Laughing American comics, I am becoming more and more like a clown

The rain poured down heavily, soaking Lucien's body. The brim of his hat blocked the rain, allowing him to clearly see the chaotic scene in front of him.

But Lucian took off his hat... and looked up, letting the rain wash away the blood from the lacerations on his face.

He let out a long breath.

Chapter 142 Arthur

The uprising is not the end, it is just a prelude... and the prelude will determine the category of the song.

A long period of preparation, a city without a future, panicked and angry people, reckless killings... chaos is the prelude.

The explosions and gunshots that come one after another are like notes.

The climax is far from here, it still needs preparation.

……

"As I stood there, I thought of a story I had heard once."

"A child who grew up under abuse from his elders, suffering from a series of mental illnesses, grew up to be a marginalized figure in society through relief and reconciliation, living a simple life that could not be called meaningful... a person like this."

Lucien wiped the rain off his body with a towel, and the water stains stained his clothes, turning them into a dark green like the jungle.

Arthur sat aside, looking outside through the glass window. His eyes could not be described as either obsessed or fearful. He held a dying cigarette in one hand, and it was unclear whether he was listening to him or not.

Lucian thought to himself, "Later, he suffered great misfortune in life and realized that his elders suffered from mental illness and had lived a life of deception for most of their childhood. All the bad things that had happened so far were caused by the malice of others." He let out a long, indifferent sigh.

"It's nothing, this experience is common and ordinary, but what happens next is different... I'm also thinking about his next story."

"He killed some scumbags and attracted people's attention... Some people began to admire him and idolize him, but unfortunately his life has not improved."

"The worsening mental illness, the turbulent social environment, the ridiculous yet tragic truth... ultimately led him to kill those who oppressed him - his elders, his colleagues, his idols - and he became the Joker."

"During his speech, he won everyone's cheers... People treated him like a - a god."

Arthur scoffed disdainfully and shook off, okay, the last bit of his cigarette, letting the ashes fall into the ashtray. "The Joker's origin story, let's not talk about it... well, it really shocked me, and it really moved me."

"Listen, I'm just a normal guy."

This is really interesting.

Lucian smiled: "Of course, you are just an ordinary person. I am not denying this, but why don't you let me continue? Are you afraid of something?"

Arthur made a nasal sound. He might have wanted to say more, but he restrained himself, as if he was worried that he would be mistaken for trying to hide something.

"What I want to talk about is the name of that person... the name of the person standing where I was just now. Do you know his name?" He didn't get a response, so Lucian chuckled and suddenly changed the subject:

"Arthur, you are the Child of the Century... You came to the Joker when you were five years old, twenty-eight years ago. So... do you have any memories before the age of five?"

"What do you want to say?"

The grey eyes were a little cold, which was hard to believe, as Arthur was usually calm, ordinary, even slightly sad and gentle.

But Lucian avoided the question and changed the subject: "You're already thirty-three years old... That's not young. Honestly, you should have been past the age of being controlled by your father. Maybe he's really been very bad to you? He's controlling your mental age?"

Looking at Arthur, his brows relaxed, his smile still lingering: "He didn't do that, did he?"

"It's not like he wouldn't tie a baby elephant to a stake to control the adult elephant... but he wouldn't do it to you."

Arthur shook his head with disdain: "He did it to me. Violence, suppression, mental control, he did it to me. He did all the crimes you can imagine of a clown to me... He almost killed me several times... Don't tell me this. I've heard enough. I won't be moved by this."

"What do you want to say? What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "I won't refuse. Just tell me."

Lucian believed that Arthur would not refuse, and he did have something for him to do, but he did not say it and continued with the topic:

"...You should be a clown." She looked at him puzzledly: "Why didn't you become a clown? Is your heart strong? Is your character noble?"

"Don't talk about that." The muscles at the corners of Arthur's eyes twitched, but he suppressed them.

"You don't want to be so calm, do you?" Lucian intensified. "You are calm... you can't even call it calm. You are too cold. Arthur, just accept everything calmly."

"Accept the clown's insults and abuse, accept my orders and exploitation of you, accept others' dictating to you, and accept your own dull life... or should I say this."

Lucien looked into those gray eyes that always seemed to be filled with pity.

"You make yourself feel aloof and distant towards those around you, even yourself... dissociation. You use this to protect yourself from being hurt further by the clown... But Arthur, do you know the most interesting thing?"

"—It's no use." The tone was like a sigh:

"Ordinary people are useless, dissociation is useless, obedience is useless... these are not things that can resist the clown."

"I never have." Arthur ground the cigarette butt into the ashtray, a little hard, and the place where his fingers touched was a little white.

"I say—don't talk about this!"

"Then you should have punched me hard! You should have told me to shut up, instead of using this pleading tone!"

Arthur seemed to be awakened by his scolding, and softened again, with a hint of fatigue in his calmness: "...Do you want me to become a clown?"

"Does the next plan require this? Of course, I will be, I will help you."

"Why did you help me?" Lucian asked back, "I've always wondered... Why did you help me, Arthur? Why did you rescue me from the fire? Why did you take the trouble to nurse me back to health? Why did you help me complete my plan? What am I to you? What's your reason?"

"..."

Arthur didn't say anything. He was silent, with a barely perceptible frown on his face, as if he was annoyed, but with a hint of fear hidden within.

"Let's get back to the beginning." Lucian interrupted the conversation again: "Do you know the name of the person who stood in my position just now, facing respect and becoming the focus?"

"—his name is Arthur."

Arthur closed his eyes.

It's an escape, like a rabbit restlessly returning to its own burrow.

But the hunter filled the cave with smoke, and he had to come out unless he wanted to suffocate to death in this safe place.

"I have a guess." The soft, silky sound was like a snake coiling around the foot.

"Arthur, you've already guessed all this."

Chapter 143 Jenny

"You're smart enough, perceptive enough. You even understand what a clown means because of the old clown... You've constantly deified this concept. You're afraid of it... Although I don't know what you've seen, you're certainly afraid."

"This fear made you carefully support your father. You worried that once he died, the curse would fall on you. Because of this, you were unwilling to seek revenge on him. You were willing to do things for him, just like you are doing for me now."

"You're willing to be an unnoticed assistant." Lucian looked at Arthur with genuine curiosity and inquiry.

"What exactly did you find?"

The rain hitting the window outside was a thin white noise. It was a cold day and there was no fire, so both of their skin was cold.

Just when Lucian thought he would not get a reply, Arthur's voice came, with some sadness:

"I saw his hysteria about Batman."

Lucien waited for him to continue, but there was no more, so he asked in surprise: "That's it?"

He doesn't understand.

"Isn't that enough?!" Arthur turned around and looked at him. "Do you understand? A person who lives completely for another person, everything he does is for that other person, whether it's his own life or the lives of others... it doesn't matter. Even his biological children don't matter. Everything he does, even eating, drinking water, and defecating, is like a fan. No, not a fan."

Perhaps sasaeng fan is a good description, but Arthur did not use this word, nor did he use the words perverted or twisted.

But Lucien somewhat understood what he meant.

This was somewhat novel to him.

"I can't even imagine what it would be like if I became that kind of person in the future! Someone who has completely lost their freedom and self, without any goals, like a pet, a soulless thing!"

"Do you understand my fear?!"

……

Lucien understood.

Arthur is both smart and sharp. He is a perfect material to become a clown. He is so smart that before becoming a clown, he can understand things by himself just by looking at the reactions of the previous generation.

——The character of the Joker was created for Batman.

He couldn't help but marvel at it.

……

The rain was still falling, the noise outside faded away, this place had been completely destroyed, and they wanted to go somewhere else, such as the municipal district.

Arthur slowly calmed down. He became more tired. He loosened his hand holding the cigarette butt and pushed his hair back from his face. "...So are you satisfied now? Can you tell me what you want to do?"

Lucian was of course satisfied and said happily:

"Die for me."

"Okay." Arthur didn't hesitate, but instead breathed a sigh of relief.

This should be a surprising answer. After all, Arthur helped Lucian because he didn't want to become a clown. Now he is going to kill himself. He should refuse.

But Lucien was not surprised. They all thought it was a matter of course.

Again.

For the Joker, it doesn't matter whether he's alive or dead.

……

Maybe Arthur has already become a clown?

A son who inherits his father's business is always more qualified than Lucian who has a foot in the side.

But maybe he didn't become the Joker?

Just because he caught a glimpse of the doom represented by the clown, he kept running away, disguising the first layer with foolish filial piety, the second layer with Stockholm, and the third layer with yearning and following, but the fundamental purpose was... not to become a clown.

……

This is quite interesting:

Batman’s successors all longed to become Batman, but ultimately none of them could become Batman. The Joker’s successors all didn’t want to become the Joker, but all of them became the Joker.

What is this called?

Things always turn out for the worst?

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