Watching Beast Boy plead pitifully like a puppy, Thea considered it. The danger ahead wasn't too great, and since she'd brought this kid along, taking him to see the action wasn't a big deal. After a moment's thought, she said, "You can come with me, but no running off!"
Beast Boy nodded like a bobblehead. Thea glared at him hard and noticed his eyes flickering—clearly he'd already dismissed her instructions.
As a grandmaster at handling unruly kids, Thea naturally had ways to make him obey. Strict, harsh education had proven ineffective. Bribery worked far better. She pulled the latest smartphone from her bag and beckoned to the brat.
"See this? Camera here, switch cameras here, video recording, music player, internet access! How about it? Like it?"
Beast Boy's bright eyes betrayed his true thoughts. Thea continued, "Record the entire battle and this phone is yours!"
"Really?!" After getting Thea's confirmation, Beast Boy was overjoyed. He began examining all the phone's functions, completely abandoning his earlier plan to run around and spectate.
The Carpathian Mountains stretched across several countries, including Ukraine—quite a distance from their location. Thea searched for a while before spotting the group. Their capabilities were impressive—even without Thea's participation, they were holding their own. The only complication was a new faction's involvement.
A wave of azure teleportation energy, and Thea arrived with Beast Boy. They crossed thousands of miles in an instant. When she arrived, both sides were engaged in heated battle.
They were at an altitude of at least a thousand meters. The temperature was low, yet the air still carried a lingering stench.
Beast Boy faithfully executed his mission, pointing his phone at the battlefield and starting to record.
Thea looked at both sides. On one side were four frontline superheroes, with Zatanna, Poison Ivy, Abby, and the soul fragment contained in an iron box providing rear support. Fighting alongside the superheroes was a group of villains—Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc—led by Thea's old acquaintance, the mature Lyla Michaels, and over a dozen A.R.G.U.S. agents.
The other side was even livelier—an endless sea of civilians, constantly roaring, wielding scythes and wooden clubs, desperately blocking their advance.
Could these small fry stop Superman? Thea thought it impossible. Looking closer, she discovered these people differed from those in Wyoming. They hadn't been completely penetrated by the Rot. They were still alive!
This explained why Superman and Batman were holding back. Superman was mostly blocking bullets fired by A.R.G.U.S., while Batman was pummeling Harley Quinn and Deadshot.
For a moment, it resembled a three-way battle.
"So what exactly are you all doing? Where's Anton Arcane? These ordinary people blocking the way—just knock them out, right?" Thea was confused. The main target wasn't even here. Why bother with these nobodies?
Lyla had a decent relationship with her—her husband John Diggle worked under Thea, and A.R.G.U.S. leadership knew Moira had aspirations for higher office with strong prospects. Lyla could ignore Batman but not Thea.
"Amanda's orders are to eliminate all remnants here. These people's existence is too dangerous. They must all be eliminated," Lyla stated matter-of-factly.
"They can still be saved!" Superman objected before Batman could speak.
Thea had a headache. This was essentially an ideological conflict. Amanda believed in sacrificing some to save the rest of humanity. Superman's nature was to save everyone he encountered. Their principles were fundamentally opposed.
At this point, the flying heroes could have simply flown over the civilians' heads and taken down the mastermind in moments. Not difficult at all. The challenge was that the superheroes didn't trust A.R.G.U.S. and feared they'd massacre the civilians once the heroes left.
Of course, Thea suspected Lyla was planning exactly that. You can't watch over them forever—the heroes leave today, and A.R.G.U.S. sneaks back tomorrow for a massacre. Nothing you can do about it.
With Superman and Batman's intelligence, realizing this was no challenge. This was the core of their dispute.
Seeing both sides waiting for her to take a clear stance, Thea didn't speak immediately. Actually, she leaned toward eliminating threats completely. Many of these blocking civilians had lived here their entire lives. To claim they were all too oblivious to know about Anton Arcane's schemes was impossible. They weren't innocent.
But she couldn't abandon the superhero position. Thea could only find a compromise. She directly grabbed one civilian and began a thorough examination.
The person's brain and cardiopulmonary functions were fine. The only difference from ordinary people was their nervous system had been modified by the Rot. Black lines ran throughout their body—quite horrifying at first glance.
Light flickered between her fingers. She cast a healing spell on the civilian. The person seemed tossed into a steam room, their body releasing massive amounts of vapor mixed with a nauseating stench.
But when the vapor dispersed, the black lines in the civilian's body remained unchanged, only slightly lighter in color. Not eradicated.
"How is it?" A.R.G.U.S. stopped attacking, and the superheroes naturally withdrew. Superman asked uncertainly.
"Uh? There are diseases little Thea can't cure... how pitiful." The only one shameless enough to speak like this was Harley Quinn in the late stages of her mental illness. This woman squeezed into the crowd's center, and seeing Thea frowning, couldn't have been happier.
Miss Queen naturally wouldn't argue with someone mentally ill. She rolled her eyes prettily and answered Superman's question. "If I force the treatment, his nervous system will be destroyed."
"These people's bodies are bizarre. If you call them living, their bodies have already begun rotting. If you call them dead, their hearts and brains still function. Their thinking is somewhat chaotic, but self-awareness remains."
"Everyone, since the Rot could cut Swamp Thing off from the Green, I have a theory. Their corruption comes from the Rot, so the Rot can likewise withdraw the corruption. They have a good chance of recovering to normal."
She looked at Lyla. "I'll explain to Director Waller. Let's concentrate our forces on eliminating the primary culprit first. Once we resolve this source, I believe we'll find solutions to the remaining problems."
She spoke sincerely. Lyla wasn't as aggressive as Amanda, who'd deploy missiles to destroy entire cities at the drop of a hat. After brief consideration, she silently nodded, temporarily agreeing to this plan.
"What! Not killing them again?" Deadshot, having been thoroughly beaten by Batman, looked displeased. But with the Suicide Squad's neck bombs, he didn't dare disobey orders. He could only curse a few times under his breath.