Nereus looked at his daughter with unmistakable affection. In his eyes, no matter how close Mera came to adulthood, she would always be his little girl.
Yet that little girl was about to become part of a political marriage.
And Orm was hardly the man Nereus would have chosen for her. In truth, he had never particularly liked the man who was destined to become his son-in-law.
Admittedly, Orm was tall, handsome, refined, and exceptionally powerful.
But Nereus disliked his ambition.
Orm had never bothered to conceal it. Once he rose to power, the oceans were bound to be shaken by the actions he intended to take, and those actions were dangerous.
As a father, Nereus sincerely did not want to marry his daughter to someone like Orm.
But what choice did he have?
The marriage alliance between the Kingdom of Xebel and the Kingdom of Atlantis had endured for generations. It could not simply be broken during their generation.
Moreover, when it came to his sister Atlanna, Xebel already owed Atlantis a tremendous debt.
After everything that had happened with Atlanna, could the Kingdom of Xebel really sever its alliance with Atlantis?
If they did, the two kingdoms would likely become more than enemies. They would become bitter rivals, abandoning generations of tradition in the process.
Regardless of his personal feelings, Nereus could not allow himself and his daughter to become the cause of chaos throughout the oceans.
With that thought, Nereus affectionately reached out and ruffled Mera's burgundy hair.
Feeling her father's large hand on her head, Mera had no idea what was going through his mind. She simply assumed that he was worried about her.
She smiled brightly and said,
"Father, are you worried about me?
Don't worry. Your daughter can take care of herself.
Besides, I won't have to worry about marriage anytime soon. I'm still very young.
We didn't rush to Atlantis just to marry me off, did we?
We're here to guard that Mother Box, aren't we?"
A hint of curiosity appeared in Mera's eyes.
"By the way, Father, what exactly is the Mother Box?
What are we going to face next? Will there be any danger?
I can tell you're very worried about it."
"The Mother Box..."
Hearing his daughter's question, Nereus pushed aside his personal concerns and took a deep breath.
"You're right, my daughter. I am worried about the Mother Box's recent activity.
Our historical records are incomplete, and we don't know all of its secrets, but one thing is certain. It is an extremely dangerous object.
It is so dangerous that even when our ancestors lost the Trident of Atlan, the weapon that represented the power and authority of Atlantis, they still never abandoned their duty to guard the Mother Box.
Think about that. The Trident represented the power of the ocean and the authority of Atlantis, yet our ancestors still considered this mysterious box more important."
Nereus pursed his lips, his expression growing increasingly solemn.
His thoughts had completely shifted from his daughter to the Mother Box.
With those concerns weighing on him, Nereus continued speaking as he watched their hydrofoil gradually approach the docks of Atlantis.
"Based on the records passed down through the generations, our ancestors believed that the Mother Box was essentially a doorway to another part of the universe.
And on the other side of that doorway..."
Nereus paused.
"There may be enemies powerful enough to overturn the entire world."
He quickly softened his expression.
"But don't worry, my dear daughter. The Mother Box is only showing signs of abnormal activity. The door clearly hasn't fully opened yet.
We've guarded it for tens of thousands of years. Who's to say it hasn't displayed strange behavior before?
Regardless of what happens, you don't need to be afraid. No matter what danger arises, your father will protect you."
By the time Nereus finished speaking, their hydrofoil had successfully reached the dock.
Surrounded by retainers and guards, Nereus led his daughter ashore.
As they entered the palace of Atlantis, Nereus couldn't help feeling nostalgic as memories of his friendship with King Orvax resurfaced.
The closer they came to the palace, the more Nereus mentally prepared himself.
He was ready to see his old friend again.
But just as they were about to enter the palace, several guards suddenly rushed past them in a panic.
The frantic movement of their armor and the bubbles streaming from them immediately put Nereus on edge.
Judging from the soldiers' urgency, something serious had happened.
Meanwhile, in Gotham City, at the central courtyard of the Downton Manor complex, Chief Gordon sat on a sofa with a troubled expression.
His eyes remained fixed on the short man sitting across from him.
Meeting Gordon's gaze, Oswald smiled.
"Gordon, why are you looking at me like that? I admit that certain things happened between us in the past, but precisely because of that, you should understand my character.
"I've always wanted to move upward, and I've always had a clear goal.
"The Cobblepot family was once one of the four great families that helped establish Gotham. From beginning to end, my ambition has been simple. I want to restore my family to its former position."
As he spoke, Alfred happened to lead a group of maids into the room to serve refreshments.
After elegantly accepting a cup of coffee from one of the maids, Oswald allowed it to cool before raising his eyes and giving Alfred a polite nod.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Pennyworth. It's an honor to enjoy the Manor's hospitality.
"Once I become mayor, I'll find an opportunity to visit Wraith. It's unfortunate that Wraith isn't home today, but I look forward to meeting him again."
Oswald nodded politely once more.
Alfred looked at him with a complicated expression.
A moment later, he smiled.
"You're too kind, Mr. Cobblepot. I'm quite pleased that the Manor can once again welcome a descendant of the Cobblepot family.
"It seems time and history have finally brought the stories of our ancestors into the world we live in today."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Alfred moved to the sofa at the head of the table and sat down.
Under normal circumstances, a butler would never place himself in such a position.
But these were hardly normal circumstances.
The Manor was currently without its master.
Axel and Bruce had gone out together, taking one of the Manor's current mistresses with them.
As for Bruce's lover, Rachel, who could also be considered one of the Manor's mistresses, she was currently overwhelmed with work at the Gotham District Attorney's Office.
That left Alfred to act as a semi-host while listening to the concerns of newly appointed Police Chief Gordon and soon-to-be Mayor Cobblepot.
Seeing Alfred take his seat, Gordon quietly sighed in relief.
He much preferred dealing with Alfred.
As for everyone else in the reception room, Gordon glanced toward Falcone on his left, then at Penguin on his right, before looking across the table at Deadshot, who was casually stuffing croissants into his mouth.
Gordon sighed inwardly.
Things really were going downhill.
Gotham was far more peaceful than it had been before Axel appeared.
But looking at the people surrounding him now, Gordon couldn't help wondering whether the city had somehow become even stranger.
His expression grew increasingly bitter as he finally spoke.
"Alfred, I didn't come here for the refreshments.
"I've only been Police Chief for a short time. I haven't even had enough time to reform Gotham's police force.
"With all those corrupt officers who are accustomed to taking bribes, I can't even get close to Joker.
"That's why I specifically came here..."
Gordon paused.
"...to see Axel.
"Gotham is his city, whether I acknowledge it or not. That doesn't change the reality.
"But the criminal known as Joker is deliberately provoking Wraith.
"Aside from everything that's happened over the past few days, Joker has committed another crime just now.
"So I want to borrow a few capable operatives from Mr. Wraith to deal with Joker's..."
"Mr. Alfred!"
Gordon's sentence was interrupted when the reception room door suddenly opened.
A nervous maid hurried inside.
Under Alfred's mildly reproachful gaze, she leaned toward him and whispered,
"Sir, the television... Someone appears to have taken over the TV station. He's talking about Master on television."
"Oh?"
Alfred was momentarily stunned.
He then turned toward the others.
"It seems I must interrupt our discussion. Gotham Television has provided us with an unexpected development. Please allow me to turn on the television."
"Of course. I want to see what's happening as well."
Oswald nodded, his expression darkening.
He had heard the maid's words and naturally understood that someone was provoking his boss.
The others also turned their attention toward the television as it was switched on.
The moment the screen came to life, they saw a disheveled man with messy hair and exaggerated clown makeup sitting in front of the camera.
Joker was holding a bloodied woman.
His broadcast had clearly already been underway for some time, so the people in the reception room had missed his opening remarks.
They began watching from this point onward.
On the screen, Joker grabbed the woman by the neck and threw her onto the floor beside him.
"You see, you're not as strong as you think.
"And your current position didn't come from your supposed strength.
"Thirty-two years old. Gotham Television's most famous host.
"Many people considered you a symbol of someone who rose from nothing. You came from a poor background, climbed to the top in a short period of time, and always appeared confident and composed on television.
"But who has seen you kneeling before a councilman, desperately trying to please him?
"You sold your soul for a gilded shell, then presented that shell to everyone as though it were the real you.
"Is that concealment?
"No. That's deception.
"My dear, you deceived me.
"So how are you going to repay me?
"Perhaps by helping me play a little tune?"
Joker raised his hand, gripping a pistol.
He pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The shot struck near the woman's hand, sending sparks flying and causing her to tremble violently.
The woman looked behind them in terror.
The cameraman immediately followed her gaze.
A dozen dismembered bodies appeared on the television screen.
The maids in the reception room couldn't suppress their screams.
At the same time, Floyd stood up without changing his expression and nodded toward Alfred.
"I'm going out for a while."
"Thank you for your trouble, Floyd."
Alfred nodded grimly.
Joker's actions had already crossed his bottom line.
However, with Floyd handling the situation personally, there shouldn't be any problems.
As Alfred watched Floyd leave, the broadcast continued.
On the screen, the female host crawled across the floor toward Joker.
Without saying a word, she opened her mouth and lowered her head.
The next instant, the hot muzzle of the pistol touched her lips.
Joker had placed the weapon between his legs.
The woman recoiled in terror, but before she could escape, Joker shoved the barrel into her mouth.
"Surprise?"
Bang!
The female reporter collapsed without a sound, a bloody hole appearing in her head.
Joker stared at the blood splattered across his hands and body.
Then he began laughing.
His voice was broken and erratic as he continued.
"Haha, that's right. Whether it's the pampered station manager or the reporter standing before you, hiding behind a carefully constructed image...
"Bang!
"Haha! None of them can escape a shot like this.
"But why am I the one doing the shooting?
"Because they're weaker than me.
"Weakness isn't a chain God placed around your neck. It's simply a bridle forced upon you by those with power.
"So what are you waiting for?
"Haha! Are you waiting for this city to suddenly favor you, even though it never has?
"Look at the station manager lying over there.
"Then look at that woman.
"And then look at me.
"Buddies, do you understand?
"Either have a powerful background, learn to use your body and your mouth, or pick up a gun.
"How fair is the world?
"As long as we pick up guns, we can achieve true equality.
"We..."
"Zzzzzzzzzzzzz!"
Joker's speech was abruptly interrupted.
The television screen suddenly cut out.
Piercing static filled the room as the image dissolved into a field of flickering white noise.
The sudden interference caused Alfred's clenched fist to slowly loosen.
Beside him, Falcone pondered for a moment before chuckling.
"He's quite interesting. Trying to become some sort of criminal opinion leader, is he?
"But his skills are still lacking. He couldn't even keep his own broadcast running. It was cut off halfway through.
"This is truly..."
"Hand over my people!"
An incredibly stern voice suddenly emerged from the static.
"Hand over my people!"
The voice repeated itself.
Then the distorted transmission gradually became clearer.
Everyone in the reception room stared at the television in confusion.
The voice continued.
"Earthlings, I am General Zod of ancient Krypton!
"Someone among you is harboring one of my people.
"Hand him over.
"Hand him over!
"Clark Kent, will you stand before me willingly, or will you force me to devastate this planet?
"My people, Krypton awaits your return.
"You should step out from among the weaklings surrounding you!"
The static gradually disappeared.
The television returned to Joker's broadcast.
But Joker said nothing.
He simply stared blankly at the screen beside him.
Technically, there was no television where he was. The broadcast was being displayed through a backup electronic teleprompter.
Yet even that simple device had somehow been hijacked by the inexplicable General Zod.
Joker had no choice but to listen to every word.
And now, he was furious.
This was supposed to be his grand debut.
But his carefully prepared stage had been completely hijacked by an inexplicable Kryptonian general named Zod.
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