Arkham Asylum.
The new psychiatrist introduces himself to the patient before him.
"I hail from a desolate place where there's almost nothing—no food, no water, no wine, and no women!"
"But that's not the worst part. The worst part is, I have seven siblings, and we were all stuck together!"
"I never cared much for them, and sometimes I even wanted to kill them, but... it's complicated!"
"I was trapped there for many years until recently, and to be honest, I love this place."
"By the way, my name is Lucas, but you can call me Dr. Lucas, because starting today, I'm the psychiatrist here!"
"Today is my first day on the job, so please go easy on me!"
Lucas said with a smile, extending his hand to the patient in front of him.
The patient didn't reciprocate, as he was bound to the chair opposite, unable to move.
The reason being, this individual had fatally stabbed his previous psychiatrist with a pen just yesterday!
For the new psychiatrist's safety, the guards had secured him to the chair.
Oh!
I almost forgot to mention that this patient is none other than the infamous villain in the DC Universe: the Joker.
A madly charismatic rogue!
"Oops, forgot you can't shake hands."
Lucas chuckled, lowering his hand.
The Joker observed the peculiar man before him, not with anger, but with intrigue.
The introduction was indeed fascinating.
He finally spoke.
"From what you say, it sounds like you come from hell?"
The Joker queried.
"You're absolutely right!"
Lucas nodded.
"So how did you escape?"
The Joker asked with a grin.
"How to put it? It was more of a jailbreak."
Lucas mused, stroking his chin.
"Do you want to go back? After all, it seems you despise your siblings. If I were you, I'd definitely go back and kill them."
The Joker grinned wider.
"I did consider that, but it's a unique place, and I might not escape again if I return, so for now, I'm not going back."
"And my siblings are hard to kill, you wouldn't understand!"
Lucas shook his head.
"Hard to kill? There's nothing too hard to kill for me! If they're human, I can kill them."
The Joker's grin widened.
"And what if they're not human?"
Lucas laughed.
The Joker's eyes flickered with surprise.
His intuition told him that the man before him wasn't lying!
But how could that be?
If his siblings aren't human, could he be human?
Truly intriguing...
"Mr. Lucas, do you know why you're here?"
The Joker continued.
"Of course!"
Lucas nodded.
"It's because you killed the former psychiatrist with a pen, but honestly, I think you're normal."
Huh?
Hearing this, the Joker perked up. This was the first time someone called him normal.
But then Lucas continued:
"Don't get me wrong, I'm just talking about your mindset. Your original plan was to kill the psychiatrist so Batman would come to see you, which is theoretically correct!"
"But unfortunately, it's me who showed up!"
The Joker fell silent.
Lucas was spot-on; that was indeed his plan...
How did the man before him know?
Before he could ask, Lucas spoke again.
"You suffer from multiple mental disorders: schizophrenia, split personality, movement disorder, and borderline personality disorder!"
"The odds of one person having all these conditions are like winning the lottery!"
"As per protocol, I need to prescribe you some medication!"
Lucas scribbled down some medications for mental illness on a notepad and placed the pen on the table.
The Joker eyed the pen, a flash of madness crossing his eyes.
But before he could act, Lucas spoke again.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. I really enjoy this job, so for now, I don't want to kill you!"
"Wow!"
The Joker grinned again.
In the next second, his hands were free and placed on the table.
"When did you know I was loose?"
The Joker asked.
"That's not important. What's important is that I'm not your enemy. In fact, I think we could be friends!"
Lucas smiled.
Friends?
The Joker laughed as if he'd heard the funniest joke.
"My last friend was thrown off a 50-story building by me, another was stabbed, and another was run over by a truck!"
"So, do you still want to be my friend?"
The Joker smirked.
"Absolutely!"
Lucas said nonchalantly: "Believe me, I won't die."
"You're fascinating..."
As he spoke, the Joker seized the pen and lunged at Lucas's eyes.
Although Lucas noticed, he didn't flinch, not even blinking.
The pen halted less than an inch from his eyes.
"You're right, we could indeed be friends, because you're just as crazy as I am!"
The Joker laughed, setting the pen back down.
"It's fortunate you didn't act, or I might have killed you, and lost this job."
Lucas said indifferently, pocketing the pen.
To others, it might sound absurd, but the Joker knew Lucas spoke the truth.
Had he tried anything, Lucas could've ended him instantly...
It's an unsettling feeling.
He couldn't understand why he felt this way...
The Joker's actions soon drew the attention of the guards.
The door burst open.
Seven or eight armed guards rushed in, pinning the Joker to the table!
But the Joker didn't care, he just looked at Lucas and asked, "So, will we meet again?"
"Definitely, since I'm the psychiatrist here now!"
Lucas said with a smile, striding out.
Behind him, the Joker let out a peculiar laugh.
As if celebrating a new madman joining his world...