"Alright, we'll leave now!!"
Hearing Edward's words, Earle snapped out of his panic and followed Edward, intending to sneak out through the back door.
However, as soon as they opened the door to their room, they were greeted by a horrifying sight. Solomon Grundy had just stormed inside, clutching a bodyguard in his massive hand. With terrifying force, he slammed the man's head onto the floor, leaving the entire living room splattered with blood.
"Damn it!"
Edward immediately slammed the door shut, his mind racing to come up with a plan.
"The window! We'll use the curtains to climb down. While the bodyguards are keeping the Joker gang busy, we can escape unnoticed!"
Edward quickly got to work, yanking down all the curtains and tying them together to make a makeshift rope. After securing it, he moved toward a window overlooking the back of the villa, ready to execute his plan.
But as soon as he approached the window, he froze in place, his face draining of all color.
Outside the window, a massive figure was scaling the wall. A grotesque creature had already reached the second floor and was now staring directly at him through the glass.
"Hey there, you little sissy boy!"
While Solomon Grundy led the assault at the front, Killer Croc, wary of the laughing gas harming him, had circled around to the back. Now, he blocked their only escape route.
"Help... h-help..."
Edward barely managed to utter the words before Killer Croc's massive hand clamped over his mouth, hoisting him into the air as if he weighed nothing.
"Shh... don't make any noise."
It seemed that spending so much time with the Joker—played by Reid—had rubbed off on Killer Croc. He had developed a penchant for instilling terror in his victims before finishing them off, savoring the fear like it was part of the kill itself.
Edward's wide eyes locked onto the monstrous figure before him, his body trembling uncontrollably as he nodded in submission. Despite his brilliance, there was nothing he could do in this situation.
His intellect couldn't save him now, not when his mouth was gagged, his voice silenced, and his body immobilized. What could he possibly do? Stare his way out of this against a beast like Killer Croc?
Satisfied with Edward's compliance, Killer Croc casually tossed him aside like a piece of trash.
Meanwhile, the sounds of gunfire and shouting from downstairs began to fade. The fierce resistance from Earle's bodyguards was being snuffed out, replaced by the unmistakable chaos of shattering furniture and falling bodies.
Solomon Grundy's entry into the fray had sealed their fate. Even armed with the best equipment Wayne Enterprises had to offer, the bodyguards stood no chance.
"Who sent you to kill me?"
Perhaps realizing that his fate was sealed, Earle surprisingly calmed down. He looked directly at Killer Croc and asked the question, his voice steady.
"Don't be in such a hurry. I know you can't wait to die." Croc replied with a sinister grin, completely ignoring Earle's inquiry.
Instead of answering, Killer Croc casually wandered around the room. He seemed to take his time, picking up items from the shelves and bookcases—anything that looked valuable—and inspecting them as though he were on a leisurely shopping spree.
The Joker's gang operated with a simple principle: as long as the mission was accomplished, anything you picked up along the way was yours to keep.
"Bastard!"
Watching even a mere subordinate of the Joker's gang treat him with such blatant disregard, an overwhelming rage boiled within Earle. Yet, despite the fury surging through him, he was powerless to do anything. Resistance was not an option; fear and helplessness had chained him in place.
Apart from making grandiose speeches at the high-level meetings of the Wayne Group, he had no other real abilities. He wasn't even truly an investor—his wealth came solely from his position at Wayne Enterprises.
Knock, knock, knock.
As Killer Croc had almost turned the entire room upside down, a soft knock sounded at the door.
The bodyguards' resistance had long been crushed, but what surprised Earle was that none of the members of the Joker's gang showed any signs of causing trouble. They stood obediently outside the villa, quietly taking the place of the bodyguards.
"Is it your boss?" Earle asked directly, glancing at Killer Croc, who was still rummaging through his bookshelf.
"Yeah, go open the door yourself." Killer Croc replied indifferently.
"Hmph!"
Earle snorted coldly. Knowing he wouldn't make it out alive, he was filled with defiance. Even if it was the Joker standing at the door, he was ready to curse and fight back.
Since he was going to die anyway, why not vent his frustrations a bit?
But when he opened the door, the person standing outside left Earle speechless in shock.
"How is this possible! It really is you!!"
Standing outside was indeed Reid, but instead of the Joker's appearance, he had taken on Alfred's, standing there openly in front of Earle.
"Mr. Earle, I'm here to collect the Wayne family's shareholding documents." Reid said with a faint smile, then smoothly sidestepped and slipped through the gap between Earle and the doorframe into the room.
"No, no, no... could it really be...?"
Earle still looked utterly incredulous. He turned around, only to realize that the person who had looked like Alfred just moments ago had now undergone a complete transformation in such a short time.
"Haha! Were you looking for me?"
At this time, Reid had changed back into the Joker's appearance, his spine-chilling smile now inches away from Earle's face, causing the latter to jump in fright and collapse onto the floor.
"Isn't this what you wanted, Mr. Earle?"
This time, Earle saw clearly. With an almost imperceptible wave of energy passing over Reid's body, the Joker once again morphed into the familiar figure of Alfred.
Reid picked up the shareholding documents from the floor, gently placed them into his briefcase, closed it, and then pulled out a handgun, handing it to a nearby member of the Joker's gang.
"Point it at him."
The gang member immediately obeyed, aiming the gun at Earle's forehead, ready to pull the trigger and take his life at any moment.
"Well, yes, this is what I wanted, but it's too late. I've already lost..."
Earle's face grew despondent as he realized he wasn't going to make it out alive. But then, his eyes hardened, burning with malice as he fixed his gaze on Reid.
"But! Alfred, you need to understand—only by going public can Wayne Enterprises be saved from its inevitable decline. Even if you kill me, it won't change anything. As long as your young master doesn't reappear, Wayne Enterprises is destined to go public. Killing me won't solve anything."
Hearing this, Reid crouched down slightly and looked at Earle as he spoke.
"Then tell me... why would I go through the trouble of forming the Joker's gang, instead of just barging into your house and killing you directly?"
"What!"
In an instant, Earle understood. He realized that the person in front of him was planning to use fear to threaten the entire Wayne Enterprises, making sure that no one would dare to push for the company to go public.
"But..."
Earle tried to say something more, but Reid didn't give him the chance. He swiftly grabbed the handgun from his men and pulled the trigger.
The bullet pierced through Earle's forehead and exited through the back of his skull, taking his life in an instant.
"You don't need to worry about unnecessary things." Reid said coldly.
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