American comic book: After mastering resurrection, I became incredibly popular.

Clark Kent's workstation was empty, with only a ceramic mug and a few unproofread manuscripts on the table.

As for Louise Lane? I don't think I've seen her.

……

The door to the editor-in-chief's office closed gently behind Wang Baixi, shutting out the noise of the editorial department. Here, he saw Perry White, whose desk was piled high with bound volumes of newspapers.

“Mr. Wang, welcome, welcome!” Perry stood up from behind the pile of newspapers and shook Wang Baixi’s hand firmly. “Wayne Group has always been our most valued partner. Please have a seat. I hope the noisy atmosphere in our old building hasn’t made you feel uncomfortable.”

“Not at all, Mr. Perry.”

"Just call me Perry."

Wang Baixi sat down in the chair opposite him. The two sides first reached several consensuses on the long-term advertising cooperation and news resource sharing between Wayne Group and Planet Daily, and then exchanged some friendly opinions and insights.

In short, it means increasing investment.

Perry patted his chest and promised to personally oversee all reports about Gotham's reconstruction, ensuring that no baseless rumors would linger in the pages for even a day longer, and to prevent other companies from defaming Wayne Enterprises.

“Speaking of which, Mr. Wang,” Perry’s tone became more casual, “seeing is believing, and I’m quite curious about you. You appeared in Wayne Enterprises’ inner circle as if you’d fallen from the sky, and nobody could find out anything about your background. Do you know what some of the tabloids are saying about you?”

"Appreciate further details."

“Some say you’re Thomas Wayne’s illegitimate son, or even Bruce Wayne’s illegitimate son, because your appearance coincides with the time when Mr. Bruce disappeared, which makes people suspect that he went to deal with your affairs.” Perry burst into laughter like a dragon. “Even more outrageous, some say that you are actually Batman himself: this is the most outrageous statement, but it gets the most clicks.”

Wang Baixi couldn't help but chuckle after hearing this: "These guys really have wild imaginations. If I were Batman, would I need to deal with financial statements every day?"

Me? Batman? Why don't you just say Bruce Wayne is Batman!

“Who says otherwise!” Perry slammed his fist on the table and laughed, his beard shaking with laughter. “If you’re Batman, then I’m Superman! I spent a few years in Gotham, and the people there are great in every way, except they love to overthink things.”

Wang Baixi watched Perry laughing so hard he was doubled over, and tried hard to maintain a smile.

He is definitely not Superman.

But Superman is working for him!

Just then, there was a knock on the office door.

A tall man wearing black-rimmed glasses and a blue suit pushed open the door and came in, holding a stack of freshly printed materials.

“Perry, the Gotham City Council you wanted…”

Clark Kent was speaking when his gaze drifted across the desk and landed on Wang Baixi. Wang Baixi, however, remained composed, as if the two had never met before.

“Oh, Clark, you’ve come at the right time.” Perry got up from his office chair and walked around to the side. “This is Wang Baixi, a special advisor to the Wayne Group and the head of the Gotham Reconstruction Project. Mr. Wang, this is Clark Kent, one of our best reporters. Although he still has a lot of room for improvement in terms of deadlines.”

“Mr. Wang, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Clark tucked the documents under his arm and extended his hand to Wang Baixi. “I’ve read a lot about your achievements, and although opinions on you vary, it at least shows that you’ve done a lot of great things in Gotham. You know, if someone isn’t controversial, it often means they haven’t accomplished anything.”

"What a brilliant quote! Mr. Kent, I've also read some of your reports; they're very insightful." Wang Baixi smiled and shook his hand.

The two stared at each other for less than two seconds, their eye contact conveying about twenty bytes of information.

Clark first released his grip and placed the stack of materials on Perry's desk.

“Perry, here are the documents you requested.”

“Okay, put it here. By the way, Clark, Mr. Wang came here mainly to discuss media cooperation for Gotham’s reconstruction. You have experience in this area, so you can follow up with him later.”

"no problem."

“Then I won’t bother you two any longer. Mr. Perry, I’ll have my assistant coordinate the follow-up details with your newspaper’s advertising department. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions; you have my contact information.” Wang Baixi then glanced at Clark. “Mr. Kent, I hope to have the opportunity to grant you an exclusive interview in the future.”

"That's definitely a great idea."

After leaving the editor-in-chief's office, Wang Baixi didn't go directly to Zatana and Cassandra, but instead went to the restroom first. Just as he turned on the faucet, the restroom door was pushed open from the outside and then gently closed.

Sure enough, Clark Kent was standing in the doorway.

He pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, and half of his honest and unassuming reporter demeanor had vanished.

“Wang Baixi, I didn’t expect you to come to Metropolis. What’s the reason? Business? Tourism? Or something else?” Clark asked with a smile. “Why do I smell a… Gotham sewer odor on you?”

“Damn it, I took a shower before I came. But that’s also related to why I came to the Metropolis,” Wang Baixi said with a self-deprecating laugh. “As for my purpose in coming to the Metropolis, I can tell you: Poison Ivy is hiding here.”

Clark's eyes flickered slightly. "Are you sure?"

“I’m 90% sure. She’s probably hiding somewhere underground in the metropolis. My purpose in coming here is ostensibly to discuss cooperation with the Planet Daily, but in reality, it’s to drag her out from underground,” Wang Baixi revealed.

Clark paused for a moment, a complex expression flickering in his blue eyes hidden behind his black-rimmed glasses.

“That doesn’t sound like a small matter,” he concluded.

Chapter Ninety-Eight: Searching for the Poison Ivy Woman

Clark pushed his dark glasses up his nose and crossed his arms, leaning against the sink.

Speaking of Poison Ivy, he did have some clues to share with Wang Baixi.

“Wang, I just remembered something. Three days ago, a researcher at the Metropolitan Botanical Garden reported to the police that dozens of exotic ferns in the greenhouse had all withered and died overnight, and that soil samples tested positive for abnormally high concentrations of plant toxins. The police treated it as a case of vandalism, but I went to the scene later and saw that the ferns were not poisoned, but rather drained dry.”

"Drained? That's not scientifically sound at all."

“Yes, my analogy might not be quite right, but the reality is like… like someone using them as batteries.” Clark didn’t deny it, but his serious gaze was already fixed on Wang Baixi’s face through his glasses. “I told the police and the staff at the botanical garden, but unfortunately no one cared. Because the Metropolitan Botanical Garden has always adopted a very laissez-faire management style.”

"Do you know where those ferns were introduced from?" Wang Baixi asked, frowning.

“Gotham. More precisely, the seedlings that the Gotham Botanical Garden donated to the Metropolitan Botanical Garden three years ago,” Clark recalled.

To be honest, this is way too obvious.

"It seems most likely that Poison Ivy was behind this."

But how did she remotely control Killer Croc from Metropolis? Obviously, she must have spent some time in Gotham during that period.

Clark added, "If Poison Ivy's target was this particular batch of plants from the beginning, then her coming to Metropolis wasn't a random choice."

Wang Baixi quickly pieced together this clue with the known intelligence in his mind. The vines Poison Ivy had beneath Gotham, the controlled Killer Croc, the chain of clues pointing to the Riddler, plus the dried-up ferns in the Metropolitan Botanical Garden…

The gaps between these fragments are gradually narrowing.

“This lead is very useful, Mr. Kent.” He turned off the tap and shook his hand. “But speaking of which, you actually went to the botanical garden to look at the soil samples? Is your newspaper really that interested in news about flowers and plants?”

Clark smiled but didn't respond to the question.

"Do you need my help?" He suppressed his smile.

“Not for now. You are, after all, the guardian of Metropolis. I’m just a guest from Gotham, it wouldn’t be right for me to order my master around as soon as I get off the plane.” Wang Baixi pulled a tissue from the tissue box to wipe his hands. “But if something really happens that I can’t handle, I will definitely call you. Your super hearing should cover the entire Metropolis, right? As long as Poison Ivy doesn’t use any shielding methods, I’ll need your help then.”

"no problem."

The two of them chuckled simultaneously. Wang Baixi tossed the crumpled paper into the trash can, opened the door to the restroom, and walked towards the editorial department.

In another editorial office, Zatana was standing at the door of the break room, chatting with a woman in a beige suit. The woman had long, dark brown hair, held a steaming cup of coffee, and had a sharp smile that came from having seen too much of the world.

"Zatana, I'm back. How did the chat go?" Wang Baixi walked over.

Zatana turned around and naturally took a half step closer to him, shifting her weight from her left foot to her right.

“Wang, this is Louise Lane, the star reporter for the Daily Planet. Louise, this is Wang Baixi.”

So this is Superman's first partner, Lois Lane.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Ryan.” Wang Baixi extended his hand.

“Just call me Louise.” Louise’s handshake was firmer than most men’s. “Miss Zatana was just telling me about your work rebuilding Gotham’s underground pipe network. Mr. Wang, it sounds like you’re busier than Bruce Wayne himself.”

"It's almost done."

Clark walked up from behind and stopped next to Louise. Louise glanced at him sideways, and the two exchanged a brief smile.

“Miss Zatana.” Clark nodded to Zatana politely. “I’ve seen your magic show on YouTube. It’s a pity I can’t see it in person, but even watching it online is amazing enough.”

“It’s an honor to be remembered by you, Mr. Kent,” Zatana said with a smile, extending her hand. “Bruce has mentioned you to me many times. He said you are one of the few journalists he’s willing to interview. Perhaps I should give you my ticket next time.”

"Thank you for your generosity."

In reality, Superman could easily afford this amount of money if he wanted to, but he is, after all, a true saint.

The two shook hands with perfect form, and after exchanging pleasantries, Clark withdrew his hand and adjusted his glasses.

“Since Bruce mentioned me to you, I happen to have a question I’d like to ask.” Clark’s tone shifted from polite to subtly relaxed. “Miss Zatanna, you’ve been working for Mr. Wang for a while now. What do you think of him?”

This is not just idle chatter.

Zatana realized that Clark was asking about the research task assigned to her. She tilted her head and glanced at Wang Baixi out of the corner of her eye.

Wang Baixi noticed Zatana's gaze and realized that Superman was checking on the results of his investigation.

Zatana smiled calmly and replied, "In my opinion, Mr. Wang is not a very rule-abiding person, but everything he has done so far has turned out to be on the right track. In a place like Gotham, being able to do that is already better than most people."

"It sounds like a pretty high score. How many points would you give him out of a possible 100?"

“If the full score is 100, you are currently above the passing grade.” Zatana blinked.

Wang Baixi coughed and said, "Could you guys please not give scores in front of me?"

“Miss Zatana is praising you, Mr. Wang,” Clark said with a smile, replying in fluent Chinese, “You sound like Confucius, who said ‘follow your heart’s desires without transgressing the rules.’”

"Wow, your Chinese is pretty good." Wang Baixi was already speechless, but still forced a smile.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Wang Baixi excused himself, citing business commitments. As the three walked out of the Planet Daily building, the 4 PM sunlight was refracted by a glass curtain wall building, casting shimmering spots of light at their feet.

"How did your conversation with Clark go?" Zatana switched her handbag from her left shoulder to her right.

"You know that?"

"Don't underestimate a woman's intuition."

“Okay, he gave me a clue: the Metropolitan Botanical Garden.” Wang Baixi unbuttoned his suit jacket, letting the wind in. “To be honest, what do you think of Clark?”

"His acting was so good that you almost thought he was just an ordinary reporter."

“I think his glasses are the real thing,” Wang Baixi said.

"Sigh, your mouth." Zatana sighed.

The three got into the car parked by the roadside. Cassandra opened her briefcase in the back seat and checked the equipment list. From the grappling hook gun to the kryptonite ring, nothing was missing. It seemed that Batman had trained her very well; in just a few days, she had become quite experienced and mature.

"So, shall we go straight to Poison Ivy now?" Zatana asked.

“Yes. The clues from the botanical garden are very clear: she may be hiding there, or she may not. If it's the latter, then she certainly wouldn't have gone there only once. We should be able to find more traces nearby.”