From Gotham to Night City, my infamy is known to all.

He slowly approached, bringing his nose close to V's body, which was beginning to crack as his fist began to pop, and sniffed carefully.

"Do you want to get beaten up?" V threatened.

Leo, however, sensed her underlying ferocity, and he seemed to know what that meant.

It smells like hormones!

It seems V is also feeling quite stifled...

He hesitated, then extended his right hand, index and middle fingers together, and held it up in front of V: ​​"Do you need my help? This is my way of repaying a debt of gratitude... Aww—!"

"I was wrong! I was wrong! Please spare me, heroine! My finger is broken! My finger is going to break!!"

In just over ten seconds, Leo's two fingers were almost crushed by V, and they were still throbbing with pain after being released.

V's pretty face turned bright red with anger, and she suddenly stood up.

"You're either touching me inappropriately or saying such annoying things. I'm not going to stay with you anymore. I'm going to take a shower..."

"Wait, wait a minute."

Leo quickly stopped her, took out several bottles of mineral water from his spatial storage, and said in a friendly manner, "The TV just said that the water source in Night City isn't very clean. You can use this water. I remember the water heater in the bathroom has a manual water-changing function."

"Using drinking water to bathe...isn't that too extravagant?"

"It's alright, this water costs a few euros a barrel, use it as much as you want!"

Leo waved generously and offered to help her carry the water back to the small room.

He was then kicked out by V, who disagreed with the idea of ​​"saving water and showering together".

"Alas...the revolution is not yet complete, comrades must continue to strive..."

Leo strolled to the window and looked out. The pedestrians on the street were dressed in strange and flamboyant clothes, but he felt that something was missing.

what is it then……

His gaze swept over the street, pedestrians, and buildings again and again... Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he realized what was missing here—greenery, or rather, plants.

The greenery in Night City is really terrible; no wonder my eyes get tired after looking out for a while...

First Glimpse of Talent: Chapter 160 Is There Something Wrong with Environmental Protection in a Cyberpunk World?

As the sun began to set in the west, the chill of early spring permeated the breeze.

Leo was lost in his own thoughts, oblivious to the passage of time.

I don't know when,

A warm embrace enveloped him tightly, bringing his consciousness back to reality.

Looking down, he saw a pair of arms wrapped around his waist, and then V's delicate chin rested gently on his shoulder.

"What are you thinking? I didn't ask you to come along, so you don't have to stand here for over an hour, do you?"

Leo turned his gaze away from the distant street and slowly blinked: "More than an hour?"

"Yes, after I took a shower, I disassembled the gun according to the manual to familiarize myself with its structure, and also did some maintenance on it. When I came out, I saw you standing here motionless."

“Is that so…” Leo shook his head vigorously to clear his mind. “I’m thinking about something—the green of all things.”

"The green of all things? What is that?"

V tried hard to figure out this strange word, but couldn't find a clue.

Leo held her hand, stroking the skin on the back of her hand, and said softly, "That's a concept, a manifestation of all the elemental forces of plants in the universe. Like the red of all living beings and the black of decay, it's part of the elemental system."

The green of all things can give life and vitality to all plants, and by controlling plants, maintain the balance of nature.

The tenderness on V's face gradually faded. She understood each word individually, but when put together, she couldn't understand it at all. Her only thought was—what kind of nonsense is this?

"You should talk to Misty about this. She's really into all this metaphysics. Last time we were chatting in her shop, she was saying some weird stuff like 'hand-rubbed spiritual energy'..."

This time, Leo didn't blame her for her lack of intelligence, because this was a mysterious force from the DC universe, and it was perfectly normal for people from the cyberpunk world not to understand it.

"The green of all things is a mysterious natural force, which you can simply understand as magic."

"But magic doesn't exist at all..."

“It doesn’t exist here, but it does exist elsewhere,” Leo said thoughtfully. “I was thinking, it would be great if we could find a representative of the Green of All Things to help develop a plant that can improve the natural environment and purify water sources.”

V wanted to dismiss his wild ideas, but her intuition told her that he was serious about what he was saying.

Does magic really exist in this world...?

Leo's gaze drifted into the distance, where he could barely make out a patch of green at the end of the street. It was one of the few plants one could see along the streets of Night City—a palm tree.

The world's natural environment is deteriorating, and even though plants are in a much better situation than animals, they are still declining at a visible rate.

In a world like this, engaging in environmentalism and gradually gaining public attention from this starting point is definitely a relatively safe option.

He organized his thoughts and told his beloved girlfriend:

“V, didn’t I say I wanted to start a company? I’ve been thinking about it, and now most sectors are monopolized by large companies. If we were to compete head-on with them, the risks would be unbearably high. In that case, why not take a different approach and go into a field that no company has ventured into—environmental protection.”

"What the heck?" V tilted his head.

"Environmental protection, environmental protection, let the world be greener, and save the home on which humanity depends for survival!"

"..."

V touched his forehead worriedly; his temperature was normal.

"You're not suffering from heatstroke, are you? What nonsense are you spouting?" She started to pull on Leo's arm, dragging him backward. "Come sit on the sofa, I'll get you a glass of water."

Leo appreciated her kindness, but he knew he was perfectly sober.

To prove this, he probed his consciousness into the singularity space, searching for a certain item that had never been taken out.

After searching everywhere for a long time, he found a whole box of bottled honey in the corner where the ingredients were kept.

He hasn't removed the product label yet, and hasn't figured out how to explain its origin.

Now that V is practically tied to his chariot, it's time to give her a little shock with some otherworldly goods!

"V, use this to make tea. Remember to use warm water, as high temperatures will destroy the nutrients."

He shoved an amber-colored plastic jar into V's hand.

“This is…honey?” V fiddled with the jar. “I’ve heard of this. It’s said to be very expensive, and only people from the middle class and above can afford it.”

Leo shook his head: "This is natural honey, not synthetic."

"How is that possible? Bees are extinct... uh..."

V suddenly remembered the box of bizarre ingredients he had once taken out, which was almost entirely composed of extinct species.

It doesn't seem like such a big deal to take out real honey now... right?

In a daze, V brewed a pot of honey water and finally tasted the legendary honey—not sweet enough, but with a very pleasant aroma, like some kind of floral scent.

Leo took a few sips of water to moisten his throat and continued to express his thoughts.

V assumes he can actually produce that magical plant, but then raises another question: "Most of the world's arable land is now planted with ethanol-2 wheat, so the company won't give you land to grow plants."

This is indeed a problem, but Leo already has a solution:

"For my first choice of eco-friendly plants, I prefer aquatic algae, preferably the kind that is highly resistant to pollution and can purify or at least absorb harmful substances. Companies won't give up good land, but they won't be stingy with polluted rivers and lakes where even fish can't survive."

"Well...maybe. But can this really make money? Who would buy this kind of plant? Once you sell it, other companies can just cultivate it and it becomes their product, right?"

"That's right, so I'm going to open source it directly!"

"I will make the seeds and cultivation techniques of this plant publicly available online, so that companies and even people all over the world can easily obtain the seeds. This process may not make much money, but it will bring a lot of fame and help my company stand on the moral high ground."

"Then, we will raise funds from major companies and the general public under the guise of continuing to research new products, and perhaps we can also cooperate with other companies to enter the plant field together."

Leo's impromptu speech left the only audience member bewildered. V's brain was working at high speed, but soon it came to a standstill due to excessive computational demands.

"If you say it's okay, then it's okay..."

V gave up thinking, drank the expensive honey water in one gulp, and slowly stood up.

Since things have come to this... let's make dinner first.

Leo did not give up thinking even though the audience had disappeared; he felt that even if the plan failed, there would be no loss.

Moreover, he happened to know where to find collaborators who were knowledgeable in botany and possessed the power of greenery.

Poison Ivy!

He had checked on the supervillains' movements when he last went to Gotham and knew that this "extreme environmentalist" was being held in Arkham Asylum.

If he could get Batman's permission, he could access this top botanist...

First Glimpse of Talent: Chapter 161 Dead Man's Lotto × Dead Man's Super Lotto √

Time always flies when you're deep in thought.

When Leo came to his senses again, Sasha and Vera were already setting the table with bowls and chopsticks.

It's unclear when exactly, but the members of the Immortal Squad have developed a good habit of eating together.

He then remembered the promise made to him by Pure White... no, Saint Pure Gate, to give Sasha and Vera to him as well.

As soon as he thought about it, his gaze began to drift towards the two ladies.

Vera needs no introduction; she's a blonde, saintly version of V, radiating a maternal glow that makes you want to call her "Mom!" Her embrace must be incredibly warm!

Sasha is great too. She's a catgirl who loves cat-themed things. We'll give her a pair of cat ears, pin her down on the bed, and make her meow!

[Pure Gate! You promised me!]

[Don't rush, it takes time for me to convince Sasha; the opportunity will come soon.]

When V's figure came into view, Leo forcibly interrupted his pleasant fantasy and tried to focus his attention on the television.

Good evening, Night City!

Welcome to the evening rerun of Dead Man's Lottery. Let's skip the platitudes nobody wants to hear and get straight to the point!

The death toll yesterday was thirty-one.

[Here's a little-known story—it's said that a madman bet on 30 people went out into the street in the middle of the night, hoping to kill one more person to add to the record of 29. He succeeded, but he was subsequently shot and killed by heroic NCPD officers, so the number became 31. If you lose money because of this, don't blame the wrong person!]

The TV started playing a gameplay demo of a shooting game again, showing a tough guy wielding a Gatling gun and wreaking havoc, leaving limbs and remains scattered all over the ground, with blood spraying everywhere.

The background music was surprisingly upbeat, with not a trace of sadness in it.

The male host, who calls himself Stan, has amazing program effects, stirring up the audience's emotions with a slightly exaggerated tone.

[Originally, this was supposed to be followed by a segment where the dead give their opinions, but I know—you guys definitely won't be listening!]

[Yes! Me too! The NCPD officers gave us a huge surprise today, a whopping 304 people! And that doesn't even include other unnatural deaths!]

What will the death toll be tomorrow morning? Even I'm getting curious! Dear gamblers, what are you waiting for? Place your bets and let's party!

The TV was filled with spectacular fireworks; anyone who didn't know better would think it was some kind of great celebration.

Leo's lips twitched as he watched, but out of the corner of his eye he saw V's prosthetic eye light up.

"V...you're not really going to place a bet, are you?"

V stared at the TV and nodded vigorously: "Absolutely! I bought one ticket, 10 euros. There are 16 of us in this, so I have to participate!"

Leo was relieved to hear that she only spent 10 euros instead of going all in.

He was genuinely worried that V might be into gambling or something similar; that was something he absolutely couldn't get involved with.

"If that's the case, then I'm the only one left in this group. I'll buy a ticket too!"

Inspired by the two of them, Vera and Sasha, who were also "burdened with human lives," also joined in the fun.

When choosing the number of people to play the "dead people's lottery," he had a sudden inspiration and turned to his external brain—

【Pure White, help me cheat!】

[Give me a break. The statistics for the "Dead Man's Lotto" only go up to 6 AM, and they can change at any time. Besides, the lottery isn't just a tax on intelligence. The official organizers look at the betting results first, then choose a number that the fewest people guessed correctly, or even one that no one guessed correctly. How are you supposed to win?]

Oh, this…

Leo was confused and randomly selected 335 people.

It's basically just adding up yesterday's death toll and the number of people reported by the NCPD.