American Comics: Today's Big News

Harley Quinn wasn't unaware of it; she simply kept it hidden until now...

He could effortlessly pull off various yoga poses, and although Connors was clearly enjoying himself, he still tried his best to make his expression look like he was in pain in order to cooperate.

If circumstances allowed, Connors would have even liked to light a cigarette, pick up a glass of red wine, and savor the experience.

With nothing else to do, and seeing that it was getting closer to midnight, he decided to open the system.

[Today's Gossip: An Encounter with Cindy Mu'en]

[Submit or not?]

[Note: The task has been automatically submitted and the reward has been issued as the daily limit for both quantity and quality of gossip has been reached.]

After the "Laughing Man Incident" ends, the "Gossip System" rewards will be upgraded to level 2.

Are the rewards for watching the drama upgraded?

Connors was overjoyed and almost lost his composure, barely managing to maintain the pained expression on his face.

Today's gossip includes "Harley Quinn's black stockings," "Her encounter with Cindy Moon," the Joker's use of laughing gas to commit crimes, and the "Laughing Man Incident" involving the bombing of Williams Medical Center.

Aside from the first piece of gossip being rather unremarkable, the latter two can be considered "today's big gossip."

When it came down to it, Connors really couldn't decide which one to submit.

Fortunately, since the system has already submitted the request automatically, he doesn't need to put too much effort into it.

As for the system reward upgrade after the "Man Who Laughs" incident is over, he is not worried at all. Even if he doesn't upgrade, he plans to keep following Batman and the Joker.

"Is her tongue more flexible than mine?" Harley Quinn was still busy.

[Today's Gossip: An Encounter with Cindy Mu'en]

[Reward for watching the melon: Green of All Things (1%)]

"..."

At that moment, Connors suddenly regretted why he had rented this minimalist-style apartment.

The living room, kitchen, bedroom, dining room... now you can't even find a single plant.

He was no stranger to the "Green of All Things," as Poison Ivy and Swamp Thing in DC Comics possessed powers derived from this elemental force that could manipulate plants.

One percent of the green of all things was not enough for him to do something as spectacular as Poison Ivy manipulating plants to surround Gotham. Fortunately, through constant sensing, he discovered that there was a cactus in the yard of the house two generations away.

Growth, distortion...

By the time Harley Quinn was drinking the nutritional drink, the cactus had already been manipulated to grow to its limit.

"My control over plants is limited to a 100-meter radius centered on myself. I can't make a plant exceed its own limits. In other words, I can't make just any blade of grass grow into a deadly sword..."

After some experimentation, Connors considered the reward rather weak, deeming it a dubious honor.

However, the fact that a percentage was displayed meant that there was still room for improvement, which gave him some comfort.

This can be considered his first "superpower" in the strict sense that transcends human concepts. Connors remotely controlled the cactus to grow into various shapes until Harley Quinn was drenched in sweat and fell into a deep sleep.

In the house next to the one Connors rented, the male homeowner, who had gotten up in the middle of the night, walked out of his bedroom with bleary eyes and glanced at the living room on his way to the bathroom.

Then, with trembling legs, she cautiously retreated into the bedroom, slamming the door shut, and took out her phone:

"Feed? Gotham City Police Department? I need to call the police... Batman is sitting on my windowsill, I'm not kidding!"

The Gotham Police Department was indeed efficient; the piercing sirens blared quickly, but a figure arrived even before the sirens sounded.

After receiving news from Captain Gordon that "someone is impersonating Batman and has climbed out of the window of the nineteenth floor," Batman immediately put down his work analyzing the blood of the bodies that died during the day.

When he arrived at the scene, he discovered that the one impersonating him was not human at all, but a cactus that had broken the flowerpot. It had grown into the shape of a pair of pointed ears on its head under the influence of an unknown force.

[Today's Gossip: Batman's Surprise]

[Submit or not?]

Harley Quinn had already loosened the ropes binding Connors, and he was now standing by the window, smoking a cigarette. Whether Batman was surprised or not, he didn't know, but he was certainly quite surprised.

What had he done this time to leave Lord Wayne in such a daze?

He quickly understood.

Outside the window on the nineteenth floor, a huge shadow drifted by—it was Batman.

As Batman passed Connors' window, he instinctively turned his head and was shocked to see Connors standing naked by the window, smoking a cigarette after sex.

I turned my neighbor's cactus into the shape of Batman, and he had to come over in the middle of the night to check on it...

Connors was somewhat amused and exasperated. He drew the curtains, blocking Batman's view.

Outside the window, Bruce Wayne glanced suspiciously at the window with its curtains drawn, then at the house with the abnormally changing cactus, wondering for a moment if there was any connection between the two.

However, he was only halfway through his experiment and time was of the essence, so he couldn't afford to waste any more time.

……

Since he wasn't too tired last night, Connors got up early this morning and sat in the living room watching the morning news while waiting for Harley Quinn to wake up.

"...All the escaped patients were brought to justice through the Gotham Police Department's tireless manhunt, but the whereabouts of the escaped prisoners, led by the Joker, at Arkham Asylum remain unknown..."

On television, a poised and elegant presenter stood not far from Arkham Asylum, holding a microphone and speaking.

"Construction workers have already started remodeling it... cough cough!"

"Sorry... cough!"

"Cough cough cough!...Hehe, hehehe..."

The host coughed incessantly on television, right under the noses of the Gotham citizens, until he was bent over from coughing.

When she stood up again, her face was covered with an unnatural paleness, her eyes were bulging out of their sockets, and her mouth was stretched into an exaggerated angle.

Although her trembling body and the way she pressed her hand to her chest showed that she was in great pain, she had a strange smile on her face, like a monster that had stepped out of a horror movie.

Behind her, a similarly pale hand touched the host's shoulder, then pushed her away, letting her fall straight down.

What appeared on the screen at that moment was a clown with a purple suit, green hair, a pale face, and an exaggerated smile!

"Get to Gotham as early as possible!"

Click!

The sound of a bullet being chambered rang out behind Connors. Harley Quinn had gotten up sometime earlier and was holding a machine gun in both hands.

With a bang, the bullet struck the clown in the center of his forehead on screen, then the television crackled twice before turning into a complete wreck.

……

Cindy Moon, nicknamed "The Spider Silk," swiftly unplugged the power cord the instant the Joker appeared on the television.

She hadn't slept a wink last night; her powerful spider-sense allowed her to clearly sense how much Connors had enjoyed himself last night, even though she was halfway across the city.

The night was filled with unbearable torment for her, and she felt resentful at the same time.

Cindy threw the bed sheet, which was soaked in the middle, into the basin, quickly put on her battle suit, and headed straight for Connors' location.