The dishes on the table were steaming hot, and the atmosphere became even more lively and joyful. The fireplace burned hotly, casting a shallow orange glow on the white dishes, and the silver cutlery sparkled under the light. The clinking of glasses sounded like the prelude to a lovely countryside tune in some memory, and behind them, the night sky was an intense deep bluish-purple, with a long Milky Way flowing down, and the shimmering waves on the lake cradling each star.
Even without alcohol, the delicious food and joyful conversation were intoxicating enough. Maybe it was also because they consumed too many carbohydrates, but after the meal, everyone's forehead was dotted with fine beads of sweat, their steps wobbly, feeling drowsy.
Then, they threw themselves onto the sofa in front of the fireplace, yawning and babbling about things with no real meaning, like a group of happy drunks.
"Alright, I admit, if I really had to send food to Krypton, I'd choose this meal," Harley said, hands folded over her belly. She was no longer the skinny girl she once was and had grown taller and fuller with age, even her cheeks had more flesh than other Harley Quinns, making her look younger.
"How many pancakes did you eat?" Pamela slowly turned her head to ask.
"Three, I think. And you?"
"Ha! Harley Quinn! You'll be five pounds heavier by tomorrow morning," Pamela grinned, "I only had one."
"Don't think I didn't see you eat a whole five lamb ribs, fried ones at that," Tim immediately exposed her, "you're not any better off."
"Sorry, I know magic," Pamela said smugly, wriggling a bit, then pulling her long hair out from behind her back and placing it behind the sofa, saying, "I can adjust my weight at will."
"Oh my god, you're so shameless," Harley slapped the armrest, "You know you won't gain weight, so you eat so much! Now we've all eaten so much because of you!"
"You know whether it's because of me or not," Pamela rolled her eyes.
"What major do you plan to study? Tim?" She then turned to Tim and asked.
"I don't know, but I definitely don't want to study those conventional majors like psychology or criminal investigation. If I did, I might as well study in Gotham. If I'm going to study, it'll be European specialty courses."
"European specialty? Ballet? Classical music? Drama? Wine tasting?"
"Do you think Europe is still in the Middle Ages?" Tim was speechless, he said, "I want to learn modern subjects, especially those with technical content that can be useful in Gotham's future renovation projects."
"Do you have any idea?"
"That's right, I'm planning to study architecture," Tim said, "Brainiac told me Gotham Cathedral is a bit too old, and he wants to renovate it, but most of the public is against it because they fear Brainiac will renovate their cathedral in the Bauhaus style."
"Oh my god, I would disagree too," Harley was the first to voice opposition, "The cathedral is one of our most historically and culturally rich buildings, and what's wrong with Gothic churches?"
"Brainiac really does want to renovate it to its original look, but experts in this field are scarce everywhere. More buildings need to be repaired than just the cathedral, and everyone's already overwhelmed with work, so it keeps getting postponed."
"Are you planning for a one-year course?" Pamela turned to him and asked, "That's fast, but are you sure you'll be able to become proficient?"
"Don't you know my learning ability? Although it's a year course, I don't plan to stay there for a year. I plan to finish all the courses in five months and spend the remaining months finding a project internship."
"Make sure Professor Shearer doesn't hear about this," Harley shook her head, "Where do you plan to go to university? Milan Polytechnic or Madrid University?"
"I don't know, I'm still considering. Maybe I'll go to the Art College because if it's pure science and engineering, I can study in Gotham too, and Gotham University's architecture department is quite highly ranked."
"Art College? Well, it seems another art student is emerging among us. Dick does ballet, Jason studies classical literature, and you're planning to join the European art movement, Thomas would be proud of you all."
"Actually, it's because, compared to technology, what we need more is aesthetic education because Gotham's art style is somewhat abnormal. The new era doesn't need so much madness in creation. We have to study what humans find beautiful."
"I'm speechless."
"Me too."
The three exchanged glances in silence, then they all looked towards the back door. Harley asked, "You were digging before dinner, what exactly were you digging for?"
"The Doctor told us to dig the ground, and we took the opportunity to see if there was any kitchen waste buried in the backyard. After all, we need to make sure we weren't eating moose."
"Now that dinner is over, why are they still digging?"
"Oh, that's actual hoeing. You know, no one has a free meal from Doctor Schiller," Tim spread his hands, "We're sitting here because we're carbon-dizzy, and when this symptom eases a bit, I'm afraid we'll have to too..."
"Tim Drake! Go to the storage room and grab some more plastic sheeting!"
Tim showed a look that said, "See, I told you so," and the other two didn't lounge on the sofa any longer. Pamela drank up her glass of water, and Harley picked up a bottle of sparkling water from the side, and they all headed towards the backyard together.
The backyard was bustling with activity, Greed had everyone running circles, including the Primary Universe Batman, all had to help him with building the greenhouse.
Fortunately, the piece of land in the backyard wasn't big, and the greenhouse didn't need to be built too professionally. Bamboo was used for the framework, plastic sheeting was put up, just to ensure it was airtight, and as for the heating methods, that could wait until it got cold.
As the only two professional physicists present, the Friess couple was setting up the framework, while the others were either digging or organizing plastic sheets. In the short time after dinner, the greenhouse began to take shape.
"I always feel he invited us over for dinner just to get us to do this," Selina whispered.
"Well, your feeling is quite accurate. All right, Miss Sensitive, stop playing with your plastic sheet and go put it up over there," Greed pointed to the east side of the greenhouse. Selina sighed and walked over.
They worked for quite a while, drinking several bottles of soda before finally getting the backyard more or less sorted. As everyone was preparing to leave, Tim leaned against the front doorframe and said, "Consider my proposal, Professor. Just lend us your umbrella, and we'll know if the behind-the-scenes manipulator is Darkseid."
"No need for you to trouble yourself." Arrogant said, then handed Tim a bunch of candies and distributed the remaining Halloween treats to the others. They parted at the yard gate, each heading to their own cars.
"I always feel something's not right," Jason said, driving back with Tim, "I don't know about the Doctor, but the Professor cares about kids. When something like this happens, he'd usually help, and his condition has been much better than before. He even lent his umbrella to someone else, so why not to us?"
"This means there's definitely something we don't know," Tim thought for a moment and said, "Barry is going to search around that family's area. Why don't we go with him? Maybe we'll find something."
"All right, I'll call him. Did you bring a gun?"
"No, I work at my own factory. Why would I bring a gun? What about your self-defense pistol? Did Brainiac take that away too?"
"No, I just didn't bring it when I came out."
"Oh, my God, listen to you. Our Mr. Red Hood actually went out without a gun. Brainiac must have given you a good dose of anesthesia."
Jason touched his nose and said, "Aren't you the same? This is your car, and you're asking me for a weapon?"
The two exchanged glances, big eyes staring at smaller ones, then sighed in unison. Tim said, "Too good of a security also has downsides. Both of us without weapons, isn't that just causing trouble if we go?"
"It's not necessarily about fighting, right? ... Oh man, I must have been hit with anesthesia," Jason mused to himself. "I actually think going for a stroll in the East District this late won't trigger a fight."
"That's a fact," Brainiac said. "I'm very sure there's no lethal force in the community he lives in."
"But he's a heretic. Aren't you afraid he's hiding a gun?"
"Coincidentally, I'm hiding a gun too," Brainiac said. "Follow my navigation to the armory to get equipment."
"Alright!" Jason and Tim high-fived.
They drove zigzagging through the streets and arrived at a community store not far from that family's place. Before they could approach, the door opened, and then, in the utility room of the community store, there was a cellar door. Climbing down the ladder, they discovered it was an armory of weapons and equipment, with various guns and bullets available, though most were locked in cabinets, leaving only two gun cabinets open.
"No way, just these small pistols?" Jason clearly wasn't satisfied, saying, "Heretics are very vicious, and the subsequent combat areas might be quite small, better bring a shotgun, right?"
"It's precisely because the area is relatively small that I don't recommend using high-powered firearms. Also, over there are night vision goggles, please take them along."
The two hesitated to take the big guns, but Brainiac wouldn't budge. Sighing, Tim said, "Damn it, it's been years since I've handled a gun, haven't even been to a shooting range."
"You're a rich kid, what do you have to complain about? I'm the one out of place without guns." Jason was practically drooling over the big guns in the cabinet. He said, "Before Brainiac came, Alfred wouldn't let me play with sniper rifles. He even confiscated my Garand..."
"Where did you get a Garand? I didn't know that," Tim immediately asked.
"I've got my own channels."
"Harley gave it to you, didn't she. Ha, and you say you two aren't involved!" Tim practically jumped three feet high.
"Let's not talk about this," Jason said. "Tonight's operation is very important. Barry isn't good at fighting, and his kind of spatial cutting superpower makes too much noise, not at all suitable for use in residential areas. We'll have to rely on both of us to face them head-on. Brainiac, can't we really..."
Before they could finish speaking, they heard a sound from the cellar door above. The two immediately turned and pressed against the wall cautiously, loading their guns.
But when the silhouette's face appeared in their line of sight, both Jason and Tim were taken aback.
"Shiller?! Wait, why do you look so young?"
Tim examined his attire and then said, "You're an agent, aren't you?"
The other person nodded, then with a click, the gun cabinet holding a sniper rifle opened. He casually took a sniper rifle from it, making Jason and Tim very envious.
"Oh my God, why can he have a sniper rifle?!" Tim complained discontentedly, "Didn't you just mention 'firearm usage regulations'..."
The agent flashed his badge at them and said, "Detective Rodriguez. I'll be providing sniper cover for your operation tonight. Any other questions?"
Tim wanted to speak, but Jason pulled him back. The two sighed somewhat dejectedly and said, "Okay, having a badge is impressive. Brainiac, you better let us fire a couple of shots after the operation, even if it's just at rabbits..."