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Chapter 73: The Joker's Play
Author: Great Demon Spirit
A chaotic "farce" was unfolding at a newly opened, large bank.
Three robbers wearing various Joker Masks stormed into the bank, brandishing machine guns. They appeared suddenly, their actions even more audacious. They drove a bus right up to the bank's entrance, jumped out, and began a killing spree. Many of the bank's security guards were killed in the first moments, along with numerous citizens sitting inside. The three Jokers' marksmanship was precise, their methods brutal, and their teamwork impeccable. The sudden assault left the bank's armed forces powerless to resist.
"Get down and don't move! Everybody on the ground!"
"Miss, want to play a game? *Bang!* Bastard, I told you to stay down and not move!"
The three Jokers swept through the front of the bank.
"Three guys in the front, two on the rooftop. That means our money gets split five ways," Feral Joker said to his two partners, gesturing with his fingers.
"Six ways. Don't forget the planner of the operation, the Joker," Ruthless Joker said as he shot a security guard and grabbed a hostage.
"He thinks he can just sit back and reap the rewards? That's ridiculous! We're the ones robbing the place. What right does he have to take a cut just by flapping his gums? Now I know why they call him the Joker," said Feral Joker.
"Why?"
"Because he's a clown! A pathetic clown!" said Feral Joker.
The Smiling Joker at the very back remained silent the entire time. His snake-like eyes watched everything coldly. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the Smiling Joker's hand would twitch unconsciously from time to time.
Meanwhile, two other criminals in Joker Masks had jumped directly onto the bank's rooftop, heading straight for the nearby voltage device.
Red-Eyed Joker skillfully opened the voltage device, simultaneously taking out an instrument from his backpack and beginning to sever all the bank's lines.
"How's it looking?" Blue-Eyed Joker, who was standing guard behind him, suddenly asked.
"Found the silent alarm... got it. But it's strange, they didn't call 911. They dialed a private number..." Red-Eyed Joker frowned, but ultimately succeeded in cutting the lines and all possible means of outside communication.
"Is that a problem?"
"No, there isn't. I've taken care of everything."
*Bang!*
Red-Eyed Joker was shot and killed by Blue-Eyed Joker from behind. Blue-Eyed Joker grabbed the bag and made a beeline for the vault. He took out a high-grade electric drill from the bag and started drilling into the vault's metal door. Another Joker burst in—it was Yellow-Eyed Joker. He carried a pile of backpacks, ready for them to stuff with money.
"What the hell kind of bank is this? They're using a five-thousand-watt power supply. That's insane," Blue-Eyed Joker grumbled. This increased his workload.
Yellow-Eyed Joker asked, "What about the guy who cracked the alarm?"
"I took him out. The Boss told me to eliminate him on the spot after he was done. One less share to split, right?"
The vault door was finally drilled through. Blue-Eyed Joker struggled a bit to pry the door open. It was clear that Blue-Eyed Joker was a rare expert, highly proficient in this line of work.
"How funny," Yellow-Eyed Joker said, slowly drawing his weapon. "The Boss gave me the same mission."
"What? Wait! No! No!"
*Bang! Bang-bang-bang!*
Yellow-Eyed Joker was cautious, firing several shots to ensure his teammate was dead. He then grabbed the backpacks, rushed into the vault, and began frantically stuffing money into them. Outside, several buses had arrived at some point, waiting for the cash. They were racing against time, needing to pack and haul away as much money as possible in the shortest amount of time.
As for why not find an expert hacker and just do an electronic transfer? Heh heh heh... They were rooted in Gotham City. It wasn't like they could do this one job, wash their hands of it, and flee. The electronic method might be fast, but in the end, it was just a bunch of numbers typed on a computer. The police could just as easily freeze their accounts using the same method.
To them, hard cash was far more reliable than anything electronic.
In the bank lobby, the three Jokers were violently dragging people out from behind the counters one by one, preventing them from hiding and taking an ambush shot. Although the people were cowering like pitiful lambs, according to the laws of probability, someone in a group will always stand up and fight, especially those with vested interests.
The Bank General Manager's eyes were wide as he held a shotgun. With a single blast, he killed the most arrogant of them, Ruthless Joker.
Feral Joker and Smiling Joker scrambled for cover behind a counter.
"You bastards! Do you have any idea whose bank this is?! Do you know who protects this bank? You're dead! None of you are getting out of here!"
The Bank General Manager cursed loudly as he frantically reloaded and fired. If this bank got robbed, by law, all the depositors could hold him accountable. He'd have to spend the rest of his life in endless repayment. He had thrown all caution to the wind; it was either die now or spend the rest of his life doing hard labor to pay it back.
"Hey, he's fired a lot of shots. He must be out of ammo, right?" Feral Joker asked.
Smiling Joker rarely spoke. He glanced at the man with his cold eyes and nodded heavily.
Feral Joker was instantly excited. He stood up, ready to shoot this arrogant lamb dead. All they had to do was obediently kneel on the ground and wait to be robbed. Why did someone always have to cause trouble?
*Bang!*
The Bank General Manager fired again, but he missed.
Feral Joker hit the deck, looking pathetic. He cursed at Smiling Joker, "Where the hell did you learn math? Did your gym teacher teach you?"
"Now he's out of bullets," Smiling Joker said, standing up and taking down the Bank General Manager with a single shot.
"We should make a huge score this time. If the Joker is smart enough, he should have arranged a vehicle to transport the money. After all, he's the planner of the operation." Feral Joker gripped his gun tightly and paced around the lobby.
Suddenly, Feral Joker raised his gun and pointed it at Smiling Joker. They were the only two criminals left in the lobby.
"I'll bet the Joker told you to kill me at the end, too, didn't he?" The corners of Feral Joker's mouth curled up. His smile was indeed a bit feral.
"What?" Smiling Joker looked surprised and glanced down at his watch. "No, no, no, you've misunderstood me. My job is to kill the bus driver."
"The bus driver? What bus driver? Tell me! What bus driver?!" Feral Joker grew tense. The final winner would take all the money, a large sum of money.
*CRASH!*
A bus smashed violently through the entrance and drove in, sending Feral Joker flying. Blood poured from Feral Joker's head; it was clear he wouldn't survive.
Yellow-Eyed Joker, emerging from the vault, opened the driver's door and called out to Smiling Joker, "Mission complete! That guy's definitely not waking up. School's out, time to go. Get in! We got a lot of cash this time. The Boss will be very satisfied... By the way, where are the others?"
Smiling Joker turned and shot the last remaining member, Yellow-Eyed Joker, dead. He walked with a slight limp, his arm twitching unconsciously. He was the very picture of a madman.
"Damn you... You won't get away! Who the hell are you?" The Bank General Manager, with his last breath, witnessed the entire farcical scene, a sense of sorrow rising in his heart.
"What? Sir, are you asking me? Asking me?" Smiling Joker staggered, half-walking and half-shuffling, over to the Bank General Manager's side. He slowly removed his Joker Mask, revealing the terrifying face behind it!
The man's face was covered in thick makeup. Excessive and exaggerated powder coated his skin, making his entire face white. Countless layers of eyeliner gave him nauseatingly dark circles. But what was most skin-crawling was undoubtedly his mouth. Starting from his lips, two slanting cuts ran up each cheek. At a glance, it looked like a smiling face had been crudely carved into him with a knife. The better part of his face was mutilated, together with his lips, forming a wide, hair-raising smile.
This Smiling Joker grabbed the Bank General Manager's head and said maniacally, "Hee hee hee... You're asking me? I'm the Joker!"
(end of chapter)
Author: Great Demon Spirit
A chaotic "farce" was unfolding at a newly opened, large bank.
Three robbers wearing various Joker Masks stormed into the bank, brandishing machine guns. They appeared suddenly, their actions even more audacious. They drove a bus right up to the bank's entrance, jumped out, and began a killing spree. Many of the bank's security guards were killed in the first moments, along with numerous citizens sitting inside. The three Jokers' marksmanship was precise, their methods brutal, and their teamwork impeccable. The sudden assault left the bank's armed forces powerless to resist.
"Get down and don't move! Everybody on the ground!"
"Miss, want to play a game? *Bang!* Bastard, I told you to stay down and not move!"
The three Jokers swept through the front of the bank.
"Three guys in the front, two on the rooftop. That means our money gets split five ways," Feral Joker said to his two partners, gesturing with his fingers.
"Six ways. Don't forget the planner of the operation, the Joker," Ruthless Joker said as he shot a security guard and grabbed a hostage.
"He thinks he can just sit back and reap the rewards? That's ridiculous! We're the ones robbing the place. What right does he have to take a cut just by flapping his gums? Now I know why they call him the Joker," said Feral Joker.
"Why?"
"Because he's a clown! A pathetic clown!" said Feral Joker.
The Smiling Joker at the very back remained silent the entire time. His snake-like eyes watched everything coldly. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the Smiling Joker's hand would twitch unconsciously from time to time.
Meanwhile, two other criminals in Joker Masks had jumped directly onto the bank's rooftop, heading straight for the nearby voltage device.
Red-Eyed Joker skillfully opened the voltage device, simultaneously taking out an instrument from his backpack and beginning to sever all the bank's lines.
"How's it looking?" Blue-Eyed Joker, who was standing guard behind him, suddenly asked.
"Found the silent alarm... got it. But it's strange, they didn't call 911. They dialed a private number..." Red-Eyed Joker frowned, but ultimately succeeded in cutting the lines and all possible means of outside communication.
"Is that a problem?"
"No, there isn't. I've taken care of everything."
*Bang!*
Red-Eyed Joker was shot and killed by Blue-Eyed Joker from behind. Blue-Eyed Joker grabbed the bag and made a beeline for the vault. He took out a high-grade electric drill from the bag and started drilling into the vault's metal door. Another Joker burst in—it was Yellow-Eyed Joker. He carried a pile of backpacks, ready for them to stuff with money.
"What the hell kind of bank is this? They're using a five-thousand-watt power supply. That's insane," Blue-Eyed Joker grumbled. This increased his workload.
Yellow-Eyed Joker asked, "What about the guy who cracked the alarm?"
"I took him out. The Boss told me to eliminate him on the spot after he was done. One less share to split, right?"
The vault door was finally drilled through. Blue-Eyed Joker struggled a bit to pry the door open. It was clear that Blue-Eyed Joker was a rare expert, highly proficient in this line of work.
"How funny," Yellow-Eyed Joker said, slowly drawing his weapon. "The Boss gave me the same mission."
"What? Wait! No! No!"
*Bang! Bang-bang-bang!*
Yellow-Eyed Joker was cautious, firing several shots to ensure his teammate was dead. He then grabbed the backpacks, rushed into the vault, and began frantically stuffing money into them. Outside, several buses had arrived at some point, waiting for the cash. They were racing against time, needing to pack and haul away as much money as possible in the shortest amount of time.
As for why not find an expert hacker and just do an electronic transfer? Heh heh heh... They were rooted in Gotham City. It wasn't like they could do this one job, wash their hands of it, and flee. The electronic method might be fast, but in the end, it was just a bunch of numbers typed on a computer. The police could just as easily freeze their accounts using the same method.
To them, hard cash was far more reliable than anything electronic.
In the bank lobby, the three Jokers were violently dragging people out from behind the counters one by one, preventing them from hiding and taking an ambush shot. Although the people were cowering like pitiful lambs, according to the laws of probability, someone in a group will always stand up and fight, especially those with vested interests.
The Bank General Manager's eyes were wide as he held a shotgun. With a single blast, he killed the most arrogant of them, Ruthless Joker.
Feral Joker and Smiling Joker scrambled for cover behind a counter.
"You bastards! Do you have any idea whose bank this is?! Do you know who protects this bank? You're dead! None of you are getting out of here!"
The Bank General Manager cursed loudly as he frantically reloaded and fired. If this bank got robbed, by law, all the depositors could hold him accountable. He'd have to spend the rest of his life in endless repayment. He had thrown all caution to the wind; it was either die now or spend the rest of his life doing hard labor to pay it back.
"Hey, he's fired a lot of shots. He must be out of ammo, right?" Feral Joker asked.
Smiling Joker rarely spoke. He glanced at the man with his cold eyes and nodded heavily.
Feral Joker was instantly excited. He stood up, ready to shoot this arrogant lamb dead. All they had to do was obediently kneel on the ground and wait to be robbed. Why did someone always have to cause trouble?
*Bang!*
The Bank General Manager fired again, but he missed.
Feral Joker hit the deck, looking pathetic. He cursed at Smiling Joker, "Where the hell did you learn math? Did your gym teacher teach you?"
"Now he's out of bullets," Smiling Joker said, standing up and taking down the Bank General Manager with a single shot.
"We should make a huge score this time. If the Joker is smart enough, he should have arranged a vehicle to transport the money. After all, he's the planner of the operation." Feral Joker gripped his gun tightly and paced around the lobby.
Suddenly, Feral Joker raised his gun and pointed it at Smiling Joker. They were the only two criminals left in the lobby.
"I'll bet the Joker told you to kill me at the end, too, didn't he?" The corners of Feral Joker's mouth curled up. His smile was indeed a bit feral.
"What?" Smiling Joker looked surprised and glanced down at his watch. "No, no, no, you've misunderstood me. My job is to kill the bus driver."
"The bus driver? What bus driver? Tell me! What bus driver?!" Feral Joker grew tense. The final winner would take all the money, a large sum of money.
*CRASH!*
A bus smashed violently through the entrance and drove in, sending Feral Joker flying. Blood poured from Feral Joker's head; it was clear he wouldn't survive.
Yellow-Eyed Joker, emerging from the vault, opened the driver's door and called out to Smiling Joker, "Mission complete! That guy's definitely not waking up. School's out, time to go. Get in! We got a lot of cash this time. The Boss will be very satisfied... By the way, where are the others?"
Smiling Joker turned and shot the last remaining member, Yellow-Eyed Joker, dead. He walked with a slight limp, his arm twitching unconsciously. He was the very picture of a madman.
"Damn you... You won't get away! Who the hell are you?" The Bank General Manager, with his last breath, witnessed the entire farcical scene, a sense of sorrow rising in his heart.
"What? Sir, are you asking me? Asking me?" Smiling Joker staggered, half-walking and half-shuffling, over to the Bank General Manager's side. He slowly removed his Joker Mask, revealing the terrifying face behind it!
The man's face was covered in thick makeup. Excessive and exaggerated powder coated his skin, making his entire face white. Countless layers of eyeliner gave him nauseatingly dark circles. But what was most skin-crawling was undoubtedly his mouth. Starting from his lips, two slanting cuts ran up each cheek. At a glance, it looked like a smiling face had been crudely carved into him with a knife. The better part of his face was mutilated, together with his lips, forming a wide, hair-raising smile.
This Smiling Joker grabbed the Bank General Manager's head and said maniacally, "Hee hee hee... You're asking me? I'm the Joker!"
(end of chapter)