American Comics: Something's Wrong with This Superhero World

Chapter 170 The Joker is the Joker

"Good evening, Gotham City. A shocking incident occurred this afternoon, once again putting our city in the national spotlight. According to police reports, the notorious criminal Penguin—real name Oswald Cobleport—has successfully escaped from Arkham Asylum."

The news anchor on TV reports with a serious expression.

The scene shifts to the area outside the prison, showing police cars and officers busily setting up a cordon and conducting a search.

"The Penguin is a notorious supervillain in Gotham City, wanted by the police for numerous major crimes. His escape has caused great concern among the police and citizens. The Gotham City Police Department has launched a citywide manhunt to try to recapture him as soon as possible."

"Citizens of Gotham, the Penguin's escape poses a significant threat to the safety of our city. This incident is not merely a simple case of a criminal escaping; it exposes deeper problems within our law enforcement and oversight systems."

"In this emergency, what we've seen is that the police department and the commissioner's response has fallen far short of the expectations of Gotham citizens. Although the police are making efforts to capture the Penguin this time, they have never succeeded in similar situations, not counting the times when the supervillain deliberately got himself captured to scheme against the Gotham police."

The host relentlessly mocked Gotham's police force while simultaneously praising Batman.

"Only Batman is the guardian of Gotham. Today, as we face crisis once again, our hope seems to rest on this mysterious guardian. Batman, the Dark Knight of Gotham, we need your rescue once more to fight against the forces that seek to destroy the peace of our city."

Xiao Xian stopped watching TV, turned to Sophia, and said with a hint of mockery, "Does this TV station also have shares in Wayne Enterprises?"

Sophia shook her head, a slight smile playing on her lips, and replied, "No, while Wayne Enterprises is involved in many industries, it rarely directly controls news media. Otherwise, wouldn't Wayne's television station, Quabrook Wayne, seem very unfree of the press? However, the television station's building is indeed located in a building owned by Wayne Realty. The professional manager in charge of the television station was also a former employee of Wayne Enterprises."

"Isn't it basically Batman who calls the shots in Gotham?" Xiao Xian retorted upon hearing this. Wayne Realty, Wayne Chemicals, Wayne Bank, Wayne Foods, Wayne Hospital, Wayne Corporation really are everywhere in Gotham.

Even companies or individuals that appear to have no connection with Wayne Enterprises are actually intricately linked to Wayne Enterprises.

"Not really. Although Bruce Wayne has always been cracking down on dissidents and challengers, this is Gotham, and there's never a shortage of traitors and challengers," Sophia replied. "Take the Joker, for example, who used to work seamlessly with Bruce and was hailed as the best villain. It seems like he's about to have a falling out with Bruce."

"The Joker and Batman work together seamlessly." Xiao Xian's lips twitched; this feeling was too abstract. "Why did they fall out? Was it a contract issue? Unequal resource allocation? Or a disagreement about the direction?"

"I heard that Bruce Wayne cheated on the Joker, but that's just a rumor in the underworld, and I don't know if it's true. But the Joker has been really depressed lately, drowning his sorrows in alcohol every day, and Harley Quinn has indeed moved out and separated from him. I heard she's even going to sue him to get a share of his money."

Sophia's answer left Xiao Xian completely bewildered; this world really is quite abstract.

"They're not married, are they? They can divide money even if they're not married? Isn't that a bit too abstract? This isn't Tokyo University." Xiao Xian asked doubtfully. Although Amelia's laws regarding child support and marriage are biased towards women, they're not that outrageous. At least you can't divide money before marriage, and you can't just take away premarital property.

Although it was once an advanced version, it is now outdated on the North American server.

"Theoretically speaking, it's difficult under current laws, but who knows? This is Gotham. If Harley Quinn really gets together with Bruce Wayne, even if they don't get married, she might still be able to take most of the Joker's wealth." Sophia pointed to her luxurious mansion. "Look at the Falcone family's mansion. Not much of what's in there was earned legally."

"The Joker Bruce is bullying him like this? His most high-profile supervillain? Isn't he afraid the Joker will turn against him?" Xiao Xian's lips twitched. The Joker in this world is far too low-class.

"The Joker is a theatrical maniac, his acting is indeed quite good and very captivating, and he certainly has many fans, but him going against Bruce? He's not qualified, is he?"

Sofia asked doubtfully. In her eyes, the Joker was nothing more than an actor playing a supervillain. He could indeed go toe-to-toe with Batman while acting, but that was just acting. In terms of real strength, what made the Joker worthy of opposing Bruce Wayne, the King of Gotham?

Let alone the Joker, even her father Falcone is nothing more than a useful tool in front of Bruce Wayne.

"Just one bad day and the Joker might become the real Joker." Xiao Xian understood that in Sophia's eyes, the Joker was just an actor, but Xiao Xian knew that as the most popular supervillain, the Joker's destiny might not be any less than Batman's, and certainly much more than her father Falcone's.

To most people, the Joker is just an actor, and a supervillain at that, without any superpowers. But Xiao Xian knows that once the Joker truly turns evil, he has the potential to shake Batman's rule.

Although Xiao Xian couldn't imagine how the Joker, an ordinary person with no power, could shake Bruce Wayne's position as the King of Gotham, who had signed Superman and a host of other superheroes and had even turned to the dark side, this was a matter for the world's will to consider, not for Xiao Xian to consider.

Xiao Xian needed to figure out how he could benefit from this situation.

The Joker's soul is far more valuable than the Penguin's, but be careful not to let the Joker turn the tables on you. For the Joker and Batman, deceiving demons and dimensional beings is not impossible.

"Why don't you ask your dad about the Joker?" Xiao Xian said, putting his arm around Sophia. "Let's see what the Joker's current situation is before deciding on a plan."

"Let me ask." Sofia picked up her phone and texted Falcone to inquire about the clown.

Falcone replied very quickly.

"Bruce just asked me to bring some men to scare the Joker, to tell him to stay away from Harley Quinn from now on. Why are you suddenly concerned about this?"

"Bruce didn't really cheat on the Joker, did he?" Xiao Xian's lips twitched as he looked at the message on his phone. Besides, isn't this Joker a bit too much of a clown?

I'll add the other chapter in a few days; the manuscript is due soon, and I'm frantically revising it.

(End of this chapter)