"But you're not a capitalist, someone else will be, Batman, I have always wanted to tell you that not to seek to save those less noble than you, let alone to sacrifice for them, because, it's not worth it..."
"You have to love yourself, of course, you're the most perfect genius in the world, far away from me and all other ordinary people." The Joker's tone became much calmer. The truck kept moving forward. But from the muscular marks when he turned, it could be seen his mood wasn't as calm as he appeared.
"Capitalists do not exist, without oppression and exploitation, everyone is equal... But do you think they will ever be satisfied?" The Joker shook his head gently and said, "If I and other truck drivers, our lives improved tenfold, no, not just tenfold, maybe a hundredfold or a thousandfold, by then, we all have big mansions and yachts, we all are Bruce Wayne."
"But no one will ever be satisfied." The Joker skillfully turned the truck around another bend, then said, "If we all own a hundred houses, then someone will want to own one hundred and one."
"If it's for habitation, one house is enough. The extra house he wants is just to outshine others."
"Batman, you have to understand how ugly humanity is, they use all kinds of sneaky methods throughout their lives, just to step on their peers, to satisfy their greed and vanity."
"Even if you donate all your fortunes, so that everyone in the world can have enough to eat and wear, they will still not thank you, they will only think, why didn't you choose them, to make them the most special of all, superior to others."
"And if you do select a manager, or simply give him a position of honor above others, they will not appreciate you, they will only think it's their due, because of their wisdom, courage, and other good qualities, that they're entitled to have."
"They might even despise you because of it, they may even be dissatisfied, thinking you're stupid, if they were in your position, they wouldn't care about the life and death of others."
"Wake up, Batman, no one in this world can understand you, those whom you save are not your people, you sacrifice for nothing."
The Joker turned his head to look at Batman. Under the light of the vehicle, their faces were both pale, which made them seem somewhat similar. The Joker whispered, "They're absolutely not worth your dedication."
"What about you?" Batman asked.
The Joker was taken aback, he repeated, "…What did you say?"
"I said, what about you? Do you think you're worth my dedication?" Batman stared back at the Joker. As their gazes met for a moment, the Joker quickly turned his head away.
"Suppose that, all my wealth dedicated could give you the life you truly desire, I'm not referring to your current life as a criminal, but the one, the life where you once saw hope..."
"Jack, if I did that, would you choose not to be a criminal?"
With a screeching sound, the harsh brake sound echoed. The Joker was lying on the steering wheel. When he straightened up, the blood from his forehead trickled down to his eyes, staining half of his cheek red. He looked at Batman with a childlike earnest gaze and said,
"Batman, you're insane!"
"I'm not crazy." Batman shook his head and said: "Before I came here, I had taken a full dose of medication as prescribed by the doctor. My thinking is really clear now, so I can propose such a hypothesis."
Batman asked again: "If I am willing to abandon everything to save you, to let you return to the moment you had the most hope and choose again, would you still take such a path?"
The Joker's hand gripped the steering wheel, he looked at the road surface outside the windshield.
It began to rain again in Gotham. When the rain fell on the ground, under the light of the car, a thin mist rose, as if the ground was smoking
"I know, I've made many mistakes in the past, the biggest one being, I wasn't firm enough."
"If I really need to combat crime, I shouldn't hesitate to use all the power I have, whether it's Batman or Wayne Enterprises, as long as I want to. Once a huge capital machine starts up, every atrocity will be eliminated by me, even if the cost is becoming an evil dictator."
"And if I want to save the citizens, I shouldn't divide them into criminals and ordinary people because of my personal vendetta. If I want to save them, then I must save everyone, including the criminals I hate the most, and you, Jack, no matter whether they deserve to be saved or even if they want to be saved."
The Joker's body suddenly started to shudder, his chest heaving violently. He covered his face with his hands, slowly sliding them down to reveal the bloodshot veins in his eyelids.
"What do you think, which path have I chosen?" Batman asked, looking at him.
Suddenly, the Joker revealed a smile, but to Batman, it wasn't the maniacal grin he was used to. It was filled with pleading and humility.
The Joker bent over, pulling out a flashlight from the toolbox next to the driver seat. With that humble smile on his face, he looked at Batman and said:
"Batman, do you want to hear a joke?"
Without waiting for Batman's response, the Joker opened the driver door and ran into Gotham's rain. Once he got to the front of the truck, he turned on the flashlight, its beam shooting straight up into the sky.
"You see, there's a pole here. As long as I climb this pole, I can get above the rain clouds, never to be drenched again," the Joker said, stumbling over his words as he wiped the rainwater from his eyes clumsily.
"But I can't climb, do you know why I can't climb?"
Batman watched him silently. The Joker held the flashlight so it blocked his eyes, resting his hand on the switch as he stared into Batman's eyes.
The Joker snorted, shrugged, and squinted his eyes so they formed a curve resembling a smile. He looked older, folded in himself, subservient in a way Batman had seen before in those living at the bottom of Gotham society.
Out of nowhere, his face twisted into a grotesque sneer, his nose wrinkled, his features creased. Baring his teeth, he growled:
"I'll never let a perfect genius burn himself out, building stairs for these ugly fools to ascend to Heaven!"
"Batman... they don't deserve it!"
The Joker turned off his flashlight, throwing it onto the ground with a vengeance. As the parts scattered, he stared at Batman, emphasizing each word carefully:
"If one day, you truly wish to save all the fools here, leave me one night in the rain of Gotham. To bid farewell to a dear friend and a respectable foe. I'll never join with the ugly, filthy, and stupid common people!"
"What if... What if I choose you?" Batman asked.
The Joker froze. "What... what did you say?" he repeated, disbelieving.
"You don't want to be saved alongside the ugly, filthy, and stupid commoners you keep talking about. What if... What if I had to choose between you two, and I chose you?"
"You can't... You can't! You must... You mustn't... "The Joker roared, "I'm a criminal! I've tried to kill you numerous times! I can make this truck explode right now and blow up half of Gotham!"
Before Batman could reply, the Joker shouted hysterically, "Stop making assumptions, Batman! I know, you've picked up a lot of rhetoric from your psychology professor!! Just to provoke me!! You can't do such a thing!!!"
"In a choice between Gotham's citizens, whom you've always wanted to save, and a wicked criminal who is your sworn enemy, how can you choose the criminal?! There's absolutely no logic to support your decision!!!"
Batman sat in the truck seat, looking down at the Joker. Although his physical position was indeed higher, it was unquestionable that he still held the high ground in terms of momentum.
For the first time, Batman looked directly into the Joker's eyes, speaking calmly:
"Then tell me, why do you think I did abandon Gotham before?"