American comics: Praising the sun, starting from Gotham!

The greenhouse is right in front of us.

Before Xiu En could even push open the door, a scream and laughter came from inside.

The scene made Xiu En, who had just mentally prepared himself, gasp in shock.

A giant, mutated Venus flytrap occupied the center of the greenhouse; its leaves could not only open and close, but also had sticky serrations inside.

Three or four dirty children were sliding down the purplish-red veins of the leaf. Every time the Venus flytrap was about to close up and "swallow" the plant, they would let out an extremely exciting cheer, and they would roll out just a second before the serrated edges closed.

If one is not careful, this will no longer be a game, but a buffet for that plant.

"Wow, I knew kids these days don't like playing on their phones."

Xiu En shouted loudly.

He lifted his foot and stomped heavily on the floor, then suddenly raised the pile of fried chicken boxes in his hand high.

The children who were playing with their lives stopped abruptly. The Venus flytrap bit into the air in confusion, making a sickeningly loud snapping sound, but no one paid it any attention.

Five pairs... no, more than a dozen pairs of small, green eyes stared intently at the bag in Xiu En's hand.

"I heard that the buffet here is out of stock, so I delivered a takeout order."

Xiu En placed a large box of golden-brown, crispy fried chicken legs directly on a relatively clean rock, and even thoughtfully helped to completely tear open the lid.

"Everyone gets a share, and anyone who tries to take it is a little dog. Oh, and they also have those molten chocolate cakes here; I think you'll definitely prefer those."

No second greeting is needed.

The craving for delicious food overwhelmed all vigilance.

The group of wild children, who usually relied on stolen cookies and strange fruits from the greenhouse to fill their stomachs, immediately surrounded Xiu En.

Even the fiercest wolf cub in the room was now clutching two chicken legs, its mouth full of breadcrumbs, emitting satisfied whimpers.

Several thick, thorny vines silently crawled along the ground to Xiu En's feet, but instead of attacking immediately, they hesitated and circled around his trench coat.

"You still remember coming here? Were you planning to shine?"

Ivy's voice came from behind the giant Venus flytrap.

She wore a simple armor woven from fresh broad leaves and withered vines, and held a stone mortar in her hands for grinding herbs.

Despite the accusatory tone in her voice, her tense shoulders relaxed slightly as she watched the children wolfing down their food.

"These high-sugar, high-fat foods can disrupt their metabolism."

"I bet five cents they'd rather have fatty liver than starve to death or suffer from stunted growth due to malnutrition."

Xiu En shrugged, naturally avoiding the vines under his feet, and pulled out a beautifully packaged little box from his pocket.

"These are sugar-free oatmeal cookies favored by the so-called upper class. They don't have that greasy taste, and you can treat them as a plant fiber supplement."

He tossed the box over from a distance.

Ivy took the box, but didn't open it; she just stared at him coldly.

"Why are you being so attentive? Is that bat trying to get you here for something? Maybe to install a GPS tracker again?"

"On the contrary, he wanted to remove the locator, I mean, to break free from that terrible surveillance logic."

Xiu En walked over to the Venus flytrap that looked a little wilted and poked its leaves.

"His newly built house is short of residents. You should have seen it too; I went to take a look before, and it's decorated like a palace. It has 24-hour heating, a private bathroom, and no potted plants that will eat you in the middle of the night."

Xiu En pointed to a pale little girl in the corner who was clearly coughing, where damp mold was eroding her respiratory tract.

"This isn't a good place to heal injuries or recover from illness, Ivy. You can use this place to cultivate your Deadly Garden, but human cubs are too delicate. That little girl who's coughing so hard she's practically spitting out her lungs will have to go to the other world to grow flowers if she stays here for another three days."

Ivy followed Xiu En's finger and looked in that direction.

The little girl was eating a piece of cake in small bites, but her haste caused her to cough violently again, yet she still couldn't bear to put the food down.

A clear look of regret and struggle flashed in her eyes.

"That's Wayne's territory."

Ivy said softly, her fingers unconsciously stroking the cookie box.

"I told you who he is before. He's the most insane mental patient in the city. Sending the kids in is like sending them hostage. Even you can't guarantee that he won't suddenly have a brain fart and use these kids for some so-called social experiment."

"It's impossible to guarantee."

Xiu En didn't make empty promises; instead, he nodded generously.

"But he definitely wouldn't dare! Because the person in charge of that house now!"

"It's you!"

"If you really move in, you'll not only be the gardener, but also the queen. As long as you're there, even Batman will have to knock before he can get in, won't he?"

He took a few steps closer, lowered his voice, and spoke with a hint of seduction:

"More importantly, there's a top-notch botanical garden there. All those rare plants that haven't even fully grown would probably die within a month if they weren't being looked after by someone knowledgeable. What a pity."

Ivy remained silent.

She glanced at the greenhouse roof, where rainwater was dripping down the cracks, and then at the children who were eating with greasy mouths but wearing thin clothes.

Ivy suddenly threw the box of sugar-free cookies back.

"Forget about the cookies, in that area... do the kids even have fried chicken to eat?"

Xiu En caught the cookie box, grinned, and the halo above his head instantly transformed into a checkmark indicating "Plan is on track".

"Not only fried chicken, but also Kobe beef! Let that sucker foot the bill."

Ivy thought for a moment, then moved closer to Xiu En.

Her fingers pinched the third button of Xiu En's trench coat, and with a slight pressure from her fingertips, a crisp sound was heard as the impeccable button turned into a pile of plastic powder and remnants of micro-circuits.

"You know he's spying on you again?"

She casually brushed the debris off her hands, her tone as indifferent as if she were pruning dead branches from a potted plant.

"That control freak used the latest model of bugging device to monitor you. If I were you, I'd better check if the soap is solid when I take a shower."

"It's okay, I have the freedom to dress as I please. If he has that peeping fetish, I can't stop him."

Xiu En casually pulled his trench coat tighter around himself.

"Besides, it's just a matter of attitude. If he's willing to pay me, I'm even willing to write him a daily itinerary report."

"Okay, okay, whatever makes you happy."

Ivy shook her head and began to tell the children to pack their things. She asked a few of the children to call the others who were still wandering around outside, because everyone was going to a new home.