Gotham was a city built on the shore, and the whole city was surrounded by seawater. It was because of that that it was able to rely on the shipping industry to grow in the past. However, the disadvantage of this kind of terrain was that the only direct connection between the city and the land was the seven bridges, the undersea tunnel, and the railway that was built in the air.
The Joker's threat was still fresh in the minds of the people. Even the great hero of Gotham, Harvey Dent, had been ambushed by him. Now, it was unknown whether he was still alive or not. After the news spread, the confidence of the people of Gotham was severely damaged. Even though the mayor announced that he had been kidnapped and was rescued by the police, and even deployed 500 National Guard troops to the city in an attempt to restore the city's confidence, the series of measures only allowed the city to recover slightly from the brink of collapse.
Now, the Joker had issued another threat, this time to the entire Gotham. Almost everyone who could move was on the move. All the tickets for the ships that were still docked at Gotham's port were sold out within an hour. There were even people who drove small boats to ferry people out of the city. The train station was packed with people.
However, the traffic of Gotham's port, which had been getting more and more chaotic recently, was far from enough to satisfy the needs of the city.
There were eight million people in the city. Even if only a third of them wanted to leave the city, the sheer number of people would pose a huge challenge to the city's public transport system.
Two hours later, night fell on Gotham. The citizens had no choice but to take the risk and choose to take the bridge and tunnel. Unfortunately, the mayor had already announced that no one was to pass through the bridge and tunnel. Of course, this was for the sake of their safety. The mayor really didn't want to see any news of anyone getting hurt.
The National Guard Army was sent to the bridge and tunnel by him. They used devices to detect explosives, almost inch by inch, to detect danger in every place. Two armored vehicles blocked the front of the bridge. The soldiers were armed with live ammunition and pulled up a line of defense. They were preparing to prevent an impact from happening. Under such circumstances, once chaos broke out, the terrible consequences would be much more terrible than a real explosion.
The entire city's transportation system was completely paralyzed. Those who tried to leave the city by car made a huge mistake. The traffic had already reached the central area from the port. Everyone was frantically honking their horns. Even though they knew that no one would give way to them, they couldn't. However, the despicable nature of human nature was on full display at this moment.
On both sides of the road, there were people wrestling with each other. The shadow of death circled above their heads, laughing wildly. This kind of pressure almost destroyed everyone's fragile spirit. All it took was a spark for this destroyed chaos to evolve into a bloody conflict. Then, just like a spark, it would start a prairie fire among even more enemies in the city.
The entire city was in chaos. The Gotham Police Station's phone was ringing non-stop within 15 minutes. After Wurz's death, the mafia, who had been scared out of their wits, pledged allegiance to the Joker. Under the orders of their new boss, they went on a rampage and kidnapped everyone they could.
There were gunshots everywhere. Some even took the opportunity to rob, rape, and do things that they wouldn't normally do. The chaos triggered the despicable desires in people's hearts. It was like adding fuel to the fire.
You see, Joker's words weren't without reason … Under the rapid development of civilization, there was a hidden weakness in people's hearts. It should be known that in the wild era, there was no such thing as madness. In that era, people like Joker might have been regarded as prophets.
However, when the glamorous appearance of civilization was torn away in a crazy manner, the true self was exposed under the sun. Was this evolution … or degeneration?
This was what Joker wanted. He wanted to show the ugliest and most ridiculous side of society to everyone. He didn't need their money, he didn't need their lives. He only wanted to destroy everyone's mental state.
On this day, Gotham was like a real hell on earth.
At the port, a passenger ship named "Courageous" slowly docked. This was a hired ship of the Gotham Port Authority. It was originally used to transport goods and dock workers. Now, it was urgently mobilized to transport the citizens. The crowd that had been waiting at the port cheered. They squeezed on the railings of the port and waved the money in their hands.
The captain said gleefully to the first mate.
"This ticket is really hard to come by … I knew that good things would happen in Gotham. Docking! Double the ticket … No, triple the ticket! We can still make another trip before midnight. Next time … "
The captain narrowed his eyes and looked at the crazy people on the port. He couldn't even see the end of the crowd. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
"Ten times!"
However, good things couldn't always be monopolized by one person. The moment the Courageous docked, more than ten armed police cars escorted seven large prison vans to the port. The heavily-armed officers fired into the air. It took them a few minutes to clear a path through the port.
After that, the National Guard escorted the commoners out of the prison wagons. At the front, the mayor's assistant spoke to the captain of the Courageous sternly, "Don't worry, Captain.
"This is an emergency. Your ship has been commandeered!"
"Why? This is illegal! "
The captain yelled. He clearly had the opportunity to make a lot of money, but he encountered such a situation. How could he not go crazy? However, the next moment, a National Guard major walked over. He held a pistol in his hand and looked at the captain coldly.
"We have orders to escort a group of dangerous criminals out of Gotham. If you don't want to sail, you can come down. I have people who can sail. Do you understand? You're not a necessity here! "
"But why?"
The captain gritted his teeth and refused to back down. He pointed at the townsfolk who were waving their hands crazily at the port and the criminals who were being escorted into the hold of the ship.
"Are the lives of the townsfolk not as valuable as those damned scum?"
"No matter what the clown is planning, he has already gathered the remaining power of the Gotham mafia. Keeping these people who are related to the mafia in Gotham is like a ticking time bomb …"
The mayor's assistant patted the captain's shoulder and said in a low voice, "Help me out.
"Help me, buddy. If everything goes well, I can help you apply for special privileges from the Port Authority!"
The captain's eyes lit up. He looked up at the darkening sky and pursed his lips. The mayor's assistant took out his pocket watch and looked at the time.
"It's 9: 34 at night. If we're fast enough, you can come back and do it again. No one will say no to money, right?"
"Okay! Get them on board quickly. We'll leave in five minutes! "
On the other side, a cruise ship filled with lucky Gotham locals had left the port. Everything looked normal. Other than the angry shouts of the townsfolk who saw the government send the criminals away and left the townsfolk on the port, everything was peaceful.
In the basement of Wayne Skyscraper, Lucius was busy controlling the giant sonar that monitored the entire city. He used the city's mobile phones to create a network of ultrasonic waves and sound collection. This middle-aged man was the uncrowned king of Gotham. If he wanted to, even the mayor's secret could not escape his eyes and ears.
But Lucius would not do that …
"Found it, Wayne!"
Lucius turned on the communicator in his ear. He locked the ultrasonic frequency to a fixed area and narrowed it. Finally, he reported a location.
"Fourth Avenue at the port, near the construction area of the narrow island. If I remember correctly, that should be the construction site of Wayne Industries' new Pier 21. He's on the 14th floor … Oh, yes, there are many hostages there. Conservatively, there are more than 40 people there. Children, women, and The Joker's members are watching them. No matter what you plan to do, you'd better rescue them first!"
"Roger that!"
Bruce's voice rang out. Under the dim light of the night, the Batmobile started up in the dark alley and sped all the way to the docks.
Lucius put down the communicator and looked at the screen in front of him. There was a struggle on his face. Finally, he picked up his mobile phone and dialed a number.
"He's in the construction area at Fourth Avenue at the port …"
Lucius whispered into the phone, "Saber, Bruce is rushing over, but I'm worried that he'll make the same choice. You're right, Joker. He's such a dangerous person. He shouldn't continue to exist."
"Very well, Lucius. This time, I won't give him another chance."
Saber's eyes were reflected in the clean saber. It was a cold gaze. When a person made up his mind, it could be seen from his eyes. His eyes would never lie.
Click.
Putting his saber back into its sheath, Seiber put down his phone and put the ghost mask on his face. He turned around and looked at the mirror in the dark living room of the villa. There was a dark red figure reflected in the mirror.
A mottled mask, slender armor, and a dark red cloak fluttering in the wind. In the darkness, he let out a low chuckle. He opened the door, took a deep breath, and then strode into the darkness.
"Are the prisoners still quiet?"
The captain of the Braveheart took a sip of wine and looked at the chief officer beside him. The latter nodded. "More than 20 soldiers are watching them. The Gotham government is serious this time. The safety on their guns is off."
"Mm, that's good. Let's speed up. I don't want those scum to stay on my ship."
The captain snorted. He pulled the lever, but in the next moment, all the lights on the Braveheart dimmed. A moment later, they lit up again, but the light was much dimmer. The captain was stunned for a moment before he shouted, "Captain!
"What happened? Why did they switch to the backup power? "
Just as he finished speaking, the boatswain rushed up anxiously.
"Captain! Captain! Our engine has malfunctioned! Some of the wires were cut. I saw him jump into the sea! That scum! He's trapped us here! "
"What?"
When the captain heard this, he turned around abruptly and saw that the cruise ship that had been moving alongside them had also stopped. The lights on the deck were all turned off, and he could vaguely see several people jumping off the deck. They had encountered the same thing.
"What's going on? Can someone tell me?"
The captain shouted. The boatswain shoved a box into his hands. He wiped the sweat off his forehead. "I found this in the cabin!"
At the same time, on the Braveheart and the cruise ship, the broadcast was turned on. The voice that brought disaster to Gotham sounded again. It was like a bomb that exploded in everyone's heart.
"Hi, ladies and gentlemen … Hello, I'm the host of tonight's game. You can call me The Joker!"
"Tonight, you will participate in one of my social experiments. Using the magic of diesel and ammonium nitrate explosives, I'm ready to blow all of you up into the sky … Don't try to find the location of the bomb. Only I know where it is. If anyone tries to get off the ship, as long as I see it, you will die!"
"Brave and Fly, you're the ones I've chosen to participate in the experiment. Listen to me … Listen to me patiently. Each ship has a detonator. However, take note that it can detonate another ship. Right now, it's 10: 17 PM. When midnight arrives, I'll blow you all up."
On the Fly yacht, a young girl screamed, and the entire yacht instantly went crazy. On the Brave yacht, when the first prisoner stood up, the cold major pointed his gun at him and turned off the safety.
"You! Sit down! "
Before the Joker finished speaking, he seemed to feel the commotion on the two ships. After a few seconds, he spoke again.
"But … but if one of the ships detonates the other ship first, I will be merciful and let that ship live. So, which ship will it be? Who would be the one to survive? The scum that deserves to die, or the innocent citizens? "
His mocking voice was filled with mockery.
"You see, I said that I would let you participate in the game. Now, it is up to you to decide the fate of over 400 people!"
"Oh, right … Perhaps you should hurry up and choose because the people on the other ship might not be as noble as you … Putting your life in the hands of others is a very foolish action, isn't it?"
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