A nameless alleyway in Gotham City.
The lazy afternoon sun spilled over the ground, illuminating a small patch of cracked asphalt.
A group of masked thugs lingered in the shadows, their chatter breaking the eerie silence.
"Keep your mask on, newbie!"
"After today's job, we won't be nobodies anymore. Imagine it—duffel bags full of cash, our faces plastered across the front pages!"
A large, beer-bellied man chugged from a glass bottle, pounding his chest like he'd just won a fight.
"Woohoo! I can feel it! I can feel it! Listen up—my money stacks tall, bullets in my cup, we're poppin' bottles all night long…"
Leo barely managed to pry away the sweaty hand yanking at his mask, only to see their so-called "boss" belting out a half-drunken tune. That voice… rougher than sandpaper and twice as unpleasant.
Robbing a bank while piss-drunk?
If this heist actually succeeds, Leo swears he'll eat that damn bottle.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the corner of his vision. A glowing green timer hovered there:
Traversal Charge in Progress — [01:51:05]
A second passed.
[01:51:00]
No doubt about it, it was a countdown.
When it hit zero, he was supposed to return to his original world.
Leo swore to himself that he'd never, ever click on another shady pop-up ad. One second he was half-naked in front of his computer, programming away, and the next? Boom. Dark, damp alley. Gotham. Fucking Gotham.
Every time he thought about it, his eyes misted over.
To make matters worse, the first thing he saw was a newspaper with a glaring headline:
"Arkham Asylum Breakout: Dangerous Criminals on the Loose! When Will Our Guardian Solve Gotham's Crime Epidemic?"
And right below it—the grinning, grotesque face of the Joker, smiling as though every day was his birthday.
That was when Leo knew he was utterly screwed.
The only things that came with him were his trusty glasses, a pair of sandals, and the countdown timer ticking mercilessly in his mind.
And okay, sure, his boxer shorts. Thanks for that, universe.
After cobbling together a makeshift outfit from the trash, Leo's dignity was shredded once again when a gang of low-life thugs stumbled upon him.
Their leader, a greasy brute with a gut bigger than his biceps, laughed until tears streamed down his face.
"Look, boys! A poor bastard kicked out for cheating!"
Leo tried to explain. Just a guy on a walk. Checking the papers. Job hunting.
Not even he believed that crap.
Faced with two equally awful choices—
Join the gang and rob a bank.
Or get beaten to a pulp and sold on the black market.
Leo, a once proud 35-year-old programmer, swallowed his pride faster than a bad cup of instant noodles.
"Boss, I'm all yours!"
The boss even promised to watch his back if they ended up in jail together.
Leo was touched. Such kindness. One day, he'd stab him in the back—just to return the favor.
Now, dressed in a piss-yellow tracksuit that smelled like expired milk, Leo was waiting in yet another alley with the rest of the gang. Apparently, the real mastermind was about to arrive.
"A criminal genius," they whispered. "An expert in bank heists."
Thirty minutes later…
A beat-up gray van screeched to a halt.
BANG!
The back door flung open.
A man in a vibrant purple suit strutted out, dancing with exaggerated flair.
Face painted deathly white. Scarlet grin carved from ear to ear. Eyes gleaming with manic delight.
The Joker.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen!" he declared, spreading his arms wide. "Such a pleasure to see you all!"
Then came the laugh.
High-pitched, chaotic, and utterly contagious. Like nails on a chalkboard that wormed into your soul.
The drunken thugs immediately burst into nervous laughter. But it wasn't joy. No, it was the laughter of fear. A desperate attempt to appease the clown prince of crime.
Leo? He didn't laugh.
He wanted to cry.
Holy shit.
Of all the villains in Gotham, why him?
Even Batman couldn't predict the Joker's next move. What chance did a half-naked programmer stand?
The Joker's eyes gleamed as he scanned the crowd. Then, they locked onto Leo. A sinister grin curled across his lips.
"Oh-ho-ho! Such innocent eyes!" He cackled. "Like a little deer lost in the woods!"
The Joker leaned closer, his grin stretching unnaturally. "Tell me, boys… where'd you find this little chick?"
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