The Rotworld crisis involved the Green, the Red, the Rot—something about ecological balance. Thea just hadn't expected it to erupt this early. In her memory, Rotworld should have happened after Brightest Day. Had it triggered prematurely or been accidentally activated? Further observation was needed.
"From your expression, you know something?" Batman had been observing Thea's subtle expressions.
"Uh, I don't know if my guess is correct, but I'm certain this isn't evil mages' doing. You mentioned wastelands and walking corpses—theoretically, mages could accomplish that, but it's extremely labor-intensive. In this day and age, who has time to mess with farms? I think this is caused by Earth's natural balance breaking down. Miss Zatanna thinks the same, right?"
"Exactly! Do you know the reason?" Mages' curiosity always exceeded that of cats. Zatanna had only concluded from her own perspective that this wasn't mages' work. She didn't know the internal details. Hearing Thea's implication that she had answers, Zatanna's eyes lit up.
"Probably... Do you know where Swamp Thing is? This should be his responsibility." Swamp Thing had spent a long time with Madame Xanadu, so Zatanna should know him.
As the observing party, Batman wished he could record every word for later analysis, word for word. He deeply disliked not understanding things. His scrutinizing gaze constantly shifted between the two women.
"You mean Dr. Alec Holland? I heard he returned to normal two years ago and went back to living as an ordinary person."
Zatanna's answer left Thea wide-eyed. What the hell? The Avatar of the Green retired? Had he been fired by those drama queens—no, tree spirits—in the Parliament of Trees, or had he quit himself?
So many questions made Thea sigh.
Seeing Batman's expression that said 'you better explain clearly or we're not done,' Thea felt she had to clarify. Moreover, Zatanna seemed only half-informed. After thinking, she should start from the beginning.
"As far as I know, Swamp Thing is the Avatar of the Green. The Green, the Red, the Rot, the Grey, the Divided, and the Metal constitute our world's most fundamental balance."
Zatanna looked dumbfounded. She only knew about the Green—the rest of this jumble was completely new to her.
Batman reacted quickly. "You mentioned earlier—the balance is broken? Because of this Swamp Thing?"
Thea hesitated. "Hard to say. It doesn't seem explainable by a simple push and pull. This is very complex. I haven't paid much attention to their affairs."
"Oh right, that giant zombie we fought outside Gotham represented the Grey. These current events—" Thea pointed at several screens "—should be the Rot. But in my understanding, the Rot is also a foundation of the material world. Though they lack our concepts of good and evil, they shouldn't be doing this. This looks like it's out of control."
"Someone's manipulating from behind?" Batman immediately thought of the key point. Thea couldn't analyze further either—she could only address specific problems specifically. The timeline didn't match up, so she dared not guarantee anything.
Just as they prepared to discuss next steps, one of Batman's communicators activated. He glanced at it before telling Thea, "The President's calling."
Thea knew Batman maintained contact with upper levels. Her true identity was known to more and more people—she had no intention of hiding it. She nodded calmly. Zatanna chose to step away. Soon the President's aged face appeared on the central screen.
"Batman. Oh? Dr. Queen is there too."
"Mr. President, you're looking well." Thea greeted cheerfully. Now at least a deity, while the Rot was troublesome, it wasn't enough to make her panic.
The President thought, My complexion is terrible! This cursed presidency ages you two years for every one served, ten for a full term. There's just too much crap to deal with!
After smiling bitterly through pleasantries, he got to the point. "A horrific incident occurred in Louisiana—it's being broadcast now. I've deployed the National Guard to establish a cordon in that area, but terrifying disasters are happening worldwide. Birds in Metropolis are dying in massive flocks. The cattle ranch in Coast City seems to have some kind of plague—all the cows... You're both superheroes. I'm asking—what should I do?"
While he spoke, Thea had connected to Queen Industries' satellite via her personal computer. Massive data streamed in. They mainly cared about America, but Thea saw the whole world—this was a worldwide natural disaster. The Brazilian rainforest, African savanna, every country suffered varying degrees of damage.
If the Rot ran rampant and turned into Rotworld, a world of dead, decaying silence, what trade or wealth would remain? This was literally destroying Thea's livelihood. She absolutely couldn't stand for this!
"Mr. President, rest assured. I'll handle this matter." Thea interrupted the President's complaints to Batman. For her taking such complete responsibility, the President praised her extensively before disconnecting.
"The situation is extremely serious. Where do we start investigating?" Batman scanned the report the President mentioned. The highway was completely paralyzed. Tens of thousands of citizens covered in rotting flesh wandered cities and countryside like zombies from Resident Evil. Aerial footage showed some wandering to the cordon's edge, shot into Swiss cheese by guards.
The entire social order could collapse at any moment.
Thea pondered briefly. "We must find the avatars of the Green and the Red. Among them, Dr. Alec Holland is the priority—put him first. Find him immediately."
Finding someone with a name and identity was too easy. When Thea prepared to teleport there, Batman stopped her, expressing he had to participate. "I don't know what happened to you, but I can sense you're growing further from humanity. This is humanity's business. I need to be involved."
Thea had no objection. Batman, this cheat character, could always produce bizarre things. She might need his help later. Zatanna was also very interested—perfect for a three-person party.
She didn't use a Boom Tube, choosing direct teleportation instead.
Zatanna also knew teleportation spells and immediately sensed something extraordinary about Thea's method. Many questions buried themselves in her mind, waiting for an opportunity to ask.
They arrived at a remote Louisiana town. Dr. Alec Holland's cottage sat not far from town, and the massive zombie horde was less than a hundred miles away. Clearly some inevitable connection existed between the two.
Every townsperson had locked their doors tight. The three quickly found the distant cottage.
Batman gently pushed the door open. Inside, only a middle-aged man was bent over some experiment.