“You know, filthy green servant.”
Poison Ivy saw Bane, using his gray-white eyes, looking down at the green vines tightly wrapped around his body.
“This is all useless to me.”
A grating voice came from the vines, a bead of cold sweat ran down Poison Ivy’s temple, she reached out with both hands, dozens, hundreds of roots and other plants grew from the ground, strengthening the already tightly bound body of the zombie Bane.
But it couldn’t stop the zombie Bane’s movements.
The plants turned black and withered under the corrosion of the Black Rot, and the zombie Bane exerted a little force…
Crack.
The giant monster ambled slowly:
“Poison Ivy. Right? Can I call you Ivy? I heard them call you that.”
Bang!
A gunshot.
Dozens of wooden shields, layer upon layer, sprang up from beside Ivy in a matter of seconds, the Pulse Rifle’s electric current only managed to pierce the first one before being rendered powerless.
The Plant Master Jason Wood lay beside them, barely within Poison Ivy’s protective range, his eyes closed, like a real dead tree.
Poison Ivy and Killer Croc stood back-to-back, their eyes fixed on Deathstroke, who stood beside the zombie Bane.
His once vaguely handsome face had been completely replaced by decay and maggots.
Intertwined canines sprouted from his lower jaw, streaks of dark red flesh hung from his chin, compared to these horrific sights, his gray-white eyeballs were the only thing left on his face that could be called normal.
Cheshire Cat still wore her mask even in this state, which might be a sign that she still had a shred of self-awareness, Poison Ivy wasn’t sure. But this faint self was no match for the Black Rot, so it was useless.
Jagged, uneven teeth pierced her lower jaw, breaking through her swan-like white neck, leaving a patch of black blood on her delicate collarbone.
The Ventriloquist had lost his glasses, he held a Thompson submachine gun, his favorite Batman doll, which he had always cherished, was now lying on the ground.
Insect limbs protruded from his mouth.
They were all parasitized by the Black Rot, just like that fellow named Bane. Poison Ivy had heard of him, the mastermind who had released himself and his fellow inmates from Arkham Asylum, and they were now all servants of the Black Rot.
Without the protection of the Red of Life and the Green of All Things, they were no match for the Black Rot, which was relatively strong in this area.
Then, finally, …the one she least wanted to see:
Harley Quinn.
“No…”
Poison Ivy lowered her hands.
Harley Quinn’s red and blue twin tails had come loose, black blood was running from her mouth, particularly striking against her chemically bleached skin.
And the dark green plant armor that Poison Ivy had carefully woven for little Harley…
had been completely stained black.
“In the end… you couldn’t protect anyone. Ivy. But you still have a chance to redeem something.”
She saw the disgusting muscle-bound monster reaching out to her: “We can make a deal.”
“We just need you. The successor to the Green of All Things. This woman and your companions are irrelevant. You call her Harley Quinn, right?”
“You care for her.”
“And we just so happen to have no need for an ordinary human.”
Two voices sounded from the zombie Bane at the same time, coming from the Two Hunters of the Black Rot together:
“Come make a deal, one for many.
You know, whether it’s the parasitism of the Black Rot, or the immersion of the Green of All Things, it’s not an irreversible transformation. We just need you. This woman called Harley Quinn will wake up in a few hours, unharmed, back in her own home.”
“And you, will need to come to our side… join the Black Rot… trust me, don’t be afraid. The purification process is quite beautiful.”
Killer Croc said to Poison Ivy in a low voice: “Damn it, Ivy, you wouldn’t really do something stupid like that, would you?”
The big green lizard lowered his head, opening and closing his mouth, trying to think of something to persuade Ivy. He had never resented his poor eloquence as much as today.
He hadn’t used his brain in a long time, so much so that when he needed to use it, his mind was blank, and he couldn’t say a word.
So in the end he said in a muffled voice: “You shouldn’t join the Black Rot, this is not the right way.”
Killer Croc wanted to bite his own tongue after saying that.
Poison Ivy managed to force a smile at him:
“I know you’re trying to say, ‘Even if I sacrifice myself, they won’t let Harley go.’”
Or you’re trying to say, “Death is the nature of the Black Rot, how can they defy their own instincts?”
You already know everything!
Killer Croc nodded like a woodpecker: “That’s exactly what I’m trying to say!”
“If your concern is that, then maybe we can change the deal.”
The zombie Bane pointed at the helpless Plant Master Jason Wood, who was lying on the ground.
“You don’t want to come to our side, we understand, you haven’t come to understand the Black Rot yet.”
“So how about we switch?”
“That guy lying on the ground, his name is Plant Master, right?”
“You’ve already betrayed him once, so why not a second time?”
“What’s that saying? Either do it right, or don’t do it at all.”
“You’re already enemies anyway, aren’t you? Trading the lives of your enemies for the lives of your friends and comrades, there’s no better deal.”
Even Killer Croc, who thought he wasn’t very smart, felt like things were getting bad.
Ivy looked like she was about to be persuaded.
“Ivy, you absolutely can’t…”
“I’ve decided.”
Then Killer Croc heard Poison Ivy say, “This is the last resort.”
“I’ll trade you for Harley.”
Killer Croc felt like he was going crazy.
He understood, he understood what Poison Ivy was thinking. She couldn’t abandon Harley, and she couldn’t bring herself to betray Plant Master, so that damn self-sacrificing desire welled up in her heart, making her look like a fool, sending herself into the jaws of the beast!
He opened his mouth, then felt his tongue tie.
“Damn it.”
He said.
He saw Poison Ivy dissipate the green plants around her, open her arms, and slowly walk towards the Black Rot.
“Wait… wait!”
Killer Croc stopped Poison Ivy, his brain whirring.
“There’s still a chance! We still have a chance! Batman! Ivy! Batman is on our side this time, he’s not the enemy, he…”
Killer Croc felt like he was at a loss for words. He stammered for a while, finally said:
“Batman can always solve everything—Batman will always win!”
Even though the zombie Bane was unable to make a face due to the death of his facial nerves, Killer Croc was still certain that he was angry.
His gray-white eyes flashed with malice.
“Huh? That’s your hope? Relying on others?”
“You really disappoint me.”
“Even if Batman comes—what can he do? Just a runaway coward.”
He said, “Batman can’t change anything…”
But the next second, he was bitten on the back by a giant dragon’s mouth.
Batman!
(End of Chapter)
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