"You're observing her, Luthor."
Brainiac walked up to Luthor and stood beside him. In the dark hall, there was only a tall, transparent tube, in which a colorless liquid completely immersed Papetua. Occasionally, weak bubbles rose from her feet, and she looked like she was asleep.
But just like someone immersed in a dream, sometimes she would slightly open her eyes, and the world-destroying flames in them seemed as scorching as the sun.
"Yes, observe destruction, then learn from it, I need this motivation." Luthor replied without turning his head. Though this alien robot made a decent ally, he didn't understand human thinking.
Sometimes greed is the motivation for human progress, and on this point, Sinestro should understand better than other aliens.
"I suggest you stop doing this." Brainiac's electronically synthesized voice echoed in the room: "Your primitive biological optical organs will be destroyed by this great power."
"Eyes." Luthor turned away: "If you are willing to learn some human language, you'll discover many things have simpler expressions, more direct solutions, and more... appealing ways to say them."
Brainiac simulated a smile, which seemed somewhat mocking: "The human race has nothing commendable, quite the opposite. According to my decades-long investigation on Earth, I found that the collective power of humans shows inverse proportions with increasing numbers."
Luthor laughed coldly and took larger steps, the high-tech corridor limiting the sound of his footsteps:
"That's only because ordinary people find it difficult to understand genius ideas like mine. They will use every means to stop intelligent people from standing out, wanting you to become like them, which is the collective consciousness. Simply put, humans are always on the path to self-destruction, and I do not plan to walk that path."
"So you should cooperate with highly intelligent beings like me; we are the hope for the future of the cosmos." Brainiac said calmly, giving up on simulating a smile: "In earthly terms, it means kicking out those who 'hold back progress.'"
Luthor smiled and casually patted Brainiac's shoulder: "Don't become arrogant. If one day I find you're not so smart anymore, you'll know how noble humans can be..."
"Huh, is this a human joke? The point of contradiction is rather low." Brainiac timely laughed: "You know I always represent the advanced intelligence that humans can't reach, the advanced form of life that humans can't surpass, even among your kind, only you and Batman have values worthy of my recognition."
Luthor shook his head and turned to a door in the corridor, inside which was a souped-up copy of a Final Machine: "Batman's threat always exists, but his opponent is not us. That pathetic Joker will cling to him, even after death, the enmity will persist forever."
"Our satellite saw that Batman is heading to Metropolis, it's interesting. When Kryptonians and Mars People are helpless, they have to rely on Earthlings, isn't this joke better?"
Luthor lay down on the Final Machine himself, placing a headgear connected with many wires and instruments on his bald head:
"If you want to learn cold jokes, you should go find Deathstroke; he's the best at that on Earth. Now we just have to wait in the dark for Papetua to wake up, then we can proceed with our next step, ignoring whatever the Justice League is doing; they can't find this place."
Brainiac walked to the machine, used a wire to connect himself to the system at the back of his head. Several Brainiac duplicates around began various operations: "Do you still believe that Deathstroke from that parallel world is not a threat? He has disrupted your plans more than once."
"He captured the traitor Manta Ray, injured Sinestro and Grud, probably just killed Joker, but think carefully, has my plan really suffered? I've turned a blind eye to the tricks of those under me, do you know why?"
"Because they are smoke bombs." Brainiac immediately replied: "They are the arch-enemies of the Justice League, their every move attracts attention, while your personal plan continues unhindered."
Luthor lay peacefully on the machine, folding his hands on his chest: "As long as I know there's no fundamental conflict of interest with him in the future, that's enough. When Genesis arrives, if he doesn't want to die with the old era, it depends on whether he's smart enough."
"Then why did you send Cisser to risk helping Laughing Bat before, using the remnants of Hecate's power to make holes in the world protective magic? Displacing Deathstroke doesn't quite match what you said before."
"Ha, you're becoming less intelligent now." Luthor revealed a mocking smile: "If they are not separated from Batman, how would the Justice League give us a chance? The deal with Laughing Bat is fair. The Dark Knight Order brought 'other' as a future species to the Multiverse, a powerful and cruel whetstone. We just need to wait for the time of 'Sixth Heaven' and not maintain every day as before."
"Do you think God exists? Deity? I don't think so, so-called gods are merely beings with greater strength."
Luthor didn't answer, discussing theology with an AI?
Brainiac's eyes were flooded with strange data and symbols. He activated the virtual reality manifestation of Luthor's memories, this human had some intelligence he wanted to share with him.
About the vision for the future, and the power to realize this vision.
The surrounding environment turned into icy snow, a figure draped in beast hide trudged with difficulty through waist-deep snow, his exhaled moisture crystallizing into frost, freezing his beard and hair together.
"A Homo sapiens, a race living in Europe after Neanderthals became extinct, proficient with tools, and importantly, they used fire, which is considered the beginning of human civilization."
Brainiac said calmly, not understanding why Luthor showed him this.
"You're right, this is a wildman." Luthor and the alien floated in the air, observing all this from a bystander's perspective: "But many, many years later, he gave himself a name, Wanda Savage."
The snowstorm continues, but the two in the sky can see where the Wildman's destination lies.
In front of him, amidst the snow, there's a deep crater emitting terrifying heat. Perhaps the fall of the meteorite attracted Wanda, then a primitive human, making him want to see what incomprehensible thing had descended from the sky.
"A golden fragment, it looks like a type of metal," Brainiac analyzed.
"Keep watching," Luthor nodded.
Finally, the Wildman reached the meteorite crater, but his frozen legs and feet made him roll down to the bottom.
The high temperature melted the frost from his body, and he crawled away from the glowing lava area, but his eyes remained fixed on the object in the crater emanating a strong light.
The golden hue was so dazzling, so bright, as if containing something he desperately desired.
Anxiously, he waited for the lava to cool, fearing other humans or beasts might come to fight for it. Winter was a difficult season for hunting, and he was already very weak.
However, until the heat gradually dissipated, nothing else appeared in the white, vast landscape.
Wanda boldly poked the golden object with a stone knife. After confirming it was harmless, he grabbed it with his hand.
At that moment, golden energy flooded into his body like a torrent.
It transformed him, making him a more advanced being.
He had a stronger physique, greater intelligence, and endless longevity.
Originally, his black eyes were dyed golden, and feeling the change, he instantly understood what had happened. He laughed wildly in the icy snow; he realized the hardships of survival were no longer a challenge for him.
"Hmm, this is how Wanda Savage's rise began. This was not the first meteor fragment Wanda found; a previous meteorite had already transformed him. He just wanted more. Obviously, this second fragment is larger and better."
Luthor sneered as the scene froze, looking at Wanda's face, he said casually to his ally.
Brainiac raised a hand, drew closer, carefully observing the interaction between the metal and human.
"Interesting, this might be a fragment of the Wall of Origin, likely specially-treated N Metal, which explains his fascination with various meteorites and N Metal."
"The time this fragment fell on Earth is 44,000 BC, but it doesn't mean it came from that era. We know Papetua's energy can help people or things travel through time, granting immortality, as it showed in Star Hero."
Luthor pointed to the fragment and continued:
"So I believe it's from the future, our future, where the creative power can be harnessed, using Senagang Technology to recast the N Metal Origin Wall. At least by then, the door is simply a passageway, not today's sticky flypaper..."
"Flypaper?"
Luthor laughed, "Ah, I almost forgot, the Kro planet doesn't have those annoying flies."
"Flies, I know. Humans hate them, wish their kind extinct. You have the means, yet no one acts on it," the Alien said, his tone and expression lacking human disgust.
"Superman is as annoying as flies, but I won't kill him. You know, sometimes humans need flies; they're part of our life cycle; the energy cycle includes scavengers."
Luthor answered casually and patted non-existent dust from his Anti-Superman armor.
"A fragile cycle and balance, but we'll change it if your plan succeeds," Brainiac calmly looked downward.
Luthor folded his arms, floating in the air, "We will. Flies, bats, slime monsters are all gathered, our large player is stalled in Gotham, the Justice League will surely take that step, I'm certain."
"Very good, ally, don't forget our agreement, now let us continue."
Brainiac calmly acknowledged Luthor's words, as his calculations indicated the same.
The two bald heads exchanged smiles as the scene began to flow again.