"You said you found a box under the tree roots, can I have a look?" Greed asked.
Pamela handed over the box and said, "Be careful, this thing has radiation. While it may not harm you, the flowers and plants in the yard..."
As soon as Greed took it, a shocked expression appeared on his face. Pamela immediately became nervous and asked, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with it?"
"This is a Mother Box, the thing other universe's Cyborg has. How did it end up here?"
Pamela was also stunned. She certainly knew who Cyborg was and that he was a formidable member of the Justice League, but she wasn't familiar with the specifics. So she asked, "Is this thing powerful?"
"Of course. Both New Genesis Star and Apocalypse are looking for this thing. It was probably left behind on Earth during the last war. But how did it get buried under a big tree? Brainiac, Brainiac!"
"First of all, I'm curious how you know this is a Mother Box?" Brainiac asked.
"I've been in contact with Cyborg from other universes. I mean, Gray Mist has been, so of course, I can recognize it. If I'm not mistaken, you came to Earth to find this thing, right?"
"Yes and no," Brainiac said. "I want to find this object because I want to change my life form, pushing beyond electronic life form. Because it has Origin Energy, which might be what you call radiation."
"Can it accomplish that?"
"I originally thought it could, but if you're telling me this box is a Mother Box, I'm a bit uncertain."
"Why?"
"Because this energy is actually nothing special. I haven't felt any change. It could be that we're using it the wrong way or that it hasn't truly activated."
"So you can't do anything with it either?"
"Origin Energy is energy I don't understand. If I had a way, I wouldn't need it to help me break through."
Greed sighed and said, "I also feel this thing is useless. It can help you become stronger, but transforming one's life form isn't that easy. But I still suggest you find someone to study it."
"Alright, I'll find Batman," Brainiac said. "Primary Universe Batman should have more experience with this. But right now, I'm more concerned about why it would appear under the tree in your neighbor's yard. And if the trees are severely affected, then it means this thing was buried years ago. What exactly is going on?"
"Has the investigation from the Federal Bureau of Investigation yielded any results?"
"This morning, Jason and Barry went to the East District. I'm waiting for their investigation results," Brainiac replied.
Then he fell silent, seemingly focusing his attention elsewhere. Considering the Mother Box is indeed a great discovery, and to be able to break through the limitations of his life form, Brainiac would certainly conduct a comprehensive study on it. Relying solely on Primary Universe Batman isn't enough; he might have to gather a global research team.
But Greed was well aware that this item is one of New Genesis Star's treasures. Even with New Genesis Star's advanced technology, creating this thing isn't easy. With human's current technological level, deciphering it is likely a long way off.
"Do you think it's possible?" Pamela looked at Greed and said, "The other party might not actually know what this thing is or how important it is. They might only know some of its characteristics."
"Do you mean Origin Energy?"
"Yes. Plants removed from the Origin Energy radiation show obvious abnormalities. And if the plants also exhibited these anomalies when they dug this thing out, they might think this box has the ability to drive plants mad, so they used it this way."
"It's not out of the question," Greed said, "But at the time, we suspected those people were working for Darkseid. Didn't they think to research it a bit?"
"They might claim to work for Darkseid, but it's not like they would've really met him. Darkseid wouldn't bother with them either," Pamela shook her head and said, "It's probably been outsourced layer by layer, ending up with interns handling it."
After wrapping up the discussion about the box, the two began tidying up the yard. Thankfully, with Pamela there, the work was quickly completed. The front yard soon looked as good as new. With two big trees standing guard on either side, they seemed to protect the house. Leaves occasionally fell, enveloping the house in a golden hue.
"Bad news," Arrogant came out of the house and said, "The ingredients we plan to use for our menu can't be found in the community store. The nearest store where we can get the ingredients is in the East District."
"Looks like we have to make a trip," Greed said. "I have a feeling Jason's investigation over there won't go very smoothly either."
They quickly packed up and got into the car. After closing the car door, Pamela sighed and said, "Sorry, Mr. Large Beast. I really didn't expect that transplanting a tree would cause such trouble."
"Before you call me Mr. Large Beast, I have no intention of blaming you, ma'am."
Pamela laughed, but still said, "Brainiac's classification method is unique but accurate. Without a nature reserve belonging to you, the so-called urban safety is non-existent."
"Sounds like you'd want a nature reserve of your own too."
"Of course. I'd love to build a forest and live there myself. But unfortunately, it's not possible. Even if I triggered a natural disaster in the city, it would merely add some vegetables to Gothamites' dining tables."
"Do Poison Ivies from other universes all use poison? Don't you?" asked Greed.
Pamela shook her head and said, "What kind of plant power I can use depends on what I think plants are. Those Poison Ivies who use plant toxins believe they should use the power of plants to protect them, so they have more aggressive means. But I would prefer plants to protect themselves, rather than stupidly standing still waiting for someone to harm them or relying on a savior. Humans don't have saviors, let alone plants."
"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime," said Greed.
"Exactly. So I created many plant fighters, so the plants can move and protect themselves. But ever since Brainiac came, I think I can promote plant protection through environmental regulations to improve plant welfare. And the premise of having Brainiac enforce these regulations is that I work for him."
Greed nodded. Brainiac could be considered a comprehensive ruler. He turns environmental regulations into actual environmental policies, not corrupt pockets or industrial knives, and implements them to ensure everyone abides.
In this situation, having him protect the plants is faster and more effective than Pamela doing it alone. Brainiac would also be happy to do so, because undeniably, plants are the cornerstone of life on Earth. Any species living on this planet cannot do without their green partners. So even without Pamela, Brainiac would protect the plants.
If Pamela can provide more value, like developing bigger and better food, then accordingly, even just to make Pamela work better, Brainiac would be more proactive in advancing environmental regulations to ensure plants are well protected and Pamela doesn't have to worry.
"Is that chestnut tree okay?" asked Arrogant.
"It's fine. I said it's healthy, just affected by some energy and became a bit chaotic. I can assure you such things will never happen again today."
"That's for the best," said Greed.
The car stopped in the dock area. The East District Port is Gotham's largest logistics hub. More accurately, it's the logistics center for the entire East Coast. Since Brainiac arrived on Earth, it has become a fully automated logistics port.
And to solve the employment issues of the original dock workers, Brainiac opened many warehouse supermarkets here, meaning part of the goods shipped here go directly into warehouse supermarkets for retail. You can basically buy a variety of items from all over America and even the world here. It has also replaced the city center as the place with the highest traffic in Gotham.
Apart from local people supplementing their daily needs, there are also various buyers from small cities, tourists treating it as a sightseeing spot, and other outsiders.
Most daily necessities still require points, but for some unrestricted cash goods, it's the cheapest here, usually about 20% cheaper than community stores.
Arrogant and Greed are looking for the largest Chinese warehouse supermarket here, which offers a variety of ingredients and seasonings.
Entering the port area, the first thing is a huge parking lot. The cement ground vast as if it has no end, if not for many trees planted in between, just walking from here to the supermarket area could get you sunburned.
However, it's obvious that this parking lot was built with foresight, because it's only the first day of the Halloween holiday and the outside parking spaces are already full. Arrogant circled around a few times before finding a decent spot.
"Gasoline and carbon emission controls make sense," said Pamela, "Without control, even if this parking lot were twice as big, it wouldn't be enough."
"Many people save gas just to use it during the holidays," said Arrogant, "I heard there's a second underground level in this parking lot, but it's usually not open."
"Because it's very cold below," said Pamela, "Although Brainiac and Victor have started clearing the underground ice, considering the impact on climate and environmental issues, progress seems slow. It might take a few years to gradually clean it."
Then Pamela said with a face of suppressed laughter, "Previously, Brainiac investigated thoroughly why there's so much ice underground in Gotham, and then he traced it back to Victor Fries and subsequently designated that area as a nature reserve."
Arrogant laughed and said, "A polar nature reserve, right?"
"Yes. Bruce told me that in Brainiac's logs, that place is labeled 'North Pole,' and Victor's code name is 'Yeti'."
"Does every large beast get a code name?"
"Of course. Brainiac is very good at giving people code names."
"I didn't do it, it's just that the system log needs a label," Brainiac's voice came from Pamela's phone, "I believe you would strongly oppose pure numeric labels because you'd feel it's objectifying you. That's why I specifically gave names based on your characteristics. In human social culture, it's a sign of respect."
"So are you also a large beast?" Greed looked at Pamela.
"Yes. My code name is 'Cannibal Flower,'" Pamela said excitedly, not angry at all, "And my territory is called the 'Tropical Rainforest.' I find it a stereotype, although there are indeed rich flora and fauna in tropical rainforests. But actually, the temperate ecosystem is the healthiest..."
"What about me, what am I called?" Greed asked.
"You just arrived, right? And do you plan to stay here long term?"
"I meant Arrogant."
"'Ouroboros,' and his territory is called 'Loch Ness.'"
"What the ghost?" Arrogant said, "Loch Ness is a real place, and much bigger than the lake in front of my house. Also, why Ouroboros?"
"Because of 'Infinity.' It seems like there's only one Shiller there, but who knows how many there actually are?" Pamela pointed at Greed and said, "Here's another one proliferating, isn't it?"