115 A Strange Encounter

Since switching to the Kevlar combat suit provided by Bruce, Thea has retired her old anti-G suit. The new suit is pressure-resistant, bulletproof, and stab-proof, and it has decent breathability and moisture retention capabilities.

Although it's not as quick as Superman or Supergirl, who can tear off their shirts and fly away, the efficiency of changing clothes is much better compared to her previous cumbersome process.

After changing her clothes, Thea strapped on her weapons, hopped onto her Glider, and flew in the direction of the voice without informing anyone.

Even though she was no longer in command, she still kept an eye on Gotham's weather. Every few days, she instructed Commissioner Gordon to launch a shell into the sky. 

The buildup speed of the clouds simply couldn't keep up with her daily disruptions. The once crime-ridden nights are now bathed in bright moonlight. She didn't know by how much crime had decreased, but at least it looked more pleasant.

Guided by the moonlight, she discerned the direction. The voice still occasionally transmitted over: "Come to me. I can help you." It seemed to be coming from the south.

Gotham was a large port city, with the ocean to the east and access to the inland from the north and west. As for the south, Thea only remembered it as desolate and marshy.

Despite her various doubts, she focused her mind and entered a state of concentration. She didn't reach her top speed, continuously scanning her surroundings, and cautiously flew toward the voice.

As the surrounding environment became increasingly desolate, her senses didn't trigger any warnings, and infrared scans didn't detect any heat signatures of large animals either.

"I'm over here, young one," a deep voice resonated from below.

Thea drew a Freezing Arrow and nocked it on the bow, gradually lowering her flying altitude while remaining on guard against any potential attacks.

But when she descended to a height of twenty meters, the surroundings were still desolate. No matter how she looked around, she couldn't see any signs of life nearby.

"Where are you?" Although the question sounded silly, she truly couldn't see this so-called "person" who could help her.

"I'm coming out. I mean you no harm." Accompanied by the words were gurgling water sounds as ripples began to form in the swamp below.

A green figure resembling a giant slime monster slowly emerged from the swamp. Vines flailed about, and tons of mud were pulled upwards by its sudden movements, only to fall back into the swamp under gravity.

At this moment, Thea could only stare in dumbfounded shock at the towering five-meter-tall green humanoid creature before her. Who was this? Or rather, what was this?

Looking at the bow and arrows in her hand, her once reliable archery skills now failed to provide her with any sense of safety. Could her arrows even harm this several-ton, five-meter-tall creature?

Only the Glider beneath her feet gave her a sliver of courage. If she couldn't defeat it, she could still fly away, maybe.

She couldn't find words to speak, silently observing the giant green being as it moved around, rubbing its face and stretching its neck.

Guessing that she probably wasn't on the creature's menu, Thea shouted, "Did you call for me?" They were at least fifty meters apart; she didn't want to risk going unheard.

But it took a full thirty seconds for the other party to react to her words, and those thirty seconds were agonizing for her, fearing it would unleash some powerful move and finish her off.

"Yes, it was me, young one," the green creature replied languidly, which made the impatient Thea fidget incessantly. If only she could beat it, she would have taught it a lesson.

"What do you want from me?" Thea lowered her altitude to match his level. She knew the principle of not looking down on someone when standing under their eaves. Her tone was respectful.

"It's a long story. Please be patient and listen," the green creature said unhurriedly.

Thea felt that this guy didn't seem to have any ill intentions, so she could only express her patience and listen until dawn if needed.

"I mean you no harm." Thea couldn't figure out why he kept emphasizing this point. Did he really mean no harm, or was he trying to lull her into complacency? Only time will tell.

"I used to be a botanist, but due to an experiment gone wrong, I ended up like this. My original name was Alec Holland, but of course, no one calls me that anymore. They all call me the Swamp Thing." The huge green creature, or Swamp Thing, reminisced with some sorrow but quickly moved on to explain today's purpose.

"There are many supernatural beings in this world, and I am one of them. Our leader detected an abnormal reaction from you, so I was ordered to make contact with you."

Thea was filled with questions at this moment. What did this mean? Was there something abnormal about her? Was she about to discover some hidden superpower within herself? As far as she could recall, Thea 1.0 was just an ordinary person who had spent half her life under the shadow of the Green Arrow, with her parents gone and the few boyfriends she had all seemed to compete in getting themselves killed. When did being a jinx turn into a superpower?

"I don't quite understand what you mean. Are you here to warn me or to capture me?" It wasn't that Thea was always suspicious of others' intentions, but in this world, people tended to burn others alive or slice them up at the drop of a hat.

The Swamp Thing shook its large head. "I'm here to help you, as I said before."

Hmm, very nice and powerful. Every villain initially claims to want to help others, but their method of help usually involves knives, explosives, brainwashing, and the like.

Thea remained silent, waiting for him to continue. "You should have obtained a certain relic, which has awakened your bloodline. You are not an ordinary person; you carry the legacy of ancient sages."

A relic? That wasn't hard to guess. The strange painting that Selina stole from Killer Moth was the beginning of everything. Unsure if this was a blessing or curse, Thea brought the strange scroll with her before leaving.

The mention of a bloodline puzzled her. Did she always possess it, or was it caused by the fusion? The concept of a bloodline sounded impressive, like Kekkei Genkai and the Will of D—special abilities inherited through bloodlines. But did she really have something like that?

Although she was somewhat afraid that the green giant might try to take her painting, she still took it out. "Is this the relic you're talking about? As for this bloodline, could you explain it?"

The area that looked like the Swamp Thing's mouth curled into what he probably thought was a benevolent smile, a smile that Thea found terrifying.

"Your bloodline is something only you can understand. I used to be a botanist, but now I'm not even human anymore. So I can't determine the source of your bloodline."

Only she knew? What did she know? Thea's mind was a mess, but just as she was about to say she couldn't remember, the scenery from the painting flashed in her mind, along with her surname that only two other people knew—Merlyn!