I'm doing bidirectional science popularization in American comics

On the other hand, Bruce was pondering Depp's words.

Is it absolute kindness?

Bruce thought to himself that perhaps this was one of the ways he could retaliate against Clark in the future.

As the group talked, several vines emerged from outside the window, and a woman dressed in black stockings and a long white lab coat sat on a throne woven from vines, rising slowly from below like a queen.

With pale green skin, bright red high heels, fiery red hair, and a matcha-colored dress that seemed about to burst out of her lab coat, the newcomer was none other than Poison Ivy, the head of the Depp Botanical Research Institute.

Upon entering the restaurant, Ivy said condescendingly, "Now, hand over all your money, or don't blame me for having my darlings drain you dry!"

Ivy gently stroked the vines that peeked out from the side, resembling green venomous snakes, their imposing presence quite terrifying.

However, to others, this scene appeared utterly comical.

Because the play had already ended ahead of schedule, Ivy's appearance was exactly as they had predicted, but there was no one to cooperate with her performance.

The group suppressed their laughter and looked at Ivy with strange expressions.

Upon seeing this, Ivy broke out in a cold sweat and swallowed hard.

"What's going on? Why are they looking at me like that?" Ivy thought to herself, "Shouldn't Joseph and Oswald be immediately cooperating with me to intimidate Mr. Depp right now...?"

"Could it be that I've misremembered the script?"

Just as Ivy was doubting herself, Harley Quinn couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Hahahaha! My God, was I acting that exaggeratedly just now?!"

"Acting...exaggerated?" Ivy sat there stunned, suddenly realizing, "You...you've been seen through?!"

Ivy's chest heaved with anger as she said, "Why didn't you tell me sooner? You made me put on this whole act all by myself, it's so embarrassing!"

Ivy leaped into the restaurant, and the vines behind her immediately shrank, clinging to her chest.

Joseph smoothed things over, saying, "Well, we were just thinking that since we've rehearsed for so long, it would be a waste not to let you perform."

“I’ll waste your money!” Ivy exclaimed. “Mr. Depp, those guys are awful!”

“That’s true,” Depp agreed. “By the way… where’s Weren? Didn’t he come with you?”

Ivy shook her head and said, "Wayne is still working overtime in the building. Besides... if I tell him we're here to lie to you, he definitely won't come back, and he might even tip you off!"

Upon hearing this, Depp felt a warmth in his heart: "Wayne is indeed a straightforward and warm-hearted man."

"By the way, what were you all talking about when you got together just now?"

"Ivy asked."

Depp briefly explained the situation of Krypton and General Zod to Ivy, who immediately pulled out a box about the size of a ring box from her chest.

“This is my latest improved version of [Final Bloom]. Although it’s much smaller now, its safety has been greatly improved. And its power is almost the same as before,” Ivy said excitedly. “I remember last time those flying guys couldn’t withstand the nuclear-level damage of Final Bloom at all, so it might come in handy this time as well.”

As Ivy spoke, she handed the final bloom to Depp, but Depp pushed it back, saying, "Unfortunately, even nuclear bombs couldn't do any effective damage to the Kryptonians this time."

"As far as I know, even if a Kryptonian is hit head-on by a nuclear bomb, he can quickly recover to his best condition under the yellow sun."

"In general, at present, the only ones who can defeat Kryptonians are Kryptonite and another Kryptonian."

Hearing Depp's words, Bruce sighed slightly and said, "In other words, we need to develop weapons made of this kryptonite as soon as possible, and get Clark to help us defeat his own kind."

Bruce reached into his pocket and gripped the kryptonite that Depp had given him—his only one.

There's only so much of this stuff, I absolutely can't waste it. I have to use it sparingly and put it where it's most needed.

And then there's Clark, that kid seems to be just a simple-minded high school student.

But when facing enemies who are like super soldiers, being simple-minded won't do you a good job.

Depp, unaware of Bruce's thoughts, nodded in agreement and then took out one kryptonite stone after another from his pocket.

The largest has a diameter of over one meter, while the smallest is no bigger than a grain of rice.

Bruce looked at the mountain of green ore in front of him, and a million curses ran through his mind.

"You have so many, why didn't you take them all out at once?" Bruce roared inwardly, but his face remained calm and composed.

Depp took out most of the kryptonite from the system space, which took up almost a third of the restaurant.

“I secretly dug these out of the river in Smallville. If you need more, I can get you some more,” Depp said. “Although this stuff is the Kryptonians’ deadliest enemy, you must not let your guard down. In fact, when war comes, you’ll be lucky to save yourselves compared to saving others. Because those guys are too strong and fast. Many times, you won’t even have time to use your Kryptonite weapons to attack before you’re turned into mincemeat.”

Depp's words instantly dampened the previously high spirits.

However, Depp believed it was necessary; he did not bring out Kryptonite to force his men to fight against General Zod and his troops.

Rather, it was to give these people a sliver of hope of self-preservation when they encountered them.

Of all these people, Depp felt that when Zod and his group arrived, the only ones who could be effectively deployed as combatants were himself, Selena, Clark, Bruce, Wayne, and Joseph.

Furthermore, the specific combat capabilities of the latter three remain to be verified.

However, Bruce's fighting prowess is undeniable. With his formidable physical strength and the Kryptonite-forged weapons, he might very well be a match for a Kryptonian.

As for Joseph, even Depp couldn't fathom the Joker's unpredictability and madness.

Perhaps when facing Kryptonians, this madman with average physical abilities could also play a significant role.

Even if you can't win, the Joker with the Dionysian factor can resurrect and be reborn almost infinitely.

After a satisfying meal, Bruce glanced at the 9:30 hands on the clock and said, "I think everyone can head back now. See you at 10:30."

With Bruce's reminder, everyone left Wayne Manor one by one and returned home.

On the other side, in the town of Smallville.

Clark sat in Lex's enormous castle, looking helpless.

“Honestly, Lex, I really don’t need you to help me find a job,” Clark said. “I want to go to the metropolis and try my luck; it’s been my dream all along.”

"But, with just one word from me, you can avoid a lot of detours. Isn't that a good thing?" Lex asked, puzzled.

Clark sighed, "Lex, not everyone likes to take shortcuts. I prefer to savor the process and the scenery along the way rather than getting the result directly."

Hearing Clark's words, Lex finally stopped trying to dissuade him, and simply said, "Okay, Clark, if you run into trouble in Metropolis, remember to contact me anytime. You're my best friend."

To be honest, Lex was a little disappointed.

As the eldest son of the Luther Group, he has unparalleled connections and power in the metropolis.

After all, if Wayne Enterprises and Depp Enterprises are the twin stars of Gotham, then Luther Enterprises is the only superstar among Metropolitan Enterprises.

Upon hearing this, Clark smiled happily: "That's right, my best friend!"

Drop drop drop.

The phone rang, and Clark picked it up, seeing a text message that had just been sent.

Chapter 334 Gotham D Institute

Lex Luther's villa in Smallville is quite luxurious, not only in terms of its size but also in its expensive interior decoration and furniture.

However, Clark didn't like any of that. Compared to the Lex family's opulent home and soft Simmons mattress, he preferred lying on the haystacks on his own farm and stargazing.

That would make him feel very relaxed.

Clark picked up his phone and checked the contents of the text message.

This is an anonymous text message, and the content of the message is quite simple.

[Wayne Tower will be attending a rally tonight at 10:30 PM.]

Clark immediately turned off the screen after reading it; he knew it was a Justice League meeting text message.

It seems we have something important to discuss tonight.

Because under normal circumstances, the Justice League would not invite itself to the rally.

"Who sent you the message?" Lex asked, lying on the sofa.

Clark's subtle change in expression was immediately noticed by this exceptionally intelligent rich kid.

Lex was quite certain that the text message he had just received was very important and confidential to Clark.

Clark put his phone in his pocket, glanced at the clock which showed exactly ten o'clock, and said, "It's nothing, just a few text messages from classmates about a get-together."

I don't believe you for a second!

Lex thought to himself, he knew very well how many classmates Clark had, so how could he possibly ask Clark to go out so late at night?

and many more!

Lex suddenly realized, could it be that Lana Lan called Clark...?

Lex's smile gradually deepened, becoming more meaningful and even somewhat lewd, as he said, "You should be careful, Clark!"

Clark was completely bewildered: "Moderation? I haven't been eating too much lately!"

Lex chuckled and said, "I don't know if you're pretending to be stupid or if you really are. Anyway, since you have an appointment, you can go ahead and leave in a bit. After all, being late is not something a man should do."

Upon hearing Lex's opinion, Clark immediately agreed, saying, "That's right, I should definitely go back and prepare beforehand. I can't go to see them dressed like this."

"Goodbye, Lex," Clark said as he left the house.

However, Clark's words left Lex speechless.

He glanced at the slightly ajar door after Clark left and muttered, "If I heard correctly, Clark just said...them! Could it be that the party Clark attended had other men and women besides Lana Lan?"

"Like Chloe and Pete? Or other classmates?!"

"Oh, damn it, Clark actually went to one of those parties!"

"This kid, he's really playing like a monster!"

"No, I have to pull him back from the wrong path!"

Lex Luthor rushed to the front door, looking around, but couldn't see Clark's back at all.

"Did this kid run back?" Lex quipped. "I didn't expect Clark to be so anxious in this kind of situation!"

Lex then got into his sports car and prepared to drive after Clark.

Lex sped along, but he didn't see a single trace of Clark along the way until he arrived at the Kent family's farm.

After asking the Kents, who also hadn't seen Lex return, Lex went to find Lana Lan.

Lana Lan was already asleep, and Lex didn't dare sneak into her house in the dark to find out what was going on.

In the end, Lex could only slink back to his villa, alone to endure the loneliness of the night.