Chapter 790: Deadly Joke (17) (Patreon)

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Harvey Dent had been working at the Gotham courthouse, primarily offering legal consultancy services.

Previously, his situation wasn't great because the cases the gangs brought to him were rarely legitimate. Most people sought his help to escape charges. However, with the development of the logistics industry, his situation improved significantly.

Expecting gangs to understand the law was wishful thinking, but dealing with the shipment of goods required interaction with other cities, signing contracts, and understanding various local legalities. Currently, lawyers and financial experts were the most sought-after professions in Gotham, and Harvey was no exception.

He mainly provided legal advisory services to the Falcone Family. Godfather Falcone didn't mind Harvey refusing to help gang members escape charges; as long as Harvey could offer professional legal assistance to Falcone Family's logistics industry, money was no object.

When he received a call from Gordon, Harvey was working overtime. Upon hearing about Bruce's troubles, he quickly dropped his current tasks and even took a day off for the next day, arriving at Gordon's location.

Harvey and Bruce had always been in contact, sharing common interests, especially in legal matters. The principles of the Bright Knight and the Dark Knight were quite similar, and their moral levels were aligned. They often spent afternoons chatting at Wayne Manor.

Harvey was accustomed to chatting with Bruce, answering various questions. Seeing the current situation, he didn't express surprise but rather sat down beside him, patting his shoulder.

"I know you wanted to understand the people of Gotham, to see how they live. So, you came here, experienced it for over a month, and found out it's much tougher than you imagined."

"People here have their good and bad sides. The pitiful ones may have something detestable about them, and the detestable ones may have something pitiable. Indulging criminals isn't necessarily evil, and combating criminals isn't necessarily just. It's a matter of actions or intentions... These are things you can't comprehend."

"You realize that this world is much more complicated than you thought, and none of the methods you envisioned can deal with these issues."

Harvey put his arm around Bruce, noticing his cold body as if it had no warmth. He said, "Tell me, is this how you feel, Bruce?"

"I just suddenly grasped the truth of this world," Bruce replied. His tone was always calm, even somewhat stiff, a manifestation of his stoic state.

"Do you know, in this month, I've experienced a lot. It's not that I feel frustrated by the bad things, but I've noticed that whenever I feel life is getting better, something less lethal but still enough to drag me down happens."

"These bad things aren't my fault, but they're beyond my control. I'm always in a passive situation, unable to control anything."

"I've avoided many traps, thinking I haven't made any wrong choices. Yet, everything uncontrollably spirals downward."

"But what's more terrifying is that I've done well. I've avoided many pitfalls like treating drugs as medicine, spending recklessly after having a stable income, accumulating debts through gambling, getting injured in direct conflicts with gangs..."

"I haven't done any of these, and it's because I've received a good education, have more insight than the average person. But can people living here really escape one trap after another?"

"When I thought I hit rock bottom, I envisioned even more dreadful possibilities, and then I realized..."

Bruce paused for a moment, displaying a very stiff smile, then said, "All it takes is a bad day, and an ordinary person loses everything."

"No, not even a whole day. It could be bad weather, unable to work outside, road repairs during the commute, food poisoning causing diarrhea. In just a few minutes or a few hours, everything becomes irreparable."

"Harvey... Harvey..." Bruce called his friend's name somewhat dazedly. He said, "Don't you find all of this very frightening?"

"In just a few minutes, your life irreversibly slides into the abyss, and you can only watch without being able to do anything. This is the daily life of everyone here."

Harvey closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Are you feeling scared, Bruce? I sense your fear, but you're not one of them. You don't belong here, and these trivial matters shouldn't affect you..."

"That's exactly why I feel afraid," Bruce said somewhat stiffly. "What should I do to be present in everyone's few minutes, preventing them from slipping down? Missing just one, and the world gains another mad criminal."

Harvey lowered his head, gazing at the reflection on his shoes. He said, "A long time ago, I told you, this path doesn't have to be walked to the end to be meaningful."

"You've walked far, and your speed won't change because of when you decide to give up," Harvey pursed his lips and said, "If you think you've done too little before, then do more. But don't feel scared for not being able to do it all, and don't let it bring you pain."

Harvey patted Bruce's arm, saying, "I've been through pain like yours. It was when I realized that the law couldn't ensure fair judgment for everyone; it's not omnipotent."

"No person, no system, no society in this world is perfect. Once you can see the length of this path, the decision you need to make is whether to continue or give up, not how far you've come."

Harvey looked at Bruce, who remained silent. At this moment, a car appeared at the end of the street. Harvey squinted his eyes and realized he had seen that car in Wayne Manor's garage.

When the high beams turned off, Harvey saw Alfred's face in the driver's seat.

Gordon, standing nearby, gave Harvey a nod and said, "We have work to do; let's leave. Your butler is here to pick you up. Go with him."

"Get a good night's sleep; everything will pass," Gordon added.

After Gordon's words, Gotham began to rain again. The drizzle floated onto Bruce's overhead, and he started shivering. Not a cold shiver, he just couldn't feel the cold anymore.

He felt hot, extremely excited, a kind of unprecedented happiness resonating in his chest.

When Alfred's umbrella shadow covered his overhead, he calmed down slightly. Alfred looked at him, noticing his condition and the wounds on his face. Without saying anything, he stayed silent for a moment before speaking, "Master, let's go back. Aisha and Dick are waiting for you."

At that moment, Bruce, as if grasping a lifeline, looked at Alfred and asked, "Is there truly no perfect system in this world?"

Alfred stood in place, separated from Bruce by a stream of rainwater. The surface of the water reflected their faces, one very aged but lively, the other much younger but extremely weary.

"Yes, Master, there is no perfect system in this world," Alfred replied. Bruce heard no hesitation in this answer; it wasn't a thought-out response but rather common knowledge.

Turning his head, Alfred looked towards the end of the alley. Neon lights illuminated the puddles, making the small water pit more colorful than the sea. He said, "There's no perfect system in this world because there are no perfect people. People change."

Alfred lowered his gaze, looking at Bruce. "But at the same time, many imperfect people want to create a perfect system. They think they've succeeded, and those who come later feel they don't need to strive anymore. As long as they follow the rules, everything will go as they wish."

"However," Alfred shook his head, not continuing. Bruce, however, spoke, "Do you want me to go back, Alfred?"

Bruce expected an immediate affirmation, but Alfred paused and said, "Master, I wish to leave with your soul, not just take away an empty shell. If you want to stay here and seek answers, take this umbrella and don't catch a cold."

Alfred handed the umbrella to Bruce, who looked at him and didn't immediately reach out to take it. After observing for a while, he said, "Don't you want to say something to me?"

"What do you want to hear?"

"Don't you have some deal-with solutions for me?" Bruce asked, not being too direct, but Alfred understood. He said, "Haven't you read books related to Marxism long ago?"

"If you truly believe in it and want to follow this path, you wouldn't be here seeking answers now." Alfred shook his head, saying, "Marxists aren't evangelists. No one will hand you a book on the street, asking you to understand its contents."

Although Alfred's tone was respectful, his words were straightforward. He said, "You're seeking a shortcut from me, but it's not a shortcut. Understanding some ideology won't provide answers to all problems, relieve all pain, or allow you to bury your head and move forward."

"This behavior goes against Marxism; it's more like theology. There are no shortcuts here, and there's no unique answer."

"Instead, during your understanding, learning, and deconstructing of this ideology, similar pains will increase," Alfred added. "Just like writing a thesis."

In the end, Alfred left. Bruce sat on the roadside, holding the umbrella. After his excited state diminished a bit, he no longer felt like laughing.

But that absurd and ridiculous feeling still surrounded him, and he didn't know when he would burst into laughter.

After Alfred returned to Wayne Manor, he didn't immediately rest. He picked up the telephone and called a unfamiliar number.

"Hello? Is this Miss Maggie? I'm Alfred, the butler at Wayne Manor. Miss Selena left your telephone number before..."

"Yes, I hope you can help me contact Miss Selena. I don't have her contact information now..."

"Bruce is in a very bad state. He may be suffering from some trauma-induced disorder. We can't stop his excited behavior right now, but Miss Selena might..."

"Correct, I know. They had some conflicts before, but I feel it's necessary to inform her in case something happens, and both of them regret it later."

"All right, I'll wait for your message. Thank you."

In her apartment, Maggie hung up the telephone and sighed. She knew Bruce's slums journey wouldn't be smooth, but she didn't expect the consequences to be so severe.

Bruce Wayne's mental issues affected more than just himself. Although Maggie hadn't read books, with her body so weak, she was quite worldly-wise to survive in the slums. She indeed felt unfair for her good friend, thinking Bruce had been neglecting Selena lately. However, she also knew that if she didn't tell Selena about this, Selena might resent her later. After all, she could see that they still had feelings for each other despite the hesitations.

In the end, Maggie called Selena's telephone, and as she expected, Selena, who had already infiltrated the film crew and secured a role, was on her way back to Gotham after hearing the news.

After Alfred and Hal picked her up with the Bat Wing, Selena found Bruce as soon as she arrived.

Then, she gave him a slap.

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