Chapter 49: Chaos.

"What are you two doing?"

This voice, tinged with obvious irritation and confusion, instantly shattered the tense atmosphere. Bruce froze, as if a rope were dangling from his spine, forcing him to turn his head ever so slightly.

The boy before him, panting, stood at the edge of the stage. He was angrily shaking off the rope, his face filled with anger and shock, his eyes filled with incomprehension.

Suddenly, an indescribable emotion surged through Bruce, and his mind was momentarily blank.

It was Jason.

He was still alive.

Belatedly, reason finally caught up with his emotions, and he belatedly realized the details that were "wrong"—he

remembered the initial scene: Jason, hanging high, showing no fear, but struggling desperately. And the moment Jason fell, there was no sound of a heavy object hitting the ground—

this was a performance... a game.

Jason's eyes fell on the two of them, scanning Bruce's bleeding side, passing over the blood-stained Joker's head and face, and finally resting on the object Bruce was holding.

"Holy shit!"

Bruce snapped back to reality, realizing he was still holding onto the Joker's tongue. His other hand was still gripping his jaw, forcibly pulling it apart to prevent him from biting off his fingers.

The stretched, deformed tongue now lay limp between Bruce's fingers, saliva mixed with blood, trickling down his forearm.

The Joker's eyes were half-lidded, his face a palette of mixed paint. He lay motionless on the ground, like a broken rag doll.

Bruce hastily released his grip and reached for the Joker's neck, trying to check for a pulse.

He felt a distinct pulse against his fingertips.

With a sigh of relief, Bruce reset the Joker's jaw, his movements becoming more cautious, hoping to avoid causing further damage.

"Cough... cough... you can't kill me... unless you're willing to become another me..."

The man in his arms suddenly began to cough, blood foaming from his mouth. His voice was intermittent, yet still tinged with triumph.

"I can't kill you either... because you're the only one who can rival me... we're destined to fight like this forever—"

He smiled again, as if he'd never learn to shut up.

Bruce frowned and wiped the blood from his face.

Jason ran over from the other side of the stage, his expression complicated, as he looked at the two men hesitantly.

"What the hell? What the hell are you doing? Racing to see who can kill the other first?"

"..."

Bruce remained silent.

The clown on the ground chuckled, blood flowing continuously from his wounds as his body trembled.

"You came at a really bad time, little bird."

"Are you crazy?" Jason looked at him in disbelief, then turned to stare at Bruce, "He ambushed me, tied me up and hung me on the trampoline, and said that he wanted me to participate in the game you usually play--"

He held down the clown's body with his hands to prevent him from moving around and losing more blood, and asked, "Do you usually play like this?"

"You're right... Little Bird... This is a game between me and Bats, to add some fun to the boring life," the clown said while coughing, "He always likes to control the rhythm, you know, strong, passionate, violent, some intense love--"

"Shut up." Bruce interrupted him, he adjusted his facial expression awkwardly, turned to Jason and said, "Don't believe a word this lunatic says."

Jason looked confused, he slowly stood up and whispered:

"What's wrong with Jack? Why did he suddenly become like this?"

This is also the question Bruce wanted to know.

"Don't call me Jack, sweetheart," the Joker rolled his eyes in disdain. "It's too common a name. I don't like it at all. It's not distinctive enough—"

"Where's Jack?" Bruce asked sullenly.

The Joker's voice suddenly trailed off, and he tilted his head to look directly into Bruce's eyes, his expression filled with wonder, as if he'd witnessed something incredibly absurd and hilarious.

"Oh, Batsy... I have to say... this is so surprising!"

His expression was strange, a strange pity in it.

"You're worried about him... Hahahaha... You're actually worried about him... Worried about someone who doesn't even exist!!"

He laughed again, his head swaying back and forth, dust gathering in his hair.

"...What do you mean?" Bruce grabbed his face, forcing him to look at him. "What do you mean by nonexistent?"

"You're in love with Jack?" The Joker suddenly began to mutter to himself, "No, no no... That's not going to work..."

"I'm not!" Bruce retorted.

"You're not?!"

Jason turned to glare at him.

The veins on Bruce's head jumped a few times. He took a deep breath, suppressed the emotions churning in his heart, and said to Jason: "

This is not the same thing, Jason."

Then he looked down at the Joker, trying to ask the truth.

"Tell me clearly, what do you mean by non-existent?"

The man under him tilted his head, and blood stained the corners of his mouth, drawing a sarcastic arc.

"Do you think I have a split personality?" He chuckled and said, "No... no, no, there is no Jack, the Bat. It has always been me. I just - remembered."