blogombal Chapter 259 The Meaning of Life
Chapter 259 The Meaning of Life
Chapter 259 The Meaning of Life (Happy Birthday to Me! A Long Chapter of 5000 Words)
"Come on, do it! What are you hesitating for?"
Black Manta heard Batman's voice.
Things shouldn't have been this way. He made many preparations and paid a heavy price for killing Aquaman.
"Kill him, Arthur Curry, your enemy."
Black Manta's hand was stuffed with Aquaman Arthur's trident.
He stared at the enemy before him. His eyes were closed, and he was unconscious, like a silent statue or a dead pig waiting to be slaughtered.
He carefully used his trident to make a small cut on Aquaman's arm, watching the bright red blood flow out.
It's real, not a mud face.
"Ugh, what happened..." The pain in his arm woke Aquaman Arthur up. He opened his eyes and was about to speak when Chen Tao grabbed Superboy Connor, who was still in shock, and gave him another whack. Aquaman once again passed out in a spectacular fashion.
"Enough!" Superboy Connor, who had been used as a one-legged bronze statue until now, clutched his forehead. "That's too much! My forehead hurts so much, and his skull is so hard."
However, Black Manta still suspected that Batman was lying to him, so he opened his palm again, and his diving suit armor sprayed out a little water, which splashed onto Aquaman Arthur's face.
Stimulated by the icy seawater, Aquaman opened his eyes again: "What's going on? My brain..."
Connor was smarter this time; he tried to run away, but he was still too slow.
Bang!
Superboy Connor also passed out along with Aquaman.
Black Manta finally believed that the person standing before him was indeed Aquaman, and not yet another Batman deception.
"I've come here with the utmost sincerity to give you the Sea King," Chen Tao said. "Give it a try. I know you've been waiting for this opportunity your whole life."
"I don't understand why you would do this." Black Manta stared intently at him. His gaze lingered on Superboy, who was rubbing his forehead beside him.
He said, "You're a superhero."
"I'm a supervillain," Chen Tao said.
He turned his head to look at Black Jack and a large group of leaders from the NEMO organization who were staring blankly at them not far away, as well as several soldiers operating the equipment.
"I'll prove it to you right now."
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Black Jack, the second-in-command of the NEMO organization, saw Batman pick up an Atlantean...water-powered gun from the pile of weapons Batman had just dumped on the ground.
As a villain who infiltrates an evil organization, Black Jack has planned several attacks on the government by impersonating an Atlantean and framing them. She knows about the Atlantean weapon, a gun that converts water into laser beams.
Then she saw Batman frantically waving the gun around in his hand:
"Hmm...wait, how do you use this thing again?"
With a loud whoosh, the misfired laser bullet melted a small piece of the already damaged building wreckage next to it.
Blackjack: !
She saw Batman raise the water gun he had already learned how to use, then grin from ear to ear, and say with absolute certainty:
"You kill Aquaman, and then I can easily fake it as an accident."
"?" A question mark popped into Blackjack's head.
Then she met Batman's red eyes, exactly the same red eyes that had etched that mark on her mind when she last met Black Manta:
"My people won't speak up; the only ones who might leak information are these witnesses. If we kill them all, everyone who knows you killed Aquaman will be dead. Wouldn't that just be an accident?"
"??? What?"
The crowd erupted in uproar, but before the commotion could spread, they saw Batman seemingly transform into a drifting black mist and surge towards them in an instant.
The unspoken question instantly transformed into a wailing cry:
"Aa ...
"It's attacking! It's attacking! Something is biting my foot!"
"Help!!! Batman!!! Mom!!"
Some people tried to resist with guns, but they quickly lay down on the ground and fell asleep quietly, which intensified the fear of the others.
This group quickly collapsed—the real tough guys had all died when the NEMO organization was first taken over by Black Manta, and they were leaders or weapon launchers, not front-line soldiers, so this group crumbled almost at the first touch.
Why is the organization I'm in so useless...?
Blackjack thought this, but quickly realized that the useless ones had already been screened out by Black Manta, and the rest had been taken down by the black mist released by Batman. The guys in front of him were just the result of the screening.
Blackjack watched numbly as the exit furthest from Batman was opened. The crowd screamed and tried to rush out, but Batman quickly forced them back, leaving them collapsed on the ground. Only she could still stand.
—And this startled Batman.
Blackjack stared, breathless, at those inhuman, fiery red eyes that were turning toward him.
She felt as if an illusory flame started burning from the soles of her feet and spread all the way to the top of her head.
"oh……?"
The scorching flames, as hot as the sun, licked her forehead, as if about to burn her to ashes, and then...
"That's enough," Black Manta said.
He turned to the side, blocking Batman's gaze from Black Jack.
It was like a bucket of icy, bone-chilling seawater being poured over her head; Blackjack's body, which had been stiff as a corpse, suddenly relaxed. She plopped down on the ground, trembling all over, breathing heavily, unable to tell whether it was the fiery fear Batman had instilled in her or the deep-sea terror Black Manta had given her.
But one thing is certain: in the current situation, Black Manta makes people feel much safer than Batman.
She looked at Black Manta's latissimus dorsi muscles, which were outlined like the tides beneath his wetsuit armor, from behind.
The black manta ray that once terrified her now gives her an unprecedented sense of security.
She squeezed her legs together, and her eyes changed.
"Let's get started," Chen Tao said.
Black Manta gripped the shaft of Aquaman's trident with mixed feelings. Batman had already kindly helped him sit up and lean the unconscious Aquaman Arthur against a chair next to him, and then pointed the trident at Aquaman Arthur's throat.
It only takes a light touch... a very gentle, skillful application of force, not much more than the force required to pull the trigger.
His diving suit armor grants him superhuman strength, while the trident in his hand is an artifact of Atlantis, capable of easily piercing Aquaman's tough skin.
however……
For some reason, he... he couldn't bring himself to do it.
He heard Batman's voice: "Why aren't you doing anything?"
Chen Tao watched Black Manta's movements intently to ensure that if Black Manta really wanted to make a move, he would be fast enough to stop it and save Aquaman Arthur's life—but as things stood, Black Manta's reaction was exactly what he expected.
Well then... we can add a little more spice.
His voice turned cold.
"Come on—kill him, so what? Hurry up and do it! Don't you even have the courage to kill him?"
The black manta ray was breathing heavily. He looked enraged.
"You think I wouldn't dare? I want to kill Arthur Curry, my whole life!"
Anger. Black Manta couldn't explain where his anger came from, but he was angry nonetheless.
He gripped the Trident of Neptune, pushed it forward, and pressed it against the neck of the unconscious Arthur, then his hand began to tremble uncontrollably.
He could even feel Aquaman's pulse through the trident, and feel his heartbeat through Aquaman's skin, which was as tough as steel.
After Black Manta made that move, he froze in place. Chen Tao didn't urge him; he just stood there with his arms crossed, watching.
Blackjack mustered her courage and stood up behind Black Manta. A certain emotion that transcended the superior-subordinate relationship drove her to display a courage beyond that of a third-rate villain:
"Black Manta, you need me to do this for you..." But she was interrupted by Black Manta before she could finish her sentence.
"Shut up!"
"And who do you think you are?" Batman's voice rang out in his ear at just the right moment:
"What is the meaning of your life? The only thing on your mind is revenge. You live only for revenge, and if you kill him, you will have nothing left."
"Enough, stop reading!" Black Manta's voice trembled slightly, but he himself was completely unaware of it.
"Arthur, the King of the Sea, has his own life. He has a reason to live, a cause he fights for his entire life. And you? What do you have? All you think about is killing."
"asshole……"
"What do you want to use to kill him? The Trident of Neptune? A bomb? A bullet? A blade through his heart? Or a quick slit across his throat, or a slow, agonizing torture?"
"How do you think it would be enough to end him and give you even a little satisfaction?! Come on, do it, I've brought him right in front of you."
Black Manta still didn't make a move, Chen Tao said slowly.
"Maybe I'm wrong. You won't lose everything after killing him. You'll spend the rest of your life in disappointment, and you'll never get any satisfaction from him."
"You blame Aquaman Arthur, you blame Stephen Shen, you blame Atlantis, you blame anyone but yourself."
"You've been living aimlessly, Black Manta. You've never realized just how vulnerable your position truly is."
"Aa ...
Black Manta suddenly let out a hysterical roar. He furiously threw the Trident of Aquaman on the ground and screamed like a manic-depressive psychopath, tearing at his head until he ripped off his helmet, revealing his face with three scars.
Finally, he slumped to the ground, clutching his head.
Blackjack staggered over, and she wanted to hug him but didn't dare, so she ended up just grabbing Black Manta's shoulders.
The black manta ray suddenly stood up.
He shoved Blackjack aside, raised his hand towards Arthur, and poured a bucket of water directly onto his forehead, waking him up. Then Black Manta pounced on him, and with the added strength of his diving suit, they began to fight.
He even bit Aquaman Arthur's nose.
You have to understand that without the aid of a diving suit and without superpowers, he would never have been able to bite into the other person's body, but he did it anyway, and he didn't stop even when his teeth were bleeding.
Bang bang bang bang!
Arthur, who had just woken up, was immediately at a disadvantage, with Black Manta riding on his back. Black Manta swung his fists and beat Arthur until he was like a drum.
Chen Tao stood by and watched them fight: "You're awake, Arthur! It's a great success. We've found the mastermind's lair, Black Manta."
"Murderer!" Black Manta roared, relentlessly and with all his might, punching Aquaman Arthur repeatedly in the face.
"Ah, Arthur. You take the beating first, I'll talk to you..."
"Batman, you..."
Chen Tao ignored their fighting.
Black Manta is like this, or rather, most superheroes and their nemesis are like this.
He really wanted to kill Aquaman, but he didn't really want to. He was in a state of wanting to kill him but not wanting to kill him at all. In short, it was Schrödinger's desire to kill. It's inexplicable. Those who understand, understand. It's just that kind of contradictory state.
"...Atlantis is now...I just tied you up...This is a black manta ray...The hairy man is heading towards Atlantis...What? Oh, there's something else I haven't told you, there's also the chemical waste monster...What is it? A minor problem, at most it will poison the sea and wipe out the entire Atlantis..."
As Aquaman Arthur listened, his eyes turned red.
He punched Black Manta, sending it flying backward: "My people!!!"
But he was immediately tackled to the ground by Black Manta, and the two engaged in a ground-based grappling match, which was much more interesting than a boxing match in the octagon or similar cages.
But without its helmet, Black Manta was no match for Aquaman, who was gradually recovering.
Without the protection of his helmet, Black Manta's vulnerable body was directly within Aquaman's attack range. Aquaman only needed to headbutt him to make Black Manta dizzy, without having to worry about the lasers shooting from his helmet at close range as before.
He quickly pinned Black Manta to the ground, then slammed him against the wall: "What did you do to my Atlantis?"
Seeing Aquaman's anxious expression, Black Manta's face finally showed a look of pleasure, like a leaf falling in the air finally finding its direction.
Aquaman retrieved his trident, ignoring his argument with Batman about being forcibly taken out of Atlantis: "Tell the hairy man and the chemical waste to stop, Black Manta, hurry up."
But his anxiety and anger only earned him a more delighted expression from Black Manta.
“I can’t do it,” he said. “They were provided to me by a guy called the Outsider and his organization, the Supervillains Secret Society. They’re not under my control. They also sent someone named Atositas to monitor me; that guy is a real magician.”
Black Manta said, "The orders to those two monsters have been given, and everything is ready. Prepare for the destruction of Atlantis."
"You're crazy."
"That's right."
Black Manta grabbed the tip of Aquaman's trident and pointed it at his neck: "I did all this. Come on, do it!"
"You think I wouldn't dare?!" Arthur pressed him against the wall with the tip of his trident.
"No!" Blackjack tried to pounce, but Black Manta pushed him away.
"Should we kill him, Aquaman?" Chen Tao asked from the side. "I can make it look like an accident, like killing all the witnesses or something."
The NEMO executives standing nearby, terrified: Again?
"Attack! Kill me, Arthur Curry!" Black Manta roared, "Kill me—"
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh..."
Aquaman roared in anger, but after they roared for a long time, Aquaman ultimately did not kill them.
He finally fell silent, still holding the trident against Black Manta's neck, and then slowly spoke.
"Your father is not innocent, Black Manta. The gods know you are not either. You are both treasure hunters and illegal mercenaries who kill and plunder at sea. But killing your father was the greatest mistake I ever made."
"It's too late to repent now," Black Manta said.
“I’m not confessing; my actions will speak for themselves,” Aquaman Arthur said. “That incident revealed serious consequences to me, and it taught me to take responsibility and control myself. The boy who killed your father wasn’t ready to be Aquaman, but without that burden… there would be no Aquaman now!”
The black manta squinted: "You seem quite proud of yourself."
"No, Black Manta, be honest. That mistake made me Aquaman, but this endless longing will never come to fruition."
"You're good for nothing, and you'll get nowhere? I'm about to destroy your dreams, you bastard. I'm going to shatter your arrogant ambition to be the link between two worlds."
"I will humiliate you in front of everyone, and then make you witness the destruction of Atlantis!"
Black Manta's neck veins bulged: "Batman told me everything I did to you, and you'll know exactly what I did—"
"The surviving Atlanteans will blame you, while the land dwellers will regard you as a tyrant, and they will always fear you."
"You're so nonchalant, aren't you? You're an idiot. No one can leave this kind of grudge unscathed!"
"So now..."
"Kill me!!!!"
Aquaman Arthur lowered his head.
Half of his face was hidden in shadow.
"If you really want to take action. Seriously," Chen Tao said, "believe me, I have the ability to clean up the mess for you. The decision is yours, Arthur."
This time, however, Chen Tao genuinely meant it.
He had absolutely no intention of protecting Black Manta. Whatever the reason, everything he did for Atlantis was absolutely true.
Black Manta definitely had a reason to die, and Chen Tao wouldn't be surprised if Aquaman Arthur decided to end this entanglement forever.
"Kill me," Black Manta repeated. "Our hatred can only end with the death of one of us and the destruction of everything he represents."
"Kill me!"
"I refuse," said Aquaman Arthur. "I will never make the same mistake again. I will never become a murderer. This is my choice."
He nodded apologetically to Batman, then turned to face Black Manta.
"Now I must go and save my Atlantis, save my people, and carry out the cause for which I have dedicated my life."
He said.
"And you only deserve to rot in prison."
He tore through Black Manta's armor and then stunned him under Black Manta's cursed gaze.
"I respect your choice, and I'm already prepared for the Atlantis issue," Chen Tao said, shrugging as he walked to Arthur's side.
He searched the black manta ray's body and found a golden ball.
"You should be familiar with this thing, Arthur. It's the golden orb, one of the six pieces of the Death King set, which has long-distance teleportation capabilities. I discovered it when I was monitoring Black Manta. This thing can allow us to quickly return to the scene in Atlantis."
He said, "And I made preparations before I came to find the black manta ray."
(End of this chapter)