The Hunt for Poison Ivy

"Jason Woodrue, also known as the Plant Master, is a full-blown eco-terrorist. Compared to him, Ivy's hobby of turning people into trees is like Harley Quinn's pranks—dangerous, but not world ending."

"..." 

Adam missed Gordon's expression. His comic book fan instincts kicked in, and he launched into a detailed explanation of the two plant-based villains. "The fundamental power of the Green is divided into the Parliament of Trees, representing trees, and the May Queen, representing vines. But the nature of vines is attachment and obedience, so the May Queen, often subservient to the Parliament, is often overlooked. This doesn't mean they're powerless." 

"The Parliament's chosen avatar is Swamp Thing, while scum like Plant Master are just low-level pawns. Poison Ivy, however, is different. She's the May Queen's avatar, meaning her power is on par with Swamp Thing's, surpassing that of minor agents like Plant Master—" 

Gordon was overwhelmed by the sudden influx of information. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally stammering, "Batman, your knowledge is truly... impressive. I barely understood any of that—" 

"What? You can't understand something so simple? I explained it so clearly. Only an idiot wouldn't get it." Adam grumbled, then grabbed the stack of information. 

"Ha! I knew it!" 

"To repay Mother Earth, Plant Master wouldn't waste time. If he couldn't do it himself, he'd get Poison Ivy to help. Bane conveniently blew up the asylum, so they didn't even need to break her out." 

Gordon interrupted, "Here I have one more thing to tell you. I think this detailed file is really not like what those idiots who handed it to me can write. But after I matched the above content with the situation we have, I found that it was all true. Even many places were investigated very carefully, and many blind spots were found that even professionals have not discovered." Gordon, now speaking about his area of expertise, adjusted his glasses. 

"But this intelligence came too coincidentally. Not only did it provide new evidence and clues, but the report also used several methods to prove that only Batman can solve this serious problem. I was even forced to admit that many of the things written in it were correct-" 

"I question the motives." The voice of Batman made Gordon feel like he was back in the golden age, when he, Batman, and Harvey Dent formed a united front to change Gotham. 

Though those achievements were shattered when Harvey became Two-Face... Damn, why did he have to think about that? Gordon shook off the melancholic thoughts and continued, "This information is too detailed. It describes the perpetrator's posture, attack sequence, even their escape route. It's like it was written by an accomplice." 

"Maybe it was an accomplice," Adam replied. "This attack was too well-organized. I doubt those two knuckleheads suddenly became masterminds. This reads more like a battle plan than an investigation report. And you didn't even know about a giant tree creature like Plant Master until now? A scientist with such a dangerous biological weapon, and you only found out about him after he was kidnapped?" 

"Is the Gotham Police Department's intelligence network really that incompetent?" Adam continued, "Someone is deliberately misleading you, waiting for the right moment to strike—" 

Batman abruptly stopped. Then— 

"I understand." Gordon heard Batman say. 

'Oh? Is he about to start his deduction?' Gordon's eyes lit up. No matter how many times he'd witnessed it, it was always a thrill to watch the world's greatest detective, Batman, unravel a case. Even as the Commissioner of the Gotham Police Department, he felt like a mere apprentice in the presence of Batman's intellect. 

Go on, Batman! Despite his age, Gordon felt a surge of excitement. His investigative spirit ignited, craving a clash of minds, a feast of deduction! He heard Batman lower his voice and begin his "reasoning": 

"I get it! Bane isn't sure he can beat me, so they're planning something else to take me down. But they need time, so they have to keep me busy, prevent me from focusing on them. This report must have come from Bane's subordinate, Caveman. He probably helped orchestrate this whole thing. Plant Master and Poison Ivy's motives are clear. Biological weapons? Too small-time. They kidnapped a botanist. They must want to terraform the entire Earth!" 

"I see it now! Plant Master wants to replicate the Swamp Thing's origin on everyone, turning the entire planet into walking trees. But his plan must have gone wrong, resulting in temporary transformations that quickly turn people into pus and blood—" 

"That's why they need the scientist! They're obviously plotting their evil scheme in Slaughter Swamp! It all makes sense! No one understands villains better than me!" 

"?" 

Gordon was confused. He opened his mouth, then took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. 'Are we looking at the same information? How did he arrive at that conclusion? What's the basis? What's the reasoning'? 

"Obviously"? The reason, of course, was that Adam had read the original comics. 

Looking back on the decades of comic book history of Plant Master, every time he appeared, he would declare, "My Mother Earth!" and then start getting... intimate with the soil. And every time, he'd get his butt kicked by Poison Ivy and Swamp Thing.

In any story involving the Green, Plant Master Jack Woodrue was always the punching bag. After all, he was a walking tree and hard to kill. If you see this set of behavior patterns more often, you can almost recite them by heart. But Adam realized he couldn't explain how he knew so much. 

So, he resorted to a vague excuse: "Human intuition is a trait that cannot be learned, and it's my most effective weapon." Don't ask, just trust the intuition. 

Gordon was in awe. Are you finally dropping the act? I always said Batman's deductions were beyond normal comprehension, thought it was magic, but you kept insisting it was just reasoning! 

Adam pondered, realizing this situation had potential. Truth be told, even without Bane's diversion, he wouldn't have fought him directly right now. 

From Bane's perspective, Batman seemed incredibly powerful, especially after revealing his transformation ability, something they hadn't uncovered in their intel. He projected an aura of invincibility. But only Adam knew he was currently weak. The big green dinosaur might have some fighting power, but Bane was a true martial arts master. With Venom enhancing him, his physical strength could exceed 90 tons. If he sacrificed his intellect, it could reach 120. 

So, if Bane didn't want to fight Batman, why would Adam? He hadn't even considered fighting Bane himself. If money could solve the problem, why resort to violence? Bane's plan to use Plant Master and Poison Ivy to hinder him was actually beneficial. 

Superpowered individuals like Poison Ivy were rare among Gotham's villains, and she was already on Adam's potential ally list. As an avid comic fan, Adam knew Poison Ivy better than anyone, even the worms in her stomach. Bane was practically handing him a valuable asset. 

But there was a problem. Slaughter Swamp was vast. Where exactly were Poison Ivy and Plant Master hiding? This time, Adam was genuinely stumped. He was a comic reader, not a fortune teller. He could predict the villain's general plan based on his extensive comic knowledge, but specifics were beyond him. However, he knew someone who might know. He muttered, 

"I have a plan, a damn good plan!" 

"We need Harley Quinn, the former Harley Quinn, the human GPS of Gotham's villains, a secret weapon against the Joker, Poison Ivy's best friend and ultimate nemesis. Only she can find her!" And he knew exactly how to find Harley Quinn.