Chapter 863: Death Threat

"Pant... pant..."

Heavy panting echoed through a simple home gym. A dark-haired young man in his twenties turned off the treadmill, picked up a large white towel, and wiped away his sweat as he walked out of the room.

He bypassed the modest living room, opened his study door, and walked inside.

A long wooden desk sat against the wall. Hanging directly behind it was a massive framed picture of a figure in exaggerated clown makeup, its large red mouth looking as if it could drip blood.

Standing quietly in front of the desk, the young man—James Holmes—stared blankly at the Joker. This was his favorite movie character. He loved the villain's reckless abandon, and he loved the chaos he created even more. This was his faith!

On the desk beneath the frame lay the tools capable of creating that chaos—firearms, ammunition, and bombs!

From dropping out of school to unemployment, all the way to the present, James Holmes had had enough of this society. Chaos was his only pursuit.

He was born and raised in the City of San Diego, California, one of the most densely populated areas in America, near the border with Mexico.

Although California boasted a highly developed entertainment industry hub like Hollywood, the state had fallen into an unemployment panic ever since Arnold Schwarzenegger took office as governor in 2003.

James Holmes had a brilliant mind. He had always excelled academically as an honors student, and his teachers at Westview High School had described him as a "silent but absolutely superhumanly intelligent" student.

After graduating from high school, James Holmes enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles to study neuroscience. Upon earning his bachelor's degree, he immediately pursued a master's.

However, after graduation, this genius—who neuroscience professors claimed "could bring a breakthrough to American neuroscience"—helplessly became just another member of California's army of the unemployed. Having nothing to do for nearly a year caused James Holmes, who had always possessed stellar grades in school, to stop leaving the house to look for work. Instead, he spent his time "sulking at home every day."

The only things that kept James Holmes company were movies.

When he saw the Joker in The Dark Knight, this top neuroscience graduate experienced a sudden epiphany, instantly finding his spiritual faith and life's pursuit.

But to realize such a pursuit, money was indispensable.

Without money, sending a city into a panic like his idol was impossible. Deeply distressed by this, James Holmes resorted to getting drunk at a bar every day, becoming a famous drunkard on his Los Angeles street.

Perhaps out of sheer luck, while returning from the bar heavily intoxicated one day, James Holmes passed out on the side of the road and caught the eye of a certain private investigator. After a period of necessary observation, the man struck a deal with him.

Thinking of that deal, James Holmes admired himself for being a natural-born criminal genius. Under the meticulous planning and execution of his high IQ, to this day, no one had discovered that Vin Diesel's fatal car crash was not an accident at all!

The accident triggered a massive sensation, bringing James Holmes a degree of psychological satisfaction and further convincing him that he naturally possessed all the conditions to become the Joker. The incident simultaneously brought him a massive financial payout. Yet in the face of such enormous wealth, a widely accepted accident could no longer satisfy his psychological needs.

He needed to create even greater chaos. Ideally, just like the Joker, he would plunge the entire city into panic.

With money, a person could do so many things in this country. A year ago, James Holmes joined a firearms and military enthusiast club, where he learned shooting and standard tactical movements.

Through illegal online channels, James Holmes also purchased roughly 6,000 rounds of ammunition, half of which were Glock pistol rounds, along with over 300 highly destructive shotgun shells.

After acquiring these bullets online, the chemistry-savvy James Holmes manufactured an array of "unimaginably complex" series bombs at home. These explosives densely lined the walls and ceiling of his bedroom. Later, he purchased smoke grenades, riot shields, black bulletproof vests, knee pads, neck guards, wristbands, and other equipment. Combined with the Colt AR-15 carbine he already owned, he had practically turned his home into a miniature armory.

Picking up an AR-15 Assault Rifle, James Holmes skillfully dismantled and maintained it. He was fully prepared now. He only needed the right opportunity, and he could throw the whole city into a panic, just like the Joker.

What constituted the right opportunity?

James Holmes turned on the television. Before long, a promotional advertisement for a movie appeared.

"In less than ten days, the most monumental film of the 2012 summer season, The Dark Knight Rises, will premiere in North America."

"Looking back at the previous two works in the series: Batman Begins chronicled Batman's unfortunate childhood and traumatized youth, providing a realistic and believable origin for the birth of this superhero; The Dark Knight distilled the darkness and light of humanity from a thrilling clash between good and evil, pushing comic book movies to a new pinnacle, revered by countless moviegoers as a timeless classic."

"Now, Duke Rosenberg, already elevated to god-tier status by diehard fans, strikes again to draw the entire trilogy to an epic, magnificent conclusion. It is no wonder that fans are eagerly awaiting The Dark Knight Rises."

"Rarely does a film garner this much attention prior to its release quite like The Dark Knight Rises. The moment its trailer dropped, it shattered download records. Presale tickets were violently snatched up, and even the film's runtime became a topic of hype. General audiences have been infected by the passion of the 'Bat-fans' and 'Duke fans,' tracking down every clue leaked about the film together. Every prop, every photograph, and every minor detail of the trailers can spark endless speculation and imagination regarding the plot's direction and the characters' fates."

"In the story of The Dark Knight Rises, Batman will face an unprecedented situation of despair. He will be severely injured, isolated without help, and even imprisoned. An evil leader of supreme intellect and physical prowess has taken control of the board. Riot, destruction, and ruin spread into every corner of Gotham City. But ultimately, the Dark Knight will rise again, and the forces of evil will be punished. The trilogy will conclude with a soul-stirring climactic battle that marks both the end of a legendary series and the bridge to a bright new beginning."

"Is your blood already boiling? Can you no longer wait to see The Dark Knight Rises?"

By the time he saw this, James Holmes had already finished assembling the AR-15 Assault Rifle in his hands. He raised the muzzle and pulled the trigger, producing the click of a dry fire...

He had found the best opportunity!

As May approached, Warner Brothers held the first full-length test screening for The Dark Knight Rises, and the media subsequently began their frantic praise of the film.

"The film's pacing is tight, and its plot is intricate, rapidly plunging the live audience into the dark Gotham City. Over 80 minutes of IMAX footage, alongside an abundance of action and explosion scenes, construct a majestic epic atmosphere. Furthermore, the twists and turns of Batman's fate, along with the story's echoing and interlocking with the previous two installments, allow The Dark Knight Rises to bring the Batman prequel trilogy to a profound, magnificent close."

The New York Times used extensive, back-to-back coverage to solemnly recommend this film to all of America.

"Duke Rosenberg utilized IMAX Cameras to shoot 89 minutes of IMAX footage in the film, displaying a massive number of fight and explosion scenes. The IMAX screen delivers not only larger images but also endows the movie with a magnificent grandeur that transcends other superhero films."

"In The Dark Knight Rises, a 'massive army battle' rarely seen in superhero films takes place. Thousands of individuals from the forces of good and evil clash head-on, and Gotham City is engulfed in the bloody flames of war. Furthermore, Batman's new vehicle—the Batwing—makes a spectacular appearance in the movie. This aircraft is 9 meters long, with its design inspiration partly drawn from the famous Apache attack helicopter and the Harrier jump jet. The jet can take off and land vertically, and it proves extremely agile as it weaves between skyscrapers. The few aerial flight scenes leave a deep impression."

"This film gathers a multitude of powerhouse actors. Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, and Michael Caine go without saying, while newcomers Gal Gadot, Sienna Miller, Margot Robbie, and James Franco all deliver solid performances. As the most critical villain, Bane, played by Dwayne Johnson, is worthy of praise, even if he is not as unforgettable as the Joker played by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight."

"Overall, every actor in the film performs above standard. If the ensemble cast of The Avengers represents a 'horizontal expansion' from one superhero to another, then the ensemble cast of The Dark Knight Rises represents a 'vertical expansion' from the superhero to the ordinary police officers, and even to the common citizens."

A week before the film's release, the promotional marketing for The Dark Knight Rises entered its most frantic phase. Across newspapers, magazines, television, radio, the internet, and outdoor advertising platforms, news related to the film could be seen everywhere. They exhausted every method to pique the public's interest and entice people into pre-ordering tickets or walking into the theaters to buy them when the time came.

Neither Warner Brothers nor Duke were foolish enough to assume this film would naturally attract moviegoers and thereby relax their promotional assault; instead, they adopted an incredibly aggressive strategy.

The Dark Knight Rises would premiere on May 4th in North America and across nearly a hundred countries and regions worldwide. The promotional marketing spread outward from North America, rapidly expanding into every market where the film would be screened.

However, unexpected situations always arise. Right as they crossed into May, Duke received an email in his publicly listed inbox that resembled a "death threat."