บท 426: Social Experiment

"Oh my God..."

Outside the screen, Commissioner Gordon sighed deeply, "He's still being influenced by the Joker, heading down this irreversible path. It's so unfortunate; he could have been Gotham's light!"

Arthur glanced at him, a smirk on his face. "Who's to blame for all this?"

Commissioner Gordon's face turned red; he felt that Arthur was mocking him. Clearly, in this future video, he would bear some responsibility for Harvey Dent's fall.

Shaking his head, he said, "I have to admit, maybe it's really my fault. He warned me early on to be careful of traitors within the police force, and I didn't take it seriously."

Peter Parker consoled, "Honestly, Mr. Gordon, you don't need to blame yourself. Isn't all this chaos because of the Joker's interference? Think about it, without this madman stirring things up, the gangs would have been wiped out by you, and Gotham would be heading towards a brighter future. Who would have thought that this lunatic would emerge? He brings chaos, dragging Gotham into hell!"

Commissioner Gordon took a deep breath, "We must learn from this, take the lessons to heart, and not let this madman disrupt Gotham again!"

Bruce Wayne squinted his eyes, silent and thoughtful. Arthur also remained silent, silently saying in his mind, "Chaos does bring about fairness indeed."

In the video, Harvey Dent's fall was regrettable for many viewers. This bright and ambitious district attorney, once seen as the hope for Gotham's revival, ended up becoming a true 'Two-Face.'

The culprit behind all this was undoubtedly the mad Joker. His terrifying attack announcement plunged all of Gotham into chaos.

Both ferries leaving Gotham were full of people. One carried criminals, and the other was ordinary citizens. When the two ferries reached the centre of the river, they suddenly stopped, losing communication with the outside.

When they checked below deck, they made a horrifying discovery – it was filled with gasoline barrels, explosives, and two timed bomb activation devices.

At this moment, the Joker's terrifying voice came over the broadcast: "Tonight, each of you is part of a social experiment. By using the magic of gasoline, ammonia, and nitric acid salts, I'm ready to send you all to the sky! If anyone dares to disembark without permission, everyone on the ship will die! You all have a detonator to blow up the other ship. At exactly midnight, I'm going to blow you all up. But, if one ship activates the detonator first, I'll let those people live. So, let's see who can survive. Harvey Dent's beloved criminals, or the innocent citizens? You decide, and you better decide quickly... because the other ship may not follow the rules."

Instantly, panic spread among the people on both ferries. They hadn't expected that in their hasty escape, they would end up on top of a pile of explosives!

Some viewers were also dumbfounded. Peter Parker, Gordon, and others had guessed that the Joker might tamper with the ferries, given their god-like perspective, they naturally had a clearer view than the people in the video.

Yet, even so, they couldn't keep up with the Joker's insane train of thought. One could only say that the lunatic played it well. Two ferries carrying tens of thousands of people – a thrilling and heart-pounding social experiment.

What's more dangerous is that the other ferry is filled with notorious criminals. In this life-or-death moment, can human hearts withstand the test?

"Joker is too crazy! He's not just causing destruction and evil; he's playing with people's minds. He's a devil!"

Outside the screen, Gordon couldn't help but curse, and Peter Parker also couldn't hold back: "God, facing criminals like him is really a headache. No wonder the Quiz game considers Joker as Mr. Wayne's archenemy."

Fortunately, Batman's city-wide surveillance system came into play at this moment. Through Joker's speech, they finally pinpointed his location.

Joker was now in an abandoned high-rise building by the river, perfectly positioned to enjoy the spectacular explosion in the middle of the river. Batman immediately notified Commissioner Gordon and rushed there on his Batmobile.

Soon, both sides arrived at the designated location. The police observed the high-rise building where Joker was, noticing many thugs with Joker masks standing by the windows.

If they planned a raid, they could quickly and relatively safely eliminate this group. With time ticking closer to midnight, Commissioner Gordon naturally wanted to take down Joker immediately. However, Batman suddenly appeared, reminding them not to act rashly. He believed Joker's scheme wasn't as simple as it seemed.

Batman had experienced the difficulties posed by the Joker and realized his adeptness at manipulating people's minds. In moments of urgency, people often make impulsive choices, and perhaps that's what Joker was counting on.

He asked Commissioner Gordon for five minutes to investigate. Still, the pressure on Commissioner Gordon was too great, and he felt they couldn't wait any longer. They had to take action quickly, even if it meant raising a gun at Batman.

Of course, Batman didn't take it seriously and flew straight to the high-rise building.

Meanwhile, people on both ferries were racing against death. The criminals argued constantly, urging the custodian to press the detonator. Ordinary citizens planned to decide whether to detonate through a vote.

Batman's investigation quickly yielded results. He found that the thugs wearing Joker masks in the high-rise were actually hostages. The so-called hostages were the real criminals!

Joker wasn't as simple as they thought; he set a trap for the police here. Batman's actions were already in full swing, and he didn't have time to explain to them. He had to find a way to break the situation, saving the real hostages, dealing with the real criminals, and guarding against police interference.

One could say Batman truly lived up to being a tactical master. In this situation, he found ways to break the deadlock several times, letting the hostages and the police navigate through danger.

But Commissioner Gordon faced trouble; as he was about to order other standby officers to attack, he received a call from his family. His wife's panicked voice came through, informing him that their child had been abducted. Immediately, Harvey Dent's voice came on the other end: "Hello, Jim."

"Harvey?" Commissioner Gordon's expression changed instantly, but he lowered his voice rationally, "Where are my family?"

"In the place where my family died," Harvey Dent replied straightforwardly, making it clear that he wanted him to come personally.