Here is the translation of the Chinese web novel chapter to English:
Chapter 49: Under the Moonlight
Lincoln March was a paper doll. He fundamentally did not exist. The Court of Owls created him. After being brainwashed, Lincoln March firmly believed he was Bruce Wayne’s younger brother who only lived for 12 hours.
Martha Wayne often visited the orphans at the hospital before she passed away. She visited every child she sponsored, and the heart-shaped brooch was an honorary symbol. The Court of Owls utilized these evidences to convince Lincoln that he was Bruce Wayne’s brother.
They slowly guided Lincoln March, telling him that he was a child abandoned by his parents and brother. They nurtured Lincoln March’s hatred towards the Wayne family little by little.
Their original plan was to use Lincoln March to take over the Wayne family’s assets, but unfortunately, Bruce Wayne returned, and the plan was shelved.
So, they created Lincoln March, letting him use another method to help them reconstruct the city—”You will become the great owl’s beak!”
But it was also very clear that Lincoln March was not as obedient as he seemed on the surface. He genuinely wanted to obtain this city, just like those villains who wanted to control the entire city.
But in the end, the reason for Lincoln March’s hatred towards Bruce Wayne was simply “My brother forgot about me.”
If Chen Tao told him a new story he made up at this time—”Your parents did not abandon you, and your brother never gave up searching for you. However, all of this was stopped by the Court of Owls, who stole you from the hospital bed and created the tragedy of your life.”
Then, Lincoln March’s attitude would change into what?
…
…
…
“Listen, Joker.”
The Strawman walked behind the Joker: “Batman is intentionally provoking you, making you lose your temper and fight with Bane. This is exactly what Batman wants.”
He spoke rapidly, but despite his best efforts, he couldn’t grasp the Joker’s attention. The Joker was a madman, extremely emotional, and the Strawman, who studied fear, was a rare normal person.
Although he was a psychiatrist, the Strawman really had no experience dealing with the Joker’s level of psychological issues.
“Hahaha…” He heard the Joker’s laughter, then suddenly erupted into maniacal laughter: “Hahahahaha!”
The sound of a gunshot echoed, and the Joker suddenly jumped up, kicking a drone to the ground.
A nearby Joker henchman didn’t have time to react and was immediately knocked to the ground. The Joker snatched a submachine gun from another henchman and directly opened fire at the drone and the fallen henchman….
The flames illuminated his pale face, and then the radio….
When the Joker finally vented his anger, the scene was left with only a lifeless corpse and a pile of broken metal.
Everyone present was silent, as if frozen in fear.
“…Joker?”
Only the Strawman dared to speak fearlessly: “Your mental state doesn’t seem too good.”
“I’m fine, hahaha…what could be wrong with me?”
He smiled while handing the submachine gun back to his henchman, patting the henchman’s head with his own, like a normal company boss encouraging his employee.
He smiled and said, “Batman is using such despicable methods to try and provoke me…such an idiotic choice.”
He said, “Clein, you don’t need to treat me like a fool. Do I look like the kind of person who would go crazy and attack Bane just because Batman wants me to?”
“Maybe not, but the probability is not zero.” The Strawman thought to himself.
Of course, he wouldn’t say that in front of the Joker.
The taciturn Strawman merely nodded slightly and asked:
“What’s our next move?”
“What’s our next move?”
The Joker picked up a submachine gun: “We can’t just do nothing. Our old Bat has already calculated that we won’t kill Mayor Caro today—hahaha, hahaha!”
So, he’s confident… why don’t we take the initiative to find him?
“What, you know Batman’s location…?”
The Strawman’s words were cut off when he saw the Joker flip over the back of the radio and find the address of the old Wayne Tower on the back.
“We’re going to directly infiltrate Wayne Tower.”
He said.
“This is likely a trap.” The Strawman carefully examined the address on the back of the radio and said:
“Batman is almost openly provoking you. Going there now is definitely a trap.”
The tall and slender Strawman offered his opinion: “My opinion is to ignore him and not go there at all. It’s not worth the risk.”
He spoke, but before he finished, he saw the Joker’s red eyes, and he knew his words were useless.
…
…
…
“I told you, you don’t understand me.”
Darkness. Total darkness.
“I’m not laughing, and it’s because you’ve never made me laugh.”
The Joker heard Batman saying this in the darkness.
It was always like this, the two of them facing off in the darkness.
Time and time again, year after year. But this time, the other party had hurt him too deeply.
“I’m not listening to this nonsense.”
The Joker cursed loudly: “Shut up! Batman!”
“Think about it, Joker. I lack a sense of humor and don’t know what’s funny. But that doesn’t mean you’re funny.”
“Shut up!”
The Joker shouted, “Shut up! Batman!”
“My point is—the prank button, the water gun, and things like that are outdated. What’s the new toy?”
“You’re the one who’s ridiculous!”
The Joker’s laughter started low and gradually increased in pitch.
The Joker heard Batman’s maniacal laughter, which made his entire body shiver.
“Stop laughing, I won’t let you laugh!”
The Joker’s laughter grew louder and louder, until it was like a wild beast’s roar.
“Ha…ha…ha…ha…ha…ha…”
“Enough, stop laughing, I won’t let you laugh!”
The Joker saw the person he had been searching for. The Batman demon king.
“Do you want to see me, Joker? You want me to laugh, and now I’m laughing. Are you unhappy now?”
“I ask you…”
The Joker saw Batman slowly remove his helmet.
Silver particles swirled around his body, creating a dreamlike scene that didn’t seem to be of this world.
He heard Batman whispering: “I ask you, Joker…”
“Have you ever danced with the devil in the moonlight?”
The Joker dropped his gun to the ground. Under the bright moonlight, the pale-faced man looked at the equally pale face….
Like falling into an ice cave.
Let’s rewind time to two hours ago.
Thanks to Sadok’s generous reward!
Thanks to 1500 points from big brother Pi Pi Pi!
(End of chapter)
Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter