Chapter 83: Chapter 82
Jennifer was resuming her intense work schedule, with Kara constantly by her side, worrying about her relationship status and her overexertion. Despite her own experience, even Kara was astonished by the sheer number of criminal records and files piled up. But that was Gotham City, after all—a place where criminals thrived for too long, with little interference from the law.
For years, Gotham had been infamously labeled "rotten to the core." Before Carmine Falcone's recent downfall and arrest, the city's power had been dominated by gangs. Falcone was so confident in his control that he would even brazenly entertain politicians in his own restaurant.
Now, Gotham was finally reckoning with these criminals. None of those who had managed to evade justice before would escape this time. The result was a massive volume of documentation, with cases that, if prosecuted successfully, could lead to hundreds of years of prison sentences. Some sentences might even outlast a human lifetime.
Kara was also concerned about Jennifer's health. "Remember, you haven't had the child removed yet. If you're planning to keep it, you should really get some rest," she said gently.
Jennifer tensed, choosing to ignore Kara's comment. However, when she reached for a drink later, she swapped her usual coffee for water without a word.
That same night, Gotham's Police Commissioner had been attacked, just as Jennifer had been, but unlike Jennifer, the Commissioner wasn't as lucky. The Joker succeeded in killing him. While Gordon would soon step up to take the Commissioner's place, the loss still hit Gotham hard—the Commissioner had always been a respected and fair leader, well-liked among the citizens.
A public obituary and parade to honor the Commissioner were planned for that week. Due to this, some major trials would need to be postponed until the following week.
"This is all part of that lunatic's plan," Kara guessed, referring to the Joker. She suspected that Joker had calculated that the Commissioner's death would lead to a large public funeral and that chaos could ensue.
The Joker was no ordinary criminal; he wasn't working alone. When Kara had tried to kill him before, she'd encountered dozens of Joker's henchmen. Not all of them had been recruited directly; most were actually loaned out by other gang leaders. This meant Joker was strategically allying with Gotham's other criminal bosses. As a result, he had access to resources and manpower to challenge both Batman and Oracle.
Though Joker was clearly mad, Kara understood he was no fool. His mind and intellect demanded respect, even from Bruce himself. Reluctantly, Kara had to admit: "Joker is harder to deal with than the League of Shadows."
Where the League of Shadows' plans had a clear path to counteract, Joker was a master of manipulating human psychology. His ultimate goal wasn't simply destruction; he wanted to drag everyone down into his own world of insanity.
Kara, with her background in psychology, could understand his twisted motivations. "Joker's true aim is simple. He wants to transform Bruce into the next Joker. He wants Batman—and maybe even me—to lose ourselves in the darkness," she said, her expression grim. "He's determined to build his own chaotic world, with everyone laughing right alongside him."
The Joker likely didn't know Kara's full identity, but that didn't matter to him. All he needed was to pull both Bruce and Kara into despair, sacrificing one Joker to gain two. For him, that was a victory.
After Kara's analysis, Jennifer clenched her jaw. The worry she felt for both Kara and Bruce was unmistakable.
"So, if Harvey and I can send all those criminals to prison as quickly as possible, Joker will lose his support, and you and Bruce can focus on him alone," Jennifer said as she dove back into the mountain of files.
However, Joker's strategy was even more insidious. That night, he orchestrated another attack, targeting two police officers—one named Harvey and the other named Dante.
Harvey Dent was one of Joker's latest targets.
Adding to the horror, a newspaper was found next to the bodies. In it was a photograph of Gotham's mayor delivering a speech. The Joker had scrawled graffiti across it, transforming the mayor's face into a twisted, Joker-like grin, with bold black letters reading, "If the mayor dies in front of the people, what will happen? HAHAHAHA!"
The mayor became visibly shaken upon seeing this and realized that the Joker might try to target him next. Yet, with the parade already scheduled, any hesitation would imply the Commissioner's sacrifice was in vain.
Backing down now would mean that Gotham was already defeated, that Joker had already won without lifting a finger.
It was clear that Joker's greatest weapon wasn't just his madness but his strategic mind and high intellect. In a twisted way, he was one of the sharpest minds Gotham had ever faced.
Later that night, Bruce called both Kara and Jennifer. First, he dialed Kara, who had grown tired of his habit of calling at all hours. Annoyed, she pulled out her phone battery and tossed the phone onto her nightstand, nearly throwing it out the window.
With no other option, Bruce then called Jennifer.
The two of them hadn't slept much that night; after hearing the recent news, neither could rest easily.
Jennifer looked at Kara, realizing she'd ignored Bruce on purpose. Sighing, she finally answered, "Hello, Mr. Wayne. What's the matter?"
On the other end of the line, Bruce felt a pang of disappointment. Once, she'd cared for him deeply, and now he could only hear her distant tone.
But he kept his focus on the reason for his call. "Jennifer, the parade tomorrow will be extremely dangerous. I hope you'll reconsider attending."
Jennifer sighed. "Mr. Wayne, if I refuse to go tomorrow, I may as well resign. That's the Commissioner we're honoring."
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