I'm doing bidirectional science popularization in American comics

While Tony was putting the little girl to sleep, he started showing off in the video again.

"Depp, your previous proposal about nanomaterials was very interesting, but there are quite a few technical difficulties, and it will take some time before we can start testing. However, I have already built the Mark 7!"

Depp pushed the clutter on the front desk aside, zoomed in on the video, and said, "So, can I take a look?"

Just as he finished speaking, Tony, wearing a bathrobe, jumped off the roof in the video. Then, the Mark 7 flight cockpit armor flew out of the workshop. After the infrared scanner scanned the positioning device on Tony's wrist, the armor was successfully put on. As flames shot out from the jets, Tony stopped falling and soared into the sky.

"How about it? Isn't it handsome!"

“It’s cool, but jumping down from that height without trousers, isn’t that a bit too exciting?” Depp said. “Besides, the tracking device is a watch. If the enemy had damaged the tracking device and the Mark 7 couldn’t find you, you would have been smashed to pieces.”

Tony pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then said solemnly, "That's true. It seems we still need to make further improvements."

Depp offered his suggestion at the opportune moment: "Maybe you could inject the positioning device into your body, so that unless someone cuts off your limbs, no one can destroy it."

"You're always like this, Depp. Sometimes I even suspect the Mark series is your work. You always seem to think the same way I do!"

"I was just guessing," Depp said noncommittally.

Tony flew back to the villa and took out a deck of cards from the cabinet, saying, "I just learned a new trick. Can you check how it works? If it's good, I'll go perform for Pepper Potts."

Tony then shuffled a deck of cards in front of Depp, with a joker at the front and a clown with a big red nose in the center.

Joker, Clown, Chemical Plant, Joseph Cole...

Depp's mind kept flashing back to images from comics, movies, and reality, eventually settling on the pawn agreement signed by Joseph Cole.

Joseph Kerr

JOKER......

Damn! In the movie, your name is Arthur!

Depp cursed and ran straight to the chemical plant where Joseph worked!

He wanted to save Joseph before that happened.

Chapter 23 It (Part 2)

The Joker, one of the greatest villains in American comic book history, is Batman's lifelong nemesis and one of the main culprits who dragged Gotham City into the abyss.

Depp never imagined that the kind-hearted Joseph would become the infamous Joker in the future!

A complete madman!

Depp wanted to avoid all of this; he didn't want the kind-hearted Joseph to fall back into the abyss of sin and madness just as he had found hope in life.

Furthermore, Gotham might have been safer if Joseph hadn't turned into the Joker.

This is why Depp rushed out regardless of everything; whether it was the night Joseph turned into the Joker or not, he had to go to the chemical plant where Joseph worked.

He remembered that Joseph had said that the place where he worked was called the ACE Chemical Plant.

He climbed into the antique shop's pickup truck, turned on the navigation, and floored the accelerator, heading straight for the ACE Chemical Plant amidst the surrounding curses and the navigation's speeding warnings.

At this moment, the dark clouds in the sky seemed unable to bear the weight of the rain any longer, and a torrential downpour fell from the sky, as if trying its best to wash away the sins of the city.

Unfortunately, evil seems to be an innate gift of Gotham, and rain can never erase it.

As the rain fell, the ground of the ACE Chemical Plant became muddy, and streaks of unidentified chemical waste, some light green and some dark yellow, meandered across the ground with the rainwater.

Inside the ACE chemical plant, a group of men dressed in black suits and wearing red hoods made their way through layers of security to a warehouse deep inside the plant, where the most expensive raw materials and the highest quality finished chemical reagents were stored.

Joseph walked at the very front of the red-hooded group, and because the chemical plant had a large and very strict security presence, he didn't move very fast.

The slow pace annoyed the Red Hood leader, who shoved Joseph and threatened, "If you don't want anything to happen to your wife and children, hurry up and don't try any tricks!"

Joseph was pushed and fell. He got up, shook the mud off his hands, and said in a deep voice to the Red Hood leader:

"If you want to take things out without making a sound, you'd better listen to me now!"

"Of course, if you want to be spotted by the dozens of security guards here, I don't mind speeding up a bit."

"Also, stop threatening me with my wife and children. Don't you have any family?"

Joseph's sudden outburst of power made the Red Hood leader gasp for breath; he didn't know why this softie had suddenly become a different person.

This guy seems more like the boss than I am... The Red Hood leader's imposing aura had been suppressed by Joseph, and his voice involuntarily softened a bit:

"Alright, until we find those valuables, we'll all listen to you for now."

Joseph didn't know why, but ever since he entered the chemical plant and embarked on his first criminal journey, his feelings of guilt had gradually been replaced by excitement.

Maybe I'm just a villain?

Joseph thought to himself as he walked on, maybe he was right, that damned boss was always exploiting his employees.

The company's employees are complaining bitterly about unpaid wages, unpaid overtime, and reduced rest days.

Maybe... it's not so bad to make these damn capitalists bleed a little.

Joseph glanced at his watch; it was 11:30 p.m.

He mentally marked the entire factory with fifty-four playing cards, simulated the patrol patterns of the security guards, and calculated the exact locations of the forty-five security guards in the entire chemical plant at this point in time.

"At this time, old Nika should be above the Joker area."

"Furica should be to the left of the Ace of Hearts."

"Kaido should be below the Big Joker."

"Little Dipsy should be slacking off and sleeping in the warehouse."

"Aunt Misia should..."

It must be said that Joseph was a genius. He had an IQ and memory that surpassed that of ordinary people, and his talent was especially amazing in the field of chemistry.

After a simple calculation, Joseph replanned his route, which only required a slight detour. He would retreat in a J-shape from the current fifth clubs district to the seventh heart district, then head to the seventh spade district, and then cross the sixth heart, fourth clubs, third diamonds, and second spade.

Finally, just as Furica left Zone A of Hearts, they were able to directly enter the valuables warehouse behind Zone A of Hearts.

Everything proceeded according to plan, and the journey was smooth.

Just as the group was about to reach the Ace of Hearts, the beam of a flashlight shone on them.

Joseph squinted at the source of the light—it was Dipsy... Why wasn't this guy slacking off today?!

Joseph's view shifted downwards, revealing that Little Dipsy hadn't yet zipped up his pants.

It looks like this guy was woken up by the urge to pee, and he was urinating in a daze after leaving the warehouse.

Holding a flashlight, Little Dipsy mumbled sleepily, "Hmm, who's squatting there? Where did all these red-nosed rats come from in the factory?"

"No, it's the Red Hoods! Someone's..."

Before Little Dipsy could finish speaking, the leader of the Red Hood covered his mouth.

Then, Little Dipsy's face was slammed hard against the muddy and rain-soaked ground.

He struggled desperately, but it was no use; the guy was too strong.

Joseph tried to stop them, but was pulled aside by Red Hood's henchmen.

Three minutes later, Little Dipsy stopped struggling. Seven minutes later, Red Hood pulled him out of the mud, and he was already dead.

The rain washed away the mud from Little Dipsy's face, revealing a pale and hideous expression.

He clearly died in great agony.

Joseph demanded, "You promised me you'd only take things and wouldn't hurt anyone!"

"Take him with you. We'll find some random chemical reagents to dissolve the body later." The Red Hood leader tossed Little Dipsy's body to his underlings and turned to Joseph, saying, "Do you think we can still take even a single bottle of sulfuric acid from this factory if this guy is still alive?"

"Just lead the way, kid, and stop wasting my breath."

Joseph clenched his fists and turned to walk into the warehouse.

The first floor of the warehouse is lined with countless huge pools of chemical reagents, which are filled with all kinds of chemical reagents, brightly colored and with a pungent smell.

Red Hood's henchmen casually tossed Little Dipsy's body into one of the pools.

“You bunch of idiots, that’s bleach! It’ll slowly become transparent and float to the surface in a bit!” Joseph began to doubt their intelligence. “This isn’t our target; the finished product is on the second floor.”

Joseph pointed to the finished goods warehouse on the second floor, where one had to climb up the scaffolding on the first floor and then walk across the metal frames to the other side.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get started, I can't wait any longer." The leader of the red-hooded group was the first to climb up.

Just as Joseph and the Red Hoods were climbing the scaffolding, they suddenly felt a shadow looming over them, and Batman landed in front of them from behind.

"I've caught you, you brats."

Bruce stood before Red Hood, bathed in moonlight, appearing as a massive black curtain, looking down upon these villains.

But the Red Hood gang were never ones to give up easily. Their leader grabbed a pistol and shouted, "Let's go! Kill this son of a bitch Batman!"

Upon hearing their leader's summons, the Red Hoods immediately swarmed forward and engaged Bruce in a fierce battle.

Caught in the middle, Joseph tried to sneak away amidst the chaos and shoving, but he lost his footing and fell.

Beneath him was a pool of chemicals bubbling with yellowish-green bubbles!

Chapter 24 It (Part 2)

"No!!!" Joseph reached out his hands to grab the railing, but missed.

The scenery behind him rushed towards him, and the people on the scaffolding also shrank rapidly in his field of vision. Joseph was filled with grief and indignation.

He was just an ordinary person, without mutations, magic, or high-tech armor.

Looking at the ring mark on the tip of his left ring finger, his wife's face kept flashing through his mind.

If I die, what will she do?

"I can't die, I can't die, someone please save me!"

Joseph screamed wildly, when suddenly a gust of wind swept over him, stopping his fall. Joseph was suspended above the chemical pool by the force of the wind.

Did God hear my cry...? Joseph felt the raging wind around him and saw the person standing by the chemical pool.

"Mr. Depp, you really are an angel."

"Luckily I made it in time..." Depp said breathlessly.

He overtook other cars all the way to the entrance of the chemical plant, but was stopped by the iron gate.