Chapter 54: Murder (Extra Chapter, Please Subscribe)
“Of the 30 million people in Gotham, 5 million have been directly or indirectly involved in a first-degree murder case.”
This was a hidden safe house in Gotham, the Riddler’s lair, the safest, most secret kind. It was decorated as an ordinary study. Killer Croc, sitting on the sofa, pulled out a copy of Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason from the bookshelf beside him. After flipping through it for a while, he found that he couldn’t understand a single word, so he angrily tossed it on the floor. The Ventriloquist picked it up and put it back.
“Approximately 15 million people have committed criminal acts, and the remaining 10 million who have not committed crimes are not because they are good citizens, but because they are all recluses, gamblers, and prostitutes from the red-light district.”
The Riddler’s voice echoed in the room. Jim Gordon was tied up in a chair, blindfolded, and his mouth was stuffed with a cloth.
“And the reason they haven’t joined the criminal ranks is not because of any noble qualities, but because they haven’t been driven to desperation.”
The TV was playing footage. The Riddler confirmed, it was live. Batman was right there, just as he had planned. He continued, “So you understand? There are no good people in Gotham. The only ones who can be called good people are addicts and gamblers, because they don’t hurt anyone except themselves.”
“I’m so tired, year after year, day after day. Living in a pile of garbage, constantly committing crimes.”
“If committing crimes is so tiring, why not stop?” said the Movie Freak. “You can stop committing crimes.”
“No, you don’t understand.”
The Riddler stood up, somewhat nervously, then stood on the sofa and squatted down, clutching his legs, like a lonely, helpless, poor child.
“This is a war. If we actually give up on crime because of fatigue, then he wins… Batman wins.”
“So what? Can’t we live without committing crimes?”
Killer Croc found a bag of chips nearby and opened it, stuffing it directly into his mouth.
“No, that’s not the case. Batman wins, but it’s not me who loses.”
Huh? Killer Croc thought he was completely crazy.
He knew that speaking in riddles was the Riddler’s trademark, just like the hot dog vendor at the park entrance would have his own unique recipe. But the Riddler had never spoken in such an incomprehensible riddle, at least not in his memory.
The Riddler was a little nervous. He hugged his knees, like a little boy hiding in a corner during a thunderstorm.
“You don’t understand, I’m not me at all. I mean, I don’t represent myself at all.”
He rambled on, “I’m naturally drawn to my own kind, just as the bat has always attracted us all. Like you, Killer Croc, you’ve always attracted all the criminals in Gotham who have a beastly heart like you.
“So you have a following, and you can easily raise an army that is absolutely loyal to you.
“You’re their king, those pure, beastly criminal fanatics are by your side, just as the highly intelligent criminals by my side, the desperate laughing madmen by the Joker’s side, the fearful worshippers by the Scarecrow’s side.”
“We, these so-called super villains, we are their spiritual pillars. Batman has a point, most criminals are superstitious and blind…”
The Riddler continued, “We have the same qualities as them, but we are so much stronger than them, so they are easily subdued by us.”
“We no longer represent ourselves, but part of Gotham’s evil. We represent those people, becoming a kind of embodiment of this evil.”
He stared blankly at the TV.
“Killing me is useless. Kill me, Tutankhamun, the Cluemaster, or any other criminal like me, and they will take my place. He may not be as strong as me, but he’s definitely the strongest of the rest, and so on… and so on!”
“We are never special! That’s why Batman knows that killing us won’t stop crime. On the contrary, his act of murdering us will only exacerbate the growth of crime.”
“Every successful crime is a huge encouragement to other criminals. Once this door is opened, he really becomes part of the darkness, and thus he can never eradicate the darkness, you understand?”
“If Batman really did that, then he would be like us. He would attract other criminals, attract others to imitate his act of murdering criminals, and then this metropolis of 30 million people would turn into a slaughterhouse, with rivers of blood and piles of bones. Because if you want to be serious, everyone is a criminal!”
The Riddler said, “Everyone can kill at will in the name of justice, and the law will become a scrap of paper. Batman will never do that.”
“Alarmist,” said the Movie Freak. “Super villains are just a little special.”
“What’s so special about me?” The Riddler said,
“Before us, there were the Falcones, and before the Falcones, there were the Lion Kings, and before them, there were the Four Families of Gotham. Before that, before that, I’m just a puppet of Gotham’s evil, a marionette. Whether this puppet is called the Riddler or Edward doesn’t matter.
“Like the Joker, how many times has the Joker died? How dare you say he’s still the same Joker?”
“We saw him disappear in an explosion, then he came back after two or three months, fell into the river, disappeared, and came back after two or three months. He came back, he came back, he’ll always come back. He can only be dispersed, not killed! Gotham just needs a madman who can split his mouth to his ears. What does that madman’s real name matter?”
“He defeats me again and again. Our game never ends, until one side can’t hold on and falls. Batman is trying to reverse the whole city with his own strength! You don’t understand how shocking it is. He’s invincible, never hesitates, doesn’t need rest, he’s brilliant, wise, his will is as strong as steel, like a god walking among humans!”
The Riddler’s voice grew louder, he stood up, waving his hands, “It’s unscientific, it’s impossible! How can there be such a person!”
“You don’t understand how desperate it is to face such an opponent!”
“No matter how much you struggle, how hard you struggle, you’ll be sent back to Arkham. It’s so tragic!”
He slumped back onto the sofa.
“Death might be a relief for me. That way I wouldn’t have to self-indulge in my own impotence and be entangled by Gotham’s evil. I can’t stop committing crimes anymore.”
“It’s not just because of my mental illness. No matter what kind of determination I have, whatever I decide to do besides committing crimes, the evil of Gotham will pull me back on track like an invisible hand. It enslaves me! It entangles me!”
“No matter how I cry and struggle, it will force me to use those damned riddles, to manipulate me! To show its fangs to that son of Gotham who was born in darkness but betrayed darkness! I’m the evil dragon that should be slain by the knight, but I’m also the servant of darkness!”
“Only death can bring me peace. But Batman won’t even grant me this last peace. He won’t even kill the Joker! You know what? Batman is a cruel avenger, but his target is not me, not Two-Face, not the Joker! It’s Gotham’s evil! He’s not trying to end criminals, but crime itself!”
“But evil and crime can’t be ended. As long as there is a human being living in this world, evil and crime will never be ended! But he did it! He’s trying to achieve an absolutely impossible goal, tormenting himself, tormenting everyone! He’s not even human!”
He had lost all his strength, as if his bones had been sucked out of his body, and he collapsed into the chair.
“I’m tired, I’m really tired.”
He mumbled softly, “So now there are no more riddles, no more tests, no more games. It’s all going to end.”
He picked up the phone on the table and connected to the Batman on the TV, “Batman – now, do as I say, kill the Joker!”
He walked over to the whimpering Jim Gordon, pulled out a pistol, put his own head next to Jim Gordon’s, and pointed the gun at his own temple.
“No riddles, no hints, now I have only one command. Kill the Joker, or Jim Gordon’s head and mine will explode immediately.”
“Either kill the Joker and save Gordon and me, or let the Joker go and let Gordon and me die.”
“Batman, can you hear me talking? Make your choice, don’t think about pretending to stab the Joker or shoot him in a non-lethal spot. I want you to cut the Joker into pieces. Only when I see him dismembered will I confirm his death and release Jim Gordon.”
“Whether it’s you, me, the principle that’s been entangled, the ironclad law that can’t be broken, they must all be destroyed today. If they can’t be destroyed, then destroy me.”
“I’ve decided to use femtosecond laser pulverization to kill the Joker. This technology can pulverize materials on a microscopic scale. In a way, the Joker will be cut into pieces.”
“Yes, do it now.”
The Joker got into the red cabinet, then soon the cabinet’s wood panels came off, revealing its original form as a crystal coffin.
“Kill him now, no matter what method you use!”
But Batman ignored him. He walked forward and spoke to the Joker for a while.
“You killed him! Why don’t you… wait.”
The Riddler suddenly realized something. He wasn’t that stupid, he shouldn’t have realized it until now.
The bat shadow with pointy ears appeared behind him. The Riddler heard that voice, it was Batman’s.
“You see, I made a mistake. I always thought super villains like you liked games, and I thought your desire to play games was endless.”
“I’m a fool, just like you. You see, you’re in your room now, making the same stupid mistake as me.”
“You assume I can’t break the ironclad law.”
“You assume I’m completely unprepared, completely unsuspecting.”
“You assume my mercy is endless.”
“You assume I don’t have the courage to deal with the situation after the no-killing rule is broken.”
“You assume all of this is not pre-recorded video footage, you assume I’m talking to the Joker right now in the old Wayne Tower.”
The amygdala wanted to move, but Killer Croc immediately held it down. He was pushed to the ground and tied up.
“You also assumed that the Ventriloquist and Killer Croc were not my people.”
“You assumed the Movie Freak couldn’t be Batman in disguise.”
Click!
The Riddler pulled the trigger, but no bullets came out. He had anticipated this result.
“You even assumed that I didn’t secretly replace the bullets in your gun.”
“Why do you underestimate me so much, Edward Nigma? Why do you assume that only you can break the rules?”
The Riddler turned his head and smiled bitterly.
“So, the Joker wasn’t killed? You fooled me?”
“Nigma, Nigma… you’re still so arrogant.”
“Guess, Edward, you and I have only met once, but you will know me forever. I, who am I?
“Please note, what I’m going to say next is not a metaphor, rhetoric, theory, or anything else.”
The Riddler heard Batman say, “The Joker has been killed by me.”
Actually, I originally wanted to spend a few pages describing how the Riddler recruited Killer Croc and the Ventriloquist, from the perspective of the Riddler’s first victim, and how the protagonist disguised himself as the Movie Freak and blended in, hiding the clues that the protagonist has always existed in the chapters, repeatedly hinting to everyone that the Movie Freak is suspicious, then creating this amazing twist. But maybe I shouldn’t let the protagonist disappear for too long, and the Joker’s presence also raised the expectation, he stole the show, and the reader feedback was terrible. So I just used a sentence to bring up the Riddler’s recruitment of Killer Croc and them. I was thinking that the Joker’s death was not the climax of this story unit, so I thought it would be okay to pull him out and do a flashback, then slowly describe the Riddler… but I didn’t expect the Joker’s popularity to exceed my expectations. Everyone was looking forward to the Joker, no one cared about the poor Riddler. I had to significantly reduce the Riddler’s role. I was wrong, I’ll never play this kind of wrong tactic again. I’ll add an extra chapter as compensation. Everyone must remember to subscribe!
And I would also like to recommend a friend’s book:
Title: “Miss Witch, Please Behave Yourself”
[Recommendation]: The original title was “The Taste of the Witch is Quite Good,” but for special reasons, it was cancelled.
Formal Recommendation: What’s it like to marry a witch right after you transmigrated?
Roy said, “The taste of the witch is quite good.”
(End of chapter)
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