Chapter 116: The Joker's Bad Luck (Middle) _1

In the ward of Arkham Asylum, Doctor Brand, with a record in hand, looked at Shiller who lay on the bed. He gently shook his head and sighed. Just then, a nurse burst in.

"Doctor Brand! A madman has just stormed in through the front door, he says... He says his name is Jack! He says he needs treatment!"

Brand knitted his brows, "Jack? The one with green hair, wearing clown makeup?"

"Exactly. And he's drenched from head to toe. He was shivering when he came in. The senior nurse told me he's quite a difficult patient. Would you like to see him personally?"

Doctor Brand turned his head, glanced again at Shiller on the bed, but eventually put the record and pen in his hands down, and said to the nurse, "Lead the way."

But actually, there was no need for the nurse to guide him. As soon as Brand stepped out of the room, at the end of the corridor, he saw Joker Jack staggering towards him.

"Doctor! Doctor! Someone, please come quickly! Save me! I am experiencing severe auditory hallucinations, I need medication! I must have some medication!!"

Doctor Brand raised a hand, halting Joker Jack's charge towards him, then said, "Listen, Jack, your primary doctor is Shiller, he's still unconscious. Although I can take over your case, I recommend you to wait a while..."

But Jack instead froze in place, staring at Brand and questioning, "Is Shiller really unconscious?"

Brand spoke somewhat puzzledly, "What do you mean, 'is he really unconscious?' You knew about this before you arrived, but it shouldn't be possible, there are very few who know about this, and they shouldn't be spreading rumors…"

Yet Jack simply dropped to the ground, clamping his face between his hands. In despair, he said, "Do you know? Before I came here, a madman told me a story, a crazy story! He must be mad to concoct such a tale!"

Faced with a patient falling into madness, Doctor Brand appeared to have infinite patience, he said, "Alright, follow me to the clinic first..."

As he finished speaking and turned back towards the clinic, Jack obediently followed behind him. As Brand walked, he said, "But I should warn you, I'm not like Shiller, I'm just a psychiatrist, I have the power to prescribe but I don't have a license in psychology. So all I can do is to listen to your experience and then prescribe some medication for you."

Once they arrived in the clinic, they sat face to face. Joker sniffed hard, and then began, "Just now ...Just now! After Batman stopped my card, he asked me to give him a ride..."

"He couldn't afford the fare, he still owes me 100 dollars. So, he asked me if he could exchange a story for his fare, and I agreed, because we are friends, right?"

Doctor Brand nodded, indicating Jack to continue. Wiping his eyes, Jack choked out, "But this despicable fellow tricked me with a completely made-up crazy story, and it even caused me to have auditory and visual hallucinations, Doctor! You have to help me!"

"Oh, what crazy story did he tell you?" Doctor Brand asked with a hint of intrigue.

"He actually said... He actually said..." Jack gritted his teeth, "He actually said that he abandoned Gotham, became indifferent to its chaos because Shiller had jumped into hell, so he jumped in after him. That he was trapped in hell, which is why he couldn't come back!"

"Uh..." Doctor Brand hesitated for a moment, as if he'd noticed something off about Jack. He was about to speak, "Now, if this was an ordinary patient, indeed this is a crazy story, but since it's you... Hmm, what I should tell you is, hell does exist, I've been there."

"Bang!" Jack hammered the table. Clenching his teeth, he retorted, "That's not the point! It doesn't matter whether it's some hell, a high-rise building or a dumpster, how could Batman possibly jump down for someone else?! Not to mention, for Shiller??!!"

"Don't think I don't know, the person Batman has always been most suspicious and wary of is Shiller! He knows Shiller is a criminal!"

Jack took a deep breath, then hurried his words, stammering slightly, "Doctor, Doctor, you may not know, as in... we criminals, we are... we are in contact with each other…"

"We've always been in touch, through newspapers and letters, we all know about each other's existence. And no one doesn't know about Schiller Rodriguez!"

"It was him... It was him... He started a serial killer's club! Yes, it was him. Although I never joined his stupid and dull club because... the Joker should have his own club!"

"My club should be in a splendid hall…" The Joker extended his hand, constantly waving his arm, saying, "The place should be filled with balloons and cannon, with confetti splashing in everyone's face as they walk in. Hahahahaha!"

Doctor Brand cleared his throat lightly, and Jack stammered after a moment, "I digressed, what I meant was..."

"Shiller!! He is a master criminal!!!!!!!!!!" Jack suddenly sprang up and roared.

"Everyone in the world knows this! Batman couldn't possibly be unaware! He would actually risk his life for the criminal he loathes most?!! Is he insane?!!"