The Joker's body was nudged, the smile on his ghastly pale face seemed even more pronounced, as if he had seen Bruce being beaten by his father.
Already affected by the Joker Poison, Batman was even more confused now. Was it all an illusion? Was this actually not his father, and everything around him fake?
But the pain from his jaw proved that it was all real, and Thomas indeed inexplicably punched him.
Why?
Struggling to get up, still covered in various potions, the madness in his heart seems to have diminished considerably with his father's punches.
Thomas crossed his arms and looked at him coldly: "Get up, Bruce, how can you oppress Alfred like this?"
"Well, Master Thomas, actually, it's not what you think." Alfred grabbed one of Thomas's arms, but for a moment he found it difficult to explain the entanglement between the Joker and Batman.
How could Thomas not know about the entanglement between Batman and the Joker?
In his timeline, that thug killed Bruce in an alley, and Thomas crazily beat the robber to death with his fists, and since then became Batman.
However, Martha was also greatly shocked that night, and she turned into the Joker.
The entanglement between Thomas and her lasted for a long time, until one day Joker Martha committed suicide with the gun that killed her son.
Those two trigger pulls took away important people from Thomas, so he always carried that gun.
To every Batman, the Joker is a special person.
"Open your eyes and look, Bruce, your fiancée is already dead!" Thomas pointed backward at the surgery table, where the Joker's face still had a big smile: "I don't mind my son coming out, but he cannot be a person who won't face reality!"
Bruce: "???"
Alfred: "..."
Su Ming and Oliver: "Pfft..."
Indeed, Thomas mistook the Joker for what a few people referred to as 'Bruce's fiancée', and upon returning to the Bat Cave saw Bruce forcing Alfred to resuscitate the body, which seemed too crazy in his eyes.
Even if Bruce loved the Joker, he couldn't force Alfred to do such a thing, to do something destined to be futile, which could drive anyone insane, and he knew that very clearly.
So Thomas did what every father would do, which is to give his son the 'iron fist of love'.
What to do if you go astray? Of course, you need to hit through to wake up!
And the two who caused the misunderstanding watched from the sidelines, with an attitude not fearing the escalation, Su Ming even whispered about boxing with Oliver.
Oliver believed that Black men have advantages in all aspects of sports competition, but Su Ming thought boxing still has more tradition with the Irish.
Seeing Bruce remain silent, Thomas thought he hadn't sobered up, and went over with another left and right blow.
Bruce was not a Jedi Knight, nor did he have the habit of hitting his father, at this moment he could only be punched around like a sandbag.
"Aren't you going to stop this?" Diana looked at Barry's futile attempt to mediate over there, feeling a bit helpless, and said to Su Ming: "We have important things to do now."
Su Ming shrugged: "How can we meddle in someone's family affairs? In the past, when Bruce beat Nightwing and the others till they flew everywhere, didn't you guys also not intervene?"
"But now Bruce is injured and emotionally unstable." Diana said worriedly.
"Actually, you should look at Bruce's eyes." Oliver pointed over there, they weren't watching the drama for free: "Look at Dr. Wayne, every time he hits, Bruce's mind becomes more clear, he seems to be going through some transformation."
Su Ming crossed his arms still, all this was part of the plan:
"Ah, don't think we brought Thomas here just for a show. For Batman, the death of his parents is his greatest inner burden. Now we brought his father back, which means removing half of his past mental anguish, allowing him to focus his willpower on more important places."
Arthur understood, he clapped his hand: "This is probably the power of family affection."
"Believe Batman can feel it too, that's why he hasn't spoken to refute but instead kept getting hit, he's taking the opportunity to maximize the beneficial condition."
Oliver added emotionally, honestly, if it were himself, if he could see his father alive in front of him, he certainly couldn't remain as calm as Batman.
Maybe he would embrace his relatives the first moment, rather than think about how to utilize this condition.
Indeed Batman is still Batman, capable of doing things ordinary people can't.
"But we're still watching, don't let it turn into a fatality." Su Ming suddenly pulled back the topic, bringing everyone back to reality.
Unknown if Batman thought it was about time, or if the persuasion from Barry and the old butler had an effect, after a round of 'exchange' with each punch leaving a mark, Thomas and Bruce still embraced each other.
Only now did the two start to cry, somewhat like a normal family reunion.
Truly worth celebrating.
Batman has really been through difficult times lately, Selena died, the Joker also died, he was about to go mad.
So Su Ming brought Thomas Wayne back from the 'non-existent' history, to cheer Batman up.
But this is as far as he can help him.
The Joker toxin continues to erode Bruce's sanity. Currently, it's merely delaying the inevitable. However, there is some good news—Thomas may be Batman, but he's also a legitimate doctor.
It's not that Harley isn't a professional doctor. However, given Batman's skeptical nature, the only psychological therapy method effective would be a fist.
When a Batman applies all his intelligence to medical skills, what he can accomplish is probably not much less than Midnite Strange Doctor.
Now it's up to Thomas to see if he can control Bruce's condition. Su Ming needs Batman to be a little insane to help deal with the Laughing Bat, but not too crazy—otherwise, it would lead to trouble at home.
It all depends on how the professionals perform.
Su Ming watched the father-son reunion from a distance with a look of relief, while Diana beside him had a similar expression, appearing very touched.
It's just that what they were thinking wasn't quite the same....
"Father, I received your letter. It's the most precious gift I've ever received," Bruce said, holding his father's shoulder while looking into his eyes.
Thomas also looked at his son with a complex expression, seeing him in a Batman uniform similar to his own: "Now we're together again. Do you remember what happened when you fell into this cave as a child? I went down to save you by the rope, and I said...."
"You said, 'I'm here, don't be afraid,' and then I asked why your voice was so soft, and you said..." Bruce removed his mask, his eyes filled with nostalgia, and a genuine smile was on his face as he took over Thomas' words.
"I said it was because I didn't want to disturb the bats in the cave, son."
Thomas patted Bruce's shoulder and said with emotion.
The final verification was also passed. The incidents and conversations that happened in the Bat Cave were only known to the two of them. This wasn't a game stemming from a parallel universe or anything of the like, but a miracle connecting nonexistent history to the present world.
The two Batmen finally let down their guard, confirming each other's identities. Bruce immediately explained the Joker problem.
"He's not my fiancée, and I haven't come out." Bruce pulled over a piece of white cloth to cover the Joker's face, thinking, with his father back, who cares about the Joker: "Selena is."
"Are you sure, my son?" Thomas squinted. Already satisfied just seeing his son alive, if Bruce had really stepped into that 'forbidden world,' Thomas would have accepted it.
Bruce squinted, realizing someone surely shared the news of his fiancée's death with Thomas.
His gaze swept across the faces of several people nearby, deliberately skipping past Green Arrow as if seeing nothing.
Finally, he looked at Deathstroke, who was telling Arthur cold jokes about the relationship between Sea King's armor and popcorn.
The Justice League comrades all had awkward expressions.
'Was it you all along?'
Bruce confirmed who the prime suspect was. Only Deathstroke could orchestrate such an event. Had everything been in his calculations?
But why would Deathstroke suddenly become so kind, willing to expose so many secrets just to save his father? Was there a conspiracy?
Thomas saw Bruce's gaze: "By the way, you should thank your friends. They saved me and you."
Bruce saw the smile on Deathstroke's face and couldn't fathom his intentions at the moment.
"...I will, but not now. I want to take you to see Selena."
"Alright, is the one with this name a girl?"
"...Hm."
"Oh."
The conversation between them was just too full of punches to hold back, but Su Ming, who overheard it, managed to restrain his laughter.
Alfred gestured at his blood-stained clothes and walked around before the two Batmen to prevent their sudden disappearance: "Then what should be done with the Joker's corpse?"
Bruce furrowed his brow, thinking, "It's indeed a bit troublesome."
"Burial and cremation may cause infection. Prepare a transport rocket to throw him into the sun, at least to buy some time."
Alfred breathed a sigh of relief. The young master was finally freed from the Joker's entanglement: "Alright, Master, we have a few ballistic missiles that can be modified. After finishing the work, I'll go redo breakfast. Although there are still plenty of challenges ahead, I think we can afford to celebrate a little."
"Do as you see fit, old chap." Thomas nodded with a smile to the butler, pulling Bruce away.
The butler gave a slight bow and just as he turned around to start moving the corpse, he saw Deathstroke standing by the operating table, fiddling with the Joker's head with a small stick.
"Hey, are you really dead? If you're really dead, just smile." He was talking while poking the corpse with the stick.
The old butler walked over and lightly coughed: "Ahem, Mr. Wilson? Please stop playing. Although he's the Joker, the corpse should still be treated with respect."
"I know he's dead, but he'll come back someday." The 'small stick' in Su Ming's hand turned into black sludge, merging back into his palm.
"We don't have any evidence to suggest the Joker will reincarnate nor can we confirm whether the Joker is the original one." Alfred pushed over a flat car, and together they lifted the corpse onto it.
Su Ming clapped his hands, pinched the Joker's face, and covered him with the sheet: "Yes, but we all know there will always be someone turning into the Joker, making people laugh on stage."
Alfred took off his surgical gown and pushed the cart away, as the black tailcoat gradually disappeared in the darkness.
"At least not today."