Chapter 51 Ends

Those words were like a bucket of ice water, instantly bringing Bruce back to his senses.

Facing Jason's expression of dismay, Bruce steeled himself and pushed the Joker away. Belatedly, he touched his lip, where a tooth mark still remained.

"You've clearly completely forgotten there's a third person here," Jason said sarcastically, standing to one side with his arms folded. "Even though I was less than a foot away from you two—"

This wasn't the first time Jason had intruded on Bruce's date. He'd occasionally stumbled upon them in the living room when he'd brought the ladies home...

but this was the first time he'd felt so awkward.

Bruce didn't know what to say. His eyes darted, not looking at the Joker or Jason.

But the Joker clearly had no such scruples.

"Next time, you need to learn to understand the situation, Little Red Bird—" he complained, his temper clear. "Blood is the lubricant between us... We're used to it, no matter the situation."

"I wish I didn't understand your dirty jokes,"

Jason rolled his eyes.

"Stop talking," Bruce said, calming himself down. He returned to his Batman mode, leaning over and picking up the Joker. "I need to get you to the hospital."

At the same time, Bruce grabbed the Joker's hands and restrained them, locking them together to prevent him from escaping.

He would never underestimate the Joker's danger. After treating his wounds, he planned to take him back and lock him up again—perhaps with handcuffs this time.

Surprisingly, the Joker didn't struggle. He leaned meekly against Bruce's arms, seemingly cooperating.

But just then, Bruce felt a sudden pinch on his arm.

He looked down.

The Joker was mouthing to him, his lips moving silently—

"No hospital."

Bruce's heart sank.

He calmly stopped, straightened his arm supporting the Joker's body, and turned to look at Jason, who was following him.

Jason was confused by his sudden stop and looked at him with a puzzled look, as if waiting for an explanation.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked.

"How did you get here?" Bruce suddenly asked.

Jason shrugged nonchalantly and explained,

"Oh—Jack stole my motorcycle and parked it nearby."

"Yeah," Bruce replied. "Then you take the motorcycle back and I'll take him to the hospital."

"Are you sure?" Jason clearly disagreed with his approach. "Driving and caring for the wounded at the same time? Or—can you control him at the same time? I don't know what you're getting yourself into…"

"I'm plenty experienced at this."

Jason glanced hesitantly at the Joker in Bruce's arms, who was grinning at him, lipstick smeared across his gums.

"Okay," Jason compromised. He glanced at the two people present and decided no one truly needed him right now. He headed for the exit, muttering, "You better give me an explanation later."

A dozen seconds later, the roar of a motorcycle echoed outside.

Bruce led the Joker to the car and handcuffed him, securing him in the passenger seat, unable to move.

Then he circled around to the other side, opened the door, got in, and buckled his seatbelt.

Rain began to fall.

Fine drops of rain pattered against the windshield. The Joker tilted his head, observing the dark clouds overhead. After a moment, he sighed softly.

"You can't take me to the hospital, Bat."

"Why?" Bruce demanded succinctly.

"Maybe it's because I can't explain my injuries," the Joker half-closed his eyes, as if pondering a reason. "Or maybe I just don't want to be surrounded by reporters."

Bruce observed the Joker's every move through the rearview mirror, not immediately responding to his answer.

"That's not something you care about," Bruce calmly pointed out the flaw in the Joker's words, saying firmly, "Unless you're willing to tell me the real reason, I won't consider your proposal."

The Joker couldn't help but chuckle, a sharp laugh that echoed in the cramped car.

The sound made Bruce tighten his grip on the steering wheel. He wasn't sure if it would help the Joker, but when he thought about the information the Joker possessed that he didn't, he realized that no matter what method he used, the most important thing to do now was to get to the truth.

After a while, the laughter faded. The Joker, seemingly tired of laughing, leaned back in the seat, panting slightly. His head rested against the window, his silhouette blurred against the glass.

"I can't go to the hospital," he insisted. "It's not that I don't want to go, it's that I can't."

He paused, his voice trailing off

. "Batsy, I don't want to lie to you. I'm not telling you—for your own good, and for ours." Bruce's expression was solemn. The Joker's evasiveness chilled him to the core. He whispered,

"I'll find out the truth. The drugs, you, and all of this—even if you won't share, I'll find the answers myself."

The Joker tilted his head, his gaze sweeping across Bruce's profile.

"This is going to be fun, sweetheart."

They both fell silent.

A brief silence fell in the car, the only sound remaining for a moment: raindrops pattering against the windows.

A moment later, Bruce heard a grinding noise nearby. He glanced out of the corner of his eye—

the Joker was prodding the lock of the handcuffs with a tiny piece of metal. His fingers were long enough to reach the gap between them, and after two or three pushes, the cuffs began to loosen...

Bruce slammed on the brakes.

Rage welled up in him, incredulous that the Joker had brazenly attempted to escape—without even a thought for Batman sitting nearby.

"What are you doing!"

He grabbed the newly freed hands, leaving a few red marks on the wrists.

The Joker gazed at him calmly.

"I want you to take me back to the apartment, now."

Bruce sneered and immediately denied it:

"No, you will follow me back to the manor, and I will prepare a suitable place for you to be imprisoned."

The Joker struggled for a while, but failed to shake off. He complained dissatisfiedly:

"How rude, Bat. I obviously came here on my own initiative to reach a ceasefire agreement with you."

Bruce almost thought he had misheard, he asked back:

"Kidnapping Jason, creating chaos-and you told me you want to make a truce with me?"

"I could have killed him," the Joker grinned, his shark teeth shining white, "but I didn't-I didn't! Isn't this enough to show my sincerity?"

Bruce looked at him silently.

"Truce, Bat," the Joker said lazily, unconcerned about his restrained hands. "If you don't interfere with my actions, I'll stop threatening your Gotham."

"I can't trust you."

"You can only trust me, sweetheart," he smiled and winked. "Okay, I'll be honest... I made some preparations before I came here. If you don't let me go—"

He paused, then said briskly:

"Then tomorrow, everyone will know that beneath Batman's mask is the face of baby Brucie."

A deathly silence fell in the car.

Bruce slowly closed his eyes, as if suppressing the rage boiling within him.

...

About twenty minutes later, the car stopped in front of an apartment building.

Bruce watched the passenger seat undid his seatbelt and opened the door...

"Joker!" he roared, "If you dare—"

The man suddenly turned around and interrupted him.

"Oh, please, Bat, you can't keep pestering me—"

He muttered, a tooth mark still remaining on his trembling lips. He sighed and said listlessly:

"The playtime is over, Bat."