Chapter 4120: When the Pumpkins Ripen (13)

The thank-you performance of the Grayson Troupe was held very lively. They didn't perform the usual plays or Shakespearean dramas, but some small theaters written, directed, and acted by the actors themselves. Most were related to Wan Shengjie, such as children's adventure stories, circulating legends about Wan Shengjie, different Wan Shengjie customs in various places, etc. It can be said to be suitable for all ages, with no threshold for watching, and the actors would occasionally come off the stage to interact with the audience, making the atmosphere very hot.

The Main Universe Batman only glanced at the performance occasionally, spending most of the time looking at the tablet computer in his hand. Arrogance turned his head to look and asked, "Are you researching issues related to programs?"

"Sorry, Doctor, I know I should focus on watching the performance. But some questions raised by Lex Luthor regarding the maintenance of Brainiac's underlying protocol programs are indeed worth researching. Additionally, many automatic operating systems set up by Kryptonian machinery also need maintenance..."

"I bet you haven't spent any leisurely Wan Shengjie." Greed said, "Will anyone go to your house to ask for candy?"

"Of course. Alfred prepares a lot of candy every year, and the children in the community are very willing to come to the door to ask for candy. But I rarely receive them personally. Autumn is a good season suitable for scientific research."

"On Wan Shengjie night, we will hold a banquet about new products from the food factory and research results on enlarged plants. Will you come?" Arrogance asked.

"Research results?" The Main Universe Batman finally looked up and said, "So the three huge pumpkins in the backyard were not an accident?"

"Of course not, if naturally grown pumpkins grew to be that big, even cows wouldn't be able to bite them." Greed was obviously very experienced, and he said, "Pumpkins that are this big and still so fresh and juicy are of course the result of mutation. I really envy you for having the Green of All Things here; we spent so much effort to make magical plants, and they still aren't completely suitable for everyone to eat..."

"So, this is Ms. Isley's masterpiece?" The Main Universe Batman asked again.

"It can also be said to be an accident," Arrogance explained, "Pamela made the plants so big, actually just to make them hit people harder. However, Brainiac terminated her plan to study hitting plants, so she could only further improve the taste based on the research results of the enlarged bodies."

"I am more curious why she wanted to study hitting plants."

"At first, Cat Getan wasn't very peaceful, and she needed some self-defense means. But later, it might have been purely to deal with those environmentalists, so that when they accused her of harming plants, the plants could jump up and give them a punch."

"Very... creative. So how are the results?"

"Hitting plants? Although many types have been studied, in fact, the ones that hit the hardest still have to be cabbage. And after her research, the cabbage at the Kent family farm has the best fighting level..."

"No, I am referring to enlarged plants."

"As you can see, they all grow very large, and the taste is also well preserved. I heard the results for potatoes and corn are even more gratifying. However, if you are interested in this, it is best to ask her in person; I don't know much about botany."

"Do you think it's possible for the seeds of this universe to survive in other universes?"

"Pamela's modification of seeds should be based on the principles of magic, and whether the magic of this universe can be used in other universes should mainly depend on the Green of All Things. As long as you can negotiate with him, then it should also be possible."

"It seems I have to ask Poison Ivy when I go back." The Main Universe Batman said thoughtfully, "Although I may not be able to solve global hunger, at least I can improve Cat Getan's farming environment. Even if it's not on natural land, just growing some such plants in a greenhouse can greatly alleviate the survival pressure of the bottom-level people."

"The Pale Knight has the same idea as you. At the beginning of the project, he had already reserved quite a few seeds, and the Poison Ivy of their universe is also helping him. They have opened up an experimental field, and there should be results soon."

The Main Universe Batman nodded and then said, "When I was wandering around the city before, I saw fences set up by the seaside; did you set up a marine ranch?"

"No, that's our seaweed farm. People aren't allowed to approach because there are Atlanteans maintaining it there, and their magic might have an impact on humans. Arthur is responsible for that area; you can talk to him."

"Did he come too? Is he downstairs?"

Arrogance wasn't particularly clear either, so he sent a text message to Gordon downstairs, and soon received a reply: The Aquaman couple both came and are watching the performance below. So the Main Universe Batman also went down.

Bruce didn't know where he ran off to after showing off his engagement ring and fiancée. Arrogance guessed he might have gone backstage to find Selina.

The performance lasted for about three and a half hours. When it was almost time for the show to end, the organizer gave everyone gifts: a basket of Wan Shengjie-themed candy, a witch hat, several random Cat Getan-themed travel souvenirs, and tickets for different plays.

The tickets were random, including musicals, children's plays, and Shakespearean dramas, etc. The one Arrogance drew happened to be a children's play, so he planned to go down and find someone to exchange tickets. Many people also didn't draw the souvenirs and tickets they liked, so they all gathered below to exchange tickets.

This is also one of the organizer's means of diversion; otherwise, so many people crowding out together would indeed easily cause trouble.

Facts proved that doing so was very wise. Because not long after, a scream came from backstage, and then a chubby woman ran over with messy steps and shouted: "My daughter, my daughter is gone!!"

The crowd was in an uproar. Gordon hurriedly squeezed out of the crowd and said, "What happened to your daughter? When did she go missing? Where did she go missing?"

"Right backstage. Her cousin is a member of the theater troupe, and I took her over to ask for an autograph. But just as I turned around to exchange pleasantries with others, she suddenly ran off and disappeared. The actors backstage all said they didn't see her..."

"Quiet, quiet!" Gordon shouted, "All parents, watch your children! Stay in the theater and don't move!"

Gothamites have also seen big scenes, and soon calmed down. The Main Universe Batman also walked out of the crowd and said in a low voice, "There are no car lights in the back street; the criminal didn't have time to walk out of this street."

Seeing him, Gordon was stunned for a moment, but soon reacted: The Main Universe Batman was saying that this matter might be man-made, and the culprit hadn't gone far. So he immediately took out his walkie-talkie and requested the police to block the street.

And Barry had already turned into a golden light and ran out. He went back and forth on the front street and back street several times, but didn't find any suspicious traces. So he returned and said to Gordon, "The other party is either still hiding in the theater, or has hidden in the sewer."

Bruce and Selina also rushed over. Hearing this, Bruce went out to check the sewer, while Selina jumped directly onto the roof. The two conducted a search, but also didn't find any clues.

Soon a police officer came over with a police dog. Gordon said to that mother, "Do you have any personal items of the child?"

"Of course, but they are all in the small bag she was carrying. The rest are at home; is it too late to go back and get them now?"

Gordon was somewhat distressed. He had some impression of this lady; she seemed to be the person in charge of the parish where the theater was located, but her home was almost six miles away; with the time for this round trip, the culprit would have long run far away.

"Candy." Arrogance said from the side, "Did your daughter eat the candy I brought?"

That woman said as if suddenly enlightened: "Yes, she ate two, and even got the lemon sauce on her clothes. I didn't have time to wipe it for her; she has a very strong lemon smell on her!"

Gordon hurried into the crowd and asked if anyone hadn't eaten the candy. Immediately, a parent took out a chocolate ball that hadn't been eaten yet. After breaking the chocolate, the police dog sniffed the smell inside, sneezed, but soon began to search in the theater.

"Remember what I said before? That chestnut tree didn't grow this big just recently. If the other party had premeditated this a few years ago, then there is very likely a space in the theater that we don't know about."

"It should be underground." Gordon said, "I remember this theater has a basement, but it is dark and damp, and rarely used. There are large amounts of ice around there, the temperature is too low, and it's also very troublesome to get things, so rarely does anyone approach that side."

"Can you take us to the entrance?"

Mr. Grayson, the person in charge of the theater troupe, led the police and the police dog to search all the way there. The police dog soon began to bark wildly in front of that small door. Actually, there was no need for the police dog; even ordinary people could smell a faint lemon scent.

The kind of scent that lemon most easily leaves behind doesn't come from lemon juice, but from lemon peel, which is that fresh scent with a bit of bitterness, which is out of place in the basement environment. And the chocolate balls made by Greed used a large amount of lemon peel, which made this scent very rich and long-lasting.

The group followed this scent and opened the basement door; it was indeed very cold inside. After going around for a circle, the Main Universe Batman looked up at the chandelier overhead, then he pointed to a spot on the ceiling and said, "Dig this open; if there are no wires, there must be a passage of about three feet above."

Although Gordon didn't understand the principle, he also knew this might be related to circuit wiring. In this regard, he unconditionally trusted Batman, so he had someone take a shovel and began to dig the ceiling overhead.

After digging it open, indeed no wires were found. Then the Main Universe Batman pointed to another spot and said, "Dig toward this side, the passage should be above."

This time, not two shovels later, with a clatter, a pile of dirt fell down, and a dark, empty hole appeared above everyone's heads. The police dog began to bark again, and Gordon cursed.

"I'll go in," Selina said, "I am very good at advancing in this kind of narrow environment. Give me the flashlight."

Bruce was a bit worried; he opened his mouth but didn't say it, just walked over, picked Selina up, let her enter the hole, and said, "Be careful."

Selina nodded, used her hands and feet to support the hole wall and climbed up; not long after climbing, she turned a corner, and then there was no sound.

Bruce was spinning around anxiously below. Suddenly, a roar came from the hole: "Get out!"

Immediately after, there was a man's scream and a child's cry. A few dozen seconds later, Selina jumped out of the hole, inserted the blood-stained dagger back into the strap on her thigh, clapped her hands and said, "Not bad, the basic skills haven't been lost. Find someone to bring them out."

Gordon hurriedly found someone to expand the hole, and then brought the man and the child out together. This person's build was also very small, height about only 1.6 meters; if you didn't look carefully, you would think he was a big child, but in reality, he was an adult man. He had his stomach slashed open by Selina, and his intestines were flowing out. Fortunately, the child was fine; besides being a bit frightened, he was not injured.

The crowd cheered, and Gordon was busy sending the man to the hospital. Barry stood by the street, watching the ambulance go far away. He looked at Gordon and said, "He is one of the kidnappers; I will never see it wrong."

"I remember that one of the previous three cases also had a boy, who was kidnapped after the school party ended. It seems they are very good at fishing in troubled waters. We must be vigilant these few days."

Barry nodded and said, "I have to go call someone to check where this passage leads. This is not something that can be dug out in one day. I have a premonition that this will be a big case." ===== CHAPTER 4121 =====

Barry nodded and said, "I need to get someone to investigate where this tunnel leads. This couldn't have been dug in a day. I have a feeling this is going to be a big case."