"Batman, in these short two months, you have witnessed the darkest side of this city. No, it might not be the darkest side yet. After all, you have brought quite a lot, at least more than an umbrella,"
"Before you came here, you acquired martial skills, invented countless items, worked out for years, and had a surprisingly healthy body. Your mind was sharp, free from any bad habits."
"You thought you were alone, experiencing life. However, you have more than anyone here."
"With those conditions, you came to the slums of Gotham, and saw how the people here live. And then, you discovered that you've spent the past several years doing things in vain."
"As long as there is fertile soil for evil, poisonous plants will grow. No matter how many flowers you cut off, you can't stop thousands of seeds from taking root."
"You are desperate for this, as a loser, you console yourself with a bitter smile. But in fact, you don't really want to smile, you are just poorly imitating…"
Shiller stood in place, and touched his ear, saying, "I didn't hear you wanted to smile, so the smile you showed is really sickening."
"But now you can laugh from the heart, Because I am a tolerant person, the most tolerant person in whole Gotham. Even if you fall in front of me now, I will never harm you."
"On the contrary, I am more than happy to send you back to Wayne Manor, where you belong."
"You have everything you need there, food to fill your stomach, medicine to heal your wounds, a bed for you to rest. Safety, pleasure, warmth, it's time for you to do so."
"You've seen it, haven't you?" Shiller spread his hands and said, "You've gotten yourself into this state, you've experienced the difficulties of the lower classes, isn't that material enough for you to be moved for another decade?"
"If I send you back, tonight, you can put on the bat suit again, stand on top of Wayne building, looking upon all living beings with deeper compassion. This time, you have made sacrifices, the mental and physical exhaustion has almost left you with permanent scars, you have given too much for them…"
"You really don't need to do this, they are not worthy. Your kindness leaves you wounded all over your body here, you hold on to your bottom line, but they will do anything to get what they want."
"What caused you to do this? It's your kindness, it's your great heart of justice, even in the slums, you don't want to do anything against the law. Your moral line you abide by."
"The people in the slums can't give you anything, but you are willing to give so much for them, you are willing to be in such pain for them, everything is enough here…"
"So, another Joker, is willing to give you some money, but I can do more. When your body is close to its limit, I can send you back to Wayne Manor, let you rest well."
"Soon, Alfred will serve you steaming hot meals, Aisha will throw herself into your arms, Dick will watch you worriedly. You all can enjoy family time…"
Shiller's voice echoed in the deserted, dark chemical factory, carrying an inexplicable temptation. Illusions began to appear in front of Bruce's eyes.
The dampness entangled in the eyelashes, under the glow of the matchstick, turned into Neon lights.
Bruce saw the chandelier of Wayne Manor, blinking with a dreamy luster. Under the chandelier, the long, precious wooden table was filled with luxurious ingredients he hadn't seen or tasted for a long time.
Alfred was smiling cordially by his side, Aisha was sitting in his arms, Dick was sitting at the next seat, and at this time, Selina, beautifully dressed, came over to kiss his cheek, calling him a hero."
All people praised him for his spirit of sacrifice, for his magnanimity, for his doing so much unnecessary things. Everyone was deeply moved."
Then, he heard the shutter's 'click' sound. It was the reporters that had come. All of his heroic actions were being recorded, in their scrutiny."
Batman's bad reputation was finally cleared. In the mansion, restaurant, and manor, everyone was praising him."
Even more surprising was that Bruce Wayne also got the title of a prodigal son who had turned over a new leaf. The Wayne Enterprises stock soared. Furthermore, he was on the verge of becoming a philanthropist."
Batman was more popular than expected, so he decided to enter politics."
He wanted to fundamentally change this country. As expected, he rose to the highest position, with his wealth and fame."
Batman announced education reforms, a series of measures to ensure the livelihood of the slums. He finally succeeded, successfully accomplished all of this."
In the years to come, when he recalled these glorious experiences, he told the reporters that it was all because of his kindness back then."
He entered the lowest level of Gotham, experiencing the hard life of the poor. These two months were the most important time of his life. He learnt a lot from the people living in the slums…"
The dream evaporated with the timeline of the story, the dreamy light also disappeared."
Bruce wished to take one more glance, but there were no more matches for him."
At the moment the last match of the little match girl went out, she would not feel warmth and fulfillment, only colder than before.
Lying on the cold surface of the platform, the memories flashing across Bruce's mind were merely fleeting as Shiller's words had just faded.
Bruce felt a force erupting from his chest, like a volcano about to erupt; he had never experienced such intense emotions before and therefore didn't know how to release it.
At that moment, he felt a shadow cast over his head. Shiller walked over, looking down at him. In his eyes, Bruce saw that familiar crazed grin. He understood that all of this was a trap set by the Joker.
It was no surprise that Jack would help him. He hadn't abandoned his crazy plans, he didn't really want to be Batman's mentor and friend. The Joker's only goal, from beginning to end, was to make Batman laugh.
Shiller crouched down, pressing down on Bruce's shoulder, "You're about to escape from the sea of suffering, Batman, aren't you happy about it? If you're happy, you should laugh, laugh from the bottom of your heart…"
"Let's go, Batman, I'll take you home, you need a good sleep..."
Shiller grabbed Bruce's shoulders, carrying him up, turned around, and walked with Bruce towards the stairwell of the platform.
As he approached the railing, Shiller felt the man on his back suddenly exert tremendous strength.
Shiller stumbled, one hand steadying himself on the nearby rail. But the moment his balance was off, Bruce on his back flipped over the railing, gripping its edge with his hand.
Shiller turned around, his eyes filled with crazed light. He said to Bruce, "What are you doing?!! What else do you want to do?!! Batman!! Are you crazy?!!!"
Bruce's hands gradually slid down, from the horizontal bar of the railing down to the vertical bar, until finally, only his hands were gripping the edge of the platform.
Beneath him was the bottomless mixing pool of chemical agents.
On the fluorescent surface of the chemical liquid, tiny bubbles were continuously twinkling, like particles orbiting the sun. The pungent smell was constantly diffusing, causing dizziness.
In such chaotic and dizzying light, only a pair of eyes were incredibly bright. Bruce lifted his head. Under the light, every scar on his face seemed even deeper, but as a result, his eyes looked more like sapphires buried in bedrock.
"There...isn't...anything I'm looking for anymore..." Bruce said intermittently, "I've experienced...all of life, understood many things...no need...to go through this anymore..."
He struggled to swallow, under these circumstances, even saying a complete sentence was difficult.
"I've felt hunger, pain, fatigue...just like them."
His arms started shaking steadily, until his whole body began to shake. Yet he kept his face up, facing Shiller's high gaze. He said, "There's only one thing left that I haven't done..."
One of Bruce's hands let go, but Shiller showed a look of horror. He quickly crouched to try and catch Bruce. But the moment he reached out, Bruce let go of his only hand on the edge.
The moment Bruce was captured by the gravity of the sun, his hair floated upwards. He no longer seemed tired and heavy but became light, like a dragonfly taking off from the water surface, a gull gliding with flapping wings.
The sound of falling into the water, rang along with his last words:
"The only thing left I haven't done, is to...become one of them."
"In face of the crazy reality, tell yourself...just laugh."
As he merged with the light of the sun, Bruce laughed, sincerely laughed.
In front of Shiller, a splash of water rose and fell. He slowly closed his eyes. The crazed expression on his face disappeared, but his hand, gripping the railing tightly, didn't let go.
The tranquil night of Gotham was like a dark and mysterious cosmos.
Soon, the dawn arrived. When the sun rose from the horizon, there was no mystery and charm of the dusk, but it brought a unique gloom.
A figure leading another walked out of the factory gate. Behind them was a sun shrouded in a misty halo.
The cool morning dew fell, reflecting the shine of leather shoes. As the cobblestone road began to fog, a devout murmur arose:
"If there could only be one Batman laughing in this world...the Laughing Bat, God bless you forever, Amen."