Chapter 219 – Allen Nominates the Joker for Mayor
"Mimi, spit it out!"
Allen frantically shook the calico cat.
"Meow…"
But the calico cat just calmly licked her nose, completely unfazed.
Having lost two powerful items in one go, Allen clutched his hair in frustration.
The Time Stone and the Lantern Ring—he had intended to use them as props to show off.
Now both had ended up in the belly of the Devourer Beast. He was so desperate he almost wanted to dive into Mimi's stomach to retrieve them.
"Unita Sun Sun!"
"I'm here, Commander."
Unita Sun Sun, dressed in her usual business attire, still had that exaggerated, almost unreal figure.
Suddenly, Allen's eyes went wide, and he muttered dreamily, "Unita Sun Sun, while I was away, did you have any improper thoughts about me?"
"Commander, I do not possess human emotions," Unita Sun Sun calmly replied.
"Wrong topic. Let's get back to business."
Allen lifted the calico and said, "Sonson, scan her. I'm going to perform an autopsy on Mimi."
At that moment, Unita Sun Sun's eyes lit up with scanning lasers, sweeping back and forth across Cat's body.
She was likely collecting comprehensive data to provide a recommendation.
"I'm sorry, Commander. After species analysis and cross-referencing with the database, this is a dangerous cosmic creature known as a Devourer Beast. It possesses a dimensional space within its body. If we attempt to damage it externally, it could trigger a dimensional explosion, tearing apart the fabric of our realm," Unita Sun Sun reported solemnly.
"…"
A dimensional explosion.
A tear through human reality.
Allen glanced at the seemingly harmless Mimi and, spooked, tossed her aside. "Sh*t, I brought home a ticking time bomb."
"Meow…"
Mimi let out a clueless cry, then flopped down and began licking the bell under her belly.
Clearly, this Devourer Beast had an extreme preference for cleanliness.
"Shoo, shoo. Go away."
Allen cautiously nudged Mimi with his foot, but she didn't budge, continuing to groom herself.
"There's no need for concern, Commander. Current human technology is incapable of harming a Devourer Beast," Unita Sun Sun reassured him.
"Well, that's a relief."
Ignoring Mimi, Allen sat back down in his chair.
The Comedy Troupe gathered around the table again to resume their interrupted meeting.
Of course, Allen was confident that even without the Time Stone and Lantern Ring, he could still do as he pleased.
With all four of his classes maxed out, he had more than enough confidence—he wasn't just relying on flashy gear.
"What's Batsy up to?"
This was a regular part of Allen's return routine.
If Master Wayne happened to disappear on one of his usual escapades, Allen would need to clean up the mess.
Honestly, Bruce sometimes seemed like a teenager in a permanent state of rebellion, and once he hit old age, it was like he dove straight into a midlife crisis.
"He's probably maintaining law and order in Gotham. We haven't committed any crimes in a while," Cobblepot muttered.
As supervillains, it was a bit awkward to admit they weren't up to anything nefarious.
Without Allen leading the Comedy Troupe, their efforts to combat crime had felt pretty half-hearted.
"Then it's fine."
Allen suddenly asked, "Where's the Midnight Bruisers?"
"They haven't contacted us in over a month. While you were gone, both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Eye of Providence approached them," Edward sighed.
Everyone in the Midnight Bruisers had supernatural abilities.
The authorities couldn't just leave them alone. So as soon as Allen left, government agencies swooped in.
Honestly, to them, pledging loyalty to Allen didn't seem as practical as joining an official organization.
"Forget it, everyone has their own path."
Allen didn't dwell on it. It had been a hastily assembled team—he never expected loyalty.
If the Comedy Troupe didn't all have criminal records, they might have been poached too.
Allen continued, "So what have you guys been doing?"
"Nothing at all."
Arthur waved dismissively, looking unusually at ease.
"Nothing!?"
Allen stared at the trio in disbelief. That just didn't match their personalities.
They were supposed to be Batman's top-tier foil—could they really have settled into a life of idleness?
"As you instructed, we opened a foot spa. Business is booming. We're making plenty of money every day. No need to commit crimes anymore," Cobblepot replied honestly.
Bang!
"Unbelievable!"
Allen slapped the table and stood up, furious. "Look at you! You've become content with the status quo, running a little gray-market side hustle and calling it a day? You've completely lost sight of the reason I recruited you in the first place!"
"…"
What reason?
The three of them were utterly baffled.
Wasn't the whole point just to mess around and be funny?
"I'm very disappointed."
Allen gave them a bitter lecture. "I thought you had ambition—not content yourselves as failures coasting through life. Clearly, I was wrong."
"I get it now."
Arthur suddenly stood up, the familiar crazed smile returning to his face. "I'll go mess with Batman right now."
"Wait!"
Allen looked at Arthur, stunned, and after composing himself, said, "Bats can only provide so much amusement. What I meant was: get into politics. First run for mayor, then aim for president."
"…"
You're serious!?
All this time, they had assumed Allen's wild ideas were just spur-of-the-moment nonsense, never taking him seriously.
But now, it was clear—he meant every word.
"We're criminals. We've been locked up in Arkham and Blackgate. How could we possibly win an election?" Edward shook his head in disbelief.
Cobblepot added, "The citizens of Gotham would never accept criminals in power."
True enough—public opinion wouldn't be so easy to sway.
But once the public gets involved, the space for maneuvering opens up.
"Good point. But the thing is, in Gotham, anything is possible."
Allen gave a faint smile—he already had a plan.
Anywhere else, maybe the public would have zero tolerance for criminals.
But who in their right mind wants to live in Gotham?
"Is the Court of Owls still around?"
Allen sat down and rested his chin on his hands, eyes narrowing.
The three of them immediately sensed trouble brewing.
This guy always looked like a puppet master whenever he was hatching a rotten idea.
"The core members of the Court of Owls have mostly been found dead in their homes. Looks like a hidden force has been cleaning up loose ends. A few Gotham elites have gone missing, but the outer-circle members we control haven't had any issues," Cobblepot reported.
"The Court moves fast."
Just as Allen expected.
After the chaos they caused, it wasn't just the Justice League coming after them. The Avengers had jumped in too. Naturally, the Court's members embedded in government couldn't sit idle.
If investigators started pulling at the threads, this could expose far more than just the Court.
"We need to start leveraging the Comedy Troupe's outer-circle resources."
Allen grinned slyly. "I'll draft some campaign platforms—this'll go down smooth as butter."
Those peripheral members of the Comedy Troupe were originally pawns the Court used to control Gotham. They were connected to many sectors. With their endorsement, the plan would come together easily.
"Mayor Arthur—you shall be Gotham's Pale Knight."
"Me?"
Allen decided to honor the source material and nominate the Joker as their candidate for mayor.
Off to the side, Cobblepot's previously eager face instantly clouded with disappointment.