"So these demons were drawn to fear itself… but why would they go after Scarecrow specifically?" Shin asked, frowning.
There were plenty of infamous criminals in Gotham, but in Shin's mind, only a few truly stood out—the Joker, Harley Quinn, Bane, and Ra's al Ghul.
Scarecrow?
He barely remembered him.
Much like Two-Face or the Penguin, Shin knew he was one of Batman's antagonists, but beyond his name, he had no idea what made him a real threat.
"It's because of fear gas," Batman explained, his expression darkening.
"It's a neurotoxin that amplifies a person's fear to extreme levels. Ra's al Ghul once planned to use it to destroy Gotham entirely."
Shin's memory clicked.
"Oh, right. He's that guy in the sack mask, always running around spraying nerve gas at people."
"A small-time villain, really," Shin muttered to himself. "The type Batman fights when he's just starting out."
As far as Shin knew, Scarecrow wasn't some endgame boss. He was just a stepping-stone villain—a mid-tier threat who showed up in prison break arcs only to get beaten up and thrown back into Arkham.
While Shin was still processing this, the Joker's voice cut through the silence.
"Well, now that's troubling," the Joker mused.
"If those monsters went after the Scarecrow, it means one of two things—either they're intelligent… or someone is controlling them."
"Otherwise," he continued, "they wouldn't be acting so purposefully."
He tilted his head, a grin playing on his lips.
"And fear gas is a fantastic tool for spreading fear."
Are Parademons sentient?
Batman turned to Shin.
"Do these demons have sentience?"
Shin hesitated.
"Should they?"
"Should?" Batman echoed, unimpressed.
"Didn't you dissect one? From their brain structure, you should be able to tell if they have sentience."
Batman crossed his arms. "Their biology isn't human. They're alien creatures."
Shin immediately understood what that meant.
"So… you don't know."
Batman's lips thinned.
"...Not yet."
The Joker let out a soft chuckle.
"Ah, but isn't that a secondary problem?"
"The real issue here isn't whether they're sentient or not," he continued.
"It's that we still haven't caught the Scarecrow."
Shin blinked.
"...Wait. Scarecrow hasn't been caught yet?"
Batman shook his head.
"He's a minor player. I just never got around to it."
With Arkham overrun and higher-priority criminals on the loose, Batman had focused on the big names—the Joker, Bane, and Two-Face.
Scarecrow had simply slipped through the cracks.
Then, when Batman learned of the alien threat, he had even less reason to track him down.
Shin shrugged.
"Alright, leave him to me."
"You've got bigger problems to handle, don't you?"
Batman didn't argue.
He had Justice League business to deal with—he was gathering Earth's strongest heroes to face an invasion.
Tracking down a C-list villain like Scarecrow?
That was small-time.
Shin smirked.
"I'll find him. With a little help."
Releasing the Joker?
Batman's eyes narrowed.
"Wait. You're not thinking of letting him out, are you?"
Shin waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't look so shocked. The Joker's madness is cured… at least for now."
Batman's glare intensified.
"He was a mental patient before. Now he's been cured—can't he be discharged for a little walk?"
The Joker remained expressionless.
Since becoming the Kind Clown, he saw staying in prison as atonement. But if helping capture criminals was also a way to atone, then he had no objections.
Shin, on the other hand, was genuinely curious—how would the Joker, now driven by righteousness, approach tracking down Gotham's villains?
In the end, Batman reluctantly agrees.
Mostly because—even if the Joker reverted to his old self—he wouldn't stand a chance against Shin.
This wasn't the comic book Joker, after all.
He didn't have Dionysium, Joker Venom, or any reality-warping madness.
At best, he was a high-IQ psychopath with a knack for manipulating people.
Still dangerous, sure. But not unstoppable.
Breaking the Joker out of Arkham?
It turned out to be incredibly easy.
Batman's vigilante status meant he had no real authority here…
But Bruce Wayne?
He owned the damn place.
Getting the Joker medically cleared for release was as simple as faking some paperwork.
After leaving the asylum, the Joker straightened his appearance—he wiped away his blood-red smile, combed his messy green hair, and swapped out his usual sinister clown aesthetic for a more formal look.
Though his face was still unnaturally pale, he no longer had the same monstrous presence.
For the first time in years…
He actually looked normal.
And then?
The real work has started, tracking down Scarecrow.
Within a few hours, the Joker had already pinpointed the Scarecrow's location.
Shin raised an eyebrow.
"...That fast?"
The Joker adjusted his tie, completely unfazed.
"This is Gotham," he said simply.
"Finding criminals is my specialty."
"Wait, hold on," Shin said. "You're telling me the Scarecrow is hiding in Gotham University?"
The Joker nodded.
"Perfectly logical."
Batman crossed his arms. "How so?"
The Joker smirked.
"Scarecrow's fear gas isn't something you whip up in a basement. It requires advanced labs and specialized chemicals."
"There are only a handful of places in Gotham capable of producing it—two chemical plants, three hospitals, and Gotham University."
"And since you've got all the other locations under surveillance…"
Batman's expression hardened.
"...That leaves the university."
The Joker simply grinned.
"And besides…" he added, "before he was a psychotic gas-obsessed lunatic, Scarecrow was a university professor."
"He knows Gotham U inside and out."
"With the right leverage, he could manipulate faculty, staff, and security to get full access to the labs."
As he spoke, the Joker calmly parked outside Gotham University.
Then, without hesitation, he reached into the glove compartment, pulled out two pistols, and tucked them into his coat.
Pushing open the door, he strode toward the campus.
Shin and Batman watched in silence.
"...You sure this was a good idea?" Batman muttered.
Shin just grinned.
"Let's find out."
*******************************
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