บท 31: Chapter 29: Man with Laser Eye (2200+ words)
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Chapter 29: Man with Laser Eye (2200+ words)
"Vulko, do you understand the habits of the trench?"
"My king, why do you ask?"
Arthur respects his teacher, Vulko, who taught him to become the King. Without him, Arthur wouldn't be where he is today.
"It's my friend on land, from the Justice League. Batman told me that a group of trench is targeting someone in Gotham. You taught me about Atlantis, so I thought you might have some information."
"I'm sorry I can't answer that, my king. Even the people of Atlantis know very little about them. As they are sealed deep in the ocean."
Arthur is troubled; he prides himself on being an expert in the ocean at the Justice League, yet he couldn't provide an answer.
"Well, if even you can't help me, maybe I should seek Mera's help. She always has answers to my questions. Sometimes I wonder if she's more qualified to be the queen than I am."
Vulko humbly says, "No, my king Arthur, in my eyes, you are the greatest king."
"Enough, Vulko. Now my brother, Orm, is the King. If you want to flatter someone, flatter him. Thanks anyway."
The communication ends, and Vulko hides his respect while tossing the communicator into the sea. With the bubbles rising, a trace of red appears, staining the surrounding sea with blood.
Golden magical energy condenses into a scepter in Vulko's hand, and his gaze becomes more resolute.
"For my king, Arthur, to reclaim the throne and preserve the civilization of Atlantis, I will spare no cost, even if it means betraying you, my king."
White eyes light up beneath the sea, and the scent of blood in the sea breeze excites the hidden creatures.
Vulko raises the golden scepter, "Quiet, beasts, it's not yet your turn. Be patient; King Orm will be on the move soon."
...
Now, back to the present, the people of Gotham are evacuating, and this mass evacuation has drawn the attention of major city media.
"Everyone, this geological disaster predicted by Wayne Enterprises has forced millions of Gotham citizens to leave their homes. I originally thought it was impossible, that people wouldn't obey orders. Now it seems I was wrong."
Reporter Louise from the Daily Planet is on the scene, and those who know her know that she must have gone there voluntarily – possibly without approval.
"People are following orders and entering shelters without cutting in line. Although it looks suspiciously orchestrated, I have to say, wow, is this still the crime-ridden Gotham I know?
Is Wayne Enterprises controlling Gotham more deeply than I imagined? Beware of capitalism, folks!"
As if noticing the live broadcast, a short, chubby old gentleman squeezes into the frame, presses a button on his umbrella, and a spring-loaded fist subtly hits the old man in front.
"Oh, sir, are you alright? Let me help you up. Leslie, come and take the old man to the emergency medical station."
Penguin calls his henchmen to take the bewildered old man away. His actions attract Louise's attention.
"That's one of Gotham's crime bosses, Penguin! The legendary archenemy of Batman. Maybe he knows something."
Faced with Penguin's size, Louise has to bend over to ask, "Mr. Cobblepot, I see you and your men are helping the injured. Aren't you a crime boss? Why are you doing this?"
Penguin, or rather, the humble and courteous Mr. Cobblepot, tips his hat to Louise like a traditional English gentleman. "I admire your courage to come to the scene, Miss Louise. As for your question, I've always been doing this kind of work. My role as a crime lord has been deliberately misrepresented."
Tears flow from his narrow eyes. "I was ridiculed from a young age due to my physical disabilities. They called me 'Penguin' because I was short and fat. Even now, they still call me 'Penguin,' saying I'm wicked and unscrupulous. They are the same people who want me to yield.
But I will never surrender.
If there are viewers who know Gotham's history well, they might recognize the significance behind the Cobblepot name. This city was founded by my ancestors. How could I harm it?"
Seeing Louise's skeptical look, Cobblepot changes the subject and finally provides some useful information.
"In fact, this evacuation was initiated jointly by me and the Wayne family. After all, the four major families are interconnected. Have you noticed that there's no looting on the streets? It's all thanks to my cooperation with Commissioner Gordon. We're working together to restore order in Gotham."
Louise catches on. Cobblepot is playing the sympathy card while aligning himself with Wayne Enterprises and the Gotham Police Department to clear his name. He's trying to whitewash his image.
She tries to change the topic, and her eyes light up as she spots something. She grabs the camera. "Look, it's Aquaman! The legend says he's the king of Atlantis. Let's go interview him!"
Louise rushes towards Aquaman with the cameraman. Cobblepot isn't upset; after all, there's more than just the Daily Planet covering the event. Louise is special, as she has a close relationship with Superman, and that's why he came to steal the spotlight.
The Penguin looked in the direction of Indian Hill: "I helped you control the basics of Gotham, don't let me down, Batman."
A drop of rain fell on his nose, as looked up at the sky, frowning slightly.: "I remember today's weather forecast said it would be sunny…"
Aquaman stands on the coast, gazing at the unruffled ocean, feeling a strong sense of unease. The ocean has never been this calm; someone is interfering with this area.
A microphone is handed to his mouth, and Arthur recognizes Louise. He has no choice; Superman's radiance has left a lasting impression on him, including those around him.
"The fish are fleeing the entire Northeast coast in a frenzy. Some force is brewing, so, reporter, please leave with the others immediately."
She is isn't easily swayed by danger; it only makes her more determined.
"Danger? Is it an earthquake that triggers a tsunami? I heard that animals can sense disasters before humans."
Before the ruler of the sea, Louise doesn't feel threatened.
But Arthur's expression becomes more serious. He tightens his grip on the trident. "I am not the ruler of the sea; that title belongs to my brother... He's coming!"
Having the same bloodline, Arthur senses his brother, Orm, and an army approaching.
Fully armed Atlanteans line up behind Orm, silent and solemn.
"Brother, you have trained the army well."
While speaking, Arthur doesn't put down the trident.
Orm wears a helmet that only reveals his mouth, and the bright red eye mask makes him appear incredibly sinister. But Orm's tone is unexpectedly gentle.
"No, brother, they have always been excellent and follow orders."
Arthur laughs, "They weren't like this when I was in charge."
Louise smells trouble.
"Uh, Aquaman? It's not my intention to interrupt your brotherly gathering, but he brought quite a few 'friends.' Is today some kind of Atlantis holiday?" She hopes so.
Orm looks up, disdainfully staring at Louise, "Arthur, my brother, aren't you with Mera? What's the relationship with this impolite human? Is she your handmaid on land?"
The Atlanteans have always considered humans an evil race, so their attitude is usually hostile. However, Arthur, who lives in human society, is different.
"She is my friend. Let's put that aside. Orm, why have you come to Gotham?"
Orm chuckles, "Brother, your control over your kingdom seems lacking. Humans launched a missile at Atlantis, and several of my people died. I came to confirm if you knew about it.
What I saw was that they had no respect for their king."
Orm's disappointment and anger have lessened; the attack wasn't at his brother's command, which makes him genuinely happy.
"I brought Atlantis's most powerful force. Let me help you suppress this rebellion, brother."
Arthur can tell that Orm is sincere, that he genuinely wants to help him by invading, which is very much in line with Atlantean style.
"Listen, little brother, I'm not their king, and that missile was an accident. Based on my knowledge of the surface world, if they truly wanted to attack Atlantis, it would have been an all-out assault.
That's why we formulated the 'Atlantis Operation Plan' together."
Before the Justice League was formed, Arthur's attitude towards humans was different. To prevent attacks from the surface world, he and Orm wrote this plan.
"I remember that, brother. I was about to activate it after informing you."
Arthur hugged his brother, "No, little brother, trust me. You need to step back; the plan is outdated and no longer applicable."
Orm utilized the scanning system in his helmet to read the data from Lois and photographer Jimmy, "But these air-breathers seem fragile, look at them."
A surge of water swept Lois away, and she flailed in panic.
"I could take her life with a flick of my finger."
Arthur vanished before Orm's eyes, diving into the water to save Lois. After confirming she was unharmed, he let out a sigh of relief, then looked at Orm seriously.
"Brother, I just saved your life."
Orm seemed puzzled.
"Though humans are fragile, some individuals are powerful."
A man in a red and blue uniform landed before Arthur, taking Lois from his hands, feeling her cold skin, his eyes glowed red.
"Arthur, is this a domestic matter or a diplomatic dispute?"
"Superman..." Arthur stood in front of Orm, "No, Orm has no intention of attacking."
Superman wasn't actually angry, "I hope you handle it well."
Orm was displeased with Superman's attitude towards his brother, "Watch your words, and don't look down on me!"
Seeing Arthur's pleading expression, Superman swallowed his urge to freeze everything, landing on the ground.
As the tension eased, Arthur continued to persuade his brother to leave.
From a distance on a high building, Vulko watched this scene and shook his head, "King Arthur, diplomacy is undoubtedly a skill a ruler should have, but at this moment, you need this."
As he raised his scepter.
"No more restraint! Unleash your true nature!"
At the same time, a specialized vehicle carrying the Penguin to a shelter suddenly came to an abrupt stop.
The Penguin in the backseat nearly knocked out his front teeth, but luckily his long beak provided some cushioning.
"Give me one reason not to sink you into the sea." The Penguin rubbed his nose, opening half an eye.
Bang! The car window shattered as a scaly claw reached in, grabbing the driver's head and dragging him out. The Penguin witnessed the poor guy being torn into pieces and devoured.
"Alright, that reason is enough."
The Penguin used his umbrella to open the car door, showing remarkable agility despite his rotund appearance, thanks to his training with Batman.
"Compared to Batman, you guys still have a long way to go."
The Penguin squatted low, evading a swiping claw, then opened his umbrella, shooting a rope net that ensnared one of the Trench.
With the umbrella retracted, he fired at another trapped Trench, hitting it through.
He blew on the umbrella tip and kicked the mashed-up head of the Trench.
"I heard about the urban legend of crocodiles living in New York's sewers, but never expected to murlocs in Gotham's sewers."
He looked at the open manhole cover; these fish-like monsters must have crawled out from there.
"Ga-lala."
A vague roar came from the pipe, confirming the Penguin's guess. Soon, three more Trench crawled out.
Facing the threatening Trench, the Penguin forced a smile, "Uh, I know a crocodile who also lives in the sewers. Do you guys know him? We're friends..."
"Gaga-lala!"
"Da-da-da-da!"
This time, the Penguin switched to machine gun mode, shredding these bloodthirsty monsters with bullets. He easily eliminated them.
However, his expression became extremely grim.
The Penguin was certain he could profit from this event, but only if Gotham and its people survived. He didn't know their numbers yet, but if these bloodthirsty monsters stormed the shelter, hundreds of people would die.
It wasn't part of the Penguin's plan unless he backed down and lost all his gains.
"Gotham's sewer system is extensive, and some of the modern ones even serve as shelters. Damn it! Penguin's gang, listen up, everyone down the well!"
Unlike before when he manipulated smaller gangs to exhaust each other, this time the Penguin was calling on his trusted subordinates.
He was all in.
Batman! You always win, and this time, you must!
By the coastline, Superman heard the cries of the Trench and placed Lois in a safe place. Arthur understood what it meant.
He also saw the flames rising in Gotham.
"Orm, you kept something from me. You sent the Trench to slaughter civilians while I was distracted by you!"
Lightning danced across Arthur's golden-scaled armor as he yelled at Orm, tasting the bitterness of betrayal.
Now, it was Orm's turn to feel wronged. He had intended to tolerate this for his brother's sake, to step back and give way, but before he could do so, he was accused of betrayal. How could he endure it?
"I don't know what Trench you are talking about. I am Orm King of Atlantis. Arthur, if you doubt me, then come, use the enemy's blood to rebuild our trust."
A bolt of lightning struck, splitting into two forks, one landing on Arthur's trident, and the other on Orm's.
"It's time for a decisive battle, brother."
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