Within two days, two of the most sensational events in the City of Sin had occurred.
The first was the Joker publicly executing followers of Batman who were imitating him, threatening to kill one person a day if Batman did not unmask himself.
The second event was that the Joker had actually been caught!
It was none other than Batman who apprehended the Joker.
Bai Ye even admired the hero of the City of Sin. He was truly selfless, handing over the threat to his girlfriend, who had received a bomb, to his love rival to deal with, and then rushing off to catch the Joker himself.
And most importantly, he actually caught him!
A day prior, the Joker had gained notoriety as the first criminal in the City of Sin to openly challenge Batman.
A day later, the Joker was caught by Batman, which in turn propelled Batman's fame to its zenith.
As for Commissioner Gordon, he was merely responsible for the escort.
Although Batman fought criminals, he never killed them. Otherwise, with his approach of fighting violence with violence, he would be provoking the order of the City of Sin.
Even though this rival of Batman stood by Batman's side, there were still many like Commissioner Gordon who believed Batman's existence was not a good thing.
However, now that Bai Ye had blown up the Investigation Bureau, rendering it powerless, even Commissioner Gordon was willing to cooperate with Batman. The arrest of the Joker this time was the best opportunity to restore their credibility.
But…
"It's about to begin!" Bai Ye exclaimed excitedly, "It's finally about to begin!"
Because of his memories from his past life, Bai Ye knew very well that this was the true beginning of chaos, and everything…
Would start with the arrest of the Joker!
As Bai Ye thought this, a screen suddenly appeared before his eyes.
"You have received a mission."
"Rescue the Joker. Mission reward: Sin Points x100, Joker's Playing Card x1."
Bai Ye looked at the screen, completely unfazed by the sudden mission. After all, he had experienced this mission in his past life.
Moreover, Bai Ye also knew that the chosen ones of the Order Faction had also received a mission.
The mission was simple: the mission for the Sin Faction was just four words – "Rescue the Joker!"
And the mission for the Order Faction was equally simple – "Prevent the Joker's escape!"
It was a dual-sided mission. One side would gain Sin Points, the other Order Points. One would receive the symbolic playing cards left behind by the Joker at each of his crimes, while the other would receive Batman's symbol, the Bat-suit.
Bai Ye watched the television, where the Joker was being escorted into a vehicle. With the sirens blaring, the Joker was being taken away.
Bai Ye couldn't help but chuckle, "Now this is suddenly interesting!"
Bai Ye walked through the streets, bought a few burgers from a fast-food joint, stuffed them into a paper bag, and then strolled towards the Investigation Bureau.
The Investigation Bureau, which had been blown to smithereens, had undergone simple repairs and was now operational again. However, the cracks on the walls, the shattered main door, and the piles of rubble in the corner all testified to the ordeal the place had endured.
Bai Ye loitered around the Investigation Bureau, observing his surroundings.
Everything appeared normal. People were walking, shops on either side were open as usual, and agents were coming and going, busy with their work.
Yet, a palpable tension could be felt.
At a hot dog stand at an intersection, the vendor was trying to make hot dogs for customers, but failed repeatedly. Either the sausage didn't go into the bun, or the ketchup was squeezed directly onto his hand, or he accidentally dropped the hot dog while packing it.
Seriously, all he was making was a hot dog, not some intricate dish like Jianbing Guozi.
This obvious absent-mindedness, Bai Ye thought, looked fake to anyone.
He looked away and gazed into the distance, spotting occasional glints of light on a rooftop.
It wasn't a telescope, but a sniper scope. And it didn't look very professional, otherwise, it wouldn't be so easily noticeable.
Was it someone from the Order Faction?
Or someone from the Sin Faction?
Bai Ye smiled, knowing it could be either, as everyone had received a mission.
Of course, not many people had arrived around the Investigation Bureau yet. Most would likely choose to hijack the transport vehicle directly to rescue the Joker when it returned to the bureau.
It was a good idea, but also not a good one. Don't forget, Commissioner Gordon was just a figurehead. The one who truly captured the Joker was Batman.
While thinking, Bai Ye entered an apartment about 150 meters away from the Investigation Bureau. As he ascended the stairs, he kept peering out of the windows. He reached the door of apartment 606, covered the peephole with one hand, and knocked with the other.
Soon, a voice from inside asked, "Who is it?"
Bai Ye called out, "The water meter reader."
*Click!*
The door opened, revealing a rather portly man, easily weighing over 300 pounds. He was met with the dark muzzle of a gun.
"Shhh!" Bai Ye made a shushing gesture. "Be quiet, and you won't die. Understand?"
The胖子 (pàngzi - fatty) nodded frantically. With a gun in hand, whatever he said was law.
Bai Ye entered the room, closed the door, and motioned for the胖子 to go into the bathroom and lie down in the bathtub. He casually grabbed a towel, tore it into thin strips, and tied the胖子's hands behind his back.
"If you're thirsty or need to pee, call me, but be mindful of your volume, understand?" Bai Ye patted the胖子's face. "If you cooperate…"
Bai Ye checked his watch and continued, "In about six hours, I'll leave. You can act like nothing happened, go back to your bed, and sleep. But if you don't cooperate, you'll be sleeping in a grave."
"I'll cooperate, absolutely cooperate," the胖子 quickly said. "I won't shout. If you want money, it's in the second drawer under the TV cabinet. My cash is all hidden there."
"Don't worry, I don't need your money." Bai Ye took out a wad of cash and placed it beside the bathtub. "I can even give you money. By the way, do you have family?"
Bai Ye had already surveyed the apartment upon entering. It was a one-bedroom, one-living room unit. Apart from the胖子, there was no one else. But it was possible others lived there and were currently out.
"No," the胖子 replied. "I live alone."
"That's good," Bai Ye said. "Behave, and you won't die. This money is all yours too."
After speaking, Bai Ye left the bathroom and went to the living room window, looking down diagonally. It was directly at the main entrance of the Investigation Bureau.
It was an excellent vantage point.
While thinking, Bai Ye sat down in the living room's rocking chair and casually turned on the television, switching to the news channel.
As expected, the news quickly reported a live update: a group of criminals attempted to hijack the escort vehicle but were repelled by the sudden appearance of Batman, who also apprehended seven criminals who would be escorted along with the Joker.
...