Renting Issues

"Bruce, there's something I need to tell you," Tim said, gently stroking the coffin of the Death Angel. "It's about Zas."

"Didn't he attack my school, Gotham Heights High School, before? And then you sent Cheshire Cat to capture him."

Tim continued, "Zas claimed he wasn't being controlled by anyone, and my investigation confirmed he wasn't lying. But I don't believe in coincidences.

Gotham City has so many high schools, why did he specifically target mine? Both the method and timing of Zas's attack were completely different from his past actions.

Someone must be controlling him. Two-Face? Riddler? I can't figure it out yet."

He stood up. "But whoever it is, they might have some suspicions about my true identity..."

However, Tim quickly shook his head, losing interest. "Never mind, it's all just my speculation. I don't have any proof, so let's not talk about it."

"Bruce, what about you? What did you want to say earlier?"

Chen Tao frowned.

Indeed. According to the comics, Zas should have attacked a girls' school, not the high school Robin attends. What caused the plot to change? Damn it, it can't be me again.

With too little information to figure anything out, Chen Tao decided to stop thinking about it.

He said, "We'll talk about that later. For now, I need you to accompany me to the Little Saint Pliss District."

(This district is a neighborhood in Gotham)

This is Gotham City's newly opened "Super Baby" restaurant. Due to the strange dinosaur incident a couple of days ago, the owner thoughtfully introduced a "Magical Dinosaur Delicious Set Meal," which became very popular.

"Okay, here's your Harley Quinn Burger, Black Canary Salad, and Jesse Quick's severed leg set meal..."

A waitress dressed as Harley Quinn brought the set meals to the table. However, a mischievous guy reached out and grabbed her behind.

"...Be careful, or your hand will be broken, fatty."

"Hey, you should show respect to ladies."

Two police officers sitting by the window said, "We might not be able to control a giant green dinosaur, but we can definitely control you."

"Ha!"

Unfortunately, in Gotham, the more the police tried to stop certain people from doing something, the more they insisted on doing the opposite.

That lecherous hand still reached out.

The younger of the two police officers was getting angry.

"Boris, I can't take it anymore, I..."

BANG!

The man with the wandering hand screamed loudly. The waitress, with one hand, lifted him up and slammed him to the ground, breaking his arm with a snap.

The waitress, dressed as Harley Quinn, brushed off the non-existent dust from her hands.

"So, is there anything else I can do for you, gentlemen?"

"Damn it, she broke my hand! She fucking broke my hand--"

Creeeak--

A few hours later, it was time to get off work.

Harleen Quinzel left the restaurant, doing a crossword puzzle from the newspaper, but she didn't go home.

She took the subway to an apartment in downtown Gotham City.

Knock, knock, knock!

She walked up the steps and knocked three times at the door.

"Oh!"

Harleen looked up and saw a leaf sticking out from under the door.

"Someone will see you like this," she said, immediately reaching out her pale, delicate hand and plucking off the green leaf.

There was no response.

So she took out her key and opened the door with a creak.

It wasn't obvious from the outside, but as soon as the door opened, the room was almost entirely filled with plants.

Lush green ivy covered almost the entire room, with winding branches that made it feel like an East African rainforest.

Harleen put her hands on her hips.

"Enough!"

Rustle, rustle, rustle...

With a faint rustling sound, the plants finally receded, revealing the true face of the person in the room.

Perhaps it was a plant.

"Goo goo goo goo goo goo goo goo!"

A giant carnivorous plant appeared in the center of the room, emitting a chilling laugh.

"Harley, you're here! Ivy told me to tell you that this will be your home from now on!"

"Of course, there's no electricity, no water, and no gas here, because Ivy hasn't paid rent for over half a year!"

"..."

Seeing Harley's silence, the giant carnivorous plant immediately replied, "Aha, I know what you want to ask. Let me answer you."

"Stop. Let me ask instead. And Frank, can you stop those exaggerated gestures?"

The giant carnivorous plant paused.

"Oh. Harley, I thought you would like these."

"First, I broke up with the Joker a long time ago. Second, I've reformed and found a job as a waitress at a damn restaurant called Super Baby."

"Third, my mind is completely normal now, I'm not crazy at all, and my name is Harleen Quinzel, not Harley Quinn!"

Harley squeezed her face hard, forcing a twisted smile, then extended her hand and abruptly flattened her highly raised lips. Her face returned to normal, showing no trace of the wild and crazy Harley Quinn from years past.

"Fourth, I've been cured, and the doctors at Arkham even gave me a bunch of random awards. In short, I wasn't released with Little Red. If I hadn't been completely broke, I wouldn't have..."

"Sigh, damn it, let's not talk about this, it's weird."

Harley looked around at the mess and said, "Didn't Little Red tell me he hired the neighbor's kid to clean the room and water the plants? Why is it like this..."

"Gag!"

Frank, in front of Harley, vomited a skeleton, which was still wearing a leather backpack that couldn't be digested.

"Holy crap, God, what are you..."

"I couldn't help it, Harley."

Carnivorous plant Frank said aggrievedly, "After Ivy left, this little brat still diligently cleaned the room for a week, but after a month, he started stealing, so..."

"Damn it, you're in big trouble. Don't his parents have any..."

"Gag!"

"Gag!"

Two more skeletons were vomited out. Judging by their clothes, a man and a woman, Harley knew who they were without even looking.

"Damn it, Frank, if the landlord finds out..."

"Gag!"

A skeleton leaning on a cane was vomited out. This skeleton was newer, with two pieces of undigested rotten flesh still attached.

Frank vomited out a gun: "You can't blame me. That little brat's parents were complete gangsters. They came to the door with guns, not looking like good people at all."

"The landlord had already repossessed the house and took possession of many of the plants that Ivy and I grew. That was fine, but then he wanted to make drugs in this room, so I reluctantly had to..."

"..."

Harley was speechless.

"Okay," she said, feeling a bit weary. "In short, I'm just an ordinary person now, so I can only live here. There shouldn't be any damn troub..."

Knock, knock, knock.

The door was knocked.

Harley heard someone outside shout, "Open up! Batman!"

"...Annoying."