The two mutants sent to attack Wayne Manor were completely taken out. Even though Toad would end up in prison, no matter which one it was, under the influence of LexCorp, he was never going to have a good ending.
Meanwhile, Jason and Riptide were leading a large group of mutants in an all-out assault against Joker Gang bases all over Gotham.
At first, they were confident. Mutants were stronger than ordinary people, after all. So they split their forces into several groups, launching simultaneous attacks on multiple hideouts.
It wasn't until Jason and Riptide reached the lowest level of the base they were raiding that they finally realized how stupid it had been to attack the Joker Gang.
...
Inside the base's lab, green gas hung in the air like a poisonous mist. Jason moved quickly, scanning through scattered documents. A gas mask shielded his face, but the tension in his posture betrayed the rising panic. The walls pulsed with the eerie glow of chemical lights, and broken vials crunched underfoot.
Even without reading the files in detail, it was obvious: this lab was built to produce a highly potent gas bomb—a variation of Joker Venom, weaponized for widespread dispersion across Gotham.
"You maniacs! Are you insane!" He cursed, voice muffled slightly by the mask. His glare fell on the Joker Gang member lying dead nearby, frozen in a grotesque grin. The smile had been etched into his face even in death.
Jason wasn't even sure anymore if this bomb was something Joker built just to wipe out every mutant in one twisted strike.
"Jason, is there a way to shut this bomb down?" Riptide asked, watching the sweat drip from the mutant's brow. He knew it wasn't the best time to interrupt, but he couldn't help it.
Jason staggered. His knees buckled, and he dropped to the floor as if the strength had drained from his body all at once.
"No... it's no use. There's no way to stop it," he said, his voice trembling behind the mask. "The concentration of nitrous oxide is rising. There's only a short time before detonation. All we can do is inject a neutralizer into the bomb and reduce the blast radius."
No one had seen this coming. Branded as villains, mutants like them had never imagined they'd one day be fighting to protect Gotham—not for the city itself, but for the mutants still within it. And for what lay beneath it: the Dionesium, a substance that might determine the future of their entire kind.
As he stood up, Jason's eyes burned with determination. He turned to his companion.
"Janos, get out of here. Go find Erik. When the gas goes off, use your power to help him clear the toxic air around him. I'll stay and do what I can to minimize the explosion."
He had made up his mind. He knew very well that aside from his psychic abilities, he was just an ordinary man. There was no way he could outrun what was coming. So if escape was impossible, why not die for the greater cause of mutantkind?
He was a selfish man. As long as there was even a sliver of hope, he would never give up his life. But now, he couldn't see any chance of surviving.
"I..."
Riptide looked at Jason as if he were seeing him for the first time. He always thought the man was just a manipulative egomaniac who got off on messing with people's heads. But now... now he saw someone who could make a real sacrifice.
"I understand."
He didn't say anything more. He wanted to live too.
His body spun at high speed, turning him into a whirlwind as he rushed out of the underground hideout.
Jason was left alone with the bomb, and the seconds ticking away.
"Now... it's up to me."
With a bitter smile, he took off his gas mask. Under the influence of the laughing gas, a twisted smile began to creep across his face, completely out of his control.
Even though it was just the gas taking effect, at least he would face death with a grin. Yet to anyone who looked closely, there was no joy in that smile. Only sorrow.
Jason pulled out a small metal injector, already filled with the neutralizer he'd found earlier. Hands shaking, he stabbed it into the bomb and began the injection.
During the process, he let out short bursts of laughter, which soon turned into full-blown, uncontrollable fits of it. He had only injected about half the neutralizer before the spasms of laughter overtook him, rendering him unable to continue.
"Haha… It's too late… hah… Even with this, the gas will still spread…hahaha… through half the city… haha… How many are going to die tonight..."
He slumped to the ground, coughing between his laughter, bitterness soaking every word. There was nothing more he could do.
"The answer is simple. Only mutants will die."
The sudden voice made Jason twist around in shock. Step by step, Joker was walking slowly toward him.
"You... hahaha... How are you still... alive?! Haha!"
Even in his half-conscious haze, Jason couldn't believe it. The cave collapse should've killed him. But Joker was like an immortal cockroach—unkillable, immune to reason or logic.
Still grinning, the clown tossed a file onto the floor. It landed beside Jason's outstretched hand.
"Oh right, almost forgot to tell you. The data here wasn't on the latest version. That file is."
Hearing that, Jason's fingers scrambled to open the folder. He flipped through the papers, eyes scanning line after line. Then, his face went pale.
"Haha.. this… hahaha… this can't be..."
According to the file, what he had just injected into the bomb was indeed a neutralizer—but not one that reduced the range of the explosion. Instead, it was a neutralizer that selectively weakened the effects of Joker Venom.
Its formula acted directly on the human 23rd chromosome, temporarily granting ordinary humans immunity to certain concentrations of the gas. It was developed based on the Joker's own natural immunity to it.
And why did it target the 23rd chromosome?
The answer was horrifying. The very foundation that separates mutants from ordinary humans lies in mutations on the 23rd chromosome.
So what Jason had done wasn't reducing the gas's effect. He had unknowingly programmed the Joker Venom to target those with mutations in their 23rd chromosome—mutants. He had turned the gas into a weapon specifically designed to wipe them out.
"You...cough… damn bastard!!!"
Blood poured from Jason's mouth as he screamed. Then his body gave out completely. He hit the ground, unconscious.
"You're passing out already? And here I thought you finally did something heroic." Joker crouched beside him, shaking his head mockingly. "The mutant hero."
He didn't finish him off. Instead, he grabbed the mutant by the collar and began dragging him away, step by step.
"You're an important part of our little gift. Can't have you dying just yet."
...
Elsewhere, outside the Gotham City Police Department, the fight against the cops wasn't going as smoothly as Magneto had expected. In fact, it was turning into a real mess, and the reason was painfully obvious.
Not only was every officer equipped with a gun made of non-metallic materials, but on top of that, snipers hidden in distant buildings were aiming at him with rifles made of the same kind of metal-free material. They were waiting for even the tiniest opening.
Magneto could control magnetic fields. He could sense and manipulate metal. But when the weapons aimed at him were made of materials without any trace of metal or metallic elements, his advantage vanished.
His reaction speed, under those conditions, was barely better than any average human.
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