Buzz, buzz!
The vibration of his phone interrupted Axel's live broadcast.
With so few people having his number, he couldn't ignore the call. If something serious had happened to one of his people, it needed attention.
After all, he didn't want any of them dying.
Even if it were the least noticeable member of the group, the team would still lose an important source of entertainment.
Glancing at the caller ID, Axel answered immediately, right in front of the cameras.
"Hey, Lex, make it quick. I think I'm live right now."
Holding the phone to his ear, he looked at the reporter beside him.
"We're live, right?"
"Uh... yes, Boss Wraith. We're live, and a lot of people are watching."
The reporter answered quickly.
Axel nodded.
"See? We're live. So tell me what's going on and get to the point."
As he listened, viewers across Gotham watched him make a series of odd expressions.
A moment later, Axel spoke again.
"Really? You want me to say that?
But I already... fine. If you're confident it'll work, I'll trust your intelligence.
Okay, don't worry. Once I bring it back, I'll let you all take a look. But if anyone wants to get close to it, you'll need power armor, and Clark has to be there supervising."
He hung up and returned the phone to his pocket.
Then he took the microphone from the reporter and faced the cameras again.
"Well... about that.
The truth is, this Dragon wasn't brought back from the Monster Hunter world.
You didn't actually believe that, did you?
Come on, who could enter a video game and drag a boss monster into reality?
If that were possible, why would I bring back a Dragon? Wouldn't it make more sense to bring back Tifa or D.Va?"
A knowing grin appeared on his face.
Immediately, countless viewers in front of their televisions stared in disbelief.
"As for the real explanation, this Dragon is actually the latest achievement from a joint project between Wayne Enterprises and LexCorp.
That's right.
Their biotechnology division recently made a major breakthrough.
By combining dinosaur DNA with the biological structures of various modern animals, they successfully engineered the giant creature standing behind me."
Even the reporter looked stunned.
Had biotechnology really advanced this far?
Could humanity now create living Dragons?
More importantly, Axel had sounded completely serious earlier.
Changing his explanation so suddenly was almost absurd.
Still, as ridiculous as his new story sounded, it somehow felt more believable than pulling a Dragon out of a video game.
The reporter's thoughts drifted briefly.
If someone really could bring things out of games, why stop at Tifa and D.Va?
What about Lara Croft? Ada Wong?
Then again, if Wayne Enterprises and LexCorp could create Dragons...
The reporter quickly coughed and stopped that train of thought.
Meanwhile, Axel continued.
"As for the technical details, Wayne Enterprises and LexCorp will be holding a press conference soon.
You'll be able to hear the full explanation there.
As for why the Dragon belongs to me, I assume everyone knows my relationship with Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor.
I've been helping them out recently.
The moment they got results, they handed the Dragon over to me.
Besides, ordinary people couldn't control something like this anyway.
Speaking of which, buddies watching at home, don't you think a Dragon is cooler than any luxury airplane Boeing has ever produced?
Come on, rich people. What are you waiting for?
Forget airplanes and place your orders with Wayne Enterprises and LexCorp instead.
Hmm? The guy raising his hand over there. What do you want to say?"
A man in the crowd had his hand raised so high that it was impossible to miss.
Axel pointed toward him.
Several cameras immediately shifted in his direction.
The man swallowed nervously.
"Boss Wraith, I work for Boeing. I came here to watch the game because Victor Stone is my favorite player.
Also, what I wanted to say is that Boeing is controlled by Wayne Enterprises.
We're basically family, Boss Wraith."
"Wait, what?"
Axel looked genuinely surprised.
"Another company connected to Wayne?
This one belongs to Wayne, that one belongs to Wayne.
At this point, I feel like I've misunderstood the entire economy."
Far away in Themyscira, Diana watched the broadcast with a frown.
After a moment, she handed her phone to Hippolyta.
Pointing at Axel on the screen, she spoke seriously.
"Listen to him.
The way he talks might be modernized, but the underlying meaning is still rooted in Eastern folklore.
I'm telling you, he's still that monkey at heart."
As she spoke, Diana's expression became complicated.
Ever since she convinced herself that Axel was connected to the legendary Monkey King, she had spent considerable time studying the myths surrounding the figure.
She had started out furious.
Yet the more she learned, the more her anger faded.
To her frustration, she occasionally found herself appreciating certain aspects of the legend.
Axel was reckless.
That much remained true.
But someone capable of causing far greater destruction, yet choosing to limit himself to mischief and chaos, was difficult to judge by ordinary standards.
The more she compared the stories she had read with Axel's behavior, the harder it became to maintain her original outrage.
Realizing this only irritated her further.
Pouting, she turned expectantly toward her mother.
Surely Hippolyta would criticize that shameless troublemaker.
Instead, Hippolyta stared at the Dragon and swallowed.
"Diana... where did that Dragon come from?
It's magnificent.
A hero capable of taming a beast like that would have been celebrated in ancient Greece.
Achilles, Odysseus, even Heracles would have earned glory for such a feat.
Do you know where it came from?
Could we perhaps..."
"No."
Diana answered instantly.
"You are not leaving Themyscira, and that Dragon definitely isn't coming here."
Hippolyta sighed in disappointment.
She genuinely liked the Dragon.
Its appearance felt perfectly suited to Greek mythology.
Majestic, powerful, and beautiful.
Far more impressive than Minotaurs or Cyclopes.
After a moment, she looked at Diana again.
"Diana, he's your man, isn't he?
Even Zeus compensates those connected to him.
Don't you think Themyscira could use another guardian beast..."
"Mother!"
Diana's face changed color immediately.
"Do not bring that up.
Ever.
Those two ancient sorcerers are still causing destruction in Israel.
Millions died in Washington, and that debt remains unpaid.
I should be focusing on that.
I'm going to Israel and dealing with those sorcerers.
And stop talking about that Dragon."
With that, she snatched back her phone and launched herself into the sky.
Watching her daughter disappear into the distance, Hippolyta sighed.
She had known Diana for over a thousand years.
The queen understood her daughter far better than Diana realized.
Amazons admired strength.
That was simply their nature.
Whether Diana admitted it or not, some of her feelings had changed.
Shaking her head, Hippolyta resumed walking toward her palace.
A few steps later, she stopped.
The Dragon really was impressive.
And regardless of everything else, Axel was technically connected to Themyscira through Diana.
Perhaps it was time to improve relations.
Maybe she should invite him to visit.
He was powerful, handsome, and impossible to ignore.
For all his reckless behavior, he had shown her respect during their previous encounter.
Most importantly, he had not harmed her.
The decision was made.
She would invite Axel to Themyscira for a meal.
And she would specifically ask him to bring Silver Winged Star.
Following tradition, however, she still wanted Zeus's opinion.
After all, Axel was connected to his family as well.
Returning to the temple, Hippolyta knelt before Zeus's statue and prayed.
High above, Zeus nearly exploded with frustration.
You foolish woman.
Do you have any idea how troublesome that scoundrel is?
Even gods are wary of him.
I want absolutely nothing to do with this.
Leave me out of it.
Twenty minutes later, the statue remained silent.
Hippolyta nodded in satisfaction.
"Excellent. Zeus approves."
Excited by her conclusion, she immediately dispatched a trusted Amazon toward Gotham with an invitation.
Meanwhile, in Gotham.
Bruce watched Axel's interview from inside the Batmobile.
After checking his surroundings and confirming he was alone, he allowed himself a small smile.
"That loudmouthed troublemaker really will say anything."
His concern regarding the Dragon quickly faded.
Everything would be blamed on Wayne Enterprises and LexCorp.
The public would handle the rest on their own.
As for future Dragon-related projects, if enough people demanded them, Axel could always return to the Monster Hunter world and capture a few more.
In a strange way, that might even reduce pressure on the people living there.
With that issue settled, Bruce shifted his focus back to Arkham Asylum.
Thanks to Alfred and Lex's analysis of Arkham's surveillance footage, they had finally identified the most likely culprit.
The Mad Hatter.
At first, Bruce hadn't believed it.
A man restrained in a straitjacket should not have been capable of manipulating the entire asylum.
Yet the evidence pointed directly toward him.
As Harley Quinn slaughtered her way through Arkham and countless inmates and staff mindlessly charged toward her, only one person consistently moved against the flow.
The Mad Hatter.
He had escaped quietly while everyone else rushed toward chaos.
Despite Bruce's extensive surveillance network, the Mad Hatter rarely appeared on camera.
Only after reviewing sonar recordings and fragmented audio did the final pieces fall into place.
Everything pointed to him.
Even now, Bruce found it difficult to accept.
Could hypnosis alone really accomplish something on this scale?
The answer appeared to be yes.
He had already forwarded all relevant information to Alfred, Lex, Oswald Cobblepot, and several others.
Yet another question lingered in his mind.
Should he contact Gotham's self-proclaimed Bat Gang?
He had never acknowledged them as followers.
Unfortunately, those criminals had established a Bat-themed bar, adopted some of his suggestions, and recently started handing out cookies to Gotham's street children.
The situation had become strangely complicated.
If he assigned them work now, wouldn't that only strengthen their loyalty and unity?
His original plan had been to make their lives difficult enough that they would eventually abandon the ridiculous organization and go their separate ways.
Instead, they seemed more determined than ever.
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