"Don't you have a way to turn that damn thing off without killing him?"
Dane was almost amused by his words. He retorted to Batman in an exasperated tone:
"Leaving aside whether magic is that convenient, even if it were possible, why would I do that?"
He pointed at Joker's nose: "I've already killed him once anyway, so what if I kill him again?"
"But I don't want to do that now, Bruce, you said this is your city."
"Do you want me to protect your city? Then what's the point of you, Batman?"
He sneered, "I think Jason does a much better job than you on this point."
Jason!
Dane's words seemed to suddenly open Batman's mind, and he immediately called Jason.
Although they had barely interacted since the Scarecrow incident, Jason hadn't visited Wayne Manor again.
But Bruce had still found Jason's contact information through his own methods, he just had never called.
This time, as soon as he called, Jason picked up within seconds.
"Jason..."
"I already know what's happening. I'm dealing with the Rainstorm problem now. That's it!"
Batman didn't even have time to speak before Jason finished his words in one breath and hung up.
It was then that Dane said, gloating:
"I recorded what you said when you confronted Joker and sent it to Jason first thing this morning."
"You see, I told you he's far more suited to be the Dark Knight of this city than you."
Batman couldn't bother to settle scores with him; if he wouldn't help, Batman could only figure it out himself.
He roughly dragged Hush and escorted him to the Batcave.
When he appeared there, Barbara even thought he had changed his mind and was somewhat happy.
"I found the thing. Shine an X-ray on this guy's chest."
Barbara looked at Hush, who had a strange smile, and bravely did it.
Dane was right; the device that could stop the miniature bomb's timer was installed on Hush's heart.
This must have been Joker's own idea, and he didn't know how he managed it.
Could it be that Gotham General Hospital also had Joker's followers?
This was not impossible!
Thomas would absolutely not design such a trap at the cost of sacrificing himself.
But this also indirectly showed that his control over his body was getting weaker and weaker.
However, when it came to life safety, Thomas briefly broke free from Joker's control.
He continued to play Bruce's childhood friend, reaching out to Bruce pleadingly:
"Please, save me, save me Bruce!"
Looking into his friend's eyes, Batman felt a pang of compassion; he hadn't been prepared to sacrifice him.
But Dane didn't let them stare at each other. He glanced at the time.
He kindly reminded, "Only five minutes left, Bruce."
"That's right, you don't have much time, Xiao Bian Fu."
Thomas's pleading face turned into Joker's cunning smirk.
"But... Thomas is innocent."
"Heh." Dane found it ridiculous and exposed him without ceremony.
"Do you think Joker is capable of putting something like that in Dick's head?"
"Who is the real Doctor, aren't you very clear?"
Batman finally slumped his shoulders in defeat. Yes, if it weren't for Thomas... if he hadn't actively cooperated, how could Joker's plan have succeeded?
With Batman's intelligence, he should have thought of it long ago.
Only Thomas and Joker working together could push him to such a desperate situation.
Of course, there was also Dane. This was a trap designed by three people, completely caging him.
Batman had no way out.
Dane looked at the time and reminded, "Three minutes."
Joker enjoyed the expression on Batman's face, revealing a pleased smile.
But in the blink of an eye, his expression turned gloomy, and Thomas came back online.
"No—!"
He realized Joker's purpose; this madman didn't care about his own life.
But Thomas didn't want to die: "I will never die, Bruce!"
With that, Thomas kicked Batman.
Distracted, Batman actually failed to dodge.
It seemed that the series of events recently had indeed hit him hard.
With one hit, Thomas turned and tried to run.
But under Dane's watch, how could he possibly escape?
He picked him up like a dog and threw him in front of Batman.
"It seems you want to watch Dick die. You disappoint me a little, Batman."
"I didn't expect you to be so pedantic."
"Stop talking!" Batman said in a low voice.
"I can stop talking, but Dick can't wait. Only two minutes left."
Barbara suddenly stood up at this moment, "Let me kill him."
Dane looked back and saw the girl looking at him with determination. Finally, he nodded.
"Use this." He said, handing over Kiss of Death.
"This can kill him completely."
If he guessed correctly, Joker's soul was currently in Thomas's body, and this was a good opportunity to seal him completely.
Since you can't die, I'll seal you.
I'll lock you in the Black Room and see how long you can last!
Barbara nodded, took it, and walked step by step to Joker, raising the divine artifact in her hand.
"Although the outcome isn't ideal, I'm glad you have another murderer in your Batcave."
Joker's personality once again gained the upper hand. He looked at Barbara with regret, lamenting his incomplete success.
But just as Barbara was about to stab, Batman suddenly moved and snatched Kiss of Death.
Request for fresh flowers
Barbara was startled at first, then a strong surge of anger welled up in her heart.
But before she could question Batman, she heard his voice, which sounded much older.
"This shouldn't be done by you, Barbara, it shouldn't be you."
Joker's eyes widened suddenly, excitement evident on his face.
Then Batman, as he had expected, plunged Kiss of Death into his heart.
"You won, Joker, I know you've been waiting for this for a long time."
"And, I'm sorry, Tommy."
"Hahahahahahaha!!!" Joker's personality laughed wildly, looking up at the sky.
As the laughter faded, Joker's personality also faded.
And his soul, not surprisingly, ended up in Dane's hands.
Thomas's personality returned. He looked at his chest in disbelief.
Then he stared intently at Batman, his gaze seeming to penetrate the mask directly to his face.
"I'll be waiting for you in hell, Bruce."
He clutched his chest with one hand, and with the other blood-stained hand, he grabbed Batman's cape.
"We'll meet in hell very soon, Bruce..."
Batman held him and slowly knelt on the ground.
The anger on Barbara's face dissipated, as if she suddenly realized what she was doing.
Batman's no-kill rule was broken.
Dane's goal was also achieved.
This kind of thing, once it happens, will happen countless times.
In the future, when facing those monsters, he must always recognize reality as quickly as possible.
You can avoid indiscriminate killing, but you must not avoid killing; this is the rule of Dane's Justice League.
At the same time, good news came from Jason's side: the "Rainstorm" was resolved.
Having had experience once, he was very adept at doing this kind of thing.
Just then, Dane suddenly noticed that the contingency he had set up on Harleen Quinzel had reacted.
He was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage: "Who is it? Who dares to snatch someone from me?"
He immediately teleported away, disappearing from the spot. Only the distraught Batman and the guilt-ridden Barbara remained in the Batcave.
And a still unconscious Dick.
At ACE Chemical Factory, Dane's figure appeared as if in a flash.
As soon as he arrived, he saw Catwoman standing by the edge of the Lazarus Pit, looking around.
"Don't tell me that little psycho fell in."
Catwoman was startled by the sudden voice behind her. She turned around and realized it was that "terrifying" man from that day.
She quickly said, "A girl fell in, and she hasn't come up for a long time."
Dane was speechless. So Harley's origin was always going to be tied to ACE Chemical Factory, wasn't it?
He said nothing more, then dove headfirst into the pool.
A few seconds later, he emerged, holding Harley, and flew into the sky.
Catwoman's eyes widened until the two flew towards the horizon and disappeared...
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