Su Ming was a bit at a loss, not knowing if Cindy could sense the humor. He just felt the air was slightly awkward and wanted to find something to talk about.
Cindy ran a red light and splashed a puddle of dirty water onto a Black man by the roadside. When the man pulled out a weapon and fired at the car, she provocatively flashed her taillights and laughed meaninglessly.
"Ha ha, nice, everyone here is crazy. If it weren't for the many business opportunities, I'd rather live in Star City."
Star City is where the Green Arrow Hero resides, and the villains there are much more straightforward than the lunatics in Gotham.
If it's confirmed that Atlantis is going to flood the world, Su Ming, in order to survive, would have to fight even if it's dangerous.
The problem is, he feels unprepared. Maybe he could indeed fight others for survival, but he still can't take lives as easily as the original Deathstroke.
It's not because of the Saint Mother Syndrome, it's just that... he originally lived in a stable society, and suddenly being made to kill, how is that possible?
He also knows that even if it's not a war with Atlantis, if he wants to survive in the DC world, Deathstroke's original enemies would force him to kill. This day was just a matter of time.
While he was thinking, a rocket shell trailing white smoke flew towards them from a roadside building.
With his extraordinary physical abilities and dynamic vision, he could even see a comically exaggerated smile painted in red and white on the bullet head. Raindrops hit the bullet head, shattering into glistening fragments that refracted the light from the street lamps.
"Jump!" Cindy shouted, pushing the car door open and leaping out.
Without needing any special care from her, Su Ming's superior physical qualities also made him instinctively take the same action.
However, while Cindy landed quite smoothly, once Su Ming reacted in mid-air, he didn't know what to do, and ended up crashing into a pile of garbage by the roadside.
The car got hit and exploded into pieces. Amidst the firelight, as if in slow motion, he saw Cindy glance at him. For some reason, he felt the person behind the black and yellow mask seemed to be in a good mood.
The next moment, a barrage of bullets rained down on them, along with the gunfire and mad laughter overpowering the noise of the storm. The firepower was so intense that the gun flames even lit up the nearby streets.
Ordinary bullets had no effect on Deathstroke, who was wrapped in heavy armor. Even though Promethium Metal was not great at shock absorption and the bullets hurt a bit when they hit, they didn't even count as a flesh wound.
The two of them found cover separately. Cindy took refuge at the corner of a residential building on the left, already armed with her automatic pistol, retaliating now and then.
Su Ming himself hid behind a dumpster, unknowingly holding a gun in his hand. Before he realized it, he had already taken out a few women with colorful face paint...
Their bodies fell from the buildings on both sides like sacks, landing in the puddles by the roadside or in the wreckage of burning vehicles.
Some could still move a bit, struggle, roll their eyes, and then die. More of them just fell like motionless stumps, lifelessly onto the ground.
"What the hell! I spent so much time contemplating life's meaning and doing psychological prep, and this body's reactions were so fast that all my preparations were for nothing..."
This body, taking lives like second nature, felt no discomfort. Instead, this level of combat felt somewhat... pleasurable.
As in novels and movies, the nausea or sadness after a first kill was something completely unrelated to him.
"Alright, since I've already started killing, I might as well keep going instead of pretending to cry like a hypocrite!"
He bit his lip, poked his head out from behind the dumpster, and fired again.
Whether you call it following instincts or breaking free, Deathstroke had long ingrained shooting and fighting into his bodily instincts. What else could Su Ming do but accept it? Surrender these skills and become prey instead?
This is Gotham; it's simply not a place where normal people can live well!
If it's about being crazier and more ruthless, he's not afraid!
With the two Deathstrokes joining forces, the dozens from the Joker Gang didn't pose them any trouble; soon the street returned to calm, the rain washing away all evidence.
Of course, no police would come here to investigate either, as death in this area was completely routine.
If lucky, the bodies of the dead would be taken to a mass grave or crematorium; if unlucky,....
Hey, Gotham has no shortage of guys engaging in all sorts of crazy antics, like misanthropic cannibal priests, cash-strapped anatomy professors, and deranged maniacs urgently needing bodies as toys...
"That's why I love Gotham: the simple folk, enthusiastic hospitality, enjoy real gunfights at any time, a great place for a getaway."
Cindy swapped in two new magazines, holstered her gun, and walked up to him.
"Phew... I thought the most passionate folks in Gotham all lived in the Arkham District, but didn't expect the residents of this crazy backyard to be this passionate."
Su Ming brushed his shoulder, tossing away rotten leaves stuck to him. Thankfully, the rain now was heavier, washing off the filth and making him look less bedraggled.
Cindy glanced around as if identifying their location and soon decided on a direction: "Let's go talk to Harley, find out what's wrong with these folks."
"Even if I'm not a doctor, I know their problem is called madness."
Su Ming exhaled a breath, following her figure, cracking a cold joke.
That's right, the original Deathstroke was also a master of cold humor, often muttering such jokes after blasting a target's head or twisting a neck.
The surrounding buildings were silent, as if lurking monsters in the dark. The blacked-out doors and windows were their eyes and mouths, such hollow expressions would devour hope inside people, driving them into despair, madness.
The abandoned residential buildings flanked the road, now used by the Joker Gang as hideouts. The high outer walls were painted with large Joker faces playing cards and other magic items, though some colors were fading in the rain, likely painted in the last couple of days.
Now, the buildings on both sides were pitch black, with one building not far away seemingly having power, with colored lights shining through the windows, probably indicating Harley's location.
It's obvious that with the Jester now imprisoned, Harley is either planning his rescue or wallowing in her own sorrow.
Su Ming doesn't believe she didn't hear the fierce combat just now, yet she's shown no reaction thus far.
As he and Cindy approached the building with lights on, the sound of music started coming through the rain, intense rock music and howls coming from the upper room.
"Alright, seems our little Harley isn't as heartbroken as we thought; she's getting her workout."
Cindy tilted her head, picking up the sounds of boots striking wooden floors amidst the music.
In the Main World, Harley Quinn was originally a psychologist at Arkham Asylum, gradually drawn to Joker's chaotic mind during her studies, falling madly in love and aiding in his escape, thereafter constantly assisting in various criminal activities. Joker, unfortunately, merely treated her as a bother, often using her as bait or a scapegoat when escaping Batman.
But DC's world view is always chaotic, and Su Ming can't discern the exact relationship between Earth -11's Harley Quinn and the Jester.
Like Earth 37, another '60s gender-swapped world, where Harley Quinn and Joker are lesbian lovers.
But in the New 52 World, Harley had a falling-out with Joker, turned good, joined the Birds of Prey, and even had an ambiguous relationship with Batman.
Yet, no matter in which parallel universe, Harley's abilities don't change — a genius-level intellect and perfect gymnastics talent.
Her hobbies are listening to music and reading books; when she's free, she might also dance. She's chaotic and mad, but she knows she's a good girl.