Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 142: Ch.141 Settling Accounts

Chapter 142: Ch.141 Settling Accounts

"You aren't planning to shock me, are you? I'm a super soldier, after all. Your little toy that might knock out a regular person would only give me a bit of a thrill."

Su Ming extended his hand calmly, just as he had said. The Joker's electric shock toys were merely a source of amusement for him.

If the Joker tried anything funny, Su Ming would just toss him into a cell and demand an additional fee from Batman for capturing the Joker.

"Oh, no, no, no! How could you suspect your old friend, Deathstroke? That really hurts my feelings, hehe."

The Joker pretended to wipe away tears, sneaking a glance at Su Ming's reaction through his fingers. However, his exaggerated peeking was so obvious, with his fingers spread wide apart, that it was impossible for Su Ming to miss his large, expressive eyes.

"As long as it's not, then fine. Don't waste time. Once the Justice League returns, you won't be able to leave."

Su Ming wasn't Batman; he didn't have time to play games with the Joker, nor did he want to solve riddles or listen to jokes. All he wanted was to get paid, find a good place to sleep, and then spend some money.

Once he got paid, he planned to order two buckets of KFC—one for himself and one for Barry. After all, Barry had contributed significantly to their success, and Su Ming believed in repaying kindness. Since this money came from killing, Barry probably wouldn't want to share it, so he'd give him some food or something useful instead—something that couldn't be easily refused.

Su Ming had a mental tally of the bill, though he hadn't had time to calculate it precisely yet. But it was definitely in the millions of dollars. Saving the world, surviving the ordeal, satisfying his post-enhancement bloodlust, and earning a hefty sum—all of it was highly satisfying.

Although the money wasn't in his hands yet, the long string of digits already made Su Ming appreciate the mercenary life even more.

The Joker noticed that Deathstroke seemed a bit distracted, even though he was still bleeding from his shoulder. It was strange because Su Ming seemed to be suppressing a laugh, and that eerie laugh was both unsettling and genuine, causing the Joker to laugh along with him.

"Haha, do you want to guess what it is? Here's a hint: I found it in the Batcave."

"Oh? Something nice from Batman? Just give it to me, and you can have the head to play with."

Su Ming reattached all his equipment and motioned for the Joker to hurry up. He had debts to collect.

"Sigh," the Joker sighed, his shoulders slumping in disappointment. He found others far less entertaining than Batman, especially since Su Ming didn't even want to play guessing games. "Alright, here you go. I think it's something good."

He gently placed a small item into Su Ming's palm. The Joker didn't actually know what it was, but he had a feeling it was important.

That feeling was baseless, but the Joker trusted himself.

The most crucial part was—he liked the object. The smiley face on it felt sincere, like someone high on laughing gas, and it made him happy.

He had originally planned to give it to Harley as a gift, hoping to reconcile with her. Last time, he had tried to kill her but failed, and he figured that the failed attempt might have strained their relationship.

A little gift might remind Harley of him, and maybe she'd come back to try and kill him again. That would be a fun way to relieve his current boredom.

However, he now preferred the head of the Batman Who Laughs as a ball to kick around, so trading the gift for it with Deathstroke seemed like a fair exchange.

But before Su Ming even had a chance to see what it was, a flash of blue light instantly whisked him away.

The blue light flickered and vanished, leaving only the Joker holding the severed head and still in the posture of giving the item.

"Huh?" The Joker quickly pulled his hand back. "One, two, three, four, five... hmm, yep, all fingers accounted for. But I haven't even closed my eyes yet."

He loudly counted his fingers, relieved that they were still five in number, not four or six.

But how did Deathstroke suddenly disappear?

"Interesting... hahaha!" The Joker clapped his hands, delighted by the disappearing act. "So, you want to play hide and seek, huh? Hehe, here I come!"

The Joker began searching all over the Batcave for any sign of Deathstroke, looking behind the scorched Brother Eye machine, under the chair holding the Monitor, and even inside his own shoes.

He searched everywhere.

But in the end, he found nothing. Deathstroke had vanished into thin air.

"Can't find you. I give up. Come out now!"

He was panting from exhaustion, but still couldn't find Deathstroke. Admitting defeat, he hoped Deathstroke would emerge and explain how he had pulled off the trick. He loved the game and wanted to learn how to play it with Batman.

But no one answered him.

He wandered around for a while, realizing that Deathstroke was truly gone, and his spirits sank.

"You're gone, so I'll leave too... I'm really leaving, okay? Really leaving! I'm taking the head with me!"

He looked around the Batcave, where only Barry and Diana remained unconscious, still tied to the pillars. The headless corpse of the Batman Who Laughs lay motionless, and the Monitor, mouth gagged, could only mumble.

There was no other sound in the cave.

"Hahahahahaha, then I'll take that as your consent."

The Joker raised the severed head of the Batman Who Laughs, nodded in satisfaction, and prepared to leave.

But just as he was about to reach the cave entrance, he seemed to remember something and turned back. From his pocket, he pulled out a lipstick and drew big, bright smiles on Diana and Barry's faces.

Seeing the two unconscious superheroes now looking happy, he burst into laughter and darted off, cradling the head.

The Monitor sighed in relief. At least the Joker had overlooked him—what a lunatic.

But then, the Joker returned once more, shoving the lipstick into the Monitor's hand.

"Take it! Hold on tight! Hehe."

The Joker licked his lips, his tongue flicking out like a snake's, his chin twitching nervously as he stared at the Monitor. "Smile, smile, give me a smile."

With his mouth gagged and his face distorted, the Monitor could barely manage any kind of expression, let alone a smile.

"Why so serious? A smile should come from deep within your mind!"

The Joker, having heard that this guy was called the Monitor, was no longer happy. The thrill of obtaining the Batman Who Laughs' head had nearly made him forget about this old man.

After all, only Batman had the right to monitor him. This "Monitor" was clearly an imitation, just like the Batman Who Laughs.

And the Joker hated him just as much—perhaps even more so, because this guy couldn't even smile!

The Joker grabbed the lipstick and drew a huge smiley face on the Monitor's brain with such force that the fragile brain couldn't withstand it.

In an instant, it looked as though chili oil had been added to a bowl of tofu pudding.

A complete mess.

"A big, beautiful smile—perfect."

The Joker clapped his hands in satisfaction, though how he saw a smile in the chaotic mess of red and white was anyone's guess.

But his mood improved, and he no longer cared about the violently convulsing Monitor. Laughing wildly, he left the cave, disappearing into the night outside.