Tim did not follow the crowd rushing out; he could see from the window that a chubby man had fallen outside on the ground, apparently with a broken leg.
From his hearty screams, one could tell it wasn't serious, and sure enough, after a quick examination, it was just a fracture of the lower leg.
The building wasn't very tall, and the likelihood of dying from a fall from the third floor was too low. Moreover, Tim had turned around early; he remembered that the man's falling posture was uncommon because usually when people jump from a building, they go headfirst, but he looked more like he was jumping into a pool, with his legs going down first.
Tim didn't believe he had jumped from the third floor for no reason, so he took the opportunity to head to the third floor while everyone else went outside. After reaching the third floor, he found that the people who had stayed were already gone, and he easily made his way to the balcony from which the gentleman had jumped.
Worried about being seen, he didn't step onto the balcony, but instead crouched inside the room, trying to spot any footprints.
No footprints were found on the balcony, but Tim discovered a small leaf on the threshold of the door where he was.
Tim suspected Pamela had a hand in it because he felt the posture of the pot plant in the room was odd, and that Mr. Lant, being a big fat man of over 200 pounds, couldn't have been thrown out by Captain America without noticing, but Pamela with superpowers could.
But that brought up another issue: if Pamela wanted to murder someone, she wouldn't need to go through such trouble. Being an Old Gothamite, she would know that a fall from the third floor wouldn't kill a person, so her goal must have been to injure the person so that he would leave the party scene soon.
Mr. Lant was quickly carried away since the leg fracture didn't bleed; the injury was lighter than a stab wound, so there was no need for an ambulance. The farm owner simply arranged for a car to take him to the nearest hospital.
Then, unsurprisingly, another person tripped over a mop handle and hit his head on a small rock, making a cut on his scalp which bled continuously; after a simple bandage, he too was sent to the hospital.
Another person slipped on the too-slick floor, fell, and since he was very old, he sprained his back so badly that he couldn't move at all for a while and had to be taken to the hospital as well.
Someone accidentally ate a liquor-filled chocolate mixed with regular ones and had an allergic reaction to the alcohol, necessitating a hospital visit.
Another person suddenly heard of an emergency at home and had to leave the party early, rushing to drive back.
It made Tim feel as if he were in the movie "Death Comes," especially after investigating certain clues which hinted that these accidents might have been orchestrated by acquaintances.
Their purpose was not to kill but to cause injuries so these people would leave early.
Why did they need to leave early? What was so special about the party that they shouldn't participate in?
Tim soon got his answer.
Despite the frequent accidents, the party still took place on schedule, and as the sun was half-swallowed by the horizon, the host announced the beginning of the festivities.
This was the first time Tim had seen the farm owner, a seemingly ordinary tall white male, who appeared to be named Deegan, wearing a warm smile—
which lasted until the Attacking Cabbage made its appearance.
Pamela chose a cunning moment to make her move as the waitstaff were serving dishes, steaming plates being brought out one after the other, and an Asian wearing a tall chef's hat came out from the kitchen, warmly embraced by the farmer as he introduced him to the guests.
It was just a bunch of flattering words, probably saying the chef had traveled thousands of miles to bring Asian cuisine and inviting everyone to enjoy.
Just as he was saying this, a few green figures burst out like whirlwinds, followed by a smooth combination of an uppercut, a flying kick, and a spinning kick.
Now Tim somewhat understood why it was necessary to send those people away—life was dull, and vegetables were beating up humans.
This cabbage seemed to have been enhanced; it was bigger than the ones Tim had seen before, and its moves were richer; humans were no match for it at all.
More importantly, this thing was too cartoonish; it didn't evoke the intense tension one would feel from an assassination attempt or a shooting.
Watching the cabbage rampage across the room, Tim just felt amused, and those being chased by the cabbage jumping up and down appeared even more ridiculous, even though being attacked by an unidentified creature was a serious matter, the whole scene was rather comical.
Tim saw that the celebrity lawyer had already taken out his phone and started filming.
Not surprisingly, this video would likely quickly hit the trending list on the short-video app, given people's enthusiasm for abstract activities, regardless of the country, entertainment deconstruction is always timeless.
The chaos caused by the cabbage continued, with Pamela apparently hiding in the shadows, frantically ripening seeds, and more cabbages kept appearing, chasing everyone around relentlessly.
Moreover, the delicacies just served were instantly flipped over, tables were shattered, and plates and saucers flew everywhere, but no one could care less about cleaning up, as everyone was struggling to save themselves.
Finally, the room could no longer contain them, and people began to flee to the outdoors of the farm; some tried to escape the farm, and while the cabbages lacked intelligence, Pamela used all the cabbages she controlled like sheepdogs, herding the crowd into the farm's fields.
Tim, blending in with the crowd, wasn't very noticeable, but at that moment, he spotted Peter, who had been missing for a long time, following right behind the farmer Deegan.
On the surface, Peter seemed to be protecting the farmer, but upon closer observation, it looked as if he was guiding the cabbages, making it easier for them to get closer to the farmer.
Indeed, a group of cabbages targeted others, but another special team of cabbages focused solely on beating up Deegan, one kicking him on his buttocks and another punching him in the cheekbone, and among everyone, he got hit the most.
Suddenly, Tim heard a loud roar.
"Enough!!!!"
A massive shadow appeared in the center of the farm, Tim looked up in shock, what was this? A dragon???
It was a giant monster, dozens of stories tall, green all over, looking like a fat green giant lizard with long claws and a huge tail, its eyes emitted a red light.
Instinctively, Tim looked at Shiller; as expected, Shiller showed no sign of shock. Tim glanced around the crowd and, sure enough, one important figure was missing—the famous Cantonese cuisine chef.
The head chef is a monster?
Tim saw that Captain America was also stunned and rooted to the spot, obviously this was beyond his expectation too, he only now realized that Shiller was indeed after the cook, but not for the dishes he made.
Captain America was a step slow in reacting, and the tail of the Evil Dragon swept towards him, he raised his arm to block, but still was sent flying.
Even more unlucky was Tim, who stood at the tip of the tail, swept by it like a long whip, he could not even raise his arm in time to defend himself and was flung away, spitting out a large mouthful of blood when he hit the ground.
Tim immediately understood that his ribs were broken, and his organs might have also suffered shock, his vision started to black out, and a vine silently stretched over and pulled him out.
"How does jumping from a building feel?" Pamela's voice sounded in Tim's ear, and Tim spat out another mouthful of blood, feeling excruciating pain all over his body.
Sneak attack! Despicable! Tim thought furiously.
But his injuries were clearly severe, breathing felt difficult, Pamela seemed to have left quickly, and Tim lay there unable to move.
Countless shadows passed before his eyes, it seemed a legion of people were taking turns fighting the Evil Dragon.
He saw the vivid red and blue of Captain America's shield, the green of Pamela's manipulated plants, Barry's golden blur when running, and also heard Jason's roar, Peter's cry, and Harley's shout.
Intense light burst from Harley's body, lighting the sky as if it were daytime, Tim heard Professor X's voice speak directly in everyone's minds, seemingly telling Harley to calm down, or else her mutant ability was going to lose control.
Then he saw the silhouette of the Federal Bureau of Investigation agents in battle, helicopters marked with the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo cutting through the night, countless police cars encircling the area, the noise of guns and bombs made his eardrums buzz.
The world gradually quieted down, and just before Tim completely passed out, he realized the biggest lesson he could take from this incident was that having a sharp mind was meaningless without a strong physical constitution; he simply couldn't compete on the same stage with these maniacs.
When he woke next, Tim thought he would be in a hospital, but instead, a strange fragrance rushed into his nostrils.
Whispers resonated in his ear.
"This thigh is huge, it must be as tall as two stories, right? How did you manage to peel off the scales?"
"Make good use of Aisha, her teeth are incredibly useful."
"Come on over, the charcoal is ready! Who is in charge of cutting the meat?"
"I'll do it, just give me a few kitchen knives, I can use vines to hold them, guaranteeing to finely slice it into mince!"
"How is Deegan doing?"
"Don't worry, he has been sentenced, daring to conspire with an Alien Monster and causing such a commotion, Congress will not let him off."
"Shiller, I understand you didn't want to startle the quarry, but why did you keep even me in the dark? You also intentionally misled me, you were after the Cantonese cuisine chef..."
"I was indeed after the chef, what's the problem?"
Tim heard the last two lines which must have been spoken by Steve and Shiller. His mind was filled with too many questions, and just as he tried to speak, he suddenly coughed violently.
A crowd swarmed around him, and Dick was the first to say, "You finally woke up, are you alright?"
"Spread out a bit, you're all blocking the light," Jason dispersed the others and looked at Tim, "Your constitution is really poor, you were out for two days."
Then he turned to the others, "Are we really not going to give him another shot of Cure potion?"
"Otherwise, I can give him some Life Force from All Things Green, but I'm not sure if he can absorb it..."
Tim forcibly opened his eyes, Dick poured him some water, but even swallowing made his chest hurt.
"Your ribs are almost all broken, organ shock, concussion, wrist fracture, you were close to death," Dick pronounced Tim's injuries.
Tim glared fiercely at Shiller, Shiller definitely did it on purpose!
"I've said it before, you never know how cold the water is until you fall into the lake, is there a possibility that if you die, your clever brain is useless, and what does it feel like to be killed in one hit?"
Tim coughed violently a few more times.
To be honest, the feeling really wasn't great. Ordinary human bodies were too weak; in the face of such monsters, a slight hit was enough to leave them without any resistance.
Damn it, he should have strengthened his body before, Tim thought fiercely. No wonder Bruce, smart as he was, still opted to become an Angel. The overpowering strength was simply too unrivaled, once he returned to Battleworld he would queue for a Superpower copy!
He lay in a lounge chair, moving slightly was very painful, but that strange aroma continuously drilled into his nose.
With a hoarse voice, he asked, "What's with that dragon?"
"That was an Alien Monster," Peter came over holding the grill, "It seems to be from the Marku Star, called the extraordinary dragon, it had been hiding in Hong Kong, secretly causing destruction, the Doctor and I have been tracking it for a long time."
Suddenly, everything became clear.
Shiller pulling out one Chinese cigarette after another, suddenly showing interest in Cantonese cuisine, Peter's delayed arrival, the necessity of going to the banquet...
It all was because they had been targeting this extraordinary dragon, disguised as a Cantonese cuisine chef from the start.