DC: A Cop in Gotham

Chapter 29: Attention-seeker Penguin and Orm

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"Vulko, do you understand the habits of the Trench people?"

"My king, why do you ask this?"

Arthur respected his teacher very much. Vulko was the one who taught him to become Aquaman. Without him, Arthur would not be where he is today.

"It was my friends on land, you know Vulko, the Justice League, Batman who told me that there was a group of Trench people who had targeted someone in Gotham and it was you who taught me about Atlantis. I think you should know some information."

"I'm sorry that I can't answer you, my king. Even the people of Atlantis know very little about them. They only know that they are sealed in the depths of the ocean."

Arthur was a little troubled. He had always regarded the ocean as his professional field in the League, but Batman couldn't answer anything he asked.

"Well, if even Vulko can't help me answer it, maybe I have to find Mera. She can always answer the questions I ask. Sometimes I suspect that she is more qualified to take over as Aquaman than me."

Vulko said humbly: "No, my king Arthur, in my eyes, you are the greatest king."

"Okay Vulko, my brother Orm is the King of the Sea now. If you want to flatter him, just flatter him. Thanks."

When the communication ended, Vulko suppressed the respect on his face and threw the communicator into the seawater.

Along with the bubbles, a flash of bright red rose, and the sea around Vulko was instantly dyed blood red.

The golden magical energy condensed into a scepter and fell into Vulko's hands, his eyes becoming more determined.

"For my king Arthur to regain the throne, and for the survival of Atlantis civilization, I will do whatever it takes, even if I have to betray you, my king."

A pair of white eyes lit up under the sea, and the smell of blood floated in the sea breeze, which made them extremely excited.

He raised his golden scepter.

"Quiet, beasts, it's not time for you to take the stage yet, be patient, King Orm will take action soon."

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Here is part 2 of Chapter 29 with the necessary grammar and spelling corrections, and DC comic-accurate names, while keeping the original plot intact:

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Time returns to the present, and the people of Gotham are taking refuge. Evacuations of tens of millions of people are rare in the history of the United States, and this has attracted the attention of media in major cities.

"Everyone, this geological disaster predicted by Wayne Enterprises caused tens of millions of Gotham citizens to leave their homes. I originally predicted that this was impossible and people would not be obedient. Now it seems that I was wrong."

Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane was in Gotham to witness the scene. Anyone who knows Lois knows that she must have applied for it on her own initiative – and may not have been approved yet.

"People are following the instructions to enter the shelter in batches, and no one even jumps in line. Although there is suspicion of stereotypes, I still want to say, my God, is this still the crime capital Gotham I know? Could it be that Wayne Enterprises has a deeper control over Gotham than I thought? Lois warned everyone watching to be wary of capital!"

As if he noticed the live broadcast here, a short and fat old gentleman squeezed into the camera, pressed the button on the umbrella, and hit the old man in front of him to the ground with a spring fist without leaving any trace.

"Oh, sir, are you okay? Let me help you up. Leslie, come here and take the old man to the emergency medical center."

Penguin called his men to send the confused old man away. His yelling successfully attracted Lois's attention.

"That's one of Gotham's gang leaders, the Penguin! The legendary enemy of Batman, maybe he knows something."

Due to the size of the Penguin, Lois had to bend down and ask: "Mr. Cobblepot, I saw you and your men rescuing the wounded. Aren't you the leader of the gang? Why do you do this?"

Penguin… Oh no, the humble and courteous Mr. Cobblepot took off his hat to pay tribute to Lois, just like a traditional British gentleman: "I admire Miss Lane for having the courage to go deep into the scene. In fact, I have been paying attention to the questions you raised. To do this kind of work is just to be deliberately smeared into the role of a gang leader."

Tears flowed from the corners of his narrow eyes: "I have been ridiculed since I was a child because of my physical defects. When I was a child, they called me "Penguin" because I was short and fat. Now they still call me "Penguin" and say that I have done all kinds of bad things. They are the same people, they want me to surrender. And I never stop. If there are any viewers in front of the TV who know the history of Gotham better, they may know the meaning behind the surname Cobblepot. This city was founded by my ancestors. How could I hurt her?"

Seeing Lois's suspicious eyes, Cobblepot changed the topic and finally gave out some useful information.

"Actually, this evacuation operation was initiated by the Wayne family and I. After all, the four major families are in the same boat. Have you noticed that no one is taking advantage of the situation on the street? That's thanks to Commissioner Gordon and I. We worked closely together and took the opportunity to rectify the public order in Gotham…"

Lois finally understood. The Penguin was playing the sympathy card again, and bound Wayne Enterprises and the Gotham Police Department to him, as if he was going to clear his name and go legitimate.

She quickly tried to change the topic, her eyes wandering, and suddenly Lois's eyes lit up. She pulled the camera: "Look, that's Aquaman. Legend has it that he is the king of Atlantis. Let's interview him!"

Lois took the photographer to the beach to find Arthur. The Penguin was not angry. Anyway, there were more than just Daily Planet media present. He had plenty of money for marketing, but Lois was a very special woman. She had a special relationship with Superman. That's why he came over to steal the spotlight.

Penguin looked in the direction of Indian Hill: "I've helped you control Gotham's base, don't let me down, Batman."

A drop of rain fell on his hooked nose. Penguin looked up at the sky and frowned slightly: "I remember that the weather forecast said it was sunny today…"

Arthur stood on the coast, staring at the ocean without a trace of ripples. He felt strongly uneasy. The ocean had never been so calm, which meant that someone had interfered with this sea area.

A microphone was put to his mouth, and Arthur recognized Lois. He had no choice but to make Superman so dazzling that even Arthur, the person around him, was impressed.

"The fish are scrambling to escape from the entire northeastern coast. There is some kind of force brewing. Reporter, please leave here together with others."

How could the reporter be moved by Arthur's two or three words? The more dangerous it is, the more excited she is.

"Danger? Is it a tsunami caused by an earthquake? I heard that animals can always sense the coming of disaster before humans do. Are you going to use the power of Aquaman to stage a 'Moses Dividing the Sea'?"

In front of the King of the Sea, Lois didn't think she would be in any danger.

Arthur's face became more solemn, and he grabbed his trident: "The king of the sea is not me, but my brother… he is coming!"

Born of the same blood, Arthur sensed the arrival of his brother, Orm… and an army.

The heavily armed Atlanteans lined up behind Orm, silent.

"Brother, you have trained the army very well."

Arthur did not lower his trident as he spoke to his brother.

Orm wears a helmet that only exposes his mouth, and the bright red eyepatch makes him look extremely evil, but Orm's tone of voice is surprisingly soft.

"No, brother, they have always been so good, even if they follow orders."

Arthur smiled: "They were not like this when I was in office."

Lois smelled gunpowder.

"Uh, Aquaman? I don't want to disturb your brother's party, but he brought too many 'friends.' Is today some kind of festival in Atlantis?" She hoped so.

Orm raised his head and looked at Lois with disdain: "Arthur, my brother, aren't you with Mera? What is the relationship between this inhaler who doesn't know etiquette and you, your maid on land?"

The Atlanteans have always believed that humans are an evil race, and therefore have a very bad attitude. This understanding is engraved in their culture. Only Arthur, who lives in human society, is different.

"She is my friend. If you don't say this, Orm, why are you coming to Gotham?"

Orm chuckled: "Brother, you lack control over your kingdom. Humanity launched a missile towards Atlantis, and several of my people died as a result. I am here to confirm whether you know about it."

What I saw was that they had no humility towards their king."

Arthur clenched his trident, his eyes narrowing as his brother's words sank in. The tension between them was palpable, as though the entire ocean was holding its breath. Lois could feel it too, the quiet before the storm, and the unease crept up her spine.

"Did you really think I wouldn't hear about it?" Arthur's voice was firm, though his gaze never left Orm. "You should've come to me first, Orm. Instead, you're threatening Gotham. You're making it personal."

Orm's lips curled into a smile, one that didn't quite reach his cold, hard eyes. "You never took your responsibilities seriously, Arthur. You preferred to live among these… creatures. You left Atlantis in the hands of fools and weaklings, and now, they will pay for it."

Arthur took a step forward, his trident now firmly in hand. "You'll find that I'm not the weakling you think I am. You think you can take Gotham from me? From the surface world? You're wrong, Orm. And you'll regret it."

Lois could sense the escalating danger, but her instincts as a reporter pushed her forward. She spoke quickly, trying to defuse the situation before things spiraled out of control. "Aquaman, Orm, both of you need to calm down! There's no need for more violence. Gotham's been through enough."

Arthur glanced at her, the worry in his eyes clear. "Lois, you need to leave. This isn't your fight."

But Lois wasn't about to back down. "I don't care if it's my fight or not. If I'm going to report on Gotham, I'm going to report on everything. And that means I'm staying."

Orm let out a low, mocking chuckle. "A reporter? You think you can make a difference in this? This world belongs to the Atlanteans, not you or your humans."

Arthur's grip tightened on his trident, his voice growing louder, a surge of anger rising within him. "This world belongs to all of us. We'll fight for it. And I won't let you destroy it."

Before things could escalate further, a flash of light appeared in the distance, cutting through the dark sky. Arthur turned, his eyes scanning the horizon. A signal, coming from the deep. The Atlantean warships were moving in, fast.

"He's here," Arthur muttered under his breath, his expression grim. "My brother's not here to talk. He's here to start a war."

Lois turned to see what Arthur was looking at, her eyes wide with realization. "What are you going to do?"

Arthur didn't answer immediately. He was already moving, his eyes focused on the incoming threat. "I have to stop him before he destroys everything. Gotham. The world. Atlantis. It's all connected now. And if I don't put an end to this, no one will."

Orm's smile faded as he stepped back, his command over his soldiers clear. "You've made your choice, brother. We will not stop until you are dethroned."

As the Atlantean forces began to mobilize, Arthur turned to Lois. "You need to leave. Now."

Lois opened her mouth to argue, but Arthur cut her off with a sharp glance. "If you stay, you'll only get in the way. Go. Warn the people of Gotham. Warn the surface world."

With a reluctant nod, Lois turned to the camera crew. "Get the shots we need. Stay close, but stay safe. I'll handle this."

Arthur nodded at her one last time before diving into the ocean, his trident raised as he swam toward the Atlantean ships. Lois watched him disappear beneath the waves, her heart pounding. The world was on the brink, and she knew it was just the beginning.

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