Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 227 No Reality Can Compare to a Dream

"Alice, would you like to come to Wonderland with me?"

"Didn't I already say? Sure."

Oh my goodness.

A surge of joy and sweetness welled up in the Mad Hatter's heart. He knew, of course, what his men were trying to remind him of—that this Alice was not wearing a hat or a wig.

But what did it matter? At this moment, he was actually extremely glad that he hadn't put a wig on Alice, because a controlled doll would never be able to give the same answer as before.

She had her own thoughts, was a real person, not a puppet, and was willing to go with him to a fairytale wonderland—all of this was as beautiful as a dream, and he was completely happy to embrace this beautiful dream, because he was a madman who was indulging in a beautiful dream.

Whether it was acting, sincerity, a survival instinct, or because she was a madwoman like him, it didn't matter. What mattered was that she was indeed so much like the Alice he remembered, and she had accepted his invitation just like Alice had back then.

His previous "Alice" wasn't so cooperative. He had prepared everything for her just as he had for today—the stage, the actors, the props—exactly the same. But when he tried to invite her to enter the fairytale world with him, she refused.

"I would never want to be with a freak like you." That was her answer.

This is also the answer the Mad Hatter hates the most.

"Alice, let's go."

The Mad Hatter took the blonde woman's hand and led her through the door that read "Wonderland," just as Jervis had led Alice Dee into the park back then. At that time, he was a happy, ordinary boy, and she was a cheerful, ordinary girl.

“Jervis, you bear a very important responsibility today—”

After the father finished speaking seriously for the first half of the sentence, seeing the two children's slightly nervous expressions, he could no longer keep a straight face and began to laugh heartily: "Your task is to have as much fun as possible."

At this moment, his mother also showed a gentle smile. She took out a few banknotes from her handbag and handed them to Jervis.

“Jervis, darling, we’ll give you some money. Whatever your guest wants, remember to treat her well.”

Alice was very polite; she thanked the couple from the side, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Jervis, Mrs. Teach."

"This way." The ticket seller in the red suit pointed inside and handed the yellow ticket to Jervis.

"No, your voice is weak, I can't hear you at all." The Mad Hatter took the ticket and shouted at the ticket seller. At that moment, he looked at Alice smiling beside him, and the memories in his mind seemed to come alive, infinitely overlapping with the reality before him. These discordant scenes, incompatible with his past experiences, were now magnified infinitely, appearing so glaring.

He was no stranger to this feeling; in fact, he had experienced it countless times. When he wasn't on stage, his consciousness remained confined to the real world, where everything was blurry and distorted. Due to long-term use of psychedelic drugs, his brain's hormone secretion was abnormal.

Sometimes, he couldn't even distinguish whether his emotions were joy or anger, but he didn't care, because this psychedelic feeling helped him escape from the disgusting reality.

But once he stepped onto the stage, those happy times flooded back into his mind like a tide, creating a stark contrast with reality. This made him exceptionally clear-headed, making him realize the differences between now and that day, and making him realize that he was in reality.

They passed the statue of the Rabbit with the clock, and the Mad Hatter saw Alice smiling at him, while the rabbit made a anxious sound.

"Oh my god, I'm going to be late!"

“Yes, yes, that’s right,” he thought. At least this rabbit statue looks exactly like the one from before.

They walked through a black-and-white checkered corridor. Alice stood behind him, with a bottle of bubbly drink in front of her that read "Drink Me" and a cake that read "Eat Me." The scenes from his memory flashed back again.

"The cake is too big. Make it smaller. And this door, the doorknob should be around here."

"But boss, you just said yesterday that the cake should be bigger and the doorknob should be higher."

"Shut up, you idiot! My memory of this day is perfect!"

bang!

Gunshots rang out, gang members fell to the ground, but the Mad Hatter continued to pull Alice forward.

Isn't the purple drink in front of me a bit too dark? Or is the cake a bit darker too? The day I remember should be much more vivid and brighter.

The two walked past the room where Colonel Caterpillar and the Smiling Cheshire Cat were.

Seemingly because of the shot just now, Colonel Caterpillar's voice was trembling slightly: "Speak, explain your purpose."

"You tried very hard, but you stuttered—try again."

Explain your purpose.

"Right, that is it."

Although he said that, he looked to both sides and felt that the caterpillar in his memory was more vibrant, while the Cheshire Cat's smiling face should have been more docile.

Why are caterpillars so dark and ugly these days? Why does the Cheshire Cat's smile look somewhat sinister and terrifying?
But this shouldn't be happening. I've gathered everyone in the park back then; they've all been employees for over a decade. How could they have mixed up the set and props? Are these people just sitting around doing nothing?
The Mad Hatter was getting angry.

They passed the Queen of Hearts.

"Laugh! Everyone should laugh!"

I walked past a lion and a unicorn boxing.

"Alice! You should be even happier!"

They walked past a room with chimneys shaped like rabbit ears, then an ice cream truck, and then a pool of tears.
“You’re completely captivated by the view, Alice. Our hands will be very close, and then you’ll say, ‘You know, Jervis, I wasn’t sure I’d have any fun, but…’”

The Mad Hatter looked at Alice, who was smiling gently at him, and suddenly stopped himself from saying what he was about to say.

She didn't seem as beautiful as she remembered. The Alice in her memory was gentler, more beautiful, kinder, and more...
He changed the subject and started talking about other things.

“You know, Alice, I love tea,” he said. “These special teas take me back to happy places I’ve been to before.”

“Some moments are so deeply etched in my memory, as if they are branded there, living in my senses, living in my mind, like a movie you can watch repeatedly.”

As he spoke, he pulled out a gun.

(End of this chapter)