his eyes wide and stretched his neck, waiting for Barbara's answer.

Barbara gasped. Her movable parts were from the neck up to the ankles. I heard that people in the old west liked to tie people like this and put them on the railroad tracks, and the steam monster would cut off their heads cleanly.

"Of course, he smiled at each of us, but not you, clown, not your kind!"

The clown looked at the sky, shaking his head like a bobblehead: "You don't understand him at all. You don't understand him. You think you understand just by flying around with him, but that's not the case."

"Bah!" Barbara spat at him.

But the clown didn't dodge at all. On the contrary, he didn't retreat but moved forward. He got closer to Barbara, put his face against hers, and rubbed it gently.

"Batman is real, but Bruce Wayne is the disguise. Bruce smiled at you. It was just a false smile on the mask. It was just an expression that Batman thought the fake identity would perform at certain times."

The clown curled her hair with his fingers and whispered softly in her ear. He could feel her temperature, her trembling, a life, a comedy.

"Only I understand him, only me! Hahahahahaha..."

The Joker patted Barbara on the head, laughed, bent down, and actually took out a detonator from the pile of explosives at her feet and deactivated the timer on it.

Although his hands were shaking badly, no accident occurred. It was like Barbara didn't give him the answer he wanted, but seeing everyone else being deceived by Batman was enough to make him laugh.

This answer deserves a reward. It doesn't matter what others think, but he is a person who likes to keep his word.

He dropped the detonator bundle in his hand and clapped his hands, as if he had remembered something: "By the way, he will definitely come to you. I still have a show to prepare, so I won't be here to accompany you, hehehehe ......."

The clown laughed strangely and looked at Barbara with gloomy eyes. He stepped back step by step, raised his arms and one leg, and made a charging posture in preparation for starting. Then he smiled and ran in quickly in a funny posture. The woods disappeared.

....................................................

"Your satellite images look like a guessing game." Bobo ruthlessly complained to Oliver. The surveillance picture on the screen seemed to reveal something from any angle.

Tilt your head to the left, maybe you see a snowflake butterfly? He tilted his head to the right, and what he saw seemed to be a camouflage camel.

All in all, the surveillance footage sent back by the satellite cannot be said to be useless, but it is too blurry. Four people underground are like watching a mosaic on a screen. Useful information occasionally appears in one or two frames, but it is not enough to be continuous. picture.

"Fortunately, I probably guessed that this would be the result." Su Ming touched his chin and looked at the screen calmly. It was good that the Green Arrow satellite did not crash and kill his friend inexplicably: "That's it. It’s enough for me.”

Oliver shook his head in frustration: "I'm sorry, this satellite has not been maintained for too long. I don't understand this very well."

"It doesn't matter, this information is just a supplement to the reasoning. I'm not Batman, and I don't need that much exact information to act." Su Ming patted him on the shoulder: "Now disassemble the equipment, and let's move the useful things to the Rock of Eternity. Go, especially those canned beans with tomato sauce, the kids will definitely like them.”

Diana was a little confused about what the so-called children were. Bobo explained a few words in a low voice, and she soon showed a helpless and doubtful expression.

She wasn't sure about others, but Damian had been pampered since he was a child and had the best food. Would he really like something like this that costs a few dollars for a jar?

Even if she didn't have much common sense, she could still find that the shelf life on the cans was fake no matter what, and Oliver, who was unlucky, seemed to have bought a fake...

Oliver stood up from the box and walked towards the signal receiver on the side: "Then what should we do? Just wait quietly?"

Su Ming was selecting cans, obviously a little bulging: "The Laughing Bat is here to win, he treats everything as a game. And the only one who can win him, except bats, is a madman. Harley is in my hands now. , and Batman and the Joker are both in Gotham. If nothing goes wrong, Laughter will appear there, at least to send out another Dark Knight."

"Well, there are 52 known Dark Multiverses, and there are even more unformed ones. Last time we eliminated four Dark Knights, and according to theory, there are still 48..." Diana hugged Carrying a small box, he walked up to Su Ming and said.

"Earth minus 11 can be ruled out. There are people defending there, and Batman will not have any problems. There are still several ruined worlds with no living people left, so if we are optimistic, there are probably more than 40 bats left. The situation of Xia is unknown, but based on the ratio of half and half, that is, twenty will join the Dark Knights."

Su Ming took the small box and comforted Diana.

She is different from ordinary women. She doesn't need any optimistic statements, just let her know the truth.

Bobo scratched the top of his head and put on his detective hat again. The previous rain made his shirt and suit stick to his body, and there were long hairs on them, which was very uncomfortable.

As for what Deathstroke said, just do it. He didn't need to know too much, so he changed the topic: "Oliver, all the medicines you have here have expired."

Oliver nodded and showed a nostalgic look: "Yes, I haven't been here for a few years. This was the place where I docked when I returned from overseas, and my father's ashes were also carried on the ship... "

Green Arrow looked at the dim hall, and a melancholy atmosphere spread over it.

Bobo and Deathstroke looked at each other, and he bared his teeth, saying that this was really a tragedy. This kind of person who is immersed in his own tragedy in the past is really dark.

"Okay, friends, get moving. We need to lock down Laughter's location as soon as possible. Luthor's geographical advantage has not been cracked for a day, and the Justice League can't do anything about him. The same goes for us. We can't find Laughter, and it's impossible to defeat him. Get up." The orangutan turned and ran away.

Su Ming also nodded and confirmed the orangutan's statement. He is not the only one who is currently invincible, but the enemy is also the same.

Batman and the others need to put out fires all over the world, and now they are at the bottom of a trap. No matter whether the enemy pours poison or urinates into the trap, he can only adapt accordingly.

This strategic disadvantage was a yoke of his own choice as a hero.

Fortunately, Diana has a somewhat paranoid view of justice. She regards the elimination of enemies as the best means to implement justice. Oliver's inferior satellite is not without its benefits. At least it will not see the tragic deaths of Gotham citizens. She naturally I won't leave the team because of this.