Batman didn't wait any longer. He turned to leave the monitoring room and thwart Joker's plan. Just then, the door of the monitoring room, which was initially open, suddenly closed.
Like all the other doors underground, the monitoring room door was also made of solid metal and bomb-proof. Batman threw a few miniature bombs at it, only leaving some black traces on the door, unable to cause much damage.
Batman was sure that the sudden closing of the monitoring room door was no accident. But he didn't see Joker make any extra moves on the screen. That meant it was likely that the door was not shut remotely by the Joker. Someone else had closed it.
As Joker kept talking on screen, Batman couldn't be completely sure whether he heard footsteps during that time. If so, it meant Joker had an accomplice.
Batman frowned in thought. While they were being pursued by agents earlier, they'd looped around the mansion several times. During that time, Joker should have been sitting in the monitoring room, keeping a real-time watch on their circumstances. The immediate information the agents received confirmed that Joker was in the monitoring room.
After the agents ceased their pursuit, they implemented their plan to search for the entrance on the first floor. Then, Batman started using helicopter parts to create a bomb. Meanwhile, Joker had located Lex and Clark and kidnapped them.
The timeline matched, but there was a big loophole. If Joker kidnapped Lex and Clark while Batman was making the bomb, when had Joker made his own bomb?
Batman had clearly seen the bomb that Joker had used to create a distraction and lure out the residents. It wasn't small. Although its composition was quite simple, it would still take time to build—much less the bomb tied to the ceiling beam.
Both were obviously homemade bombs and couldn't have been readymade. Batman himself had spent some time making the bomb to blow up the underground exit. He didn't believe that, within the same period, Joker not only made two bombs but also managed to subdue Lex and Clark.
Subduing Lex was one thing, but Clark wasn't easy to handle. And, if his guess was right, Lex wasn't on the first floor. So, no matter if Joker crafted the bombs first or captured the two first, he had to shuffle between different floors. Factoring in the time needed to travel between floors, Joker would not have enough time.
Did Joker have an accomplice? Who could that be? Why would they help Joker?
Before Batman could figure out the answers, he heard Joker on the screen. Holding up a button, Joker spoke.
"Before I begin the introduction, I must say to one keen viewer, you'd better behave and stay where you are. Be a good audience member."
"If you try to rush the stage and interrupt the grand performance, then the angry Joker will press this button and give this performance a humorous and grand ending."
Batman's fingers paused on the door. He turned around and continued to watch the screen.
Because he saw that the Kryptonite tied to Clark's chest seemed tightly tied. Yet, due to the irregular shape of the crystal, the rope only wound around a few corners. It was clear that due to the imbalance of weight, the ropes around two of the corners had started to loosen.
Clark's chest heaved constantly. He was in extreme pain, not only because of the Kryptonite tied to his chest, but also because of the choices he had made.
Then, Joker's voice came from the ground. His tone was relaxed and cheerful, like he was reciting a little opening poem.
"Firstly, allow me to introduce—Clark Kent."
"As you can see, he is handsome and strong, and I can tell you that he is very just and kind."
"Upon seeing the explosion in the lobby, he rushed here to help. When he heard a friend was in danger, he lent a hand. Simultaneously, he is also an exceptional first-year student at Metropolitan University, with a bright future ahead… "
"Of course, I must mention his family background. He hails from a small town in Kansas, lives on a farm, parents are loving, and lives a happy life…"
Praise flowed from Joker's mouth. He lavished compliments on Clark, repeatedly emphasising how outstanding, kind, and righteous he was.
At that moment, Batman saw a small blue, blinking square appear in one of the rooms on the screen. When the square blinked blue, there was a line of white letters in the middle of it, saying "Do Not Disturb".
He knew that the resident of the room had pressed the "Do Not Disturb" button. In other words, they chose to vote for Clark Kent.
Batman wasn't surprised. Many people were invited to this banquet, not only business elites but also many people from the entertainment industry. Not everyone had received higher education, and people's inclinations varied. It wasn't surprising that some might stick their necks out.
Furthermore, many of them didn't know Clark personally. Hearing Joker praise Clark this way, they would likely feel rebellious, suspecting this to be some part of the madman's scheme.
Soon, more and more blue squares lit up until almost all the screens in every guest room were lit up with blue squares. Batman saw many people shouting animatedly into the phone, hoping their voices would penetrate the walls and be heard next door.
By reading their lips, Batman could tell what they were saying.
"Damn it! Of course, I vote for him! Surely you don't want to kill Old Luthor's son! He won't spare us!"
"Where the hell is Old Luthor? His son's been kidnapped, and he's just ignoring it?!"
"Who knows if this Clark guy could be an accomplice of that madman. And I don't believe that anyone could be as perfect as he boasts."
"I know about Little Luthor. He's a poor boy with autism, and he's still young. He might inherit the Luther Group in the future... We can't kill him..."
"We can't kill Little Luthor. He's Old Luthor's only son. If he inherits the Luther Group, he is sure to be far worse than his father. If he dies and Old Luthor finds a more competent successor, we'll be in trouble!"
Like this, blue lights start to flicker in almost every room. The cold light falls on Batman's mask. The messages from their conversations enter Batman's mind, blending with the extravagant praises constantly flowing from Joker's mouth. It's as if a complete world has suddenly split in half.
While there was praise on one side, there was also a killing intent on the other. Two starkly contrasting emotions were revolving around Batman.
It was a puzzling and absurd scene. All the actors on this stage seemed to be performing separately. With Joker extravagantly praising Clark, the rest of the cast didn't seem to go along, stubbornly making their own decisions.
However, they seemed to be intricately connected, each one observing the others' reactions to make what they thought were the right decisions.
Soon, Batman noticed that many who had first pressed the button started to become angry. They held the phone and shouted out loudly:
"It wasn't my choice to press it; I was forced!"
"That madman said if we didn't press the button, he would leak radiation and we'd all get cancer. You have no idea how painful cancer is!"
"My father died from late-stage lung cancer. In his last few days, he was only kept alive by painkillers. It was unbearable, and I don't want to become like him!"
"What did I do wrong? I just want to survive. Why can't I press the button?"
"He's just a college student. What's the big deal if he does well academically? How much can he achieve in the future? He might end up going back to farm. One less farmer in this world won't make any difference!"
"I have a company worth tens of millions, with so many employees relying on me for their livelihood. I am more important than him!"
"Why is he tied up there and why am I the one making the choice? Because I am the chosen one by God. He should blame God for not choosing him, and the forsaken ones deserve to die!"
Just like this, Batman stood there, watching them. Their mouths turned down harshly, eyes wide open, and saliva sprayed from talking loudly. They were red-faced, trying to justify themselves and scratching their heads for plausible excuses.
At this scene, Batman had a strange feeling suddenly. They were so immersed in their roles, even in this situation, that they were able to use their clever minds to justify themselves.
They were so grave and serious, dressing this absurd comedy with a cloak of rationality.
Indeed, they were actors, not spectators, being pulled into the stream of rules. They never thought of getting ashore but were competing to be the fastest swimmer, hoping that their companions lagging behind could feed the crocodiles and secure their safety.
Are these people victims? Maybe, Batman thought.
As the blue squares on the screen started flashing, the cold lights shone into Batman's eyes and flowed down from his eyelashes, just like icicles under the eaves on a snow-melting day.
At this moment, Batman couldn't help but wonder, why were they taking this so seriously?
Batman shook his head, discarding those thoughts. This situation still couldn't shake him; he was no longer the novice Batman.
He took out a device from his bat-belt and started to try to pry open the door. Even though Joker threatened to press the button if he left, he couldn't really do nothing and just wait for death. That wouldn't be Batman's style.
Suddenly, Joker's movements on the other side of the screen confirmed Batman's previous suspicion – he must have had accomplices. Joker's other hand picked up another phone. He "hmm"ed a few times and then said in a higher pitch:
"It seems that many people have made their choices, and they chose—Clark Kent!"
"You've made a good choice! You're about to send a good man with an outstanding academic record right to a bomb just to have his head blown to a bloody pulp!"
"I can give you a chance to repent. As long as you press the other button, the result will change...Do you really not intend to do this? Really? …Oh, okay."
"Wait!" Joker suddenly voiced his confusion. He placed the other phone on his ear, "hello"ing multiple times, then said:
"Emergency announcement! Emergency announcement! We've just learned from an unknown but reliable informant that Lionel Luther is dead!"
"In other words, the father of our hanging friend here, Lex Luther, the controller of the Luther Group, is dead!"