Slaughter Swamp

"Mother Earth's plan to save the world will begin here."

Plant Master's hand was still on the map, but the next moment, both he and Poison Ivy froze.

"Pamela?"

Poison Ivy's expression was grim. "I feel it."

Night fell.

Slaughter Swamp was located on the outskirts of Gotham, the largest swamp area in the suburbs.

It was the biggest dumping ground in all of Gotham, second only to Gotham Docks.

For over 200 years since Gotham was founded, countless bodies had been thrown into this swamp, eventually turning into clumps of disgusting sludge, indistinguishable from the murky, dark green water and winding roots.

The Suicide Squad and Chen Tao were wading through the edge of this swamp, pushing through clumps of low reeds and sedges, using twisted trees and slippery moss as their guide.

"Ugh, it's going to swallow me alive!"

A swarm of mosquitoes and other flying insects buzzed around Harley Quinn's head, making her pale face even paler.

Robin took out a bottle of potion and sprayed it around him. Instantly, all the small flying insects near him fell straight into the water.

This immediately caught Harley Quinn's attention.

"Oh, thank goodness, can I use some?"

Tim replied, "This is concentrated sulfuric acid, a super dehydrating agent."

"You carry something that terrifying in your bag?"

Harley quipped:

"Couldn't you just bring some bug spray to this damn swamp?"

"Hmm..."

"What good are you, huh?"

Three bugs circled above Harley's head, like they were on a happy carousel.

Tim said, "You might need to supplement some Vitamin B."

(Note: A lack of Vitamin B can easily lead to irritability and anger. Tim was indirectly insulting Harley here.)

"I don't care anymore!"

Harley Quinn shrieked maniacally, "Your gear is like a boy scout's."

She flung that remark behind her and strode forward quickly, slapping her own head as she walked. Unfortunately, she didn't hit any bugs, only managing to yelp in pain.

Robin quickly walked up to Chen Tao. They walked side-by-side, silently watching Harley Quinn ahead.

"Batman, I've always had a question. How did you find Harley Quinn?"

Of course, I found her in the comics. Harley Quinn owned a house in Brooklyn, New York, and was still paying off the mortgage. Using the Wayne family's connections, I could search for the most garishly decorated house in Brooklyn, cross-reference the owner, check the financial flows, and then see who was paying the owner's salary. That would lead me to the "Super Baby" restaurant.

But he couldn't just tell the young detective that. Judging by Tim's expression, this question had been bothering him for a long time, a kind of painful "Why can my idol do it so easily, but I can't, don't understand, and have no idea what's going on, ahhhhhh!"

So Chen Tao could only reply, "Because I'm Batman!"

"..."

"Alright," Tim sighed. "Let's not talk about how you found Harley Quinn. I just want to talk about her. Batman, I hope you'll reconsider."

Robin whispered, "Harley Quinn is defined as someone who does as she pleases. Based on my understanding of her, it's highly likely she'll support Poison Ivy's plan at the last moment."

"She might find Ivy's reasoning less absurd, or perhaps the wind has changed today, or maybe it's Thursday. Any of these could make Harley Quinn change her mind on a whim."

Chen Tao remained silent.

"Alright, I get it, I get it—because I'm Batman."

Tim was completely defeated. He waved his hand and grumbled as he walked away, not wanting to walk with Chen Tao.

"..."

Of course, I saw this in the comics. Harley Quinn has always firmly opposed Poison Ivy's overly insane plans, just as Poison Ivy has always opposed Harley Quinn's excessive infatuation with the Joker.

In a sense, these two women resist the worst and darkest aspects of their personalities, targeting each other's most severe character flaws. It's a form of mutual salvation.

Therefore, as long as she knew what dangerous thing Poison Ivy was planning, Harley Quinn would never stand by and do nothing.

But he couldn't explain to Tim the reason for his judgment, so he could only brush it off with "Because I'm Batman."

"Welding Dog, are you sure you don't need any other extra weapons?"

Ms. Vick said from behind.

Among the participants in this mission, whether it was Dizzy Earl, Deathshot, or Batman, they were all old acquaintances she had dealt with before. Only this strange fellow calling himself Welding Dog was someone she had never seen.

"Batman provided us with some strange equipment, didn't he? Lawton?"

Deathshot, who had been named by him, grunted dismissively.

Ms. Vick continued, "Freeze Grenades, rumored to be technology from Mr. Freeze, and Fear Toxin Smoke Bombs, one whiff and you'll be paralyzed with fear."

"Ultrasonic Rocket Launcher, Pulse Wave Gun, and this: Ionizing Radiation Bomb..."

Dizzy Earl said expressionlessly, "These things are pointless."

"Tch..."

Deathshot snorted coldly but said nothing more.

He knew that Dizzy Earl, a pseudo-superpowered individual who implanted an electronic device in his right temple to disrupt opponents' balance, considered his combat style to be interfering with others using the small lump of tech in his brain. He looked down on firearms the most.

Deathshot didn't want to argue with Dizzy Earl. If Deathshot had a sniper rifle, he would be confident in blowing Dizzy Earl's head off like fireworks from kilometers away. But at this close range, it was the optimal distance for Dizzy Earl's ability to activate. He wasn't stupid.

Ms. Vick paid no mind to the friction between the two men and continued speaking to Welding Dog, "I say, you..."

"Ms. Vick."

Welding Dog finally spoke. The dog on his left hand replaced his mouth and began speaking openly, "Could you maintain some distance? There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"I appreciate your desire to understand me, and I'd love to be understood, but I can't. It's because there's something wrong with my head."

He said earnestly, "There's a serious problem with my brain, so... unless you can always remember [I'm a pervert] when you're with me in the future, it's best to stay away from me."

However, these words clearly didn't scare Ms. Vick. Just as she was about to say something else, Harley Quinn, who was ahead, spoke up.

"I think we're almost there. As far as I know, I can bet you—Poison Ivy will definitely turn bushes and some trees into monsters to act as guard dogs, just like in Green Goblin when he was cheating."

Harley Quinn said, "I'm not kidding. Once, she turned my cane and lollipop into a three-headed snake branch, and the lollipop was still in my mouth! I haven't eaten a lollipop since then."

Then she suddenly stopped, "I'm very sure Little Red is here."