Thea knew the brutal truth but showed no embarrassment. She left the Green with an expressionless face. The environmental damage was already done—there was no point dwelling on it. Better to focus on the present.
Back in the Batcave, Swamp Thing, having regained his power, could now sense the detailed state of the entire natural world. Using the information he provided, Batman could finally create rough dosage charts for the spray, suppressing the Rot without letting the Green run too rampant.
The immediate crisis was basically resolved. Finding a way to make the Rot back down became the new challenge.
According to Swamp Thing's feedback, the Rot kept counterattacking with varying intensity, making it hard to predict. Both Thea and Batman suspected someone was controlling it from behind the scenes.
Analyzing the cause, finding the mastermind, then beating them into submission—this was Batman's tried-and-true method from over a decade of operating in Gotham.
The approach might be crude, but this process could handle ninety percent of the world's toughest problems. Thea didn't have a better solution at the moment.
The only trouble was: where was this enemy?
"Abby might be able to help me open a passage to the Rot?" Swamp Thing suggested tentatively.
"Absolutely not. The time differential between the Rot and our world is too extreme. The Green flows at the same rate as us because it's all plant life, but the Rot is composed of the dead. I don't think they need time at all. Forget that idea—don't you dare go in there!" Thea immediately shot down his suggestion.
In the original timeline, this champion of the Green and the Red's chosen warrior, Animal Man, had both been hotheaded youths who'd charged into the Rot yelling about counterattacks. The time ratio there was one minute to one year.
Because they'd taken most of the Green and Red's power with them, by the time they emerged, they discovered that the balance had shattered. The entire world had been corrupted by the Rot, becoming a Rotworld. Just one year had passed outside, but Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash—all dead. "Tragic" didn't even begin to describe it.
Thea absolutely would not allow such a brainless move.
The Abby that Swamp Thing mentioned was another tragedy. She was Swamp Thing's lover but also the earthly avatar of the Rot. The two had enacted nature's version of Romeo and Juliet, ultimately both abandoning their human identities to become part of the natural balance.
Thea vaguely knew about this person. She didn't ask for details, but Batman would never let such information slip by. Who was Abby? Where was she? What was her full name? What did her ancestors do? He peppered Swamp Thing with questions until the creature was thoroughly confused.
"This person is important. She should be kept under protective watch," Batman concluded. His interrogation technique was skillful, easily extracting considerable information from Swamp Thing. He immediately recognized the implications.
Thea supported the suggestion. Not going to the Rot and protecting Abby weren't mutually exclusive. These female leads all had pathetically weak combat ability but loved courting death. If Abby died, it would mean the Rot gained another powerful champion, making things even more difficult.
Zatanna, who'd been idle the whole time, took a photo of Abby and volunteered to fetch her.
Meanwhile, Thea began considering the Red. In the original timeline, Animal Man represented the Red. In this timeline, she didn't know if he was keeping a low profile or simply hadn't officially adopted the Animal Man identity yet—she couldn't find any relevant information online.
"Doctor, try contacting the Red. We need its power," Thea said.
"We're not from the same power source. How am I supposed to contact them?" Swamp Thing's voice was deep and rumbling. He thought Thea was joking.
"The Red represents life force. Leaving humans aside for now, wild animals definitely eat plants. Maybe you can work something out from that angle. Otherwise, with the entire human population to search through, we'll never find the Red," Thea explained.
Seeing he still didn't understand, she broke it down further. "Look, large animals eat small animals, small animals eat plants—that's our ecosystem, right?"
Swamp Thing nodded. Thea continued, "If a small animal eats a plant but doesn't digest it before getting swallowed by a larger animal, theoretically you could sense the movement of life through those undigested plant materials. Through this biological network, you might find traces of the Red."
Thea had never tried this herself. She could only offer a rough approach—Swamp Thing, being a doctor, would need to figure out the specifics. His intelligence should be up to the task.
Swamp Thing concentrated hard, like he was charging up an ultimate attack. After a long while, he said uncertainly, "I'm getting faint responses, but... I'm detecting two targets."
Animal Man and his daughter? That was Thea's first thought, but she immediately realized she was wrong. Swamp Thing continued, "One is in Southern California. The other... seems to be in San Francisco?"
Two targets appearing confused Thea, but when confused, she simply stopped thinking about it. Whoever they were, she'd bring them back first.
Batman strongly objected to bringing so many unrelated people to the Batcave. What the hell—this is turning into a tourist attraction! Haven't you noticed Batgirl and the third Robin don't even dare come in anymore?!
Thea realized he had a point. Constantly using the Batcave wasn't appropriate. Her identity wasn't secret, and she had plenty of facilities. They agreed to meet in Metropolis instead.
Two years ago, Queen Consolidated had purchased a massive complex in Metropolis with every type of entertainment and training facility. The original plan had been to recruit members and run it as a luxury club, but Metropolis had never been peaceful, so it had never officially opened.
With her vast resources, Thea had initially forgotten about it. Later, driving past one day, she'd realized the building's location and architectural style bore a striking resemblance to the Justice League's Hall of Justice from the future!
The place was still sitting vacant. She gave them this address—located in the western part of the city center, not far from the Daily Planet headquarters, with beautiful surroundings, convenient transportation, and comprehensive facilities.
Thea told them to meet there, then she and Batman split up to search for their respective targets.
Swamp Thing transformed his body into countless plants, able to provide both of them with rough directional guidance. Poison Ivy, noticing Zatanna hadn't returned yet, excused herself and flew off wearing her yellow ring to help.
Thea headed to San Francisco while Batman took the Batplane to Southern California.