The Broadcast of Madness

Ignoring Joker's hands on his face, Bruce finally spoke. "So, what exactly do you want to do?"

Joker let go, then suddenly burst out in laughter. "Hahaha... what do I want to do?"

His eyes gleamed with mania as he looked at Bruce. "Good question. I was just thinking… if his precious sponsor got into trouble, what kind of amusing reaction would my Batboy have? But it seems like he doesn't care much, does he? Otherwise, he would have shown up by now."

A slow, sinister grin spread across Joker's face. "As a responsible friend, I think it's time I gave him a little reminder."

With a wave of his hand, a henchman came forward, bringing an object into view.

Seeing this, Bruce's gaze hardened, frozen for a moment.

For Gotham citizens, today was just another day—the same struggles to earn money, the same lousy bosses, and the same abysmal city safety.

For Harvey's girlfriend, Gilda, today should have been a sweet, romantic date. But out of nowhere, chaos struck—she could only watch and be horrified, as her boyfriend Harvey was kidnapped right in front of her.

As for Bruce Wayne? Well, unfortunately, Gilda was so focused on Harvey that she hadn't even noticed Bruce across the street. So when she filed her report, she only mentioned her boyfriend Harvey and an "innocent bystander" taken by the kidnappers, never realizing who the "bystander" actually was.

For the Gotham City Police Department, today was supposed to be just another unremarkable day. Gotham was still its same chaotic mess of darkness and color. But the moment they received Gilda's frantic report, any other thoughts vanished—the whole force suddenly felt a chill.

Their very own lead prosecutor, Harvey Dent, had been kidnapped!

This news spread through the police department instantly, sending a shockwave of urgency. But the real pressure hit them shortly afterward: when Commissioner Gordon led officers to the crime scene Gilda described, all they found was an expensive car left parked on the roadside.

After some investigation, Gordon confirmed the car belonged to none other than Bruce Wayne. Statements from the coffee shop staff indicated that the "innocent bystander" taken alongside Prosecutor Dent was indeed Bruce Wayne himself!

At that very moment, the butler from Wayne Manor called the station, reporting a kidnapping and ransom demand, solidifying their conclusions.

With Bruce Wayne's involvement, the case immediately escalated. Though he wasn't a public official, Bruce's wealth and the legacy of the Wayne family meant his kidnapping was now a matter of top priority. Executing hostages was out of the question—even the slightest harm to the victims would bring severe repercussions to the department.

Fortunately, the kidnappers weren't exactly masterminds. It didn't take long for the police to track down an isolated house in the suburbs. The property owner wasn't home, so the kidnappers had used it as their temporary hideout.

The police arrived quickly, cautiously pushing open the door. What awaited them was a gruesome scene: the floor was littered with bodies, and all of them were killed violently.

A quick examination confirmed these bodies belonged solely to the kidnappers; Harvey and Bruce were nowhere in sight. Though this news brought a wave of relief to the officers, a new question now loomed over them:

Where on earth had Harvey and Bruce gone?

Soon, after a thorough analysis of the scene, the investigators reached a new conclusion: yet another group of kidnappers had ambushed the first group of kidnappers, killed them, and taken Bruce and Harvey away.

Gotham PD: "..."

Was there really no one else left to kidnap?

Despite the absurdity, they had no choice but to keep investigating.

However, this new group of kidnappers proved to be far more skilled. The traces of their escape route were carefully erased, making it impossible to immediately pinpoint which way they'd fled. Left with no other option, the police deployed a large number of officers, searching every potential hiding spot across the city.

Just then, an explosion suddenly rocked a chemical plant along the Gotham River.

The blast was so massive that police rushed to the scene immediately, only to find the factory all but flattened. But before they could identify the victims or confirm if Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne were among them, the familiar sounds of an ominous broadcast filled the city's airwaves.

If you asked Gotham's citizens, they'd complain that TV stations seemed like villain territory lately, monopolized for taunts and challenges to Batman—a serious misuse of public resources.

But Gotham's villains didn't care.

In one humble home, a young girl with braided pigtails was glued to the TV, watching <<Tom and Jerry>>. Just as Tom was about to finally catch Jerry, his triumphant moment was cut short by the appearance of a ghoulish face on the screen, with blood-red lips that looked like they'd devoured countless children.

The little girl burst into tears, and her mother, rushing in from the kitchen, found the terrifying broadcast on the TV.

[ Wake up, everyone! The sun is high, and it's time for some morning news. If all goes well, you're seeing me, your lovely host for the day—yours truly, Mr. Joker. ]

At that moment, in precincts, Arkham Asylum, Wayne Manor, on buses, in subway cars, and across the giant screens in city squares, the same grim broadcast was airing, as citizens of Gotham watched with a mix of terror and morbid curiosity.

Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous location, two undercover agents, posing as a married couple, exchanged uneasy looks. The man spoke first: "I used to think James volunteered for this surveillance job to get some downtime, but now… Well, I can see he's got it rough."

The woman beside him cast a look of sympathy. In just a few months, this was already the second major Joker incident. As agents on a long-term mission in this world, they could only brace for more, knowing a third, or even a fourth encounter, wasn't out of the question.

Back at Wayne Manor, Alfred muttered to himself while continuing his work, a touch exasperated by the unreliability of Gotham's younger generation—vanishing right when the city needed them most.

The scene shifts back to the Joker.,