Chapter 9 - Batman Returns

Chapter 9 - Batman Returns

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"Hal, I'll leave the task of observing the new landing points to you."

"Alright, but why isn't Batman here? Why did you end up being the one assigning tasks, Arthur?"

In the towering space observatory, the Justice League members were exchanging information in the Hall of Justice. Leading the meeting was Aquaman, Arthur Curry. Faced with Hal's protest, Arthur casually replied, "I am the ruler of a country, and I know how to lead a team. Unlike someone who selfishly assigns easy tasks to others and takes on all the important missions for himself."

Superman agreed, "Hal, you always try to handle everything on your own, instead of utilizing all of our strengths. It will exhaust you and reduce efficiency."

Wonder Woman sternly criticized Hal, "Placing warriors in easy battles is an insult."

Hal glanced at the Flash sitting next to him and asked, "Flash, tell me, am I like that?"

The Flash shrugged, spreading his hands, "Sorry, Hal, I don't want to deceive you."

With even the Flash saying so, Hal deflated like a balloon. He murmured, "Arthur, being a king is in the past for you. Don't forget you already gave up the throne of Atlantis."

Arthur smiled and replied, "But the experience doesn't disappear."

"I promise not to be like this in the future..." Hal chose to admit defeat and glanced at the empty seat, whistling.

"The one who loves to call himself a leader isn't here again. What's the reason this time? Another bank robbery in Gotham?" Superman immediately explained for Batman, "He must be busy with something..."

Hal's voice regained strength as he crossed his arms, looking dissatisfied. "I can handle the entire 2814 sector and still make time to attend meetings, yet he can't even manage a small city like Gotham. He's really self-proclaimed leader of the Justice League."

In reality, Hal had long acknowledged Batman as the leader of the Justice League. His frustration stemmed from Batman's repeated absence from the meetings.

Superman, who had remained silent, spoke up, "I've already contacted Batman. There have been two small-scale earthquakes in Gotham recently, and he's investigating the cause."

The Flash was surprised, "Gotham isn't in an earthquake zone."

Superman opened a city model of Gotham and projected it onto the meeting table. "We all know that, so he suspects that the earthquakes are related to what landed on Earth in the first and second waves."

Hearing about Gotham's troubles, the Flash thought of his good friend Quinn and hoped he would be safe. But Gotham had always faced misfortunes; one more incident wouldn't make a difference.

Everyone's expressions turned grimmer. Wonder Woman knew they were all concerned about their own cities. "Let's end the meeting here. Everyone, pay more attention to abnormal occurrences. Hal, your task is especially important."

Hal's spirits lifted; he enjoyed being entrusted with important responsibilities. "Leave matters outside Earth to me. I'll convince the Green Lantern Corps."

Cyborg activated the boom tube channel, and the heroes dispersed. Arthur was no exception. He returned to his lighthouse cottage where he lived.

Pushing open the door, Arthur stopped mid-step. Though the lights were off, the cottage was dimly lit, and his Atlantean senses detected someone inside.

He also smelled the scent of the sea.

"Mera, is that you?"

Arthur held his trident and pressed the switch, revealing an image of the Mediterranean Sea.

"Vulko? Why are you hiding in my home?" Arthur casually sat down next to the Mediterranean Sea projection.

Nudis Vulko, who was always mysterious, looked at the Neptune's Trident in Arthur's hand with a complicated expression. "There's a strong magic aura on the trident, which means you are prepared for battle. What makes you so cautious, my king?"

As soon as Vulko spoke, Arthur knew his purpose. Ever since Arthur had passed the throne of Atlantis to his younger brother Orm, Vulko had been persuading him to reclaim the throne.

"No matter how many times you say it, I won't go back, Vulko. I am the Aquaman of the Justice League now."

"I understand your decision, my king, but I won't give up," Vulko replied, not surprised by Arthur's refusal. He had heard it countless times before, but he wouldn't give up.

Vulko stood up, facing the Mediterranean Sea. Arthur noticed that he seemed to be limping. "My king, I will come again."

Arthur felt helpless. He stepped outside the lighthouse, watching Vulko dive into the sea.

"Vulko walks strangely. Is he injured somewhere? Damn, I should have spent more time talking to him." Arthur had recently seen on TV that the elderly needed companionship.

Vulko plunged into the sea, gazing up at the pitch-black sky above.

"The sky above is even more profound than the Bismarck Sea Trench. This world is undergoing unknown changes. I don't know if Arthur is ready, but I must find that thing for Atlantis."

Dark clouds shrouded the horizon, thunder and lightning filled the air, and raindrops fell in torrents.

Under the pouring rain, Quinn vaulted over the railing, executed a clean and swift knee strike, pinning the robber of the convenience store to the ground. He handcuffed the criminal and escorted him to the police car.

Opening the car door, Quinn pushed him into the backseat, giving him one last kick. "If you don't want trouble, be a good boy."

From the driver's seat, Kevin pointed to three burly African-American men crowded in the back. "That's the third one today. You've already arrested so many people on your first day. You'll attract the attention of the gangs."

Quinn remained unfazed. "Do you think I'm afraid, Kevin? Let me tell you. I am afraid."

"I'm afraid they won't dare to come after me. How can I send them to jail if they don't?"

Kevin pulled out a paper form and started writing. "And what was this one arrested for?"

"Robbery, assaulting an officer, causing intentional harm. Enough to keep him locked up for three to five years." Quinn listed the criminal's charges with ease.

"This one's okay," Kevin said in a hushed voice, "but you didn't need to arrest the one for peeping. Not everyone needs to be caught."

"No," Quinn firmly refused, "there's an old saying in China: Do not refrain from doing good because it seems trivial, and do not commit evil because it appears insignificant. Even if it's a minor wrongdoing, it should be nipped in the bud."

[Successfully prevented a sexual harassment crime, gained 1 point.]

Kevin rolled his eyes. "If everyone in the police department was like you, Gotham Penitentiary would be full within a month."

"In that case, build new prisons or send them elsewhere. Prisons are built to punish criminals. If there are empty cells, it would be a waste of taxpayers' money—only with a sufficient arrest rate can we apply for more funding!"

Quinn rubbed his thumb and index finger together with a cunning look. "The cost of living in Gotham is much higher than downtown. Patrol officers' salaries are too low. I have to improve our performance to get Commissioner Gordon to raise our pay."

Seeing the constant influx of young officers, Kevin sighed helplessly. Commissioner Gordon assigned him to keep an eye on Quinn to prevent the rookie cop from being tainted by Gotham. However, now it seemed that Gordon had been overly cautious. Quinn had easily adapted to the job.

"Please take them to the police station," Quinn knocked on the car's body.

Seeing Quinn not getting into the car, Kevin recalled yesterday's incident, and his expression changed slightly. "You're not planning to do something dangerous again, are you?"

Quinn waved his hand casually, leaving Kevin with a cheerful silhouette.

"Why would I? I'm terrified."

Terrified of being caught by a sudden Darkseid Omega Beam, Quinn set himself a small goal—to bring the Justice League's Watchtower under his jurisdiction.

Quinn was working hard toward that small goal.

Kevin was born on Flock Avenue, which encompassed half of the neighborhood. According to him, this area used to belong to the Penguins, but it was later taken over by the Black Mask.

However, the Black Mask had been low-profile recently, and even his gang, the "Mask gang / Mask Society," had been seen much less frequently.

"A change in behavior suggests something unusual. An anomaly indicates the beginning of a conspiracy. The Black Mask must be planning something, but it has nothing to do with the storyline from the comics, but surely it involves Manaphy."

Now, Quinn didn't have the advantage of foresight.

Quinn chose to patrol on Flock Avenue for a reason; he wanted to lure the Black Mask out.

Come on! I even deliberately sent Kevin away. Now it's just me. Surely, the Black Mask isn't afraid of a little police officer if he wants to become the King of Gotham?

Quinn strolled around twice, but he didn't see any members of the Black Mask. It seemed they had truly abandoned their base on Flock Avenue.

"If they don't take the bait, then I'll take the initiative."

Under the pouring rain, with his umbrella overhead, Quinn arrived at the spot where he had encountered Edward. The police cordon had been removed, but due to the cracked road, there were few people around.

"Manaphy, do you remember where you were held captive? Lead the way."

Excited, Manaphy swung its two antennae in response. It loved rainy days, but when it heard that Quinn wanted to go to the place with the glass jar, its antennae immediately drooped.

"Manaphy..."

Quinn quickly reassured, "I know you're afraid, but I'm here to protect you, and there might be other Pokémon locked up there. We can rescue them together."

"Manaphy!"

With wide eyes, Manaphy flew behind Quinn and gently pushed him forward.

"No need to rush that much."

Quinn didn't expect such a big reaction from Manaphy. It seemed it really missed its Pokémon companions. But now, Quinn faced a dilemma. What if there were no Pokémon in that place?

Manaphy led Quinn to a fire hydrant; it was from here that it escaped outside. Quinn looked at the building closest to the fire hydrant.

"A private clinic..."

He found the place, but the clinic was already closed. How to get in was the question.

Manaphy flew to the front of the rolling shutter and removed its invisibility, dissolving its body into a blue liquid that flowed through the gap of the rolling shutter.

Quinn's eyes lit up; it was "Dissolve," right? Manaphy actually knew that move. Its level must be at least 30.

Taking advantage of the moment the door opened, Quinn took out the Multi-functional Pokémon Navigator, one of the items he found in the prize box.

[Name: Multi-functional Pokémon Navigator Pro Edition]

[Type: Other]

[Quality: ☆]

[Description: The latest model from Davon Corp, equipped with Pokémon Radar, which can search for Pokémon types within one kilometer.]

He opened the Pokémon Radar, and there were only two points: a blue dot representing Quinn and a red dot representing Manaphy.

"Ah, I need to comfort Manaphy."

As the rolling shutter rose, Quinn successfully entered the clinic and found the entrance to the underground passage. However, before he could react, a Batarang was already placed against his throat, and a hoarse voice sounded in his ear.

"Who are you talking to?"

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