Near the Sky Rail ruins, a dozen homeless workers lazily cleared debris while chatting among themselves.
"Damn it, when Gotham was doing well, we couldn't even get enough to eat."
"Now that Gotham's a mess, there are jobs everywhere. We can barely work, toss around a few pieces of trash, and still get paid eighty Dollars a day."
"Exactly. The Wayne family is ridiculously rich. Wraith scared all these wealthy people so much that they're throwing money around now."
"Wraith is awesome. Why don't I have powers like that? If I did, I'd turn Hollywood upside down."
"That's the only thing you'd do with it?"
"Haha!"
"Wait, who's that guy over there? Nobody around here dresses that well."
"Ignore him. He's obviously rich."
"Damn rich people."
As they chatted, several of them glanced at Mad Hatter.
Noticing their gazes, Mad Hatter smiled and pulled out his pocket watch.
10:40 AM.
Not yet time for afternoon tea.
Perhaps there was still enough time for a tea party.
With that thought, he put away the watch and leisurely walked toward the group.
As he approached, he greeted them politely.
"Gentlemen, is time passing pleasantly today? Have you had breakfast?"
"If not, then what about lunch? Or perhaps dinner?"
The homeless workers looked at him as if he were insane.
Mad Hatter simply nodded rhythmically and continued.
"Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert. Every day is filled with meals, and eating is life's greatest necessity."
"So why are you wasting your time here?"
"Go eat. Eat everything you'll ever need in this life, and you'll never have to worry about hunger again."
"Go now, my friends."
After speaking, he nodded once more.
The workers froze briefly before dropping their tools and wandering away without purpose.
Watching them leave, Mad Hatter grinned widely.
"How could anyone catch me inside my own world?"
"This is my world, a world of stories."
"Only new stories can keep it alive."
"Only I protect this world."
"Haha, only me."
He gently kissed his pocket watch before continuing onward.
Perhaps he had a destination.
Perhaps he didn't.
However, after only a few steps, more than a dozen vehicles sped past him.
Mad Hatter narrowed his eyes.
His caution proved justified.
Moments later, two vehicles slammed on their brakes.
Doors flew open as armed men rushed out.
One of them held up his phone and shouted.
"It's him!"
"The short guy with the tall hat!"
"Jervis Tetch, exactly like the photo!"
More than a dozen men immediately charged him.
Additional vehicles stopped, and even more people approached.
Seeing the crowd, Mad Hatter raised his hands in surrender.
"See? I knew things wouldn't be this simple."
"After all, who enjoys a story without any excitement?"
He smiled at the approaching men.
"My friends, I don't know who sent you, but surely a living me is more valuable than a dead one."
"I'm only one person."
"I don't even have a gun."
"I only have my words."
Since he offered no resistance, the gang members simply restrained him and escorted him into a vehicle.
Sitting between two large men in the back seat, Mad Hatter quietly watched Gotham pass by.
Eventually, he spoke.
"Tell me something."
"You're obviously not police officers."
"So why are you interested in me?"
"Who do you work for?"
"Who's your boss?"
The driver answered.
"We're members of the Dead Souls Gang."
"Our boss is Bat."
"Boss Bat issued a bounty on you. We received your photo and information."
"Wow."
Mad Hatter frowned.
"Why does the Dead Souls Gang want me?"
"I thought Wraith and I shared similar ideals."
"We both wish to end the painful, desire-filled lives people suffer through."
"But he disappointed me."
"Perhaps he isn't as great as I imagined."
"Who does he think he is?"
"An emperor ruling Gotham?"
"A Robin Hood operating in the shadows?"
"This isn't his city."
"It wasn't before, it isn't now, and it won't be in the future."
He glanced toward Arkham Asylum.
Then he smiled.
"Take me to Wraith's manor."
"That sounds much more interesting."
"Yes, sir."
The driver nodded and immediately separated from the convoy, heading toward Wayne Manor.
At once, an angry voice came through the radio.
"Andrew, what the hell are you doing?"
"Where are you going?"
"Get back here!"
Mad Hatter laughed.
He extended his hand toward the driver.
"Give me the radio."
"Okay, Boss."
He accepted it but suddenly noticed his movements felt awkward.
Turning toward the larger man beside him, he smiled.
"Don't you think this seat is a little crowded?"
"I think you should make me more comfortable."
The burly man froze.
Then he repeated mechanically.
"I'll make you more comfortable."
He immediately opened the door and jumped from the moving vehicle.
The squad leader's voice exploded through the radio.
"Damn it!"
"Big Face jumped out of your car!"
"What happened over there?"
"Forget it, we're coming after you!"
"Don't let Jervis escape!"
"Escape?"
Mad Hatter smirked.
"This is my world."
"Why would I run?"
"And as for you, don't you think Gotham's coastline is beautiful?"
"I haven't seen the ocean in a while."
"So go see it for me."
"Gotham has seven bridges."
"Every river beneath them eventually reaches the sea."
"Go admire each one on my behalf."
He switched off the radio.
Immediately, the convoy dispersed.
Each vehicle drove off in a different direction.
Meanwhile, Mad Hatter remained comfortably seated as the car sped toward Wayne Manor.
At the same time, inside Arkham Asylum, Bruce had already subdued dozens of victims.
After incapacitating another person, he rubbed his aching forehead and spoke through his communicator.
"Lex, Arkham has thousands of patients, staff members, and visiting family members."
"At least three thousand people may be under hypnotic influence."
"I hope you can..."
Lex immediately interrupted.
"Create a rhythm capable of disrupting the hypnosis?"
"I'm already working on it."
"I've prepared multiple sound templates using heavy metal and jazz."
"I'm sending you six audio files now."
"Test them on the victims and determine which one works."
"Then I'll hack Arkham's network and broadcast it through the facility."
At Wayne Manor, Lex continued configuring automated armor production while simultaneously refining the audio files.
Nearby, Clark, who had only recently woken up and still had a slight headache, spoke apologetically.
"I'm sorry."
"If I'd gotten up earlier..."
Lex snorted.
"How is this your fault?"
"Even last night's drinking isn't to blame."
"Clark, you're still young, but remember something."
"The only person at fault is the one who commits the crime."
"And right now, that's Jervis."
As he spoke, Lex opened Gotham's surveillance network.
Using his AI assistant, he filtered suspicious incidents.
Images of people jumping from buildings, drowning themselves, and various abnormal deaths appeared on screen.
One vehicle repeatedly stood out.
Clark inhaled sharply.
"Are these locations where Jervis might have been?"
"I could use my super hearing..."
"Wait."
Lex stopped him immediately.
"Clark, I may not be a vigilante, but I know how to think."
"Jervis is a master hypnotist."
"His voice itself is dangerous."
"If you listen to him while he's hypnotizing others and end up under his control too, we'll have a far bigger problem."
"So you'll help Bruce instead."
"As for Jervis, I already have several probable locations."
"Once I confirm his position, Floyd only needs one shot."
"Right, Floyd?"
"Correct."
Floyd responded over the comms before turning toward Ciri and Geralt.
He smiled awkwardly.
"Sorry."
"I wanted to take you two to a shooting range today, but work came up."
"You heard the situation."
"A hypnotist turned an entire hospital into a disaster."
"So instead, I'll take you to Gotham's tallest stock exchange building."
"We can enjoy the view while I work."
"I understand."
Geralt nodded.
Then he smiled.
"Our jobs are similar."
"We both solve dangerous problems."
"My problems are monsters."
"Yours are people."
Floyd chuckled.
"Exactly."
"And that's why I envy you."
"Monsters are easier to deal with than people."
He adjusted his rifle.
At that moment, a powerful gust swept through Arkham Asylum.
An instant later, Clark, dressed in a black suit bearing the Dead Souls Gang insignia, appeared beside Bruce.
The nearby officers cried out.
"Something just flashed past!"
"A shadow!"
"Warn Batman!"
Clark shrugged awkwardly.
"I'm here to help."
"Sorry, I overslept."
Bruce shook his head.
"That isn't important."
"This isn't your city, but there's still plenty you can do."
"One of Lex's audio files works."
"It doesn't completely break the hypnosis, but it stabilizes people quickly."
"I've already informed Lex."
"What I need from you now is to identify the dangerous psychiatric patients after they recover."
"We can't allow them to harm staff members once they're fully conscious."
"No problem, Bat... Batman."
Clark immediately got to work.
Even before the anti hypnosis music fully spread through the asylum, he had already reviewed patient records and isolated the most dangerous individuals.
While securing one of them to a bed, a woman on another restraint table suddenly shouted.
"Hey!"
"Are you normal?"
"Are you actually a normal person?"
Clark turned around in surprise.
"You weren't hypnotized?"
He never expected someone to remain unaffected.
The woman instantly became excited.
"F*ck, finally!"
"Finally, a normal person!"
"I'm not mentally ill at all."
"I'm Haino Lawrence."
"My father is a senator."
"My mother is the Deputy Secretary of Defense."
"I even blew a horn for Wraith!"
"For days, everyone in this damn hospital has been insane."
"They don't even recognize me anymore."
"But whoever did this wouldn't dare touch me."
"Because I'm Wraith's woman."
"I want to see Axel!"
"I want to see him!"
"I can't be without him!"
"Untie me!"
"I want out of this place!"