American Comics: Something's Wrong with This Superhero World

Chapter 276 I should have joined the Avengers

In his office, Bruce sat behind a luxurious desk, his brow slightly furrowed, as his subordinate reported the latest developments. The subordinate's tone carried a hint of helplessness and tension:

"Mr. Wayne, with Mr. Alfred's passing, the kidnapping case is temporarily closed. The antitrust case is also largely resolved, but due to Xiao Xian's previous tweets, many female consumers have developed a negative impression of our company's products. The company's stock price is currently very low, and many shareholders have expressed their opinions."

Bruce listened calmly to the report, his gaze deep, and then said, "It's alright. Once the cooperation with Atlantis is finalized, the stock price will naturally rebound. You should try to come up with something as soon as possible to boost the stock price and appease the shareholders."

His subordinate stammered, "Mr. Bruce, Atlantis doesn't seem very sincere. The negotiations are progressing slowly, and it's unlikely we'll achieve any substantial results anytime soon."

Bruce's face instantly darkened, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. He stared at his subordinate and said in a deep voice, "I understand. You go ahead and negotiate. I'll handle Atlantis personally."

His subordinate nodded hastily and cautiously left the office. Bruce leaned back in his chair, pondering his next move. The Atlantis partnership was crucial for the company at the moment and had to be secured as soon as possible. He already had a rough plan in mind, and a determined glint gradually appeared in his eyes.

Sunlight streamed through the sea, casting dappled shadows on the coral bed in the Atlantean palace. Arthur Curry, the ruler of Atlantis known as the Sea King, lay languidly on the bed, enjoying a rare moment of leisure. His long golden hair was scattered on the pillow, and his strong body still bore the bruises from his battle with the sea monster the previous night.

Suddenly, a pleasant melody broke the silence. Arthur turned to look at the bedside table, where a uniquely shaped seashell communicator sat, now flashing a ghostly blue light. He reached for it, and frowned when he saw the name on the screen—Bruce Wayne.

Arthur took a deep breath and hesitated for a few seconds. Finally, he reluctantly pressed the answer button. Instantly, a holographic projection appeared in the air, showing a man in an expensive suit.

"What is it now, Bruce?" Arthur asked in an unfriendly tone, his brow furrowed.

Bruce Wayne, Gotham City's billionaire and Batman, sits in his luxurious office watching Aquaman. His expression is serious, his eyes sharp.

"Arthur, we need to talk. The cooperation between Atlantis and the Wayne Group is progressing too slowly, which doesn't match what we agreed on."

Arthur scoffed and sat up. "What does it have to do with me? I've done everything I promised. Do you think governing an underwater kingdom is easy?"

Bruce wasn't angered by Arthur's attitude. Instead, he calmly picked up a photograph from the table and held it up to the camera: "Really? What do you think of this photo of you playing cards with dolphins at the aquarium? Is it nice? Don't force me to publish this photo."

Arthur's face turned pale instantly. In the photo, he was happily playing cards with a group of dolphins. "No, please, everything can be discussed," he stammered.

"You look pretty happy in the photo, don't you?" Bruce mocked.

Arthur's momentum vanished instantly. He slumped his shoulders and rubbed his temples.

"No, no, don't make it public. You have no idea how difficult this is for me. I am king, that's true, but I don't have that much power. Do you think I came to the mainland because I liked it? I was ostracized before, so I had no choice but to become Atlantis's mascot. Besides, the Atlanteans already dislike mainlanders. It was only after I begged my wife Mera and my mother Atlanna for a long time that this cooperation was approved by the council."

Arthur sighed and continued, "The officials below are all hypocritical and have countless ways to sabotage us. Some deliberately delay issuing documents, some waste time talking endlessly in meetings, and others secretly spread rumors that the Wayne Group is trying to plunder our resources. I've really tried my best; being king is hard."

Bruce listened quietly to Arthur's explanation, then took out another photograph: "I understand your difficulties, Arthur. But this collaboration is of paramount importance. If you don't take action soon, this photo of you playing cards with a shark might accidentally leak out."

Arthur saw the new photos and completely broke down. The photos showed him exchanging philosophical ideas with a group of great white sharks at an aquarium.

"Alright, alright!" Arthur raised his hands in surrender. "I promise you, I'll try harder. I'll find a way to persuade those hardliners, and I'll ask Mera to lobby the Senate again. Just don't publish these photos, please, I'll do my best."

After the communication ended, Arthur collapsed back onto the bed, shielding his eyes with his arm. Gazing at the palace's magnificent dome, he couldn't help but feel a mixture of amusement and disbelief at his predicament. The King of the Seven Seas, inexplicably threatened and rendered powerless by a wealthy man dressed as a bat.

"Damn Bruce," Arthur muttered, "I should never have joined the Justice League. I should have joined the Avengers. Compared to Bruce, even Tony Stark seems kind and approachable."

Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne ended his call with Arthur, leaned back in his luxurious office chair with a slight smile on his lips. He spun around, facing the beautiful view of Wayne Manor through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

A moment later, Bruce turned back, his long, slender fingers rapidly tapping on the keyboard. The computer screen lit up, displaying a complex security system interface. He entered a long password and then pressed his thumb onto the fingerprint recognition area.

"Identity confirmed: Bruce Wayne," the computer voice boomed mechanically. "Welcome back, Batman."

Bruce clicked the mouse and opened a hidden folder. Inside were surveillance videos he had obtained that afternoon through a pinhole camera that had been pre-installed in the massage room.

In the video, Shawn is playing cards with Selena, while Bruce keeps his eyes closed as if he's fast asleep. Bruce is carefully observing every detail in the video, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

Bruce stroked his chin, feeling that the video wasn't exciting enough since only he could see it. But he couldn't release it to others.

After thinking for a moment, Bruce decided to create a modified 3D video based on the video content and then upload it online. Of course, various plot elements and character appearances would have to be modified and adapted to a certain extent, otherwise things would be awkward if Selena saw the video.

(End of this chapter)