American Comics: Something's Wrong with This Superhero World

Chapter 263 The Attack of the Sea King

Afu stood in front of Bruce's desk, his face grave. He slowly began to speak, "Young Master, a massive boycott has erupted online. Many female consumers, after seeing Xiao Xian's repost, have launched a boycott of Wayne Group. Not only that, many of the company's female employees have also stood up because of this, exposing a lot of the company's dirty secrets."

Bruce looked up, his brow furrowed. "What exactly is this 'dirt'?"

Afu sighed, a tear glistening in his eye. "There are allegations of workplace sexual harassment, and also allegations of human experimentation and contraband. Financial institutions have predicted that Wayne Group's stock price will plummet when the market opens tomorrow."

At this point, Afu's voice began to tremble. He wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes. "Young Master, this incident was all caused by my negligence. If it weren't for me, I would be willing to turn myself in and take all the blame to salvage the company's reputation."

Upon hearing this, Bruce felt a surge of anger and helplessness. He experienced a sharp headache, slumped into his chair, clutched his heart, and took a deep breath. "Ah Fu, things haven't gotten to that point yet. However, it seems we won't be able to get through this without resorting to drastic measures."

He paused for a moment, sat up straight, and looked at Afu with a firm gaze. "Help me contact the Sea King. I have something important to discuss with him."

Afu nodded, wiped away his tears, and said, "Yes, young master, I'll contact him right away."

Bruce watched Alfred's departing figure, his eyes lowered.

Shortly after, Alfred walked into the office with the Aquaman phone already connected, and handed it to Bruce with a complicated expression. Bruce took the phone and greeted him, "Arthur, it's me, Bruce."

On the other end of the phone, Aquaman's voice carried a hint of sarcasm, "Bruce, I heard you haven't been doing too well lately. What's wrong? Are you about to be driven crazy by a tweet retweeted by a superhero? Looks like you're not as high up as you claim to be."

Bruce waved for Alfred to leave, then continued speaking to Aquaman on the phone.

"Arthur, I need your help this time. Tomorrow, you need to announce that Wayne Enterprises is Atlantis's sole designated trading partner, and send a letter to the America government stating that Wayne Enterprises is a crucial partner of Atlantis and that it is unacceptable for Wayne Enterprises employees to be unfairly accused. Otherwise, Atlantis will not rule out the possibility of using force to defend its partner's reputation."

Aquaman burst into laughter upon hearing this, his tone full of mockery.

"Bruce, are you out of your mind? Do you really think that just because you're the leader of the Justice League, you can boss us around? We're just putting on a show for you, promoting Atlantis, and you actually think you're the brains of the League?"

Bruce smiled faintly upon hearing this, and then said, "December 3, 2013, at the Deep Sea Aquarium."

Aquaman's laughter stopped abruptly, his voice tinged with doubt, "Why did you suddenly bring this up?"

Bruce tapped the table lightly and continued, "You really don't remember? Let me remind you. That day you first took a liking to a dolphin, then played with an octopus, and finally ran into the shark tank."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Aquaman's voice was filled with panic and anger, "You're following me?"

Bruce remained calm, smiling faintly. "I just added a little something to your Aquaman suit, and I didn't expect to capture something so interesting. If this gets out, do you think you can still be the King of Atlantis?"

Aquaman's anger seemed about to explode; his voice was deep and threatening, "Bruce, you're playing with fire."

Bruce's gaze was piercing, unwavering. "Arthur, I don't want to be your enemy, but I must protect my people and my business. Help me this time, and I can guarantee these things will never see the light of day."

Aquaman remained silent for a long time on the other end of the phone. Finally, his voice carried a hint of helplessness and compromise, "Alright, Bruce, I'll do as you say. But remember, this is just an exception, and there won't be a next time."

Bruce nodded and said, "Thank you, Arthur. I'll remember this favor."

"Thanks, you *****!" the Sea King cursed before hanging up the phone.

The next day, television stations were scrambling to report the news that Wayne Enterprises had become Atlantis's sole designated trading partner.

The television screen flashed images of related news reports, and the anchor described this major news story in an excited tone:

"Wayne Enterprises has entered into a strategic partnership with Atlantis, becoming its sole designated trading partner. This news will undoubtedly have a profound impact on the global economy. However, some experts worry that Atlantis's advanced technology could lead to economic colonization of Earth. As a result, Wayne Enterprises' stock, which opened sharply lower, has bucked the trend and risen, not only returning to its historical high but also continuing to climb."

Xiao Xian and Harley Quinn sat in the luxurious living room, the television light reflecting off their faces. Harley turned off the television, turned to Xiao Xian, and looked at him with a hint of worry: "Xiao Xian, won't this affect our plans?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xian smiled faintly, took out his phone from his pocket, and handed it to Harley. The phone screen displayed a screenshot of a secret notification that King Aquaman of Atlantis had sent to high-ranking officials of the America government that day.

Harley took the phone and carefully read the contents, her expression growing even more serious: "What is this? The King of Atlantis has personally intervened to protect Wayne Enterprises?"

Xiao Xian leaned back on the sofa and said, "That's right, that's exactly what I mean."

Harley put down her phone, her brow furrowed, a hint of tension in her voice: "What do we do? Atlantis's technology is far more advanced than humanity's."

Xiao Xian smiled calmly, his eyes revealing confidence:

"It's useless. Atlantis is no match for humans. Otherwise, do you think Atlantis, with its far more advanced technology than humans, would allow humans to destroy the oceans just because it loves peace? Putting everything else aside, if it weren't for performance considerations, I could just loosen the space defenses in the Atlantis region a little and send two great demons over, and that would be enough to give Atlantis a hard time."

"So what's our next step?" Harley asked.

"It's simple. Release the contents of the letter, then let the reporters ask Superman," Xiao Xian said casually. "Atlantis alone dares to act so arrogantly."

Harley asked curiously, "What did you ask him?"

Xiao Xian picked up his glass of red wine, took a sip, and said leisurely, "Just ask me, what would they do if Atlantis invaded America? They even defeated Superman, why would they threaten to invade with force?"

(End of this chapter)