LRAB Chapter 250 The Joker's Legacy
Chapter 250 The Joker's Legacy
Chapter 250 The Joker's Legacy
Tick.
In the dark cave, a drop of water drips from a stalactite on the ceiling.
A mouse sniffed as it crawled across the damp ground. It had intended to continue searching for food in the deserted cave as usual, but now, a strange noise coming from a stone doorway in the center of the cave made it hesitate.
Buzzing buzzing buzzing...
The stone door trembled in the darkness, and crimson magic circles spread out from its base, gradually illuminating the surrounding ground.
"Hehehehehe..."
"Hahahaha..."
"Squeak squeak squeak!"
A low, ethereal laugh echoed from all directions of the cave, sending chills down one's spine.
The mouse froze in terror. It desperately tried to escape with its short legs, but only ended up falling flat on its back.
The low humming continued for a long time before finally stopping, and the deep red magic circle vanished without a trace.
"Squeak?" The mouse trembled as it got up from the ground.
Squeak!
The door opened.
"squeak!"
Chen Tao stepped out of the magical portal and landed on the ground.
It was originally pitch black here, with no light source at all, but just as Chen Tao took his second step, the electric light hidden in the cave suddenly shone brightly, revealing the cave's decorations.
All sorts of colorful and meaningless circus props were neatly arranged in a corner of the space in front of him, while occupying an even larger space was a computer with a huge screen, just like the bat computer in Chen Tao's bat cave... well, Chen Tao didn't know how to describe it, clown computer?
In stark contrast to the metallic and surreal bat-themed appearance of the Bat Computer, every key on this computer was painted in bright colors, with some key keys even featuring clown face reliefs. The screen itself was decorated with acid corsages and throwing knives.
Not far away, various weapons were on display. The Joker's classic exploding hammer, pumpkin bombs, and Chen Tao even saw some strange things he couldn't describe.
A round dart with a clown's smiling face? What should I call it? A clown dart?
The one displayed in the very center was a bloodstained Harley Quinn costume, which looked no different from the one Harley Quinn had once worn.
But if you look closely, you can tell that it's the opposite of Harley's outfit.
There was a line of words written in marker on the uniform. Chen Tao guessed that the person who wrote the words did not use fresh blood because the owner of the uniform had been beaten so badly that the clothes were soaked through.
He whispered the words to himself:
"Your actions are futile, Joker. Night Owl will find you, and your fate will be a thousand times worse than your woman's!"
呲!
With a muffled thud, Chen Tao turned his head and saw a metal pod suddenly rise from the ground and open amidst a cloud of smoke.
Inside was a long-decomposed corpse, without any clothing.
Sizzle... sizzle sizzle...
He turned his head and saw the clown computer next to him start up automatically. Soon, a clown's face appeared on the screen.
His face was deathly pale, almost inhuman, with red lips and purple hair, and he wore the yellow and green costume most commonly seen in circuses.
Before he spoke, he smiled in the video. The smile that stretched to his ears seemed welded to his face, but it didn't make him look scary or distorted. Instead, it looked like a person who was extremely sad forcing a smile.
Chen Tao realized who he really was. He had synchronized with this person countless times, and this was the first time he had truly seen the other person in reality, even if it was just a surviving video.
"As you can see, whoever you are, let me introduce myself first. I'm Jackie."
The clown-like man said:
"But if you've ever lived on my planet, you might be more familiar with my other name..."
"The Clown Man".
He stretched out his hand and pointed to the side. Chen Tao looked in the direction he was pointing, and there lay the skeleton of Mr. [Name], still lying there quietly, bald from being eaten away by maggots.
"You should be able to see the life support pod popping out from the side now. If my clone successfully withstood my memory infusion, it's equivalent to me being reborn in another body. So, unknown visitor, you can now turn off this video and have a good chat with my clone."
He paused, then continued:
"But what if my plan fails..."
(Note: The Batman in the main universe also had a similar plan, which was to have Batman's memories injected into his clone when he died unexpectedly, so as to make Batman's name never disappear. But it also failed because no clone could withstand Batman's memories.)
"If my clone cannot withstand my memories, then I'm sorry, unknown visitor, I'll have to trouble you to listen carefully."
Chen Tao stroked his chin. He had read about the Joker in comics.
The Joker is from a parallel universe Earth 3.
This world is a universe where good and evil are reversed. The sun rises in the west and sets in the east. The two poles of the world are piled with the frozen corpses of refugees, all of whom were trying to escape from the rule of the criminal syndicate.
The Crime Syndicate, comprised of Superman (opposite to Superman), Owl (opposite to Batman), Wonder Woman, Johnny Quick (The Flash), Power Ring (Green Lantern), Deathstorm (Firestorm), and Sea King (Aquaman), rules this universe. Meanwhile, the villains of the main universe are all good guys in this parallel universe. For example, Captain Cold and Mirror Master, who lack superpowers in Earth-3, are upright police officers who are killed by an evil version of the Flash, Johnny Quick…
Clearly, it has been proven that the evil version of the Justice League is utterly inept at killing those heroes who are villains in the main universe. After years of bloody slaughter and brutal suppression, the good guys are almost all gone.
Bad guys roam the earth, villains rule the world, and the Joker has become almost the only surviving superhero in their universe.
To some extent, while Earth-3 is not part of the Dark Multiverse, it is darker than some parts of the Dark Multiverse. Here, we specifically criticize Flashpoint, a typical example of two negatives making a positive. The story of Flashpoint was already dark enough, but when it was changed to the Dark Multiverse, the two dark worlds were combined. The Flash died suddenly, and Reverse-Flash changed careers to become a superhero, suddenly becoming incredibly normal. Does this even deserve to be called the Dark Multiverse?
Before the New 52 reboot, Joker had a righteous version of Lex Luthor as a teammate, but after the reboot, he was left to fight alone.
"I'm guessing you're most likely from another universe."
The Joker on the screen said, "When Faust and Cersei were still alive, they helped me build this magical portal and opened up this alternate dimension where you are now, as my last hiding place."
Faust and the witch Cersei were villains of Zatanna and Wonder Woman, respectively, who were users of ironic magic in the main universe. However, they became superheroes in Earth-3, though they obviously died at the hands of the criminal syndicate.
Chen Tao couldn't help but feel a moment of silence. Unlike Superman in the main universe, who was not good at dealing with magic, Superpower had extremely high magic resistance, basically making him completely ineffective against these mages.
"Let's get straight to the point," Chen Tao heard the Joker on the screen say. "I've discovered that the Crime Syndicate is plotting to travel to another new universe. If the magic of the two fallen mages didn't go wrong, then you, the unknown visitor, are probably from that universe that the Crime Syndicate is targeting."
"The Crime Syndicate has secretly sent Alfred Pennyworth to your universe to prepare for their invasion."
Visitor, regardless of what kind of person [Alfred] from your universe really is, or how kind he may be, [Alfred] from our universe is absolutely a scumbag. He serves the Night Owl of the Criminal Syndicate, whose nickname is…”
"Outsider." x2
Chen Tao silently repeated the words in his mind, following the voice of the Joker.
Another new crisis, it's terrible.
He had read the comics; wasn't this the prelude to the major event "Eternal Evil"?
However, he doesn't need to worry about these things right now. If Darkseid destroys Earth directly, why would he need to worry about the invasion of a parallel universe evil version of the Justice League?
He listened as the Joker continued.
"Listen to me, visitor. By the time you see this video, I will be dead. Night Owl killed my lover Harley Quinn, the Joker gang is almost completely destroyed, and everything is over."
Although I could hide forever in this alternate dimension, I won't. Gotham needs me, and those oppressed by the crime syndicate need me...
I... I can't escape.
I am determined to murder Night Owl's henchman, "Eagle Claw" Dick Grayson, as part of my desperate struggle. It is a risky operation, and I may not come back.
But before I die, I still leave you three legacies that may help your world fight the crime syndicate.
"The first piece of information was detailed intelligence about the crime syndicate. I put it on a USB drive, which is plugged into the computer. I also kept a paper copy, which is in the third drawer on the left."
Chen Tao took them out. Although he had read the comics and his understanding of the Crime Syndicate might be more thorough than that of the Joker, he still carefully put the information away. He always felt that the information was heavy, as if it were soaked in blood.
The Joker on the screen continued, "The second and third inheritances are actually the same thing. They are the formula for the chemical agent that turned me into the Joker. You can find it in the second drawer on the left."
Chen Tao immediately perked up.
He quickly walked to the drawer, opened it, and took the item out. Behind him, the Joker's voice continued to ring out.
"Although this chemical agent will change a person's appearance, it can give me superhuman strength and agility, as well as a slight self-healing ability. Most importantly, it will not affect your sense of justice."
The Joker said, "In all my years fighting the crime syndicate, I've seen far too many enhancement methods with hidden dangers. Some methods seem very effective, but the side effects are all too great. The chemical that transformed me is the only one that has been virtually without any side effects."
"Based on this transformation of my chemical agents, I developed some byproducts, which I named 'enhanced laughing gas.' I injected my Joker gang members with it, successfully giving them physical abilities that, while weaker than mine, far surpassed those of ordinary people."
Even more remarkable is that enhancing nitrous oxide allows me to develop a faint telepathic connection with the Jokers, and even interferes with their actions to some extent. This byproduct is my second legacy.
"The third kind of legacy is quite interesting. I named it 'Venom of Justice.' Its effect is simple: it makes the person affected laugh uncontrollably and begin to sincerely reflect on their mistakes."
Haha, isn't this the real venom for those heinous bastards in the criminal syndicate who never admit they're wrong? The only downside is that this effect can't last long, maybe no more than an hour, but it's still deadly enough.
As Chen Tao listened to the Clown Man talking, he suddenly said, "To prepare for emergencies, I also left some finished products in the Clown Cave. They're in the first drawer on the left. You can try them out first."
Chen Tao opened the drawer, and several bottles of various potions came into view. Almost simultaneously, the voice of the Alfred Protocol rang in his ears.
[Dear Batman #52, you have found "a Joker"...]
[Error, error, description being corrected.]
[You have found "The Joker's Laughter Potion." As the only known laugher in the multiverse who is entirely devoid of evil, the Joker's Laughter Potion is the only weapon that is harmless to Batman and capable of combating the Batman Who Laughs!]
Chen Tao closed his eyes and stared at a long row of silvery-white characters that kept flashing across his retina.
[Should we include the Joker from Parallel Universe Earth 3?]
Chen Tao took a deep breath.
That was the purpose of his visit.
[Load Now]
[Loading... The Alfred Protocol is in effect...]
Chen Tao stared intently at the potions in the drawer. Unlike before when he was confused about loading the Batmobile and the Bat Dragon, this time he stared straight at the finished products that the Joker had prepared in advance.
He saw an intangible force stirring the potions, making them leap joyfully as if they were alive. Several bottles shattered in mid-air, and several different potions created by the Joker were mixed together, from the original compound that created the Joker to Venom and enhanced laughing gas.
Everything was mixed together, arranged and combined, like moths drawn to a flame, merging into Chen Tao's body!
Immediately afterwards, the laughter rang out again in the clown's cave:
"Hehehe... Hahahaha, hee hee hee hee ahahahahahahaha!"
"Hahahaha!!!!"
(End of this chapter)