American Comics: Something's Wrong with This Superhero World

Chapter 304 Harley Quinn's Psychological Treatment

As they ventured deeper, Arthur gradually made out the sounds coming from ahead. His heart raced, and his throat tightened. He held his breath and moved closer to the source of the sound. The sound grew clearer, and Arthur was absolutely certain it was Atlanna's voice.

A sense of foreboding rose in Arthur's heart, but there was also an inexplicable excitement. He knew what this meant. But he continued forward; he wanted to confirm his suspicions with his own eyes.

After turning a corner, Arthur arrived at a spacious area. There, by the faint light emitted from the glowing seashells, he saw a scene he would never forget: Xiao Xian and Atlanna were indeed in the cave.

Just then, Xiao Xian seemed to sense something and looked in Arthur's direction. Arthur's heart tightened, thinking he would be discovered, but Xiao Xian casually looked away.

Atlana, however, seemed unaware of Arthur's arrival.

Arthur hid in the shadows, his eyes wide open, staring in disbelief at everything before him.

Arthur gave Xiao Xian and Atlanna a deep look, then quietly retreated and left the Coral Garden.

Back in his room, Arthur slumped onto the edge of the bed, staring at himself in the mirror. He no longer saw the confident Aquaman, but a complete stranger.

Arthur began to doubt everything about himself. What was wrong with him?

These questions swirled in Arthur's mind, leaving him feeling more lost than ever before.

It seems I really need to see a psychologist. Arthur looked at himself in the mirror and made up his mind.

After a simple disguise, Arthur slipped out of the palace and secretly piloted the Atlantean royal family's fast submarine, silently entering the waters off Gotham.

While piloting the submarine, Arthur browsed information about various psychological counseling institutions on his phone.

Gotham City netizens were enthusiastically discussing various mental health clinics on forums, and Arthur patiently read through the comments, trying to find the most reliable option.

"Dr. Harleen Francis Quezel!" Arthur's eyes lit up. This name had appeared multiple times in the post, drawing likes from netizens.

Arthur clicked on the doctor's page and browsed her profile. The information showed that Dr. Harleen specializes in mental health, particularly in areas of special interests, and has extensive clinical experience. More importantly, she offers anonymous consultations, and client confidentiality is her top priority.

Upon seeing this, Arthur did not hesitate to book a psychological consultation with Dr. Harlin. Fortunately, Dr. Harlin's assistant soon called Arthur to inform him that due to a client's last-minute cancellation of the consultation, Arthur could go there now if he was available.

Arthur nervously pushed open the clinic door. He was greeted by a young and beautiful woman, Dr. Harleen.

"Hello, this is Cooper," Arthur said, trying to make his voice sound calm. "I have an appointment for therapy this morning."

Dr. Harleen Francis Quezel smiled warmly. "Welcome, Mr. Cooper. Please have a seat."

She gestured for Arthur to sit on the sofa opposite her and handed him a glass of water.

"So," Harlin asked while taking notes, "what questions would you like to ask?"

Arthur took a deep breath, struggling to organize his thoughts. "I...I think I'm having psychological problems. I hope you can help me."

Harleen nodded and continued taking notes. "Okay, let's take it one step at a time. What's causing your distress?"

Arthur hesitated for a moment, then slowly recounted the scene he had witnessed that day.

Harleen nodded, indicating that she understood. She then offered Arthur some advice.

Arthur asked somewhat uncertainly, "Is this okay?"

Dr. Harleen affirmed, "Based on past customer feedback, this has been extremely effective. Give it a try with confidence, and feel free to ask me any questions."

Arthur nodded and left the clinic.

Over the next few days, following Dr. Harleen's advice, Arthur searched for a large amount of relevant learning materials online.

Arthur was surprised by his own reaction, but also very excited. He recorded his feelings in his diary and would stare at it for a long time every night.

Admittedly, Dr. Harleen's method was very effective; Arthur's psychological trauma from the incident was diminishing, and his acceptance of related behaviors was increasing.

Over the past few days, Arthur's integrity has plummeted from initially being somewhat resistant and passively accepting the situation, to fully accepting it and even looking forward to it, and then to actively creating opportunities. Now, it can be said that he has basically lost all his integrity.

However, to Arthur's dismay, Ah Bin was simply too weak. If he wanted to, he could easily defeat Ah Bin in one go, and Arthur would prefer someone stronger to take his place.

For example, Superman, or Xiao Xian.

Of course, Xiao Xian would be the best choice. As a teammate of the Justice League, Aquaman would naturally know Superman's hobbies. Who knows what Superman has done before?

However, this is also good. Arthur felt both regret and relief about Bin's weakness. With Bin so weak, everything was under Arthur's control. When he and Atlanna got tired of each other, Arthur could kill Bin with his trident at any time.

Another thing that Arthur finds regrettable is Mera. Although Aquaman has created countless opportunities for Bin these past few days, Bin has yet to win her over. Arthur can't do anything about it, since Mera really hates humans.

While Aquaman was caught in a dilemma, on the other side, deep in the dark ocean, a majestic glacier stood, like a giant from ancient times. The glacier's surface was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the faint light, making the entire cave interior resemble a silent starry sky.

Black Manta took a deep breath, spread its wings, and dashed forward. Its body transformed into a black streak of light, weaving through the intricate underwater maze, with its team members following closely behind.

As an experienced diver and explorer, Black Manta has led a team in search of the legendary Dark Trident for three years.

Suddenly, a violent tremor struck. The black manta ray abruptly stopped, warily scanning its surroundings. A metallic scraping sound came from deep within the cave, sounding like some enormous creature was moving.

Then a huge shadow rapidly approached, and the black manta ray looked closely and saw that it was an unimaginably huge giant octopus!

The octopus's tentacles were like giant pythons, each swing taking a life. The black manta ray watched helplessly as its companions were entangled by the enormous tentacles and suffocated to death.

"Damn it, what kind of monster is this?!" Black Manta hid behind a boulder, barely avoiding a fatal attack.

The next second, the black manta ray's vision was suddenly swallowed by darkness.

A powerful suction force dragged Black Manta into the octopus's tentacles. Black Manta struggled, only to find itself drawing ever closer to the gaping maw filled with sharp teeth. The fear of death washed over him, and Black Manta almost gave up hope.

Just then, the octopus casually tossed the black manta ray aside, and the black manta ray flew out like an arrow.

The seawater was as black as ink, unfathomably deep. The black manta ray was thrown heavily to the ground, dizzy and disoriented. When he struggled to open his eyes, he found himself standing in the depths of an unfamiliar sea, surrounded by a decaying atmosphere.

Not far away, a trident broken in two lay quietly on the seabed. Its metal surface was covered with the marks of time, and the runes engraved on it appeared and disappeared in the dim water. As if sensing the arrival of the black manta ray, the trident emitted a green glow.

Black Manta Involuntarily reached out and touched the cold weapon.

In an instant, the scene before Black Manta's eyes began to distort and deform. He seemed to be in an ancient kingdom, surrounded by dilapidated buildings submerged by the sea.

"Is this Nekrus?" Black Manta murmured to himself. The name flashed through his mind, awakening his memories of this land.

In the heart of the royal city stood a colossal, frozen throne. Through the thick ice, a man clad in black armor could be vaguely seen. His eyes were closed, as if he were in eternal slumber.

Suddenly, from within the black throne, the black-armored man opened his eyes, revealing a terrifying green light. His eyes stared directly at the black manta ray.

"You! Do you crave the power of revenge?"

The seawater flowed silently around the black manta ray, its heart pounding, cold sweat soaking its diving suit. Those eerie green eyes reminded it of the demons in movies.

Black Manta instinctively tightened its grip on its trident, the green runes glowing even brighter. "Who are you?"

Kodakx looked at Black Manta. Although he looked down on Black Manta, this human, he was still someone with the power of destiny, and his resurrection plan depended on him.

Although as an Atlantean, Kordakx preferred to entrust the resurrection plan to the Atlanteans rather than the despicable humans, it was good enough that there was a human with the power of destiny; no matter what, he was at least stronger than the dimensional demons.

Now Kordakus must escape his predicament as soon as possible and then find a way to fulfill the contract he made with the extraterrestrial demons.

"I am King Kordax of the Kingdom of Nekrus! And the true master of the Dark Trident!"

Kodakx looked at Black Manta with great arrogance. Although Kodakx was very humble in front of the Dimensional Demon, he was still very arrogant in front of Black Manta, a human.

"My power is enough for you to exact your revenge." Kodak's icy voice pierced Black Manta's soul, as if luring him into an endless abyss. "Submit to me, and I will not only grant you the power of revenge, but also make you the new Sea King!"

Black Manta felt a wave of dizziness, and countless images flashed through his mind: his lost companions, the destroyed ship, and the scene of Aquaman killing Black Manta's father. Hatred and anger surged like a tide, washing away his last shred of sanity.

"I...I am willing to submit to you, great Kodakx, as long as you grant me the power of vengeance!" Under the influence of dark forces, Black Manta was controlled by the desire for revenge, and he looked at Kodakx and knelt on one knee.

"A very good and wise choice," Kodakx said. "Next, you need to attack the Atlantis warehouse where they store Orichalcos and use that Orichalcos to release a large amount of carbon dioxide, causing sea levels to rise and exposing the Necros entrance to Antarctica."

Black Manta said with difficulty, "Atlantis is heavily defended. I simply don't have the strength to break through their defenses, let alone steal anything like Orichalcum."

"No, you can," Kordakus said mysteriously, "but what you're holding is my Dark Trident."

Beneath the pitch-black sea, Atlantis's warehouse storing Orichalcum was heavily guarded. The sounds of patrol machinery could be heard in the distance, and searchlights constantly swept across suspicious areas.

Black Manta took a deep breath and dived into the deeper waters. He gripped the broken black trident tightly in his hand. Black Manta saw countless fully armed soldiers patrolling, and several enormous mechanical beasts guarding the area.

Black Manta took a deep breath and hurled the broken front half of his trident. The dark trident transformed into a black meteor, shattering the stillness of the sea and striking the warehouse door directly. A deafening explosion rang out, and the door collapsed with a crash.

The Atlantean army quickly assembled; they were well-equipped and highly trained. Black Manta, seeing the enemies surging in from all directions, knew that now he could only hope that Kodakx was as powerful as he claimed.

"Surrender immediately! Otherwise, we will show no mercy!" the leading general shouted sternly.

Black Manta sneered and continued to wield the broken trident in his hand. Before the Dark Trident, the advanced armor of the Atlantean soldiers was like paper.

The Atlanteans were enraged and launched an attack. Guns roared and lasers flashed. However, these conventional weapons were ineffective against the Black Manta Ray.

Wielding the Dark Trident, Black Manta's reaction speed increased dramatically, allowing him to easily weave through various attacks.

Black Manta nimbly weaved through the enemy ranks, each strike claiming a life. He felt the surging energy within him, a powerful sensation he had never experienced before.

Black Manta even felt that he might not even be a match for Aquaman Arthur now, and could directly seek revenge. However, Black Manta knew that if he didn't revive Kodakx, Kodakx would definitely not lend him his power to take revenge.

"It's time to end this," Black Manta muttered to himself as he watched wave after wave of soldiers arrive. He raised his broken trident, and the dark magical power on the trident condensed into a huge green sphere of light.

Then Black Manta swung his arm, and a green orb shot out. It rapidly expanded in the air, turning everything in its path to ashes. The Atlantean soldiers panicked and scattered in all directions.

News of the attack on the Orichalcos warehouse quickly reached Atlantis. Before the news reached Arthur, the Sea King, Mera, who had been paying close attention to the matter, reported the information to Xiao Xian.

Looking at the Black Manta in the video footage, Xiao Xian knew the plot was about to begin, but he wasn't in a hurry. He was afraid that if he showed up, that coward Kodakx would be scared into giving up on his resurrection. He'd wait until Kodakx's resurrection was a done deal before going to collect the kills.

(End of this chapter)