Chapter 7: Cooperation
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"Sigh, he left just like that..."
Harleen watched Jiang Li, who had walked her home, get further and further away. Her heart began to feel empty; she had been hoping for a kiss before he left.
Although she had said she didn't need him to take her home, after careful consideration, Jiang Li thought it was too dangerous for a girl to walk alone at night, so he decided to escort Harleen home.
Jiang Li's figure grew more distant. Only after he had completely disappeared did Harleen reluctantly pull her gaze back, turn around, and take out her keys.
After returning to her apartment, Harleen threw herself onto her soft bed, hugging her pillow as she carefully recalled the evening's events.
First, Jiang Li had descended like an angel to save her. Then, in that terrifying mall, he protected and encouraged her. It was truly... she could cry.
Harleen's gaze gradually drifted to the wooden mallet placed by the door. It was the first thing Jiang Li had given her. Thinking of this, Harleen began to giggle foolishly.
If this were a manga, pink hearts would probably be floating above Harleen's head right now.
"I must commemorate this!"
Harleen jumped off the bed, pattered over to get the wooden mallet, and then sat back on the bed. She took out her favorite lipstick and began to doodle on it like a little girl.
Fortunately, she had some basic drawing skills.
Harleen drew Q-version (chibi) versions of herself and Jiang Li on the mallet. Above their heads were their respective names, each enclosed in a red heart.
She then drew another large heart between them, and in the middle of the heart, she wrote in English—"A lifetime lover".
After finishing, Harleen's face couldn't help but turn bright red. She then suppressed her shyness and wrote various declarations of love with little doodles on the remaining parts of the mallet.
When she was done, Harleen fell backward, lying on the bed with a smile, looking at her perfect masterpiece. She then hugged the mallet, hoping all the words of love on it would come true in her dreams.
Gradually, Harleen's eyelids began to grow heavy, and she fell asleep hugging the mallet.
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Early the next morning.
"Ring ring ring!" The sound of the alarm clock rang out, rudely awakening Harleen from her sweet dream.
Harleen sat up, yawned, and then remembered what day it was. Today was her first day of work at Arkham Asylum.
After washing up and getting ready, before leaving the house, she said to the wooden mallet lying quietly on the bed: "Wait for Mommy to come home."
After a journey, Harleen arrived at the legendary Arkham Asylum, a place that housed countless deranged criminals.
Most of the criminals in Arkham Asylum were personally sent there by Batman, including many notorious supervillains.
For some reason, Harleen discovered that although it was clearly daytime, the closer she got to Arkham Asylum, the darker the sky seemed to become, even flashing with thunder and lightning.
It was extremely bizarre.
After walking into Arkham Asylum, Harleen came to the office of Arkham's warden, Quincy Sharp.
Quincy stood up, shook Harleen's hand perfunctorily, and then led Harleen down the hall toward the patient's room.
During this time, Quincy said to Harleen: "The patient you'll be treating this time is... quite unusual. You can't believe a single word he says."
Harleen was puzzled. Isn't he just a mental patient? Is it necessary to be so tense?
"In any case, just be mentally prepared."
After Quincy reached the destination, he opened the door to the ward. Harleen looked inside and saw a dark room with only one lamp on.
The light shone on a man in a patient's uniform, with green hair and pale skin.
Only after walking in did Harleen notice that the green-haired man was tightly bound to a chair, with two guards holding shotguns standing watch outside.
She didn't quite understand why this patient warranted so much security, until she took the green-haired man's file from her briefcase.
Joker. Real name and history unknown. One of Gotham City's most vicious and deranged criminals.
The Joker's file was perhaps the shortest among all the patients, but also the most chilling, just from the name "Joker" alone.
Harleen then realized that the patient she was here to treat was actually Gotham City's most famous criminal, the Joker.
It seemed that every time the Joker was admitted to Arkham Asylum, he was an epic-level criminal who had been personally captured and even personally escorted by Batman.
Wait, captured by Batman every single time... Harleen discovered what she believed to be the most crucial point.
"Gahahaha~ Hello there, pretty lady."
"Tell me..."
"Huh?" The Joker was suddenly taken aback by her question. He felt that this woman was different from the previous psychiatrists.
"Every time you're brought in, isn't it Batman who personally captures and escorts you?" A crazy idea suddenly appeared in Harleen's mind, one she couldn't shake.
"...Gahahahaha!!"
If the topic was Batman, then the Joker was more than willing to have a good chat.
"As long as I appear, the Bat will definitely follow. Why? Because he's just hopelessly in love with me. We're actually the same kind of people."
"What did you do?!" A sharp light flashed in Harleen's eyes. She impatiently asked the Joker, needing to know the answer.
"Gahahaha..." The Joker's mouth curved wildly upward, reaching a bizarre angle. He didn't answer Harleen's question, instead saying:
"You must have an object to attract their attention."
"I have a way to make 'him' fall in love with you, so his eyes are only on you."
The Joker's words seemed to carry a strange magic. As Harleen listened, her breathing began to quicken, and her eyes filled with desire for the method he spoke of.
"Tell me..."
The Joker saw the look in Harleen's eyes, one that a normal person shouldn't have, and he immediately burst into maniacal laughter: "Gahahahahaha!"
"Bang! Bang!!" The Joker laughed as he slammed his head against the table, as if he wasn't afraid of pain at all.
"My dear lady, first, you must cooperate with me. Then, help me leave this place. Also, get me a gun!"
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