PFC Chapter 4151 When the Pumpkin Ripens (33)
Chapter 4151 When the Pumpkin Ripens (33)
Chapter 4151 When the Pumpkin Ripens (Thirty-Three)
When the main universe's Batman came out, Jason turned to look at him and said, "Batman, what kind of burger do you want? We have beef cheese, pork, fried chicken thigh, and vegetarian burgers."
"I'll have a beef and cheese one," said the main universe Batman. "Two patties, extra lettuce. No chili or onions."
"Yay!" Pamela cheered, winking at Tim.
“Oh, no.” Tim’s features scrunched up. “Why do you all like cheese so much? There was already butter in the bread dough when we were frying it. Doesn’t it get too greasy?”
“My food choices usually depend on my calorie needs. I need to go to the lab to do research in the afternoon, so I need some high-energy food to get through the evening,” the main universe Batman patiently explained.
Then he said, "Tim, I heard you're going to study in Europe. Have you prepared your application materials?"
Tim paused for a moment, then said, "No, actually. Jason, how did you apply back then?"
"That depends on what major you want to apply for. First, you need to prepare your university degree certificate, then your university transcript, professors' recommendation letters, and your personal identification information. That's about it."
“That’s easy,” Tim waved his hand and said, “I’ll be done in a minute.”
“I heard you’re considering art school,” the main universe Batman said again. “Most universities in Europe require applicants to submit a portfolio when they apply for art programs. Are you ready?”
Tim was genuinely stunned. He said, "A portfolio? But I didn't major in art as an undergraduate. Is this mandatory?"
“If you have a very strong letter of recommendation, perhaps you don’t need it,” the main universe Batman said. “Do you know any professors in the Gotham University art department?”
"Uh, I don't know them. Even if I did, they probably wouldn't give me a recommendation letter, since I didn't do my undergraduate studies there," Tim said, scratching his head. "In other words, I have to draw a few pictures first."
“It’s not just a few,” said the main universe Batman. “The school’s official website usually lists the portfolio requirements, which typically require dozens of different artworks. If you want to apply to a particular school, just check their website.”
Tim sighed and decided to call Brainiac directly. Unfortunately, Brainiac hadn't changed the admission requirements for art schools, meaning Tim really had to prepare his portfolio first.
“Okay, it’s not like I can’t draw,” Tim said. “I even won awards for my watercolors when I was little. It’s time to pick it up again!”
“But if you’re going to paint, you should be sketching, right? But with martial law in effect, we can’t go anywhere. How are you going to paint?” Pamela asked.
Tim was also thinking, but he clearly had an answer soon enough. Then they focused on their meal. Besides hamburgers, there was salad and sparkling water. Dick also made pumpkin pancakes, and they all ate a hearty meal.
After dinner, most people went upstairs to catch up on sleep, since they had been up all night and hadn't slept well. Main universe Batman went to the lab, while Tim went to the back garden.
Pamela woke up in the afternoon, still half asleep, and was led to the back garden by Tim.
"What's wrong?" Pamela asked weakly.
"I've thought about it. I can paint garden scenes, which would include forests, flowerbeds, buildings, and small details like fruits. But there's just one small problem..."
"what?"
"It wouldn't look good if the whole painting was about autumn, so could you help me create some scenery from other seasons?"
Pamela rolled her eyes and said, "Isn't this a staged photo? What's the difference between this and drawing a picture?"
"Of course, I just checked the requirements on the official website. They require a series of related works, and the creation process should span a period of time, that is, long-term works. But I obviously can't spend a year creating a portfolio, so I can only trouble you."
"Alright, alright, I can help you in the spring and summer, but what are you planning to do in the winter?"
Tim pulled out a Viktor's freeze gun from behind his back, or more accurately, a rather retro blizzard gun. Tim brandished the gun and said, "The professor gave it to me before. This thing can spray snow mist, enough to create a winter scene."
“You’re quite something,” Pamela said. “Where are you planning to paint? This grove of trees? Or the flowerbeds over here?”
Which one do you think is better?
“If I were you, I would choose to paint the building hidden in the woods. Gothic manor houses like Wayne Manor are rare even in Europe, so it would look beautiful in a painting.”
Tim nodded thoughtfully, then said, "Alright, let's draw this forest first. I'll start with the autumn scenery, but you might need to tidy up the branches; they're a bit too dense now, and the buildings aren't very clear."
"Okay, stand back a bit, I'll trim it."
While the two of them were busy in the backyard, Jason wasn't idle either. He was assembling guns in the garage tool shed while haggling with Brainiac.
"Seriously, shouldn't you give me back the Garand? I didn't intend to actually use it to fight anyone, don't you believe me?"
“You don’t have a legal gun license,” Brainiac reminded him. “The handgun you’re holding is also an illegal firearm. I haven’t confiscated it because I trust your character.”
"That sounds nice," Jason said, pursing his lips.
"Jason! Jason!" Dick's voice came from behind the door. "Come quick, put these in the freezer..."
"coming!"
Jason put down his things and went to the manor's main gate. A large pile of supplies was placed at the gate, obviously delivered by drone.
"Good heavens, how can there be so many?!" Jason exclaimed in alarm. "Brainiac, you're not planning another year of martial law, are you?!"
“No,” Dick explained. “There are some things here that the lab needs, and it seems that Batman requested them.”
Jason immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I'll carry the food. You take the stuff to Batman; he can't afford to be delayed."
Dick nodded, then summoned Raven and used magic to move the items into the lab. He peered inside curiously and asked, "Are you still investigating Brainiac's programming error, Batman?"
"No, we're researching something else. Would you like to come in and take a look?"
Dick shook his head and said, "During martial law, the troupe will be performing online, and every member of the troupe will have to put on a show. I have to write a script and rehearse. See you tonight."
After he left, the main universe Batman turned his attention back to the things on the table, which were none other than the supposedly lost Mother Box. However, the box had been opened, and inside was a small, shimmering dot—the very crystal that the main universe Batman had previously studied. He was still studying it.
Having already checked the usage records of this thing, they're now investigating what its previous owner did with it. After all, the ability to clear away the accumulated bad luck proves that the previous owner must have known about its side effects, yet still continued to use it. The main universe's Batman is very curious to know what he was up to.
“You seem quite interested in this,” Brainiac said.
“Yes, to be honest, things aren’t peaceful in the multiverse either.” The Batman of the main universe’s voice turned somber. “There’s a dark force stirring, and the Multiverse Alliance is investigating it. I’m here to borrow Bruce’s power.”
“Can I help?” Brainiac asked.
"You've done a huge favor by keeping an eye on Earth in this universe. Also, you should set up a magical defense network; otherwise, what will you do if an intruder attacks Earth directly?"
"I won't lie to you, there were more than one invaders who attacked Earth before, and I repelled them all, didn't I?"
“This time is different.” The Batman from the main universe spoke in a somewhat somber tone.
“I am completely incapable of using magic, nor can I build any magical defense network,” Brainiac said. “In fact, I don’t trust magic at all. The research team on Krypton is developing a planetary shield suitable for Earth.”
“Then I wish you all the best,” said the main universe Batman.
While everyone else was busy with their own things while under lockdown at home, Barry couldn't stay home as peacefully as they did. Although during martial law, Brainiac would completely replace the police, and anyone who dared to violate the martial law regulations would be subject to coercive measures, so there was no possibility of any crime, the question of who stole the valuable research materials still needed to be investigated.
Therefore, special departments like the Behavioral Science Department cannot go home; they must remain on duty to provide support to Brainiac. Barry, due to his special abilities, is constantly running around, without even a moment to relax and have a cup of coffee.
Even so, he received some despairing news: Brainiac suspected that the thief of the Mother Box was an alien with superpowers, so he decided to activate the Federation Shield, Amanda's team, to investigate the damned thief.
Barry had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to the Federal Shields office. You see, ever since Federal Shields came into existence, the FBI has had a dedicated team dedicated to causing them trouble; the two departments can't be said to coexist peacefully, they're practically sworn enemies.
Barry bought a coffee and knocked on Amanda's office door. Amanda, sitting behind her desk, looked at Barry as he walked in and said, "Brainiac finally realized the FBI is a bunch of useless idiots?"
“It’s not us who are going against you,” Barry retorted. “As far as I know, you haven’t gotten the better of the FBI either. If we’re trash, aren’t you even more trash?”
"Stop talking nonsense, where's your data?"
"Still being sorted out."
When will it be finished?
“Before tonight,” Barry gave a slightly conservative timeframe, “we can only prove that the child kidnappers and cult members belong to the same organization, but there is no evidence to support that the child kidnappers and thieves are in cahoots, so the previous behavioral analysis conclusions are unusable and we need to reinvestigate and gather evidence.”
“You need to understand, we’re not investigating a crime committed by our fellow citizens,” Amanda said, stepping out from behind her desk. “We need evidence and a logical chain of reasoning to avoid wrongly accusing innocent people. But if the other party is most likely an alien, we’ll just attack him. Why bother with the timing? You just need to tell me how to find him.”
"It's precisely because these cult members and child kidnappers are human, while thieves might be, that we can't give you the previous data, otherwise it might mislead you. Besides, if it were an alien with superpowers, shouldn't you know more about it?"
“Forget it, I knew I couldn’t count on you,” Amanda waved her hand and said. “Luckily, I’ve hired a pretty good intern. Jenna, what do you think?”