Chapter 1281: Lone Shadow Becomes a Pair (Complete)_1

"Zzzht—Zzzht—"

The buzz of electric current echoed through the Batcave. A massive curved screen lit up, not from Batman pressing any switch.

The cold light of the screen bathed his pitch-black cloak, turning his bat-wing silhouette a deep blue, but it soon gave way to more vivid colors. Colors reminiscent of a firefly's green glow and the red of fresh blood took turns lighting up Batman's armor, and the dance of light and color twirled around his inky cloak.

Batman turned back to see a familiar face. Hair the color of verdant grass brushed back, lips red as blood stretched wide in an unsettling grin, and eyes glued to the screen that darted with unspeakable madness and brutal delight.

"The Joker…"

Batman softly uttered the name as if it was a lover's name he could not stop repeating, a heavy emotion surfaced at the tail end of his whisper.

On the towering arch-screen, this mad face filled every inch. More fear-instilling were the seams of the facial skin that looked as though it had just been glued back onto the bare muscles underneath-- unaligned wrinkles and muscle fibers made it look like a mask.

Standing before the screen, Batman could see the prominently visible scars on the Joker's neck. It looked as if his skin had been peeled off by someone, and then replaced.

"Long time no see, Batman, I know that during this time of my absence, you've found a new lover!" Joker's lips curled up in a smile, revealing his teeth. "Just because I lost the skin on my face, you've easily severed all connections and forgotten the heated past we shared!" he commented.

"You damned guilty one, traitor!" The Joker's voice took a sudden jump in tone, but slowed down immediately. "Oh dear, what am I saying? How could I speak of the great lord Batman in such a manner?"

"Batman would never betray me…" Mumbling like one in a trance, Joker said:" Naturally, naturally, we all know that. The outsider can't interfere with our business. It's our family matter, just like you and your flock of birds…"

"Just like when I broke that bird's wings, the scream he let out! Hahahahaha!... I'm talking nonsense again. I did more than break his wings! I shattered the bones in his whole body! As he continued to shriek and struggle to escape in hope of your rescue... Yet he's dead! Dead!!!"

"To ensure you never forget this, I have to repeat his name- Jason Todd! Once Robin, Now Robin, is he still your Robin? Of course!"

"He forgave you with such grace and returned to your side, but unfortunately, he will never forget all that had happened, hahahahaha!"

Before the laughter could fully escape Joker's mouth, it was as though someone had choked him silent again. Suddenly, he leaned in closer to the screen, glaring menacingly at the person on the other side, and said:

"Answer me, Batman! You won't betray me! ... I heard your answer, so it's all his fault! All his! All Schiller Rodriguez's fault! He led you away, that damned devil!!!"

The madness on Joker's face slowly faded away. Suddenly, he became calm. His eyes were filled with deep contemplation. He moved away from the camera just a bit -- but that slight distance allowed Batman to see a pale face in the corner of the screen through the gap.

It was Schiller.

"Don't you think it's interesting?"

Joker's voice sounded once more, now with a contemplative tone, like a scholar would, like he's contemplating someone else's perspective, trying to figure out someone else's intentions.

"When I caught this damned impostor, he showed no fear whatsoever, even expressing no guilt for having lured you... Do you know what he said?"

Batman stood silently in front of the screen, watching Joker's spectacle. He'd seen this performance before, each time more harrowing than the last.

Nevertheless, the brutality this time was beyond what he could have imagined as Joker leaned back. The other half of the screen fully came into view.

Schiller was sitting in a chair, his arms fixed to the armrests, his body bloodied, with no less than a dozen steel nails jammed into him; they've pierced not just his organs but also his bones.

In an instant, Batman's fists tightened. But soon after, Joker's voice echoed out again," Do you think I'm evil? Batman, you're always like this, suspecting the worst in others."

"Oh! This time, I haven't hurt anyone!" Joker suddenly started laughing. He put a finger to his lips and said softly, "… It was his own choice!"

"When I knocked him down and dealt him a blow to his back, he was lying on the ground and told me that I could kidnap him, but under one condition... "

"When I execute him for your entertainment, he has something to say to you. But for the principle of fair trade, we decided a nail for a line."

Batman's fingertips began to tremble rhythmically; Joker's piercing laughter reverberated in his ears. A few seconds later, Joker finally managed to catch his breath: "Listen to this, fair trade! Sounds like something Batman would say, huh?"

"What, saying I won't keep my promise? You're saying that Schiller was tricked by me?" Joker suddenly placed one hand behind his ear and, facing the screen, began to play out a one-man dialogue.