allendalepharm Page 81
Page 81
Don't forget to smile (×)
Don't smile (√)
"Arthur is completely a different person than before. Stop smiling, does he not want to be a comedian anymore?" Xia Ling, in the world of Zhen Hun Jie.
"Everyone grows up eventually, even if the price is unbearable. But I find Arthur much more pleasing to the eye now." - Zephyr, One Piece world.
"Once Milon's utopia is completed, will Arthur have the opportunity to live there? He should be very suitable." - Zhang Chulan, Under One Person World.
"Damn, laborers have no human rights! Ahem~ I'm Tang Wood, an enforcement officer from the Interstellar Alliance. In our Star Journey world, we warmly welcome friends from other worlds. As long as the actions are compliant, you can even take a photo with the two Milons~" Star Journey world, Tang Wood.
"Tch~" Star Journey World, second-generation Milon.
The extent to which the 'clown murder case' spread far exceeded Arthur's expectations; instead of subsiding, the hype only intensified!
[It spread by word of mouth, in newspapers, newsletters, notepads... and even on television.]
A week later, Arthur was taking his medication. Having lost his job, his daily dose was almost gone. His mother was watching television; the presenter was analyzing the 'Clown Murder Case!'
"We, the people of the city, are trying to understand what happened in the triple murder that occurred in the subway last week."
"For this reason, we invited Thomas Wayne to be our guest."
[When Arthur's mother saw Thomas Wayne on TV, she immediately called Arthur over excitedly.]
"Xiao Le, look! Thomas Wayne's on TV!"
"Yes, Mom."
"They're asking him about those horrific subway murders."
Hearing this, Arthur was somewhat puzzled. It was just a few deaths; why would it attract the attention of someone of Thomas Wayne's stature?
"Why did you invite him?"
In Gotham, people die every day. Arthur had seen the body surrounded by doctors countless times that day, and no one had ever paid any attention to it. Did those scumbags he killed this time have some extraordinary status?
[Just then, Arthur became very interested in the opinions of someone as influential as Thomas Wayne, who determined the city's future. Thomas Wayne spoke slowly and sadly.]
"All three are employees of Wayne Investments."
"Kind, upright, and well-educated."
"However, I have no personal relationship with them."
Halfway through his speech, Wayne abruptly changed the subject, clarifying that he wasn't saying this because they were employees of companies he had invested in.
"Goodness, this redefines kindness and righteousness. If you didn't do well in Chinese, you can go home and ask your mom for a dictionary and cry. If you're blind, you should donate your eyes to someone in need." —Wang Lu, from the world of Once Upon a Time in Lingjian Mountain.
"Dirty politics, how utterly boring." A world of games and life, empty.
"Wow~ Arthur's physique has already taken shape after only a week of training." This hero is obviously super strong, but he is overly cautious in this world, Ristarte.
"As expected, idiots always have such strange points of focus." This hero is obviously incredibly strong, yet he is overly cautious about the world. Ryuguuin Seiya.
"Now that you mention it, he does seem a bit more muscular. Although he still looks thin, he's quite fit. Has Arthur been working out all week?" (The last line is a nonsensical string of characters and doesn't translate directly.)
"Arthur's medicine is almost finished, and it seems he hasn't bought any new medicine. What will happen next? It's really something to look forward to!" —Kayalgo, the Reboot Sorcerer.
Arthur raised an eyebrow; for a moment, he even doubted whether he had heard correctly.
"They're like family, just like Wayne Enterprises, with all its employees, past and present."
Arthur, somewhat bored, lit a cigarette. This wasn't a discussion of the case; it was more like promoting Thomas Wayne's company.
"Did you hear what he said? I told you, we're family."
Hearing his mother excitedly spout words that sounded like they'd been brainwashed, Arthur waved his hand to signal her to be quiet. He stared at the television; the boring commercials were over, and it was time for some real content to ignite the audience's enthusiasm.
"There seems to be a pervasive sense of resentment towards the wealthy in this city right now, as if we, the less fortunate citizens, are siding with the murderer."
Wayne quickly answered the host's question.
"Yes, it's incredibly regrettable, and that's one of the reasons I'm considering running for mayor."
"Gotham has fallen."
Wayne's every sentence revolves around his core objective of profiting himself; his underlying message is that becoming mayor will save the corrupt Gotham from its current predicament.
[“Witnesses claim the suspect is a man wearing a clown mask. What do you think?”]
"I think that makes perfect sense. What kind of coward could do something so cold-blooded?"
"It's the kind of person who hides behind a mask, resents others for being luckier than them, but dares not show their true self."
"Until such people repent, those of us among us who have achieved something in life..."
At this point, Wayne let out a disdainful sneer. If his previous tone was somewhat dismissive, it was now filled with mockery and contempt! He said with disgust.
"Those who achieve nothing will always be regarded as clowns!"
【"Cough~ Pfft~"
Upon hearing this, Arthur suddenly laughed, his legs trembling as if he were suppressing a torrent of emotions.
[The clown... haha!]
He killed elites; he was just a clown.
The bullies are kind and innocent people; the bullies themselves are narrow-minded and envious!
[The Joker, that's a fantastic name!]
Arthur didn't want to look at Thomas Wayne's hypocritical face anymore. He slumped onto the sofa, took a deep breath to calm himself, and stared at the ceiling. His clearly visible ribs showed that he was still very thin.
However, at this moment, he was no longer afraid; his indignation at the lies could ignite a raging fire!
"It's not funny."
The mother looked at Arthur with puzzlement. "Wayne's words are so insightful! He's willing to practically observe Gotham's various events and guide it in the right direction. If Thomas Wayne could truly become mayor, Gotham would definitely become a better place!"
"Involuntary leg shaking symbolizes extreme anger that is about to erupt." - Dai Meng, The Heart Hunter World.
"Even though Arthur was driven by intense emotions, he didn't laugh out loud. Was his condition worsening, or had he released too much pressure at once and hadn't yet reached a bottleneck?" Zhou Xiaofeng asked in the world of inquiries.
"Ew~ That's scary! Does that mean Arthur has to kill someone every now and then to return to a normal life?" Xia Ling, Soul Street World.
"This stimulation will gradually decrease as the stimulation increases~ Hehehe! Arthur, I have high hopes for you! Fall!" Tokyo Ghoul World, Gecko.
"Uninformed viewers, politicians who distort the truth, a murderer whose morality is indistinguishable, and the incomprehension and doubts of those around him—what will Arthur do next, given all these factors?" —The Honkai Impact 3rd Railway World, Doctor Truth.
"I feel Thomas Wayne is right. Although his words were a bit harsh, Arthur only acted out because he couldn't control his emotions." Cheng Xin, Three-Body World.
"If we hand Gotham over to him, it might really change the whole city! Why are you all focusing on a murderer?" Cheng Xin, Three-Body World.
"Idiot!" Welcome to the world of Classroom of the Elite, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.
Chapter 114: A performance filled with love~
Afterwards, Arthur returned to the counseling room as usual and spoke with the doctor.
"That day I heard a song on the radio, and the singer said it was called Carnival."
"Arthur."
However, the doctor's tone was not very friendly, and Arthur ignored him, continuing to speak.
"This is absolutely bizarre, because that was my stage name when I worked as a clown."
"Not long ago, I felt like I was completely transparent to everyone."
"Even I don't know if I truly exist."
"Arthur, I have bad news for you."
The doctor interrupted again, and Arthur finally looked at the doctor, his calm tone filled with certainty, seemingly tinged with a hint of sarcasm.
"You're not listening to me at all, are you?"
"I think you've never really listened to me."
Then Arthur produced the evidence.
[“You ask the same question every week, ‘How’s your job? Have you been having any negative thoughts?’”]
"I only have negative thoughts, but you never listen anyway."
"As I just said, I've never known whether I truly exist in my entire life."
"But I truly exist, and people are beginning to notice."
Hearing Arthur's words, the doctor didn't want to waste any more time on pleasantries and spoke directly.
"Our funding has been cut off, and our office will be closing next week."
"The city government has cut spending on all public sectors, and the Social Welfare Department is just one of the departments affected. This is the last time we'll meet."
"They don't care about people like you, Arthur."
The doctor calmly stated this harsh truth, then added a touch of self-deprecation.
"They don't care about people like me either."
The counseling center is gone, Arthur can't afford to go to the hospital, and he's out of medication.
"What? That Wayne was on TV talking about changing the corrupt Gotham one second, and the next second he canceled public sector funding? This move completely dumbfounded me!" - Zhang Chulan, Under One Person World.
"Arthur has run out of medicine, and the situation will become even more unpredictable." Genshin Impact, Bai Shu.
"Sigh~ I can only hope that Arthur can be healed by life." (Lin Yi, reflecting on the world.)
"Tch, in a city like Gotham?" Xia Ling, from the world of Soul Street.
"?" In the DC universe, Bruce Wayne—no, all his efforts to change Gotham! He even handed criminals over to the law for the fairest punishment, poured so much heart and soul into it, only to be met with the words "a city like Gotham"?
"Damn it! What am I supposed to do?!" The usually wise Batman was unusually annoyed. He had money, ability, and intelligence, but he still couldn't change this city!
Does this mean I'm also becoming complacent and stuck in my ways?
Arthur found a job at a stand-up comedy club, lost his job, and almost ran out of savings. After a short break, he had to get back to work.
Backstage, Arthur was adjusting his costume and listening to the previous actor's bawdy jokes. He was somewhat uninterested, but the thought of soon being able to perform on stage made him smile involuntarily.
But the closer Arthur got to the stage he envisioned, the more nervous he became, his heart pounding. He wiped the cold sweat from his brow as he listened to the previous actor introduce himself.
"Alright, next up is a comedian who claims to have lived in Gotham his entire life."
"From a young age, he always heard people say that his life goal was to bring laughter and joy to this cold, dark world."
"Alright, everyone, please help me welcome Arthur Fleck. Please welcome Arthur Fleck!"
Amidst scattered applause, Arthur walked onto the stage.
But facing the microphone and the spotlight shining on him, Arthur was momentarily speechless, standing there dumbfounded.
He looked at the audience below the stage, feeling as if countless eyes were piercing his entire body like needles.
Suddenly! Arthur burst out laughing!
【"Hmph heh heh hahahaha~"】
No! Absolutely not!
Arthur struggled to suppress his laughter, determined to continue his carefully prepared performance. He managed a labored greeting to the audience.
"Hello everyone, I'm very happy to be here."
"Hahahaha!!"
Laughter traveled through the receiver to every audience member, leaving them somewhat bewildered. What was going on? Had they missed something? What joke was so funny? The performer hadn't even started telling the story and was already laughing their heads off?
Arthur bent over, trying to cover his mouth with his hand, and turned his back, not wanting the audience to see his embarrassing state.
"Hehehehehehe! Hahahaha!"
"No, I can't do it!" Arthur clutched his throat in anguish.
He can't even speak a complete sentence now!
"I hated going to school when I was a kid, hahaha!!"
The sound coming through the microphone was somewhat harsh, and some murmurs began to ripple through the audience.
Finally, Arthur finished telling the joke, albeit haltingly.
However, what was even more disheartening than the murmurs was the complete silence in the room!