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

"Okay, I've finished asking all my questions." Lucian closed the notepad in his hand and smiled, "Thank you very much for your cooperation."

Jason's facial expression had adjusted, as if he was wearing the fake smile he should be showing in front of the media. "It's nothing, Mr. Writer. It's my job to help more people have a correct understanding of Gotham. I just hope you won't arbitrarily manipulate my words like those unscrupulous media outlets do."

"Please rest assured about this. I'm a nonfiction writer. The most important thing is the documentary. I will send you a copy before publishing. If you are not satisfied with anything, please feel free to contact me."

……

Batman came out of the interrogation room, but did not leave. Instead, he went to the side room with one-way glass, where he could clearly see everything that was happening.

Gordon had been watching here for who knows how long. When he saw Batman come in, he exclaimed, "Is the Joker confessing? I don't believe it. This must be his new trick."

"Same sentiment," Batman said.

Gordon took off his glasses and rubbed his brow. "The polygraph showed that he wasn't lying. His heart rate and pupil reaction were all normal. Of course, I know polygraphs don't work on the Joker."

"But Bat, did you investigate that Tom?"

While Batman is searching for the Joker, Alfred helps him find traces of the so-called Tom.

But unfortunately, this "Tom Andrew" is like a ghost, leaving very few traces.

"No." Batman's deep voice came through the voice changer. "His name is on Arkham's temporary worker records, but other than that, his identity information, address, bank account... are all forged."

Gordon sighed, "So, another mystery."

Batman's gaze returned to the Joker in the interrogation room. The former crime lord was now sitting quietly in a chair, staring at his hands.

"We need to find Tom," Batman said finally. "He can influence the Joker's mental state—whether through drugs, hypnosis, or some other means."

Gordon nodded. "I'll have the police keep an eye on him, but honestly, if he can really sneak into Arkham quietly and disappear without a trace afterwards... we might have to prepare for the worst."

He lowered his head, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and then asked, "By the way, what about the clown?"

There was no reply for a moment. "Don't tell me..." Gordon turned his head and looked at the empty seat where Batman had been, and shrugged. "I knew it."

……

Indeed, nothing related to Tom could be found. The whole person seemed to appear out of thin air. Even during his tenure, the nurses and patients had a very vague impression of him - as if they were hypnotized. The clown, however, refused to describe any physical characteristics of Tom.

Stuck here, no further way.

Time passed slowly, and three days passed. The news of the Joker's confession spread throughout Gotham... Not only Gotham, but the entire state was discussing this matter.

The Joker is so famous that you would hardly see a second criminal like him - he paints his face in all sorts of colors, doesn't care about any vested interests, and is keen on playing with human lives... From a medical or social ethical point of view, it's hard to find another person who can match the Joker.

People are hotly discussing how the clown should be sentenced.

……

Has the clown ever been bullied?

Maybe, when he was not well-known and the city was not familiar with him, he was indeed bullied.

But then, with his fame and prestige, who would be so foolish as to bully the Joker? Even medical care was discontinued after he bit off a few faces and drove a few people crazy.

The world is particularly compliant with this super criminal.

Now the Joker says he pleads guilty—he's become docile, and the world's spikes are now pointed at him.

Malice swept over.

The prison lights were glaringly pale, and the clown huddled in the shadows of a corner. His green hair had lost its former luster, clinging to his forehead like a clump of withered seaweed. His nails scratched meaningless marks on the concrete floor, and blood seeped from between his fingers.

“It’s time to eat.”

Although it was called food, the portion was pitifully small, and there was even a weird smell in it - this was normal, the Joker had offended many people, and those who were offended by him would not miss this opportunity.

They won't let the clowns have an easy time.

The clown obviously realized this and took it obediently, but after taking the first bite, he spat it out - it was poisonous.

……

When the Joker was famous, no one wanted to provoke this madman. Even if he actually hurt them, they were cowardly and did not retaliate, but instead blamed all the sins on "why Batman didn't kill the Joker".

Now that the Joker has pleaded guilty, become a prisoner without resistance, and is willing to accept the death penalty, those who have been truly harmed by him have used various means to try to kill or maim the Joker, so that under the huge public opinion, Gordon had to take the initiative to step forward and patrol many times before he saved the Joker's life.

"You say, Sheriff."

The Joker lay on his back on the cold ground, looking at Gordon who was walking towards him with a serious expression: "Don't you want to kill me?"

Gordon didn't want to pay attention.

But the Joker didn't want to miss this opportunity:

Chapter 230 Traffic Password - Clown

"I've committed so many evil things, is it enough to just be sentenced?"

"I won't even die—ha, what's a bigger joke than a serial killer not getting the death penalty?"

"You are always too tolerant and kind to the wicked. I know that you will definitely want to kill me selfishly, but people like you are always... enviable."

"...Bottom line, you allow me to live in this world for the sake of this thing in your heart."

The clown paused, then suddenly laughed: "Officer, I am the victim now. Shouldn't you uphold justice for me?"

The Joker seems to have multiple personalities, or perhaps it's instinctive. When he was trying to portray his repentant character, he said such misleading words without any scruples.

……

The two most exciting things Lucian had ever seen in his life were the lawsuit against Batman in -22 and the lawsuit against the Joker in this universe... The reports were everywhere, the Joker became a traffic code, and even when going out for breakfast, you could encounter so-called "volunteers" selling balloons at high prices.

It says that "all the money earned will be donated to the parents of the child who was killed by a clown a month ago and to those who suffer from lifelong diseases."

A hydrogen balloon that costs no more than three cents to make usually sells for two to three dollars, but now...

"Five dollars a pop, and we'll donate all proceeds to clown victims."

You could have just robbed the money, but you gave him a balloon.

Lucian walked to the hot dog shop not far from here without stopping.

"A cheese hot dog."

"Okay, five dollars. You can choose the Joker limited edition style for another dollar. Do you want it?"

"Do not."

The so-called Joker limited edition is nothing more than the original sauce squeezed into a linear smiley face, a "V" and two "∧", and a cheap card drawn in green and red that has no resemblance to the Joker. That's all it costs for one dollar.

As mentioned, the Joker has now become a traffic code. Lucian ate a hot dog while looking at the series of Joker-related products that have sprung up like mushrooms after rain.

Beat-up clown toys, clown medals, smiley masks... People who are very concerned about the clown's sentencing are happy to pay for these premium products.

Even Lucien couldn't help but think of a possibility - maybe after a while, Hollywood might make a movie about the Joker, and then he could apply to play the Joker, and maybe become the next Heath Ledger.

...could also be the next Joaquin Phoenix.

The intestines were a little burnt, probably because they were grilled overheated... but they tasted better than those that were not burnt.

In addition, the green peppers and onions were as fresh as ever, and the bread did not dry out due to being exposed to the air for a long time.

This is the only hot dog place Lucian wants to continue eating at after eating at so many hot dog places in the past few weeks... It is really difficult to find a snack bar in Crime Alley that is clean, has fresh ingredients, and does not add any terrible dipping sauces.

Of course, the same thing costs two dollars more than other stores with poor hygiene, stale food, and strong smells.

Expensive reason.

I took out some wet wipes and wiped my hands and mouth. Without leaving in a hurry, I took out a notebook and pen from my handbag, turned them around, and then wrote:

[On April 5th, the news about the Joker's confession had spread throughout the streets and alleys, and many products about him were derived.

No matter where I stood in this city, I could hear people cursing at this madman. No matter who I stopped, as long as they discussed the Joker, they would pour out their grievances to me. This was in stark contrast to my previous field trips, where many people avoided him like snakes and scorpions.

The identity of a British documentary writer who studies global crime cases was not chosen casually for the purpose of teasing birds.

After Lucian traveled through time, he did not find any abnormalities in this world. Considering that Batman's evil transformation was mostly inseparable from super-anti-troublemaking, in order to facilitate interference, he created such an identity for himself.

A writer obsessed with global crime and currently observing Gotham criminals and superheroes.

It's a good cover-up.

[Volunteers would recommend that I buy balloons to donate to families affected by nitrous oxide; newsstands would place newspapers about clowns in the most conspicuous position; even the hot dog shop would recommend clown styles when I bought a hot dog.

The people of this city designed the image of the clown into everyday objects, and took revenge to a certain extent through actions such as "beating" and "eating"... People hated him deeply.

Even speaking...

Lucien looked up and through the glass saw a man dressed as a clown standing on the street... He was dressed as a clown from the amusement park, with a sign hanging around his neck: "Five dollars for a slap, ten dollars for a kick, come beat up the clown!"

The pen tip paused, but in the end he didn't write down the scene.

[I was very lucky to arrive in this city at this time. Not only did I see the balance between criminals and vigilantes, and the scene where people were very secretive about the criminals, but I also saw the most famous criminal surrender himself and people cheering for him.

Maybe I can impress the newspaper or the police, or even Batman, with a detailed report, and get me an interview with the Joker—why this city gave birth to such a unique criminal like the Joker—I have to get an interview with the Joker.

At this point, Lucien's writing needs for today have been completed. Next, he needs to cooperate with the newspaper or the police station to get a chance to interview the Joker - this is what the character setting says.

But deep down, Lucian wanted to contact the legendary doctor Cavendish who cured the two-faced man into a man with seventy-eight faces (the number of tarot cards).

Unfortunately, on April Fool's Day, when Cavendish threatened Batman with hostages, he was killed by the hostages.

……

During this period, Lucien almost never wore suits or windbreakers, which were body-enhancing clothes. Instead, he chose T-shirts and jeans. Although these did not suit his figure, they effectively prevented his figure from looking weird and attracting attention.

Especially now that the clown who looks exactly like him is still a celebrity, Lucian doesn't want to cause any more trouble.

The gap was too big. Except for the incident with Jason, no one thought of Lucien as a clown. They just looked at him naked, with his skinny arms and empty hems, and some people would say:

"Mom! I saw a mummy!"

A child who had just visited the museum and was still frightened by the mummies.

Lucian turned his head and saw that the mother had covered the child's mouth with her hand and nodded apologetically to Lucian.

"..."

Interviewing the Joker now is much more difficult than Lucien thought.

Due to the multiple assassinations against the Joker in a short period of time, the police department has tightened the number of visiting quotas and requires a guarantor. Although the newspaper has connections, they are not enough to absorb the problem internally.

Besides, no one is willing to give up the opportunity to meet traffic and write a hit to others.

——Human words, money.