civilwarnovels Chapter 4371 The Justice League Assembles (9)
Chapter 4371 The Justice League Assembles (9)
Chapter 4371 Justice League: Assemble (19)
Arthur was somewhat bewildered, and Mera was equally confused. Mera's ability to find this place indicated she knew something about what happened back then. But now it seemed things weren't so simple. Tom, who had a past romance with the Atlantean princess, didn't seem to be completely ignorant.
They got back into the car, which drove into the town, but the road became increasingly remote. As a local, Arthur knew Amnesty Harbor all too well. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Dad, are you going to Black Street? That place isn't very safe."
Mera turned to look at him. Arthur hadn't intended to acknowledge her, but when he turned and saw her deep blue eyes, like the sea, he coughed slightly, a little embarrassed, and said, "This is one of the closest ports to Canada, and there are some drug dealers and smugglers here. They all congregate in the underworld; locals generally don't go there."
As they spoke, the car stopped on a street near the underworld. The three got out, and Tom led them into a small alley. Before they reached the end, Arthur saw a familiar figure—the gang leader they had just met at the bar.
"What are you doing here?" The gang leader was clearly surprised. He looked them over, his gaze lingering on Arthur, and then said, "Don't go any further in. That's the underworld. You're not looking to cause trouble for them, are you?"
Before Arthur could say anything, Tom spoke first, saying, "I'm looking for little Ryan, you know that."
The gang leader paused, sighed, and said, "He's in there. You guys go ahead, but don't stay too long."
Tom nodded to him and led the two deeper into the alley. Unexpectedly, the alley led even deeper into the alley. At the end of the alley, they moved a wooden plank aside, crawled through a hole, and found a semi-basement window. Tom knocked on it and said, "It's me, Tom the tower keeper."
"Tom?" a voice came from inside. "Didn't we agree on Friday? Why are you here today?"
The mention of Fridays suddenly reminded Arthur of his father, the lighthouse keeper, who rarely left the lighthouse—their home. But every Friday evening, his father would go out without him. Arthur assumed he was going drinking, but he never smelled of alcohol when he returned. He'd asked Tom several times, but Tom never answered.
Soon, the window opened. Tom squeezed through with some difficulty. Arthur, being a bit large, struggled to get in as well. Mera, however, entered easily.
But as soon as he entered, Arthur was so startled that he took a step back and bumped into Mera. Mera was almost embedded in the wall, and just as she was about to open her mouth, she saw a scene that shocked her.
Arthur was stunned, because the right half of the middle-aged man sitting on the sofa in the room was gone.
To be precise, a horrific scar ran from his right collarbone to his waist, and his entire right arm was missing. This also caused his head to tilt to the left, making him look very frightening.
But at this moment, Mera seemed to sense something. She gently stepped forward, circled the man once, and then said, "Sea Clan magic... what's going on?"
“Many years ago, before you were even born,” Tom said, getting water and a towel from the side. “I rescued your mother from the sea. We fell in love as we got to know each other, started a family, and had you. But sadly, it didn’t last long.”
"Your mother ran away from an arranged marriage, and her father was hunting her down. Shortly after you were born, the sea creatures arrived. Although your mother defeated them, ... during their landing, they destroyed two fishing boats, killed more than twenty fishermen, and almost destroyed the entire street..."
“My God,” Arthur said in disbelief.
“Little Lyont was one of them. He was a fisherman on a boat and was hit directly in the body by their weapons. But he was lucky enough to survive and drifted ashore. Your mother saved him with that… magical magic.”
Tom went over and wiped little Lyon's face. Arthur watched this. He understood that this injury wouldn't just cause upper limb weakness; it looked like he might even have difficulty walking.
“No wonder,” Mera said. Arthur looked at her, and Mera continued, “Actually, if you just wanted to protect you and your son, you could have simply fled somewhere else. The continent is so vast, and the sea creatures can’t possibly send out so many people to hunt you down. At worst, you could go to a remote inland country and you’d be able to survive.”
"However, if we let them continue searching like this, countless innocent humans will suffer. Although there has always been conflict between humans and sea creatures, we are all sentient beings with feelings, and we can never stand idly by and watch a massacre occur."
Arthur pursed his lips. He couldn't say he had no resentment towards his mother; after all, it was always difficult for single parents to raise children. Besides keeping watch over the lighthouse, Tom also took on many handicrafts he could do at home, such as blacksmithing and repairing ships. To get the neighbors to look after him more, he would also volunteer to do chores for others. The hard work and financial pressure made him look older than his peers.
He had also pondered this question: if his mother was forced to leave due to some real-world pressures, why couldn't she take the two of them with her? Even if she returned to the ocean, after so many years, shouldn't she have come back for one last visit?
But now it seems things aren't so simple. His mother didn't return to the ocean just to protect them. She had no choice but to go back to prevent the sea creatures from frequently raiding the land.
Arthur looked again at the figure sitting on the sofa. The wound was horrific, almost beyond Arthur's comprehension. He glanced down at his own hand; he knew all too well the immense power of the sea creatures. This was something no human could possibly withstand.
When he rescued the submarine, the pirates were fully armed and had deadly firepower, but the bullets couldn't even pierce his skin. He defeated them with ease.
So, those sea creatures who once hunted down the mother might now be able to trample the town's streets with impunity. A single javelin throw could injure an ordinary person like this.
Arthur turned to Mera and said, "What was that... what was the Dog Shit Prince going to do again?"
“It’s Orm,” Mera said with a hint of helplessness. “He wants to conquer the seven sea tribes, become the new Sea King, then wage war against the continent, and ultimately unify the world.”
If Mera had said before that someone wanted to rule the world, Arthur wouldn't have believed her. Humanity has fought two world wars, and no one has actually ruled the world. Even if some madman really wanted to do it, he wouldn't succeed.
But now he was a little uncertain. The power gap between the sea creatures and humans was too great. If this Om were to unify Atlantis, even if he ultimately failed, the destruction he caused would be no less than a world war.
Arthur glanced back at his father, then looked up at the window where they had just come down, and said, "Let's go outside and talk."
The two walked deeper into the alley. Mera stood against the wall with her arms crossed, and then said, "To be honest, I'm Om's fiancée. Of course, we don't usually interact much, but he's been trying to get my support for his plans."
"What's his plan?" Arthur asked. "Where does he intend to begin?"
"He has already landed in the Caribbean and used the power of the sea creatures to conquer several small countries. He intends to use it as his base. And recently, he is about to launch a tsunami plan."
Arthur gasped, a chill running down his spine. He exclaimed, "He's going to unleash a tsunami? Where?!"
"No, he didn't intend to destroy the city with a tsunami. First of all, that would require a lot of magic, which he couldn't do; secondly, he didn't want to break ties with humanity so soon. So, he just planned to push all the marine debris and sunken ships ashore."
“That’s alright,” Arthur said. “Anyway, humans threw it in themselves, so it’s their own fault for being sent back.”
Mera looked Arthur up and down. Arthur shook his head and said, “Fishermen don’t have a good impression of those who pollute the ocean. When I was a child, the fishing industry on the east coast was pretty good, and everyone could make a living by fishing. Ever since that chemical plant was built in that city to the north, our fish catch has been declining year after year. I’ve heard it’s the same in Canada; those famous fishing grounds are no longer catching any fish.”
Mera sighed and said, "This is the conflict between sea creatures and humans, and it has been like this for many years. But even if we have to deal with this garbage, we can't use such a brutal method. It's more of a threat than revenge."
"How big will it be?" Arthur asked, one hand on his hip and the other stroking his chin.
“Both the east and west coasts will be affected,” Mera said. “The Americas are their primary target. And when they strike, they don’t care if there are people on the coast. Even if it’s not a massive tsunami, many people will be swept away by the giant waves.”
Arthur's expression turned serious. He said, "We really can't let him do that. It will only escalate the conflict and do nothing to change anything. Let me think..."
Arthur crossed his arms and began pacing. Suddenly, he said, "Do you think I should go find Om..."
“No way, that man is insane,” Mera said. “Besides, you two are half-brothers, both with the right to inherit the throne, so you’re in competition. He won’t listen to you; he’ll only want to kill you.”
"Then let's go find him and fight him! Can't we just kill him beforehand?"
"Do you think you can beat him?" Mera said incredulously. "First of all, you've never lived in the ocean and don't know any magic; you're a half-blood after all, and your strength is inferior to that of a pure-blood."
"This won't work, that won't work," Arthur said, sounding somewhat agitated. He didn't like Mera saying he was inferior to his brother, but he couldn't find a way to refute it.
At that moment, Tom climbed out as well. He said, "Let's go back first; we still need people at the lighthouse."
The three of them drove back to the lighthouse. The road was calm, and when Mera got out of the car, she said with some concern, "The tsunami plan should be launched soon. You guys go to sleep, I'll keep watch."
Arthur waved his hand and said, "I can't sleep. Let's go to the sea and take a look. If there really is a tsunami, we can stop it."
Then he turned to Tom and said, "Dad, you go and rest, I'm going for a swim in the sea."
Tom, of course, knew his abilities and didn't say much, simply nodding before going upstairs. Arthur and Mera walked along the beach towards the sea.
You're saying my mother was taken to a trench?
“Yes, that’s where prisoners are executed.” Mera’s tone was tinged with regret as she said, “She might be dead.”
"I want to...I want to see her, even if it's at her grave."
"Impossible. Sea creatures who are executed will not have graves, or even leave any trace. However, if you really want to remember her, you can erect a tombstone for her on land."
Arthur remained silent. Mera turned and walked backwards, then said, "Your mother left because she didn't want to involve humanity. If you can save the continent from Orm, she will be very proud of you."
Just as they were about to jump into the sea, Arthur's phone suddenly rang. He answered it and heard a voice on the other end:
"Hello, this is the Sky Eye Society. We are currently assembling a team of superhumans to move the Capitol Building back to its original location..."