บท 17: Chapter 16 Stirring the Sea Waters
POWER STONES ARE REQUESTED.
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Chapter 16: Stirring the Sea Waters
Damian who hid outside the Iceberg Lounge, was disappointed when he saw Quinn walk out unharmed. It meant they had chosen the wrong location.
Batman could strike at any moment, and he had to solve this case before Batman did.
Quinn rushed to join Damian, noticing his disappointment, and waved to him, "Good news and bad news. The bad news is Black Mask isn't in the Iceberg Lounge or his club. The good news is that Penguin is temporarily on our side. He provided some information. The mastermind is in Indian Hill."
Damian frowned, recognizing the name. "Indian Hill? That's where Wayne Enterprises' pharmaceutical subsidiary is located."
Damian, being Bruce Wayne's only heir and considering himself Batman's sole successor, had involved himself in Wayne Enterprises' management. He had briefly looked through the current quarter's financial reports and the list of subsidiary companies. Although it was only for a few minutes, he memorized the contents.
To him, it was natural to oversee Wayne Enterprises as Bruce Wayne's son. He had the right and responsibility to take care of the company, maintaining stability and even taking it further. What was even more frightening was that, at just twelve years old, he had the capability to do so, truly living up to being part of the Bat Family.
Quinn snapped his fingers. "You know the place; get in the car, and lead the way."
Damian sat in the passenger seat, and Quinn fastened his seatbelt for him. Damian looked slightly annoyed. "Are we really going to drive a police car right up to their door? Won't that alert them?"
"I'm a police officer. I need to be upfront about it," Quinn pointed to his badge on his shoulder and smiled. "Besides, it's better this way. When we're close enough, I'll drop you off, and I'll engage them while you slip in quietly. But remember, if things go south, don't engage them; just run."
Quinn's identity as a police officer had its inconveniences, but as a bait to attract attention, it was quite fitting. Quinn drove the police car to the coastal highway, and the invisible Manaphy clung to the window, gazing at the sea outside. An emotion called "yearning" passed to Quinn through their mental connection.
He eased his expression and lowered the rear window, letting the refreshing sea breeze fill the car.
This was Manaphy's first experience of the sea breeze in the DC Universe. It pressed against the window and stuck its head out, its antennae swaying in the wind.
"Manaphy~"
Manaphy couldn't help but let out a contented chirp, and Damian became instantly alert.
"I heard strange noises."
Quinn hurried to cover it up. "Probably just the wind."
Damian's expression grew more serious. "No, it's getting closer!"
"Manaphy!"
This time Manaphy's urgent call warned Quinn too. Something was surfacing from the sea waters.
Before Quinn could slow down the car, a three-meter-high wave suddenly crashed onto land, and he caught a glimpse of a dark figure swimming within the wave.
"Get out of the car; don't get cornered."
Damian showed the decisiveness of an assassin, smashing the window with his elbow and leaping out.
"Be careful, there are enemies in the water."
Quinn followed suit, and as soon as he left the car, he was submerged in water. He drew the Lake Toya and began the Second Sword Dance.
A black figure took advantage of the chaos to swim behind Quinn and thrust a spear, but it couldn't taste the desired blood due to Quinn's quick reflexes.
Quinn grabbed the spearhead, halting its advance, and swiftly sheathed his left hand.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Three bullets hit the figure's head, and blood gushed out instantly. However, the figure didn't die; it opened its mouth wide and lunged at Quinn. He had to strike again, stabbing the figure through the throat before it stopped moving.
As the seawater receded, Quinn wiped the remaining blood off his face and finally got a clear look at the attacker.
It looked somewhat humanoid and fish-like, with webbed hands and feet, smooth skin covered in tough scales, and two large eyes and a mouth that occupied 90% of its face, extending all the way to the back of its head.
Quinn's three bullets hit the scales on its head, failing to penetrate them completely and only causing a dent.
"What kind of creature is this?"
Damian had also dealt with one. He pulled a batarang from the body's mouth, noticing that the batarang had been bitten through in several places.
"Their teeth can even pierce metal..."
Damian held his throat uneasily, realizing that it wasn't just their vital spots; this biting force could overwhelm any part of the human body.
Splash, splash.
As the seawater receded, more and more of these creatures emerged, numbering at least eighteen.
Damian quickly retreated to Quinn's side. "Let's retreat for now; these creatures are tough to deal with."
Quinn lowered his head, his gaze dark. "You go ahead if you want to leave. These Trench creatures are after me."
"Trench?" Damian was stunned.
Ignoring Quinn and Damian, the Trench surrounded an empty space, where Quinn knew Manaphy was hidden.
"Manaphy!"
(These creatures are so scary; I'm so afraid!)
Fearful emotions flooded Manaphy's mind, and Quinn felt some of it too, leaving him cold.
He twisted his wrist, and the Lake Toya spun, activating the Third Sword Dance for the first time.
"Get away from her, you ugly bastards!"
With a forceful charge, Quinn plunged into the encirclement of the Trench, knocking one of them away with a strike. The tough scales couldn't protect them from non-bladed injuries inflicted by the Lake Toya, as it wasn't a cutting weapon but rather a blunt one.
Scales and blood flew everywhere, causing considerable damage, but it didn't immediately kill these mindless creatures. Moreover, the scent of blood further fueled their aggression, and they abandoned their weapons, attacking Quinn with their primal claws.
Quinn dropped his pistol, out of bullets. "I told you to leave."
Damian's face was cold. "It's my decision; you don't have to worry about it."
Now, they had one more person surrounded. Seeing the relatively small stature of Damian behind him, Quinn's lips curved up.
"Batman, do you have a plan?"
"Gordon, it's simple."
Damian charged forward, assassin instincts hidden beneath his young exterior, wielding his broken blade like a dancing butterfly, carving bloody flowers on the enemies.
If Damian was a pinnacle of skill, then Quinn's style was like a powerhouse wielding a brick; he used the Lake Toya as a baseball bat, inflicting blunt damage.
However, despite their combined efforts, they couldn't bridge the numerical gap, and in terms of sheer physical strength, Third Sword Dance Quinn only slightly surpassed these Trench members. Furthermore, his recovery ability was far inferior.
"I should have brought more lethal weapons!"
Damian took two smoke bombs from his belt and threw them, attempting to obscure their vision. However, he didn't notice the approaching enemies from behind.
The Trench warrior observed Damian's dazed eyes and quickly seized the opportunity to grab him from behind. Just then, a long staff came down and struck the back of the Trench warrior's head, knocking him unconscious.
Only then did Damian realize someone was behind him amidst the swirling smoke.
"You didn't do well in gathering intelligence, Robin."
"Di... Nightwing!"
A man in the blue and black uniform stomped on the Trench warrior's surprise attack and used the staff to fend off another attacker.
"The Trenchs may appear to have big eyes, but they can only see in the dark. They rely on their sense of smell and sound waves of specific frequencies to locate their prey. Don't use smoke bombs; they are ineffective in blocking their vision. We need to use this." Nightwing took a shock bomb from his belt.
"Close your eyes."
The shock bomb exploded, and Damian and Nightwing shielded their eyes with their cloaks, while Quinn used Lake Toya to cover his eyes. After the explosion, everyone's hearing suffered varying degrees of damage.
The Trench reaction was much more intense than theirs; they flopped on the ground like fish out of water.
(Now, Manaphy!)
Quinn mentally called Manaphy, and she immediately flew to his side.
One of the Trench warriors with armor raised his weapon and wove a magical net, trapping Manaphy inside.
As the refraction magic broke, Manaphy appeared before everyone, her two large eyes filled with tears.
"Manaphy!" Quinn called out both aloud and in his mind.
The armored Trench warrior, apparently more intelligent than his kin, dragged Manaphy towards the sea.
Once she entered the water, there would be no way to save Manaphy. Quinn's eyes widened.
"Manaphy, use Supersonic!"
Supersonic, a move Manaphy learned at level 16, emitted special sound waves that could confuse enemies.
In Pokémon terms, it was super effective against the Trench, who relied more on their sense of smell and specific frequency sound waves to locate their prey. In this situation, obscuring their vision with a smoke bomb was meaningless; this move was the key.
With tears still streaming from her eyes, Manaphy let out Supersonic, and the magic net trapping her instantly dissipated. The Trench captain, the one who had ambushed Damian, stumbled into the water.
The remaining Trench on the shore turned their weapons on their own kind, attacking without defending themselves, causing numerous casualties.
"Manaphy!"
(Quinn!)
Manaphy leaped into Quinn's arms, her tiny body trembling.
"Don't be afraid; everything is okay now."
Quinn comforted Manaphy while feeling an unprecedented chill in his heart.
Supersonic had proven to be too powerful, not fitting Manaphy's weak combat abilities, leaving Quinn deeply worried.
Far away on the sea horizon, Vulkoheld a golden scepter, gazing at the tiny blue creature.
"The end of Atlantis has come."
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