American comics: Praising the sun, starting from Gotham!

In a small shop in Queens, two black suitcases filled with five million old bills were pushed into the center of a greasy makeshift table like two uninvited guests.

Parker still had half of what was touted as the best pickle sandwich in all of New York stuffed in his mouth, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster hoarding food, but his eyes were so clear they were almost unfair.

"Sir, I really can't accept this money. It's too much, and I haven't done anything wrong."

The boy swallowed the food in his mouth with force, although his gaze lingered on the box for a second.

It was an instinctive desire for rent, but he still pulled his hand back and vigorously wiped it on his jeans.

"I'm perfectly capable. I can earn some money selling photos at the Daily Bugle, and I can even deliver pizzas occasionally. You should use that money for those who need it more! Like, an orphanage? Or refugees whose homes were destroyed by S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

He spoke with such conviction that he completely forgot that not long ago he had almost cried in the alley because he couldn't afford next month's rent.

Xiu En held the half-eaten baguette that the shopkeeper had shakily handed over in his hand, and with a snap, he bit off a large piece.

Looking at this foolish young man who wouldn't even give up five million for the sake of so-called principles, he felt that this was the complete opposite of the crazy people in Gotham who would risk their lives for five dollars.

"Have you gone stupid from studying too much?"

Ivy, the sunflower on her shoulder, also covered her flower head with a leaf, as if she couldn't bear to watch this display of high-quality human morality.

"The money S.H.I.E.L.D. received was ill-gotten gains confiscated anyway. Just take it; stop arguing. Besides, do you really think those organizations will use the money effectively?"

Shuen chewed his bread, completely baffled by Peter's behavior of spitting out the fat meat that was about to be eaten.

Bruce, who had been sitting silently to the side, leaned forward slightly at this moment.

His eyes revealed undisguised admiration.

In this materialistic world where everyone wears a mask, this almost foolish integrity is more precious than anything else.

He reached out and placed his hand on the lid of the box.

"Since you have concerns, let's try another approach."

Bruce's voice was steady and powerful.

"I will take back these funds. But I have a new proposal."

"I've seen your equipment. The design of those web-shooters and suits is very clever, but they lack funding and the materials are too poor."

Bruce pointed to Peter's bulging backpack, from which a corner of his battle suit was peeking out.

"I plan to register an investment company in New York, well, this New York. Although I don't have identification right now, five million dollars is enough as seed money, and I can even get it up and running quickly under the name of some shell company."

He turned to look at Shuen, who glanced at Bruce with a blank expression, clearly giving up on thinking. Then Bruce looked back at Peter.

"We need a special technical advisor who is familiar with the local situation, quick-witted, and ethically reliable. This advisor will be responsible for preliminary site surveys and providing technical support for future special projects."

Peter blinked, his brain seemingly going blank for a moment.

"Wait, you mean you want to hire me? But I'm still in high school, so I can only work part-time."

"Part-time work is enough. Since you're contributing your skills as equity, we can offer a Parker Scholarship as compensation, through legal channels, including taxes and insurance, and we can even reimburse Aunt May's medical expenses."

Bruce made empty promises.

"Moreover, as your only partner in this world, this future branch of Wayne Enterprises will provide you with the highest level of laboratory access."

"laboratory?"

Upon hearing the word, Peter's eyes instantly lit up even more than when he had seen the money.

"Can it reach Stark's industrial standards?!"

"Trust me, child."

Xiu En smiled happily.

"He can do it!"

"Alright, we'll discuss the contract details later."

Bruce looked at the boy in front of him, who was still worried about the cost of a meal even though he had a huge sum of money.

"Now, as your future boss, my first order is to take the packed sandwiches and go home to keep your aunt company."

The boy paused for a moment, then nodded heavily, grabbed the sandwich bag, and retreated towards the door.

"Thank you! Really! Mr. Wayne, and Mr. Sun!"

"Just call me Xiu En, whatever you want to call me."

Xiu En waved his hand.

"Let's go, or the sandwich will get cold and taste worse."

As the wooden door of the sandwich shop, adorned with wind chimes, was pushed open and then closed again, Parker's figure quickly disappeared around the corner of a Queens afternoon street.

He tried to make himself look like an ordinary, happy high school student.

Although his almost flying footsteps betrayed him.

"Tsk, what an energetic kid."

Xiu En broke off a piece from the baguette and crushed it into powder with his fingertips.

Sunflower Ivy swayed on his shoulder and said.

"What? When did our Dark Knight become so kind-hearted? This doesn't seem like the Batman who would break the bones of every criminal in Gotham."

"Five million US dollars, without batting an eye. Even I can see that the return on investment is less than buying that one-eyed man's lottery ticket."

Bruce looked away and turned around.

"He's a good boy."

Instead of making excuses for Xiu En, he chose the most straightforward reason.

"After my last visit here, I read a lot of Marvel comics and saw some records about this world."

Bruce pointed to his head, as if images from the comics known as Spider-Man were flashing through his mind.

Those stories about Ben Parker's death, Gwen's fall, and the pain of growing through countless losses.

"If left unchecked, this child's life will be an epic tale of regret and loss. That's great, but I don't like that kind of script."

He walked to the table and looked at the empty seat, as if he could still see the boy who chose not to eat meat to save a few dollars.

"As Alfred always said, if we have the ability to change certain obvious tragedies, why not?"

Bruce's voice conveyed a determination to crush fate, the playwright of destiny, into the ground.

"Even if Wayne Enterprises is just an empty shell in this world, it's enough to protect a high school student who wants to do good. At least, I want him to never have to worry about a sandwich or a suit of armor again."

At this point, he revealed a rare smile, a smile that belonged only to Bruce.

"American Comics: Praise the Sun Starting in Gotham!": Explosive word-of-mouth and rave reviews!

"Moreover, being able to help a child full of hope is the best reward in itself. It brings more joy than any other benefit."

After paying their bill, the two flew to the rooftop to sunbathe.

Bruce had his hands behind his back.

In his mental palace, the blueprint for the new company, Wayne Parker Technology, is being built at a rate of hundreds of terms per second.

From equity allocation to public relations strategies targeting S.H.I.E.L.D., to how to use the five million in seed money to snowball in a world where the technology tree has gone astray.

If nothing unexpected happens, this clone will be very busy for a long time to come.

"Ah, the air here is only slightly better than in Gotham; it's all car exhaust and the smell of anxiety."

Xiu En sat listlessly on the water tank on the rooftop, his legs dangling in the air.

He is now unconsciously poking holes in the tank wall with his index finger, as if he were poking a piece of tofu.

Seeing that Bruce's clone was as silent as the original, Xiu En didn't want to bother him anymore; once the novelty wore off, all that remained was boredom.

There are no foolish criminals to physically exorcise for him, no strange metals to grind his teeth on, and even the sun here, after being exposed to it for a long time, just gets the same smell.

"I'm so bored."

He yawned, and the aura that was powerful enough to melt gold and iron caused the surrounding air to distort for a moment.

"Come on, you just want to find something to destroy or something to eat."

On his shoulder, Sunflower Ivy rudely undermined him.

Her large leaf was now trying to cover her flower head like a parasol.

"The plants here all look withered from being overexploited by capital, and even that little spider isn't very interesting. I want to go back, or find somewhere else. In short, don't make me stare at this pile of concrete boxes anymore."

Bruce turned around, looked at the person and the flower with expressions that said, "If you don't find some fun, we'll demolish it ourselves," and chuckled softly, a rare occurrence for him.

"Since you're bored, let's stop here. Don't force yourself to keep me company."

He pointed to his brain, which was constantly receiving massive amounts of information from another world.

"Next, I need to handle some legal documents and register a company. These tedious business procedures are clearly not suitable for you, Xiu En."

Bruce knew it was unrealistic to keep Shuen at the negotiating table.

"My clone will stay here to manage operations, while my main body has more important things to do over there."

"Alright, this sounds like a headache. Now that the feeding here is finished, I won't interfere with the boss's grand business plans."

Without a second thought, Shum jumped off the water tank, intensifying Bruce's golden glow.

The golden divine power enveloping Bruce's spirit will not dissipate for the time being. Instead, as if programmed, it adheres more subtly to the patterns on Batman's armor, becoming a long-term protection for this side of the world.

"Let's go, Ivy. Since you don't like this place, let's go back and see if those S.H.I.E.L.D. agents have fixed the deck? Or maybe we can just find a higher spot to take a nap and soak up some sun."

The golden light vanished in an instant, and the dazzling figure flew into the air.

All that remained was a final, disparaging remark that drifted away with the wind.

"Remember to pay this clone of mine overtime. I want to pay with Afu's special cookies."

……

For an ordinary person, several days of sunbathing might be an invitation to skin cancer, but for Xiu En, a cross-dimensional spiritual projection, it was a genuine calcium-replenishing process.

The original golden phantom has now taken on a tangible golden texture.

He sat on the tip of the Empire State Building's lightning rod.

Indeed, he seems to have a certain obsession with the highest point in the city, perhaps because it is closer to the sun, or perhaps simply because he wants to look down on all living beings.

Shuen controlled the flowing light, creating a blurred golden outline on his trench coat.

He casually grabbed an innocent pigeon that was passing by, and then let it go. The pigeon simply passed through a warm, misty light, and, looking completely bewildered, turned into a golden pigeon and fluttered away.

"The smell hasn't changed; it's still that awful car exhaust smell."

Xiu En yawned, and the golden sound waves made the dust in the air startle.

At that moment, they were facing the giant LED screen in Times Square.

The video, which was playing a boring clip of a soda drink gone wrong, switched to a pre-recorded press conference with countless flashes of light.

A bearded man wearing sunglasses, with a seemingly nonchalant yet intensely enjoyable demeanor, uttered a line destined to be etched in history to the world:

"I am Iron Man."

The camera focuses on Iron Man's face, followed by an emergency close-up of his armor. The streamlined alloy shell gleams in the sunlight, and the arc reactor on his chest emits a deep blue hue.

In Xiu En's eyes, it was a high-class metallic cookie sprinkled with blue icing.

Xiu En pointed to the steel figure on the screen being surrounded by reporters, then turned to look at the equally golden sunflower on his shoulder.

Due to the energy resonance, Ivy's outfit has completely turned into a gold color scheme these past few days, making her look like a pure gold ornament unearthed from somewhere.

"Look at this, Ivy. I thought it was some unwanted tin can, but it turns out to be such a... crunchy little snack."

Xiu En's gaze fell on the joints of the MARK armor.

"The purity of this alloy is even higher than that wrecked ship that S.H.I.E.L.D. is flying in the sky. And this kid really knows how to package himself like a gift."

Ivy lazily stretched out her leaves, expressing her disdain for the cheering crowd and the mechanically beautiful armor on the screen.

"He reeks of arrogance, just like those guys in Gotham who try to bulldoze the park."

She paused, the flowerpot seemingly also staring at the glowing ring on Tony's chest, then glanced at Xiu En.

"That glowing little thing is interesting, but if it's the kind of high-energy reaction you're looking for, I can barely tolerate being near it for five minutes."

"Five minutes? That's enough time for us to sample, well, pay a visit to the landlord."

Shuen stood up, stretched, and the light traversed countless blocks, locking onto Stark Tower.

"Although Bruce's clone is busy registering shell companies and has no time for us, as a partner, I feel it's necessary for me to test Mr. Stark's resilience, or rather, his ability to withstand pressure."

Xiu En even deliberately made the light mimic a wisp of crimson-gold divine fire, which exploded beneath his feet and flew past.

"Let's go, Little Flower. Let's go give this Iron Man, who's made himself a target, a warm greeting from another world."