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

This is not about overthinking or whitewashing. Lucian recalled the scene in the last world when the Joker tricked him into the so-called "Eternal Day". At that time, the Joker also compared Lucian to porcelain.

However, that so-called "day" did not show any power from beginning to end, and could even be described as a failure.

Or perhaps this is another deception and subtle reminder by the Joker - the porcelain refers not to Lucian, but to Batman, and the cracks on it refer to the differences from the normal Batman.

At the end of the world, Lucian also hints at the future - a work composed of broken porcelain.

Maybe it means a different state of Batman than the normal Batman.

Of course, this could also be Lucien's overthinking, and there is no evidence to suggest that this is what they meant.

but.

He smiled and said, "So you're worried about not being perfect. That's not a big deal, Bat." He added softly, "You are a work of art, a work of art created from broken porcelain shards."

This also aligns with the Batman of the Dark Multiverse, just like the Ghost Lantern, the Broken, and the Absolute. They are completely different from the real Batman, but it is also a form of artistic expression. Even before laughing wildly, "Everything is according to my plan", he is a good idea.

"Whether you kill or not has never been a limitation for you. I can't travel through time to stop you from killing in the past... It doesn't matter if you kill or not."

The Silent Bat suddenly said, "You used to kill people, why don't you do it now?"

Lucien was stunned, but before he could figure out why, he realized, "Are you kidding me?"

"Not anymore."

"..." Lucian didn't hide it: "Because I was moved by the hero's obsession, I decided not to kill anyone."

How is the Joker not considered a hero?

The Silent Bat's expression became meaningful, as if saying: What right do you have to judge a person who went from killing to not killing?

Indeed, Lucian didn't have a clear position, but that didn't stop him from continuing: "If you're worried about that, why not just not kill anyone? It's no big deal. No matter what you do, you can't change the cracks in your body, and Jack and I don't want to repair them."

"...We just want you to let your own artistic spirit shine, rather than just stop at a piece of precious porcelain that has been broken."

"Oh?"

"You have to save Gotham."

"Are you threatening?"

“That’s a motto.”

The Silent Bat looked at him deeply, deeply. Just when Lucian thought he was going to get punched, he suddenly turned around and left.

The door is closed.

Then came the undisguised sounds of gears rolling and chains rising and falling, and a huge wall fell at the door with a "bang"... This was a prison.

Lucien's smile froze.

----

On October 2018, 10, at Sotheby's London Contemporary Art Evening Sale, Banksy's painting "Girl with Balloon" sold for £5 million. However, just as the auctioneer struck the hammer, the painting slowly slid down and was chopped in half by a hidden shredder within its frame. The chopped-up painting was subsequently re-titled "Love in the Trash" and auctioned again at Sotheby's London, ultimately fetching £104.2 million, nearly 1850 times its original price.

See, incompleteness does not mean lower value than completeness. When it is interesting enough and eye-catching enough, its value is high.

Lucien knew that many people had an idea - the idea that Batman killed people, and the idea that Gotham could not be saved if Batman killed people rationally, without extreme thinking and with normal thinking.

The Silent Bat is such a great idea.

Lucian walked step by step in the prison, measuring the area with his footsteps, and slowly groping for the switch.

There was no food here, and Lucian's sixth sense told him that it would be better not to expect the Silent Bat to take care of him before starving to death.

This was revenge. The Silent Bat was taking revenge on Lucian for his rash interference in his life and for his presumptuous comments.

That was good, Lucian had thought his revenge would be a slash to his own neck when it was all over.

Very good.

"Good evening, sir."

A voice came from the PA system above. It was Alfred.

Lucian thought of his strange attitude, stopped, and looked around. "Excuse me, where is the camera? Maybe face to face. I mean, that would be respectful enough."

"I don't think it's necessary." Alfred said in a distant British voice.

"Okay." Lucien sat back in his chair. "So what can I do for you? Or do you want to give me a cookie?"

Cookies are Batman's favorite snack in many Bat-fan works. Of course, in -22, Nightwing confirmed that it was indeed a private setting.

Alfred didn't respond. He wasn't Jack, the Joker, or Batman, and he had no intention of nagging or flirting with Lucian. He simply said, "You should understand what Bruce has been through."

Of course, a psychopathic childhood playmate, a mentally ill psychiatrist, and ten years of pretending to be a vegetable.

Lucian understood what Alfred was trying to say and pointed it out: "You would rather he remain confused like this, and now you resent me for bringing him back to danger, right?"

Yes. Shallow breathing came over the loudspeaker, and then Alfred said, "I will kill you."

Lucien was not intimidated and simply asked, "What about Jack? Are you going to kill Jack too?"

"It doesn't matter whether I live or die. To be honest, I came here with a purpose. I have no relatives, and no one will mourn for me. Perhaps I will only become a topic of conversation between you and Bruce in the future. But Jack is different."

"I remember that you planted Jack in Arkham Asylum to help Bruce break out... He and Bruce had a good relationship, so his death would be more than just a topic of conversation."

"Think about it, my Mr. Agent." Lucian took out a cigarette from his pocket and tried to light it, but unfortunately, the only one that was wrinkled was already lit in Crime Alley, which made him play with the lighter in boredom:

"The key point is not with me. Don't think of me as too vicious. I am also innocent."

Alfred remained silent. What Lucian said made sense. His death or life did not affect the overall situation. Jack was the key.

"But if you want to hurt him..."

He was referring to Bruce. Lucian raised his hands in surrender. "I don't think any promises I make will earn your trust. How about this?"

"I'd love for you to implant tiny bombs in me."

Chapter 185 Fear Gas Formula

The micro-bomb posed no threat to Lucian, but it could obviously bring a sense of security to others.

This was his foresight—he did not tell anyone that he was immortal.

Alfred hesitated for a moment and asked, "What do you want?"

Lucian smoothed the wrinkles on his windbreaker and said, "I heard that there are some criminals imprisoned here. I want to meet them."

This request wasn't excessive. He wasn't even talking about going out or contacting Jack. Lucien was very understanding: "If you're worried, you can plant cameras and eavesdropping devices on me, follow me the whole time, or even just have a video call... I don't mind."

Alfred was not too outrageous. He gave Lucien a collar, a belt, two bracelets, and two anklets, and allowed him to go out and meet them.

Lucian calculated that even if the bomb was less powerful, he would still break one more piece than Shang Yang.

……

The cage hung in the air looked like a bird watching cage, with a circular structure extending outward from the platform in the middle. Bats were rustling around on the top, their droppings fell on the railings, and the air was filled with a strange smell.

Lucian's arrival frightened the bats a little, and the little animals made shrill cries.

Jason Todd, president of Gotham's defense contractor Redline Group; Dick Grayson, the Gray Son responsible for the president's security under Owl; Jonathan Crane, director of Arkham Asylum; and Cobblepot Oswald, an entrepreneur and philanthropist...

This was their title five years ago, and now they are all prisoners in a cage.

Lucien walked among them.

"Oh? That's good, there's a newcomer." someone said.

"How did you mess with that Bandage Man...where's Jack?"

……

Lucian ignored them and walked straight to Jonathan Crane. In other universes, he had a more well-known name - Scarecrow.

"—Is it one of my former patients? Or has Owl-sama finally remembered that one of his men is here and sent someone to rescue him…"

"Klein, I'm curious why he didn't kill you." Lucian interrupted Klein.

They all knew who "he" was.

Klein's messy, half-long brown hair covered his face like straw, his eyes peeking out from the gaps. His voice was hoarse and laced with a wicked grin:

"...How would I know? Maybe it's because he's an Oedipus, a masochist, a histrionic, a Stockholm guy, and a shopper who loves to wear tights and play with bandages!"

Klein's words were merciless. He sat cross-legged in the cage, head lowered, back hunched, staring at Lucian with a cold sneer.

"Why are you showing so much hostility?" Lucian reached out and knocked on the bars of the cage with his knuckles, making a crisp sound. "I didn't say I was in the same gang as him."

Klein's sneer grew louder. "Come on, don't think I don't know what you're doing here—about his physical weaknesses? Emotional weaknesses? And using the prison break to lure me in? Come on."

“You’re not the first person to do this.” He added, “You’re not the second.” And then, “You’re not the third.”

"It's not the fourth or fifth one," Klein said. "Compared to this, perhaps we can all condemn that little pervert." He flicked his tongue meaningfully at the miniature bomb on Lucian's body.

"A puppy that's been collared and can run and jump freely should also have some resentment."

Lucian didn't respond, but he didn't shy away from mentioning the collar on his hand. He waved it in front of him and said, "I'm not interested in him. I'm interested in you, Klein."

"The sweat produced by people when they are afraid can be made into a chemical weapon to cause excitement in others."

This was Klein's father's conclusion.

“You…” Klein narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I want to ask you...how to make people feel scared?" Lucian was very polite.

……

How to scare people?

Lucian should not ask Scarecrow this question, he should ask Batman. No one knows how to scare people better than Batman.

Even the Silent Bat.

Silent Bat stood in front of the Bat-Computer, and the words exchanged between Lucian and Klein flowed out from the loudspeaker.

He never left, and Alfred's threats and compromises were also planned. Next to Lucian's screen was Jack.

Jack was also under his surveillance.

The Silent Bat simply ignored the city, but that didn't mean his control over it decreased—he was a ghost, a ghost that saw all the secrets but remained silent.

"They are immersed in their own thoughts, doing what they want, but never understanding what I want." Silent Bat took the coffee from Alfred's tray, took a sip, and continued:

"How arrogant they are."