Watching the police take away the unconscious Jonathan, Batman turns back, his attention fixed on a water stain on the dining table. Illuminated by the faint light, it displays a dreamlike and enchanting hue.
After leaving the narrow alley of Green Street, Batman had planned to go up to a nearby high-rise building and call his plane but, turning the corner from Green Street, he spotted the bright lights of a truck, casting noticeable arc traces on the wall.
The ring of truck lights drew nearer and nearer to Batman until they shone on his face. A massive truck was heading towards him. Batman squinted his eyes but didn't dodge it until the vehicle stopped less than a meter in front of him.
Batman lifted his head and saw a pallid face. The Joker cracked a wide smile at Batman, then rolled down the window. He propped his elbow at the bottom of the window, stuck his head out, and said to Batman, "Look at our big hero, nabbing another evil criminal today!"
"Such chaotic and crazy Gotham should have made me very happy, but recently, I've been very upset, all because of you, Batman! Without you in Gotham, I don't even have anyone to chat with!"
The Joker lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth, but he didn't take a puff. He just let the smoke drift out the window. Batman raised his head to look at the truck's grille, which was almost within arm's reach.
This huge truck was like a terrible beast. If it had been before, he would never have allowed this lunatic to get this close with his truck.
Because Batman didn't know if the Joker would step on the gas. If he did, Batman would have nowhere to hide. Before, he would never entrust his life to the whims of a madman.
In the past, he always thought that these lunatics were chaotic and crazy, completely incomprehensible. But now, Batman felt that they were just like one math problem after another. Each problem may differ, but the core theories and formulas are totally alike.
So Batman asked, "Can I hitch a ride?"
The Joker flipped cigarette ash with his finger and nodded his head towards the inside of the truck. Batman walked to the other side of the door, opened it, and got in. The Joker skillfully held the cigarette in his mouth and grasped the steering wheel with both hands, asking Batman with the air of a seasoned taxi driver, "Where to?"
"Rodriguez Manor," Batman replied.
The starting of the truck always came with a deep rumbling sound. When the engine operates, the vibration from the industrial power was like a fast-paced symphony.
Batman heard a 'clucking' noise coming from the cab. He turned to the Joker and said, "Professor Victor told me that you and the other truck drivers have been helping to transport the frozen crazy citizens, solving a big problem in Gotham City."
"What's the big problem for you?" The Joker said as he drove, "If Batman were here, he would have a more efficient way, rather than us poor citizens who can only use the dumbest method."
"I didn't intentionally abandon Gotham."
As soon as Batman finished speaking, The Joker's fingers tightened. He lowered his head, letting the fragmented hair conceal his eyes, then stretched out a hand to forcefully wipe the corner of his mouth with the base of his palm, smearing his lipstick and making his grin even brighter.
"...Something unexpected came up. I had to go to another world to solve some troubles. So, there's nothing else I could do but leave the city to Gordon, Victor, and the Mob. I heard that you've been cooperating well with the Mob?" Batman turned to the Joker.
The Joker paused for an instant, then shrugged, "Yeah, Lord Batman, I certainly did a good job because if we didn't, you would have seen a chaotic, filthy, and broken garden, and probably would have lashed us with a whip, woooo..."
"In your mind, is that how Wayne Enterprises appears?" Batman seemed to relax a bit. He leaned back in the seat and said, "Although I didn't participate in the rescue of Gotham, this journey indeed taught me something."
Batman appeared like a returning traveler, ready to share the beautiful moments of his journey with a friend. But the Joker's hand squeezed tighter. He seemed a bit nervous instead.
"Someone told me that Wayne Enterprises is wrong. But the fault is not in our business strategies or development plans, but in our existence."
"As long as capitalists like me exist, the lower classes like you will never have a happy life. Do you think this theory is correct?" Batman asked.
"We have to see this as two separate issues," the Joker said, his tone turning grave like a philosopher contemplating and narrating. "Would Gotham become better without you? Would the world become better without capitalists?"
"Isn't that the same issue?"
The Joker shook his head emphatically. His green mop of hair swung around, looking rather ludicrous. He said, "I guess you must be full of noble awareness now, thinking that by burning yourself out, you can save me, or thinking that by sacrificing Wayne Enterprises, you can save Gotham..."