Completely Insane

After entering Arkham Asylum, Bruce Yu thought he had come to the wrong place.

"Are you sure they didn’t put up the wrong sign? Is this an asylum or the Joker’s house?"

The asylum’s walls were covered in layer upon layer of irregular protrusions and depressions. He had no idea why they had been designed that way; perhaps it was simply meant to make people’s scalps crawl.

The places that should have been windows were now covered by a translucent substance emitting an eerie green glow. The faint light filtering in from outside passed through it, becoming mottled and sinister, casting bizarre patches of light and shadow across the floor.

God knew what Batman had been researching.

After all, that guy had tortured every one of those talented recruits from the job market.

At the corners of the corridors stood several enormous glass containers, each holding bizarre creatures soaking within. Bruce Yu made a rough guess that these things were related to Killer Croc’s genes.

Worse still, bloodcurdling screams occasionally rang out from every corner of the place. Echoing through this Cthulhu-esque environment, they made the atmosphere even more terrifying.

A chill ran down Bruce Yu’s spine.

Just as Bruce Yu was left dazed by the sight before him, a rough, deep voice suddenly rang out through the asylum!

"Welcome, our friend from Gotham, Bruce Yu! This yellow-skinned antihero! We’ve been waiting for you for a long time! Who would have thought he’d come here to turn himself in!"

A blinding beam of light suddenly poured down from the ceiling, shining directly onto the center of the hall ahead.

Under that harsh light, a solitary red stool abruptly appeared in Bruce Yu’s field of vision.

The stool began to turn slowly, creaking as it moved. As its rotation gradually accelerated, a figure came into focus.

Bruce Yu’s pupils contracted instantly, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

What entered his sight was a face both familiar and unfamiliar.

It was familiar because of that sharply defined jaw and resolute gaze. It was unmistakably the Batman he knew.

It was unfamiliar because the face exuded a madness and evil he had never seen before. Its skin was sickly pale, its lips cracked, and its mouth curled slightly upward into a twisted smile.

The iconic bat mask on his head had also been stained an eerie red, as though soaked in blood.

That was… Batman?

No! That was the face of Red Death!

That face trembled constantly under the influence of the Speed Force. At that frequency, if his head were put in a glass jar, it would probably be more efficient than a blender. Batman looked a little dim-witted in this state, but Bruce Yu knew very well that Batman, having gained the Speed Force and become Red Death, was extremely difficult to deal with.

Of course, that did not mean he was impossible to kill.

"Definitely not a normal universe." Bruce Yu could not help muttering. Batman across from him smiled at him.

"Long time no see! Can you smell this romantic scent?"

Bruce Yu sighed. "Have you spent so long with Joker that you’ve become a chatterbox?"

Batman shrugged. "Maybe a little, but that isn’t important. What’s important is—"

"You, Bruce Yu!"

"You are Gotham’s last criminal who has yet to be brought to justice! Since you turned yourself in today, I’ll give you a two-hundred-year sentence!"

"Oh, right! Just so you know, everyone else gets a thousand years."

As Batman spoke, he slowly rose to his feet. He first pressed a button, and a cage descended from above, displaying Penguin inside, already reduced to skin and bones. Then he pressed another button, and a projector appeared in the hall.

"I walked the great path myself, but I also want others to know my greatness. So, are you ready to watch a movie?"

Without waiting for Bruce Yu to refuse, Batman pressed the remote’s button.

Inside the Batcave, Bruce Wayne showed Alfred only his back.

Alfred, holding a cup of coffee, sighed. "You’re studying how to guard against those Superheroes again? The hero in this photograph looks like just a child."

"These are necessary precautions!" He switched off the screen, and the residual blue glow in the shadows illuminated the bloodshot veins in his eyes. "Barry will not betray justice. But the Speed Force will!"

Barry’s pupils were dyed silver-white by Speed Force lightning as he roared within the cage, "Batman!!! Do you know the consequences of forcibly stripping away the Speed Force?!"

"The consequence is that you’ll never have to bear it again." Batman activated the device on his chest. The crimson Speed Force was drawn from Flash’s body like blood plasma pulled by a magnet, pouring into a receiver Bruce had planted beforehand.

When the last thread of Golden Light vanished into the device’s tip, Barry collapsed to the ground, his white hair visibly dimming to gray.

"Now." He lowered his head to look at his hands wrapped in red light. "It’s my turn to define the speed of justice."

After the film ended, Batman looked at Bruce Yu. "Well?"

"Not good. It was painfully awkward to watch." Bruce Yu was blunt. "Your acting is terrible, especially when you imitate Joker’s crazed manner. If you were really insane, you should have cut out your own kidney, roasted it, and eaten it instead of torturing these criminals."

"Hmm, that does seem to make some sense. But Bruce Yu, do you know? When I first met you, I thought you looked a lot like a Robin who once stood beside me."

"Unfortunately, he died."

"He died at the hands of Anatoli Knyazev."

"Oh, right. You also look a lot like that guy who died under Scarecrow’s gun. You’re so righteous, so adorable."

Bruce Yu exhaled a breath of stale air. "I don’t know how you can even say the word adorable. Fine, I have no interest in listening to this bullshit. I came here today for one reason."

"Torture me."

"Let my willpower conquer this world!"

Batman raised an eyebrow slightly. "Looks like you’ve gone insane too."

Bruce Yu forced out a smile. "Yes, that’s right. I went insane after you did. When I learned that you had kidnapped Jack, I realized it. We all need to go insane! Only complete madness can change this world!"

Batman’s eyes lit up. "Then fine! I’ll let you try Scarecrow’s stuff first."

I hope I can experience what Pirate World Fang Yu suffered.

Amid swirling clouds and mist, the group of three finally reached the mountaintop.

Li Yingqi explained to Zhao Yingkong and Fang Yu behind her, "Mount Wutai Sect has a grand barrier formation. Unless they open it themselves, anyone coming to Mount Wutai has to climb. Otherwise, no matter how you fly, you won’t reach the sect’s true location."

Main God Fang Yu nodded. "Mm, thanks for your hard work. So, have you figured out how to help me steal the secret manual?"

"Although this is highly unethical, for an enlightened monk like Master Zunsheng, saving a life outweighs building a seven-story pagoda. I’m planning to let you take me hostage."

"Thank you. As long as I can obtain the method for using the Great Luo Buddha Hands, forget you being taken hostage by me—even if you took me hostage, I would be willing."

Li Yingqi shook her head helplessly. After walking about nine steps ahead, she said to Fang Yu behind her, "Prepare to pay respects at the mountain gate."