Three days had passed since Li Jie returned from Paradise Island in the Amazon. The island had barely survived the Voldemort invasion, and the aftermath had forced Queen Hippolyta to make a difficult decision. Realizing she could no longer guarantee the safety of the Mother Box, she had entrusted it to Diana Prince and sent her away from the island.
Hippolyta's choice showed the clarity of a wise mother. Even with the Amazons facing extinction, she refused to chain Diana to the island with the responsibility of rebuilding their civilization. Diana's life was meant to extend far beyond Paradise Island, and Hippolyta understood that better than anyone.
There was a much larger world out there waiting for her daughter. And in the queen's mind, Diana's duty at this moment was clear—stop the invasion of Steppenwolf and the endless swarms of Parademons threatening the planet.
On the rooftop of the laboratory, the mood was far less solemn. A small group had gathered around a crate of beer, using the open sky as their drinking hall while the cold Gotham wind blew across the roof.
Dr. Bruce Banner had joined them that evening. He adjusted his glasses while listening to Bruce Wayne grumble loudly.
"Damn it," Bruce muttered, taking a long drink. "I've searched the entire ocean, and I still can't find a single clue about Aquaman or Atlantis. At this point, I'm starting to think Atlantis never even existed."
Superman rolled his eyes at the complaint. He leaned against the railing with his arms crossed and replied in a tired voice.
"Wayne, do you know how many places I've checked these past few days? I've basically circled the entire planet three times. If Aquaman or Atlantis were easy to find, I would've seen them already."
Before Li Jie could respond, Banner spoke up instead. He pushed his glasses up his nose and adopted the calm tone of a scientist delivering a lecture.
"Atlantis absolutely exists," he said seriously. "It's just hidden somewhere deep on the ocean floor where normal observation can't detect it."
"At the very least, Arthur Curry is definitely real," Banner continued. "I was reviewing some files about him a couple of days ago."
Bruce Wayne immediately rolled his eyes again.
"Banner, did no one tell you that I'm the one who gathered those files?"
Banner blinked in confusion for a second before answering honestly.
"No one mentioned that."
He paused, then frowned slightly.
"If you already know Aquaman exists, Wayne, then why are you—"
Bruce cut him off before he could finish.
"Banner, am I not allowed to complain for five minutes?" he said impatiently. "I've never doubted that Aquaman or Atlantis are real."
He took another drink and shook his head.
"What annoys me is that Arthur decided to disappear right now of all times. Hiding during a crisis like this is unbelievably irresponsible."
Superman nodded in agreement.
"That guy really knows how to hide," he said. "Even I couldn't track him down."
He sighed and looked toward the horizon.
"Hopefully he stays hidden long enough that Loki never finds Atlantis. If Loki gets his hands on the Mother Box down there, things are going to get ugly."
Only then did Li Jie finally speak.
"The Mother Box might not even be in Arthur's hands," he pointed out calmly.
Bruce snorted.
"Jack, do you think we haven't thought about that already?"
He leaned forward slightly and continued in a thoughtful tone.
"If I were Queen Atlanna, I wouldn't give the Mother Box to a wandering playboy who spends half his life drunk."
"And even if Arthur eventually becomes the Sea King, he's still half human," Bruce added. "A lot of Atlanteans probably don't trust him. Some of them are likely waiting for the chance to overthrow him."
Li Jie thought for a moment before asking another question.
"Have you investigated Loki's movements?"
He looked directly at Bruce.
"He brought a group of mutated superheroes with him when he tried to steal the Mother Box from Atlantis. Someone like that doesn't move around without leaving traces."
Bruce started to answer immediately.
"Of course we—"
His voice suddenly stopped mid-sentence. A brief look of realization crossed his face.
"…We were so focused on finding Arthur that we forgot about that possibility," he admitted slowly.
Banner stood up first.
"If Loki is searching for Atlantis, satellites might detect something unusual along his path," he said. "We should start there."
Bruce also stood up, excitement replacing his earlier frustration.
"That's a good idea."
Superman suddenly pushed off from the railing.
"I just remembered something I need to do," he said casually. "You guys handle the satellite search."
Before anyone could question him further, he shot into the sky and disappeared in an instant.
Banner and Bruce immediately began discussing satellite tracking systems. Their plan was to follow any suspicious activity Loki might have left behind.
Li Jie, however, had already received another message that pulled him away from the conversation.
Ada Wong had just called.
The base on the Kamchatka Peninsula had been attacked by something unknown.
More precisely, a submarine returning from a mission had been assaulted near the base and severely damaged.
This was the first time Li Jie's Kamchatka base had ever been attacked. Because of that, he treated the situation extremely seriously and immediately traveled there.
Under Ada Wong's guidance, Li Jie soon reached the submarine repair area.
The submarine looked terrible.
Its metal hull had been twisted and crushed, and a massive hole had been torn through its side as if something had punched directly through it.
The only reason it managed to return was because the attack occurred close to the base. Otherwise, it would have sunk to the bottom of the sea long before reaching safety.
After examining the damage briefly, Li Jie already had a rough guess about what happened.
"Do you know who did this?" he asked.
Ada Wong's expression was unusually serious.
"That's exactly why I called you," she replied.
She paused briefly before continuing.
"I recorded part of the attack. I think you'll find the footage interesting."
With a quick command, the video began playing.
The recording showed the submarine moving slowly underwater when a blur suddenly rushed toward it. Whatever it was, the creature moved so quickly that the camera initially failed to capture its shape.
At first, the crew assumed it was some kind of experimental weapon.
Then the creature stopped in front of the submarine.
The image finally stabilized.
It was a muscular man with a thick beard.
Arthur Curry. Aquaman.
Li Jie hadn't expected to see him like this.
From the footage, it was obvious that Arthur had already mutated into a zombie. His attack on the submarine appeared completely accidental.
Moments later, another figure appeared in the water.
Like Arthur, this man moved rapidly underwater without any diving equipment. He carried a long staff-like weapon and tried desperately to stop Aquaman from damaging the submarine.
Li Jie immediately recognized him.
Vulko.
The well-dressed man with tied-back hair was a senior member of Atlantis's ruling council. More importantly, he had personally trained Arthur since childhood and could easily be considered his mentor.
In all of Atlantis, only a handful of people could defeat Vulko.
Unfortunately, the Arthur in front of him was no longer rational. The zombified Aquaman fought with terrifying power, and Vulko quickly fell under overwhelming pressure.
Within moments, he was defeated.
Then another group suddenly appeared.
They wore strange armored diving suits and immediately joined the battle, attacking Arthur without hesitation.
Black Manta.
Originally a pirate, Black Manta once sent out a distress signal while facing danger at sea. Aquaman had refused to help him, believing pirates deserved the consequences of their actions.
That moment planted deep hatred in Black Manta's heart.
Since then, he had devoted his life to revenge. He allied himself with hostile sea creatures and used their advanced technology to create underwater combat equipment. Over time, he repeatedly stirred conflict between humans and ocean civilizations.
Even now, seeing Arthur transformed into a zombie, Black Manta had no intention of letting him escape.
The depth of his hatred was obvious.
Despite his injuries, Vulko managed to escape alongside Arthur during the chaotic three-way battle.
The submarine, unfortunately, was caught in the crossfire.
After the video ended, Li Jie gave a calm order.
"Send people to track Aquaman, Vulko, and Black Manta."
…
The only bar on the Kamchatka Peninsula sat quietly under the frozen night sky.
Inside the small building were only five people, including the bartender. One of them, a hook-nosed man already drunk, was loudly bragging about a recent adventure.
"You think I'm lying?" he shouted while waving his bottle. "I personally captured a sea creature!"
He laughed arrogantly and continued talking.
"I knew none of you idiots would believe me. But I'm telling you the truth."
He leaned closer to the others.
"Atlantis is about to fall. When it does, I'll have more wealth than any of you can imagine."
At that moment, the door creaked open.
A blast of freezing wind rushed inside, causing everyone in the room to tighten their coats.
The hook-nosed man turned toward the entrance irritably.
"Damn it, hurry up and get inside if you're coming," he shouted. "You're letting all the heat out."
The door closed with a sharp sound, and warmth returned to the room.
The hook-nosed man resumed his story with a smug grin.
"You want to know who the sea creature I captured is?"
He chuckled proudly.
"That old guy's name is Vulko. He's a member of the Atlantis council—and Aquaman's mentor."
Li Jie gave Ada Wong a subtle glance.
She stepped forward gracefully and smiled at the man.
"Can we talk somewhere private?" she asked.
The hook-nosed man looked up and finally noticed how beautiful she was. Lust instantly filled his eyes.
"Of course," he said eagerly. "I've got a snowmobile outside. We can talk there where it's quiet."
"Sounds good," Ada replied.
She followed him outside.
Li Jie ordered a glass of whiskey and sat quietly, observing the remaining people in the bar.
Most of them looked over sixty years old. The chaos of the zombie world outside seemed to have little effect on their daily lives. They simply drank and waited for another ordinary day to pass.
A few minutes later, Ada Wong returned.
She sat down across from Li Jie and spoke quietly.
"That man used to be one of Black Manta's mercenaries," she explained. "He was present when the submarine was attacked."
"After a conflict with Black Manta, he deserted. On the way out, he encountered the injured Vulko and captured him."
"Where is Vulko now?" Li Jie asked.
"In a cave about ten kilometers from here."
Li Jie stood up.
"Let's go take a look."
Outside, Li Jie found the hook-nosed man barely conscious inside the snowmobile. Judging from his injuries, he was probably regretting his decisions already.
He even believed Li Jie and Ada Wong were assassins sent by Black Manta to silence him.
Ten kilometers passed quickly.
Soon they reached the cave mentioned earlier.
Inside, Li Jie saw Vulko.
The Atlantean had been completely frozen into an ice sculpture.
"Is he still alive?" Ada asked curiously.
Li Jie stepped forward and examined the frozen figure.
"As a sea-dwelling species, Atlanteans have strong resistance to freezing," he explained calmly. "If he wasn't badly injured, this ice wouldn't hold him at all."
Using thermal imaging technology, Li Jie carefully thawed the frozen Atlantean.
Moments later, Vulko regained consciousness. Wrapped in a blanket, he shivered violently while staring at them.
"Tell Black Manta something for me," he said stubbornly. "Even if you kill me, I will never betray Aquaman or Atlantis."
Li Jie realized the misunderstanding immediately.
Without saying a word, he tossed the battered hook-nosed man onto the ground in front of Vulko.
"Explain what Black Manta is doing," Li Jie ordered.
Terrified and beaten badly, the hook-nosed man didn't hesitate.
"Black Manta has allied with King Nereus," he blurted out. "They're planning to attack Atlantis!"
"What?" Vulko shouted in shock.
Nereus had once lived in Atlantis. After being exiled, he founded the Kingdom of Xebel with other outcasts and became its ruler.
For years, Nereus dreamed of reclaiming Atlantis and ruling the seas.
Vulko narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Why should I believe you?"
Before Li Jie could respond, Ada suddenly spoke.
"Someone's approaching."
Cameras outside the cave had detected several figures moving closer.
"They're Black Manta's men!" the hook-nosed man cried in panic. "I knew he wouldn't let me go!"
He grabbed his head desperately.
"Betraying him was the worst mistake of my life. I should've joined him attacking Atlantis!"
"Shut up," Ada snapped coldly.
She looked toward Li Jie.
"I'll handle them."
"No," Li Jie replied calmly. "You stay here."
"They're just a few of Black Manta's thugs."
He walked outside the cave.
The confrontation ended almost instantly. With a single breath, Li Jie froze the approaching mercenaries solid.
When he returned inside, he looked directly at Vulko.
"If you trust me," Li Jie said, "I can restore Arthur to normal."
"I'm also willing to work with him to stop the crisis threatening Atlantis."
"If you don't believe me, you're free to leave."
Vulko hesitated briefly.
"Are you certain you can restore Arthur?"
Li Jie answered by briefly demonstrating his time-reversal magic.
Seeing the spell, Vulko's eyes widened with shock.
"Are you a sorcerer from Kamar-Taj?"
"As far as I know, only Doctor Strange can perform time reversal magic. What's your connection to him?"
Li Jie considered the question before replying.
"You could say he taught me the spell."
Vulko nodded slowly as realization dawned.
"I understand now."
Excitement suddenly filled his voice.
"Give me one day. I promise I'll bring Arthur to you."
He paused again, worry returning to his face.
"But you know Arthur has completely lost control right now."
"Whether you can stop him depends on your strength."
Li Jie smiled slightly.
"Vulko, do you think Arthur could escape if Superman, Batman, and I worked together?"
"You're working with them?" Vulko's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Li Jie shrugged casually.
"If that's not enough, I can call Wonder Woman too."
Vulko's jaw practically dropped.
"That's enough, that's enough."
He quickly stood up and moved toward the cave exit.
"Wait here. I'll go lure Arthur over."
....
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