The Joker is all too familiar with this routine; seeing this long-lost scene, he's practically ecstatic.
Batman throws a flash bomb, Batman throws a smoke bomb, Batman disappears into the darkness.
Everything is just like before.
He sees stars yet remains standing there laughing, waiting for Batman to suddenly emerge from behind him, land a heavy punch that makes him all tingly, and then deliver him to the police station, to Gordon.
But Batman didn't appear; he really vanished.
"What are you waiting for? Go catch Batman."
Luthor ordered Grud, the Joker, and Sinestro, as if these people were completely unaware.
Black Manta and the alien Sea Gods were together on another mission, and Circe needed to prepare for the moon affair, so she wasn't there either.
The others seemed totally unaware of any cooperation.
When Batman escaped, Sinestro even leaned against the wall, observing with crossed arms.
Indeed, his enemy is only Hal, while Batman is the Joker's; he has no intention of getting involved in the affairs of madmen.
The Joker snapped out of his fantasy, pouted, and showed a displeased expression.
It's different; this isn't Gotham.
Why didn't Batman come to hit him?
He looked at Luthor, sighed, the world has truly changed; now he has to track down the Bat? Not fun at all...
But visiting the Hall of Justice isn't bad; he hasn't been here since it was built.
Before its destruction, naturally, he had to take a look, or it would be a real pity.
"Let's go, Gorilla, and Red Cheeks, let's play hide and seek with the Bat, hahahaha."
............
Su Ming had already blended into the coral cluster.
After Harley ruined the atmosphere, that grand gesture of noble sacrifice couldn't hold up, so Su Ming had no choice but to jump out of the spaceship and head alone toward the coral reef.
From a distance, it didn't seem like much, but the closer he got, the more he found the multicolored coral rocks seemed to have a unique beauty.
A peak rising from the seabed, towering on the ocean surface, ascending in stair-like formations, various corals arrayed in neat sections.
Magnificent, truly a Divine Mountain, though there were no constructions, it all seemed naturally formed, a marvel of creation.
At the sea level at the mountain's base, there was a small harbor, and he directly used the power of the cloak to walk over from the water's surface.
The disguise was very effective, even his prior preparation exceeded the actual need.
The Fish-Men bustling on the dock, loading supplies or other items onto the ships, hadn't even waited for the disguised Zhen Hai to approach before they all fell to their knees.
Not only did they avoid sniffing him, but they didn't even dare look at him.
Some Fish-Men were even crying uncontrollably, while others directly pierced their own eyes with claws or fingers.
Su Ming took a deep breath in his heart.
That fanatic? Just accidentally seeing a god compels self-blinding, no wonder they're all 'Cosmos' contestants, all blind?
But it's better they dare not look at him; Su Ming swaggered into the coral reef's interior.
He felt like he became a fish himself, surrounded by underwater scenery, he never imagined what little fish could see darting around the coral reef.
But now he knows, all around is a scene of colorful splendor, like walking into the underwater corridor of an aquarium, full of oceanic atmosphere.
Of course, all these corals were dead, beyond the ocean's view, they gave more a sense of coldness and fear.
Now to find out where Arthur is imprisoned...
Asking people would be the easiest, but now forget the sound differences; even alien languages Su Ming doesn't know, speaking English would likely expose him immediately.
So he can only search for clues on his own, see if there are traces left by the Sea King.
Of course, expecting Arthur to be like a clever child in a fairy tale, leaving thread or crumbs as markers, that's impossible.
But one thing, both humans and Atlanteans can do.
Arthur's character is not one to surrender, so he would definitely curse those aliens.
They might not understand, but facial expressions and gestures are universally understood in the cosmos; aliens are bound to get angry and take action against him.
But Arthur's defense is strong, surely he would curse even more energetically, and to show his contempt, that brash man has a bad habit.
Last time at the underwater relic, Su Ming noticed that when Arthur gets angry, he spits to vent.
Understandably, always soaking underwater, land's air too dry, inevitably catch some throat inflammation or nasal issues, in the ocean, spitting anytime is natural, can even relieve oneself anywhere.
Demanding him not to spit on land, wouldn't that be discriminatory against Atlanteans?
Besides, spitting at an enemy is a warrior's standard taunting skill, don't just mention Arthur, even Hal has this habit.
The steps of taunting generally are: 'You stupid trash, come hit me! You coward, ha.....pfft!'
With this process, there's a high probability the enemy's anger will flare, completely losing control.
The key is how well the spit lands.
Spitting on the enemy counts as competent; spitting on the enemy's face, the effect is exceptional; if it lands in the enemy's mouth, that's a crit!
If it weren't for wearing his helmet, Gordon would choose this tactic when necessary. It's just spit, after all, not worth much.
Wade often uses this trick, except he often forgets to lift his mask before spitting, and many times he ends up swallowing it back...
Now Gordon is searching for this trace, whether it's blood-stained spit or sticky phlegm, the Sea Race across from them are all fish, they don't have this function at all.
What is upper respiratory tract mucosal secretion to the Alien Sea Race? Mucus on the gills?
Anyway, whether it's phlegm or snot, these are things only Earth creatures have.
So many Fish-Men saw a strange scene: Zhen Hai silently and coldly moved through the corridors of the Divine Hall as if searching for something.
If someone knelt a bit too close, Zhen Hai would slap them flying away.
After several times, no one dared to approach him anymore.
In their understanding, this Sea God had fallen into madness due to the nude incident, and now approaching him would be death. They'd rather keep a distance.
If they truly could not avoid him, they would immediately kneel and gouge out their own eyes to prove they were blind and had seen nothing before.
Only then could they escape disaster.
Instead, Gordon grew more and more puzzled.
These Sea Race members would slide on their knees in front of him without a word, then gouge out their eyes and leave, screaming.
What is this? A religious ritual?
And this blood is everywhere, obstructing his search for clues. So annoying!
No wonder the three Alien Sea Gods dared to invade Earth. How many cosmic level big shots have attempted and failed to attack Earth before.
This bizarre religious ritual is too bloody and primitive. It's a sign of low intelligence.
Helplessly, Gordon quickened his pace, continuously ascending the coral corridor that resembled a spiral staircase. Many Fish-Men were active on the lower level, seeming like a logistics department.
The closer he got to the top of the coral reef, the fewer people he encountered.
Finally, he found a trace.
Not a trace of phlegm, but two blood marks.
The kind made when someone is knocked out and dragged across the ground, leaving two blood trails from either their shoes or pants.
The blood mark extended for a distance, disappearing into a room at the corner.
Faintly, he could hear sounds of interrogation, and surprisingly, it was in English.
Fish-Men also speak English? These are talented translators.
Gordon, curious, slowed his steps and approached the interrogation room. Peering through the door crack, he saw Arthur bound to a cross.
A Shark Head Fish-Man was holding a whip, seemingly an animal's spine, continuously lashing Arthur's robust body.
"Snap, snap, snap, snap...."
This peculiar instrument of torture had a unique structure and technique. At a glance, the Shark Head was a seasoned interrogator, playing with it with exquisite skill.
Even if one didn't see it, just hearing the sound resembled rain hitting banana leaves, large and small beads falling on a jade plate, blending into a single sound; or like the roaring river that couldn't be stopped once it started.
"Snap, snap, snap, snap, snap, snap, snap..."
The Shark Head executed a whip combo as fast as lightning, as Gordon, who was peeping, named it, even producing a rhythm.
"Ah!!! Ah!!!" Arthur screamed, shaking his head from side to side.
"Sea King of Earth, just confess, and you can suffer less!"
Besides Shark Head, there was an Octopus Head there, holding a device resembling a computer for recordkeeping, advising in English.
Arthur, however, remained steadfast. Although Gordon didn't understand why Sea King had lost his physical defense and superpower, beaten to a pulp by simple torture instruments, barely clinging to life.
But Arthur spoke up bravely: "I don't know..."
Strong-willed, worthy of being a hero, refusing to divulge what the enemy wanted to know.
Gordon couldn't help but admire Arthur, who was battered from chest to back yet remained determined and unyielding.
No wonder he's one of the Seven Giants of the Justice League; this spirit alone is enough, tsk tsk...
Gordon originally planned to rush in and rescue, but Octopus Head's next words made him decide to watch a bit longer.
"Tell us, what weaknesses does the human in yellow and black have?"
Octopus Head signaled Shark Head to rest, so he could question.
Gordon's expression was strange. The human wearing black and yellow, are they talking about me?
But asking Arthur is useless. Even capturing Batman wouldn't reveal information about Deathstroke.
Sure enough, Arthur, still despondent, said, "I really don't know. Even if you asked me for hundreds of years, the answer is still I don't know!"
His voice was filled with despair, helplessness, anger. He truly didn't know!
But Octopus Head didn't believe it, revealing a contemptuous human-like expression on its soft, mucus-covered face, as if thinking Sea King was insulting their intelligence.
"Liar! You previously said with your own mouth that person is your friend! A friend of your little group! Don't think you can deceive us!"
Having said that, he turned around and twitched his facial tentacles at Shark Head, who understood perfectly, striding forward again, unleashing another whirlwind combo on Arthur.
Arthur's screams echoed again in the dark, cramped interrogation room...