chapter 171 part 2
At the same time, another group of firefighters quickly dispersed, knocking on doors to notify anyone still in the building to evacuate the apartment immediately.
A crowd slowly descended the stairs. Along the way, neighbors hurled all sorts of curses, damning the family whose apartment caught fire for not being careful with electrical safety.
Before long, the fire was gradually extinguished thanks to the firefighters' efforts, but the residents in the hallway were in an uproar.
Many were disheveled, their hair messy, and their faces still etched with lingering terror. At this moment, they all started shouting and cursing.
"What is going on?! In the middle of the night, I almost lost my life!" A middle-aged uncle's face was flushed red, veins popping on his neck as he waved his hands angrily.
"Exactly! The firefighters were so slow. If they were any later, we'd all have been burned to death in here!" an older woman exclaimed, her eyes red and her voice choked with sobs, clearly terrified.
Some people were gulping down water. Many of them had been jolted awake from their sleep by the thick smoke, a truly unbearable experience.
Fires caused by electrical appliances are often accompanied by pungent and toxic smoke.
With every swallow, it felt as if their throats were being scraped by tiny knives, causing their larynxes to ache.
Just as the crowd was in an uproar, with emotions of anger and terror intertwined, a sudden gasp came from among them.
The neighbors' gazes all turned in the same direction.
They saw a gaunt man, exuding a nauseating stench, slowly walking over.
His signature green hair was particularly eye-catching in the night. His skin was as pale as paper, devoid of any color, as if he had just crawled out of hell.
The expression on his face was savage and ferocious, his eyes filled with madness and icy coldness, scaring the surrounding passersby into subconsciously backing away, wanting to get away from this person who radiated danger.
At this moment, the Joker's steps seemed sluggish yet carried a strange determination as he walked straight towards the apartment building's main entrance.
At the entrance, a burly black firefighter was standing guard. Seeing the Joker's appearance, he unhesitatingly took a step forward, extending an arm to block his path. His voice was loud and stern: "Sir, you can't go in yet. We need to conduct a thorough inspection before anyone can go upstairs. This is for your own safety, and it's the regulation. Please understand and cooperate."
Hearing this, the Joker slowly raised his head, his sinister face directly facing the firefighter.
The moment the firefighter met his gaze, he felt an inexplicable chill shoot up from the soles of his feet to his head. Immediately after, a stabbing pain shot through his eyes, as if they were being pierced by tens of thousands of fine needles, so unbearable that he almost cried out.
At this time, the chaotic noise from upstairs had quieted down considerably. The firefighter thought to himself that they must have resolved the situation upstairs, and the danger level should be greatly reduced.
After a moment's hesitation, he still stepped aside and cleared the doorway for the Joker.
The Joker went straight to the sixth floor and stood at his own door, looking at the charred and deformed door that had been ravaged by the fire. A strange smile lifted the corners of his mouth.
He unhurriedly took out his key from his pocket. First, like a mischievous habitual offender, he playfully touched the doorknob lightly, then quickly pulled his hand back, shaking it exaggeratedly and muttering, "Almost burned my delicate little hand~" His tone was sarcastic and unsettling, making one wonder if there was something wrong with him.
Next, he haphazardly wrapped his sleeve around his hand to create a simple layer of protection, then carefully inserted the key into the keyhole. With a light turn, the door slowly swung open with a "creak."
A pungent, burnt smell assaulted his senses. The room was a complete mess; everything had been turned to charcoal by the ravaging fire.
His gaze swept across the room, only to find it completely empty.
Seeing this, the Joker threw his head back and let out a burst of insane laughter. "Hahahaha!"
As if he had just witnessed the most ridiculous scene in the world, he laughed while gesturing wildly and talking to himself, even pointing at the electric heater on the floor, which was burnt beyond recognition. "This idiot must have used a faulty appliance, causing the fire..."
"Oh, my dear Jane, where are you now~"
His eyes blazed with madness and distortion, every word seeming to be squeezed from between his teeth.
The Joker's piercing laughter echoed continuously in the room, but as he laughed, his voice gradually grew hoarse, finally coming to an abrupt halt.
The crazed smile on his face receded like a tide, replaced by endless emptiness and sorrow.
"Is it funny?" he murmured, his voice as faint as a candle in the wind. "It's not funny at all."
Although this home was very poor, it was one he had filled bit by bit, by enduring all kinds of humiliation as a small-time comedian just to make children happy.
Now, all that remained was a room full of ashes.
At that moment, the door to the adjacent room opened.
Jane walked out with a look of despair and fear on her face. She came up behind the Joker and gave him a hug.
"Jack... I'm so sorry. I accidentally burned down the apartment. Everything we had... we'll have to start over. I... after I have the baby, I'll go back to being a dancer. It won't be long before... before we can get our home back..."
The Joker turned around with a smile. "It's okay, my dear. What we should have, we will have before long."
By the flashing lights of the fire truck outside the window, Jane finally saw the changes to her husband's face and hair, as well as his intermittent, sinister smile. Frightened, she backed away until she was against the doorframe.
"Oh, my dear, were you frightened by my new look? Hahahaha!"
Jane's eyes were blank. "You... what happened to you?"
"Nothing~ I feel great right now! Especially after having some wicked little ideas in my head, hehehe."
The sinisterly smiling Joker finally noticed the person standing in the opposite doorway.
Sensing her husband's gaze, Jane explained, "Mr. Bruce saved my life and the baby's."
The Joker bared his teeth in a smile. "Of course. I definitely won't think you went to his room to give him a hand job, heeheehee."
Jane pursed her lips and stroked the Joker's hair. "I don't know what you've been through tonight... It's a good thing, a good thing we're both alive. But... can you stop talking... can you stop talking like that?"
Just then, Bruce Ren, from across the hall, spoke up: "I think Mr. Jack sounds quite interesting when he talks like this."
The Joker smiled. "It seems our savior likes it~ Bruce, I will thank you for saving my wife. For that, I will give you a big, big, big, big house~!"
A smile hung on the corner of Bruce Ren's mouth. "Then I'm guessing you certainly won't be buying me a house with money earned from making kids happy and selling balloons, right?"
The Joker smiled meaningfully. "Of course not~ my good neighbor."
On the rooftop of this building, Batman gazed at the pitch-black Gotham and shook his head helplessly.
He had witnessed everything that had just happened. The thought of a thief who had just lost his home, and had it destroyed... it was a bit tragic.
He decided to observe this fellow named Jack for a few more days to see if he still harbored any ill intentions.
If the guy stopped breaking the law, Batman was prepared to let him go.
Just as Batman was about to slip away, his gaze suddenly shifted!
In an instant, he pulled out a Batarang and threw it behind him!
With a "clang!", sparks flew! The Batarang's sharp tip was blunted, and with another "clank," it fell onto the concrete floor of the rooftop.
Batman's expression was grave, but the person opposite him held up their hands.
"Mr. Batman, I mean you no harm. I came to find you mainly to talk..."
Bruce Ren raised his head, revealing his pair of crimson Sharingan eyes. "...about protecting the Earth."
(end of chapter)