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

"Because even if you knew, you wouldn't be able to change anything." Lucian interrupted him, "Just like you are interviewing me now, is it because your editor asked you to, or because you are genuinely curious? Or is it just that an author asked you to do this?"

William subconsciously looked at the recorder in his hand to confirm that it was still working properly.

“I imagine you’re wondering,” Lucien continued, “‘Can he really read minds?’ The answer is: no. I’m just observant. Your fingers are trembling, your pupils are dilated, your breathing rate is changing—those are all pretty clear signs.”

William forced himself to relax. “So you’re just analyzing me psychologically?”

"Not entirely." Lucian tilted his head. "It's more because I've seen too many interviewers like you. Jerome brought the same recorder when he came, and Estop asked similar questions. You're all very...predictable."

Suddenly, there was a loud noise outside the corridor, followed by the guards' shouts and heavy footsteps. William instinctively turned to look at the door, but Lucian didn't even blink. "Don't be nervous. Those guys are just reckless like that."

"You seem pretty... calm about everything going on here."

"When you realize that this is all part of the established plot, it's not too surprising. Batman will arrive in 20 minutes, the Joker and his gang will be recaptured, and then everything will go back to normal."

William looked down at his watch and silently noted the time. He decided to test Lucian's prediction: "What if Batman doesn't arrive within twenty minutes?"

“I’d be surprised.” Lucien gave his first genuine smile since the interview began. “It would prove I might be wrong, that the world might not be so predictable. That would be interesting, wouldn’t it?”

William suddenly realized that this might be the real reason why Lucian stayed in Arkham - not for treatment, but for observation. Arkham Asylum, the most chaotic place in Gotham, was nothing more than a huge laboratory for him, a place to verify his theory.

“So,” William said slowly, “you’re staying here to… research?”

"Partly," Lucien admitted, "but mainly because it's so quiet here. People outside are always trying to get me to 'choose a side' and become part of a story. But here, I'm just one of the crazy people. No one expects much from me."

……

The commotion in the corridor gradually died down. William checked his watch: eighteen minutes.

Lucian raised an eyebrow. "It seems Batman is very efficient today."

William felt a strange sense of loss. He had hoped that Lucian's prediction was wrong, which would at least prove that there were still unpredictable parts of the world. But now, everything was happening as Lucian had said, step by step.

"That's disappointing," Lucian said, not as a question.

William didn't deny it: "It's just... if even Batman and the Joker are just characters acting according to the script, then what else is there to be meaningful about?"

"Meaning is something you give it yourself," Lucien said. "For example, right now, you can choose to believe me and think this world is fictional, or you can choose not to believe me and think I'm just delusional. Both choices will lead to different lives—but no matter which choice you make, you have to keep living."

William fell into deep thought.

"The time has come." Lucian said suddenly.

William looked up: "What?"

"Interview time." Lucian pointed to the clock on the wall. "The guards will be here to take you out in five minutes. Of course, considering the chaos just now, it will be even sooner."

Sure enough, a few minutes later, the guard appeared at the door. William packed up and prepared to leave, but one question lingered in his mind.

"One last question," he turned to Lucien. "If you truly believe that everything is fiction, why don't you try... to change the plot? Do something unexpected?"

Lucian looked at him quietly for a few seconds, then gave him a mysterious smile: "Who said I don't have it?"

When he reached the door, William couldn't help but look back at him - remembering that he had forgotten to put on the restraint suit for him.

But I found that Lucian had put on a straitjacket at some point, and was sitting there, leaning back and looking up. There was nothing above, only the incandescent light shining on his green eyes.

Lucien Emerson Turner

" L " " au " " t "

Laughter

laughter.

A mental illness

—From "Gotham Madness," by William Empson

Chapter 217 Nuclear War

Have you ever been bombed by a nuclear bomb?

Lucien: How do you know?

……

There was nothing special today. The weather was as dark and damp as usual, and people were still suppressing their anger and working as usual.

But it seemed as though Venus appeared during the day—a round object breaking through the thick clouds and falling at an incredible speed...and landing in Gotham.

This was a nuclear bomb. Before today, there was no sign of it, but today, in just fifteen minutes, before anyone could react, the United States and the Soviet Union exchanged nuclear weapons.

"Buzz--" The sharp beeping sound of the air raid alarm rang out from fire stations, police stations, high-rise buildings, etc.

Not just Gotham, but the entire United States and the Soviet Union.

Of course, at this moment, no one thought that the nuclear war would come so suddenly, and only regarded it as misfortune for the city - just like Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

……

Lucien opened the curtains and looked out—

The mushroom cloud rose from the south side of Gotham, the hub of the city and the core political and economic area.

The Diamond District, the Fashion District, the Civic District...including those Air Force masters.

On the contrary, the lower town where Lucien was located was less affected. Of course, it wasn't that small. The hot air hit their faces, the roads were cracked, and the buildings began to shake like an earthquake.

The small impact only means that people in the downtown area will not die immediately.

……

"What's going on... Gotham is going to start a war of aggression? Fuck him."

Unconscious curse words escaped Lucian's mouth, and he turned to look at the Bat Lantern: "Did you do it, or did Maniac Laughter do it?"

This was the only person he could think of as the culprit.

The Bat Lantern remained silent for a moment, and the scorching light did not fade into his eyes—after all, it was just an illusion, but the light and shadow were so real, outlining the sharp contours of his face, like an emotionless statue.

This was too misleading, so even though he knew bats didn't kill people, Lucian still asked again: "...Did you really do it?"

……

"No." After the Bat Lantern said this, there was an uncomfortable silence.

"Isn't this what you expected?"

Lucian's words were questioning whether he had a plan, but unexpectedly, the Bat Lantern said slowly: "That's what I expected."

"The Dark Multiverse will inevitably slide into the abyss. Especially under the current international situation, the possibility of nuclear war is not low... Gotham will not be the only target, but all the economically developed cities in the United States and the Soviet Union will be attacked."

"...So do you have a plan?"

"some."

"What were you silent about just now!" Lucian complained.

Bat Lantern's expression became increasingly strange. He didn't tell Lucien what to do next, but said slowly, "This is a good thing."

"Now? Good things?"

"Are you laughing maniacally?"

No wonder Lucien questioned...what good could a nuclear war accomplish other than bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki and confronting Barbatos?

"Don't just look at what's in front of you." Bat Lantern warned: "What will be the consequences of a nuclear war?"

……

If there is a nuclear war, the United States and the Soviet Union will bomb each other, and nuclear bombs will devastate other countries. The population will be exterminated, and the environment will be damaged beyond recovery for hundreds of years.

What will follow will be nuclear radiation and nuclear winter, and the entire human society will be destroyed. What other outcomes can there be?

But since Bat Lantern asked this, the matter is not so clear at a glance.

Lucian recalled what he had just said, "All economically developed cities in the United States and the Soviet Union will be attacked on their vital points." So for now, it was just an attack on the vital points, not a random bombardment.

So he raised his eyes, met the eyes of the Bat Lantern, and tentatively asked, "Lifeline?"

He got affirmation.

……

Lucian is not smart, but that doesn't mean he is a fool. His stupidity is only relative to the Joker and Batman - for example, when Gauss was studying Gauss's law, Lucian couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried, but he was able to learn Gauss's law to solve problems.

So when the bat lantern gave him an idea, he would naturally think about it.

……

The disappearance of government agencies and commercial areas means that the order necessary for a normal city will disappear, and the currency in circulation will gradually lose its function, especially when the leader of the entire country is missing.

Society will inevitably regress.

But what does this mean?

It means restoring order.

It means that Gotham can be plowed thoroughly from beginning to end, like a cow plowing the land... With silence, there will be no soil for the existence of courts.

And because the area being destroyed was an economically prosperous one, the resistance was very small.

But the only problem is.

"What about nuclear radiation?" Lucian wasn't worried about himself, but about others. "It would change biological structure and affect fertility... This would still cause severe damage to humanity. How can you guarantee that the human race won't be wiped out in such a situation?"

Bat Lantern looked down through the window glass: "The court has raised a monster in the sewer. It feeds on garbage and absorbs nuclear radiation."

“…Godzilla?”

"You could think of it that way, but he was once human. His name was Waylon Jones."

Killer Croc's name.

Lucian raised his eyebrows in surprise, but quickly calmed down. He couldn't help but ask, "It really wasn't you who did it?"

Otherwise, why would someone prepare something as unconventional as a bat lantern?

Bat Lantern's expression was still as strange as ever: "No."

……

Jack was also looking outside. He ignored Lucien's mumbling, or perhaps he had gotten used to it after living together for some time.

The only uneasy person was the former mayor, who looked at the mushroom cloud with his eyes almost popping out - looking at his expression, anyone could guess what he hated.