American comics: Praising the sun, starting from Gotham!

On the maintenance platform in the bat cave, the flames of battle on the main monitoring screen almost burned through the image.

Bruce slid straight into the driver's seat of the Batmobile.

This is a heavily modified version specially tuned to handle Gotham's terrible roads, not that magical broom that can fly in the sky.

"I'm going to see what surprise the Riddler has prepared for me, and while I'm at it, I'll teach Falcone what 'knowing when to stop' means."

Batman's voice came through the car's external speakers, carrying the irritability of someone who had just finished working overtime and was about to attend a parent-teacher conference.

"Shuen, don't cause me any trouble, especially don't bring that one-eyed guy out."

"That's a real shame. I was also wondering if Mr. Wilson's armor was sold by weight."

Shuen leaned against the railing and waved at the roaring taillights of the Batmobile as it sped away.

"But since someone's gone to save the world, it's reasonable for me to visit the orphanage, right?"

Deathstroke stood in the shadows with his arms crossed, the mere orange reflection making the air feel several degrees colder: "If you can afford it, I don't mind sending you to hell, or anywhere you want to go, by road only, of course."

"Never mind, I have more faith in Afu's driving skills."

The journey to the East District was far from peaceful, with traffic jams caused by the Riddler's crazy fans everywhere.

But Alfred's specially bulletproof black Bentley always managed to pass through the burning firebreak at an elegant and incredible angle.

"It seems Miss Ivy has taken very good care of the orphanage, or rather, she's been too good at protecting it."

The old butler turned the steering wheel, ignoring the thugs outside who were trying to knock on the windows, and didn't even glance at the rearview mirror.

"This week, Martha's Home has become the only oasis in Gotham's East Side. Even the most lawless gangs don't dare to come within 500 meters of it. The last person who tried to set fire to it still hasn't gotten rid of the cactus in his ass."

"She sounds like she's been very irritable lately."

Xiu En touched the sunflower on his shoulder that had been pretending to be dead. Ever since returning to this world, the thing had been in a state of both excitement and timidity.

"I hope she won't hold me responsible for this."

The gates of Martha Wayne Memorial Home remain open, its concrete walls now completely covered by dense brambles and vines, making it look like a dragon's castle straight out of a fairy tale.

The courtyard lacked the usual Gotham-like deathly stillness.

Under the enormous oak tree that was beginning to block out the sun, a group of children in newly issued uniforms were gathered around something.

Jenny, the little girl with special eyesight, is feeding a squirrel nuts.

The green figure stood on the steps, holding a basin of strange herbs of unknown origin.

Her red, wavy hair was casually tied back.

Pamela Ivy.

She looked up, her eyes piercing through the noisy crowd and the murky air, locking onto the figure who was getting out of the car.

There was no warning whatsoever.

Before Xiu En could even come up with a cool opening line, he didn't even have time to do it.

The sunflower that had been clinging to his shoulder as a pendant uprooted itself and transformed into a streak of emerald green light that crashed into Ivy's chest.

Ivy's body swayed suddenly, and the flowerpot slipped from her hand.

Almost instinctively, Xiu En dodged and caught the flowerpot, while simultaneously supporting Ivy with his other hand.

A vast stream of memories, an absurd journey through another world, the oppression of Bane, Jason's dual pistols, and even the heartbreak at the end when he misunderstands Serena from that world.

All of this overlapped in an instant and flooded my brain.

Ivy's pupils contracted sharply, and her facial expression changed three colors in a second.

First came confusion, then shame and indignation from the shared memories; the blush on her cheeks even spread to her ears, finally settling into an angry glare.

"you……"

Her fingertips trembled as she pinched a vine that had appeared out of nowhere.

"I sent you to follow Bruce's treatment plan, not to cosplay as the sun god or become some kind of fever patch!"

Despite saying that, the already uncontrollable vines honestly wrapped around it, like a hug to confirm its existence, or to check if the paint on the tin can was chipped.

"But I brought you back, didn't I?"

Xiu En shoved the flowerpot that had almost shattered back into her hands.

Ivy bit her lip.

"Next time... if there's a next time, I want to buy a standing ticket."

Xiu En simply stretched, letting the surging golden energy within his body slowly overflow through his open pores.

In that instant, the orphanage, which had appeared gloomy due to the heavy gloom of Gotham, seemed to have its filter lifted by an unseen hand.

It's not glaring, nor does it have that aggressive brightness designed to blind the enemy.

It carried a slight warmth, like a soft veil, covering every leaf, every brick, and the face of every child with their head tilted back and mouth agape.

"Light?"

Jenny even forgot to blink, feeling as if she had returned to her mother's arms.

Ivy's plants were the first to react.

If the plants were growing wildly due to Ivy's natural power, exhibiting a savage and aggressive nature, then now they are more like enjoying a top-notch spa treatment.

The vines stretched out their curls, and the originally dark green gradually became translucent, with even a faint golden light flowing through the veins of the leaves.

The spikes that were created for defense are still sharp, but no longer menacing; they have even blossomed with countless tiny flowers.

"The light... is perfect."

Ivy squinted and reached out a hand to touch the light particles in the air that seemed to have materialized.

She could clearly sense that something fundamental was happening to the land beneath her feet. It wasn't just about sunlight; it was as if the plants were being injected with high-purity adrenaline.

"You've changed so much again with this level of energy purity."

She felt the swelling and pain quickly dissipate into a comfortable warmth after returning to her body.

As Xiu En watched this scene, the ancient instinct within him, the one called Shao Hao, was greatly satisfied by this gift.

The five years of lifespan were not given away for nothing; the fifty percent progress in achieving the Golden Body allowed him to spontaneously become a mobile source of life.

"Don't look at me with such adoration. This is... well, the residual heat from periodically cleaning up memory."

Xiu En ruffled the hair of a chubby little boy next to him. Although it felt a bit metallic, the warmth it transmitted was real.

The spots of light in the sky gathered into several golden birds of light, flapping their wings and flying around the screaming and cheering children.

Outside the welfare home's walls, the streets remained chaotic, filled with wailing sirens and the smoke of burning gunpowder.

But inside the walls, it was strangely harmonious, as if it were another dimension.

Old Afu took a retro camera out of the trunk, silently pressed the shutter, and captured the image of the radiant young man surrounded by a group of children and flowering thorns.

In the photo, even those menacing defensive plants look like they are worshipping.

Ivy muttered something under her breath, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips. She gently waved her fingers, making a vine that had just bloomed with small white flowers weave into a wreath. Then, when Xiu En wasn't paying attention, she manipulated the vine to put it on the shiny light bulb head.

Xiu En didn't dodge; instead, he struck a pose that looked sacred but was actually quite pretentious, while wearing a flower wreath.

"Remember to send this photo to Bruce and tell him that if he doesn't take me next time, I'll take all these flowers and plants to camp on the top floor of Wayne Tower."

Afu smiled as he put away his camera, mentally labeling the photo: "Light, Flowers, and Hope".

"I think the young master will be very happy to see this photo."