"Harleen, stay here."
After deciding what he needed to do, Jin turned around, placed his hands on Harleen's shoulders, and spoke seriously.
"I'm going to deal with the person responsible for all of this."
As soon as Harleen heard that Jin planned to leave her behind, she immediately shook her head in panic.
"No, no! You can't leave me here alone. I'm scared!"
Seeing how dependent she had suddenly become on him, Jin couldn't help sighing inwardly.
The Scarecrow was extremely dangerous. And since Batman would likely show up sooner or later, the Scarecrow would definitely have gathered some unlucky thugs to protect himself.
If Harleen followed him, fighting would become much more difficult. He would have to deal with enemies while also protecting her.
It would be far safer if she hid somewhere.
Jin picked up a wooden hammer nearby and tested its weight. It seemed sturdy enough.
He handed it to Harleen.
"Harleen, if anyone comes near you and tries to hurt you, take this hammer and hit them."
"Remember—don't hesitate, and don't hold back."
What Jin didn't know was that this simple action would completely change Harleen's future.
"I… okay…"
Seeing that Jin insisted on leaving, Harleen could only grip the wooden hammer tightly and nod.
"Then… you have to come back quickly."
"I promise," Jin replied.
As soon as he finished speaking, Harleen suddenly stepped forward and hugged him.
Even Jin was momentarily surprised.
After holding him for about five seconds, Harleen finally let go.
She quickly ran into a nearby store, crouched down behind the counter, and quietly waited for Jin to return.
Jin watched her go and sighed.
"What a good girl…"
The more he thought about it, the less he wanted Harleen to become Harley Quinn someday.
But that was something he could only think about later.
Turning around, Jin ran deeper into the mall.
"Gotham Mall only has three floors… If someone wanted to release poison gas, they'd need the best possible location."
Jin remembered that the mall's ventilation system was connected to several large units on the roof.
That would definitely be the best place for Scarecrow to spread the gas.
So Jin headed straight toward the rooftop.
Meanwhile, something was happening on Harleen's side.
She remained hidden behind the counter.
Nearly ten minutes had already passed since Jin left.
The screams and sounds of fighting echoing outside made her heart beat faster and faster.
She clutched the wooden hammer tightly and silently prayed for Jin to return safely.
Tap.
Suddenly, Harleen heard footsteps approaching.
Nervous and desperate to see Jin again, she subconsciously assumed it was him.
"Jin!"
She stood up happily and turned toward the sound.
But the person she saw was not Jin.
It was a blood-covered man.
His eyes were red, his face bruised, and the veins on his face had turned a dark brown color.
Clearly, he was another victim of the fear gas.
The man heard Harleen's voice and slowly turned his head toward her.
But in his eyes, Harleen wasn't a blonde woman.
Instead, he saw a terrifying monster with sharp teeth.
"There's another one here! AHHH!"
As soon as the man saw her, he treated her like a mortal enemy.
He raised the fire axe in his hand and rushed straight toward her.
"Ah!"
Harleen quickly dodged.
Fortunately, the man had already exhausted most of his strength during earlier fights. Otherwise, she would have had no chance of avoiding the blow.
The man panted heavily, then raised the axe again, preparing to attack.
"Don't…"
Harleen glanced down at the wooden hammer in her hand.
Then she looked at the man whose red eyes were filled with killing intent.
"Don't hold back, Harleen. Think about what I told you…"
After struggling internally for a moment, she finally made up her mind.
She remembered Jin's words.
"AAAH!"
Harleen screamed as she swung the hammer with all her strength.
Bang!
The hammer smashed directly into the man's head.
Blood splattered onto Harleen's hand.
The man collapsed into a pool of blood.
He was dead.
Realizing what she had done, Harleen immediately dropped the bloodstained hammer in shock.
Her body trembled as she stared at the blood on her hands.
"I… did it, Jin…"
Slowly, the corners of Harleen's mouth began to rise.
She had done it.
She had followed Jin's advice.
And for some reason…
Deep inside her heart, she felt a strange emotion.
Excitement.
The excitement of killing someone.
Meanwhile, on the roof of Gotham Mall…
Jin arrived at the rooftop and immediately spotted the Scarecrow, wearing his signature sack-like mask while releasing fear gas.
"Hm?"
Scarecrow noticed him.
"You're not a bat… Who are you?"
But Jin had no intention of wasting time talking.
He immediately sprinted toward him.
The Scarecrow had clearly prepared for trouble.
Several large men suddenly rushed out from the side.
Their eyes were red from the fear gas, and the moment they saw Jin, they charged at him like madmen.
But they were no match for him.
Jin knocked each of them down with a single punch.
However, when Jin turned around again—
The Scarecrow had disappeared.
The rooftop was empty except for Jin and the unconscious bodies on the ground.
Only the fear gas containers and release device remained.
Jin walked over and smashed both the gas canisters and the device.
After confirming everything was destroyed, he turned and left.
After all, Harleen was still waiting for him.
What Jin didn't know was that not far away stood a construction crane.
At the top of it, a dark figure silently observed everything below.
"Ahhh! Let me go, Bat!"
The Scarecrow was hanging upside down from the crane, tied up by Batman.
He continued to curse loudly.
Batman ignored him completely.
Earlier, he had quietly taken Scarecrow away.
Although he had been surprised to see Jin there, he knew something very well.
If Scarecrow had fallen into Jin's hands, he would likely have ended up dead or crippled.
After growing up together, Bruce knew perfectly well that Jin could be ruthless.
And he didn't want Jin to get blood on his hands.
Going to prison for scum like Scarecrow simply wasn't worth it.
Even though Batman's own hands were already stained with blood…
He had also quietly helped create an alibi for Jin.
The police were already on their way.
To prevent things from getting worse, Batman had taken Scarecrow himself.
Now he planned to personally deliver him to prison.