Chapter 319: Who Am I?
The Meteorite and The Parasite
The group descended into the basement. In contrast to the bright, spacious villa above, the basement was much darker in style.
Luke clapped his hands, and the lights flickered on.
Under the brilliant white light, a piece of meteorite, about the size of a softball and strictly sealed within layers of glass, sat on a central pedestal.
"That's the meteorite?" Lois murmured, instinctively reaching for her camera before quickly regaining her composure.
Luke put on a lab coat, opened his main computer, and began adjusting data, speaking as he worked.
"I've done some research on this alien bug. It's a single-celled organism that can't survive alone in nature. It must coexist with other sentient life forms to survive and multiply. What's interesting is that its parasitic principle uses the host as a carrier, while the bug's own genes function to optimize, improve, and unlock the code of evolution..."
"This results in the parasitized species retaining its original memories and a degree of autonomous thought; the parasite doesn't forcibly seize the body."
Clark frowned. "You mean Joshua Allen knows what he's doing?"
Linda sneered.
"Of course he knows. When he came to the villa last night, he was incredibly polite. But once the fighting started, he was a total beast."
"No, your statement isn't entirely correct."
Luke opened a video and projected it onto a large screen.
The video's subject was a large purple rat parasitized by the alien bug. When this rat had consumed enough life force and was in a satiated state, the bloody glow in its eyes receded back to normal pupils. It was no longer ferocious and behaved like any ordinary rat.
But if it was deprived of food for too long, its eyes would glow red again, and it would become violent and highly aggressive.
"Joshua's behavior is similar to this rat. After he eats his fill, the person becomes normal, and because of multiple evolutions, he may even develop a higher level of insight into life, consciousness, nature, and the world. However, if he is in a state of hunger, the predatory instinct inside him awakens. At that point, he can't control himself at all."
Lois interjected, "So, the current Joshua is likely in a normal state and might be reasoned with?"
"Theoretically, yes, since he devoured so many people. But who can guarantee the reality?" Luke paused before continuing. "You came to me for Comi, right? You want to use her to find Joshua and eliminate this threat, correct?"
Clark said solemnly, "Enough people have died. No more citizens should lose their lives because of him."
Lois added, "Luke, we sincerely hope you can help."
Luke gave a weary smile.
"You still haven't grasped the core of the problem. Finding Joshua isn't difficult. The difficulty is how to subdue him. After consuming both your and Linda's life force, his strength is at an unprecedented level. Even if he's not as strong as you, he's close. What's more troublesome is his life-draining ability. You can only attack him from a distance; close combat is impossible. You can't even touch him. Given these constraints, how do you plan to win?"
The last question stumped Clark and caused a headache for Linda. Her Inner Breath technique was imperfect; the impact from her energy blasts couldn't compare to the physical damage of a direct punch. If they encountered him again, it was genuinely hard to say who would win.
After a moment of thought, Clark spoke.
"I have a solution."
Linda countered defiantly, "I do too."
Luke glanced at the two of them and said, "Since you both feel confident, the matter is simple. I will have the Hongmen arrange to use Comi as bait to lure Joshua to a sparsely populated area. The rest is up to you."
Unease and Self-Doubt
With the plan set, Lois and Clark didn't linger. They drove away, and on the way back, Lois found herself frowning, recalling Luke Shaw's behavior.
"Don't you think Luke Shaw was a little too enthusiastic? He seemed very happy to help."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Clark smiled. "With his help, things will be much simpler."
"That may be true, but I just feel like something is wrong!"
Lois rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought. "From what I know about Luke Shaw, he is definitely not the type of good person who is eager to help. His help always comes with a price. Whether it was the Young Masters' Gang back in Star City or his development here in Metropolis, everyone who went against him has come to a bad end. My father also warned me that Luke Shaw is an extremely dangerous man and to avoid any contact with him."
"How could a man like that help us without expecting anything in return!"
Clark shook his head. "You're overthinking it."
"I'm not overthinking it. This is the reality."
Lois said gravely, "My father had a terrible falling-out with him over the exoskeleton armor, making them practically enemies. Given Luke Shaw's usual style, his best course of action right now would be to remain silent, let the situation escalate, and the bigger the crisis gets, the more blame would fall on my father, which could eventually cost him his position as the director of A.R.G.U.S."
"That would be the outcome he most wants to see, yet he is going out of his way to help us."
Lois sighed deeply.
"I have a bad feeling about this."
...
The Hongmen operated with extreme efficiency. Soon, areas where Joshua was likely to appear were plastered with a secret code known only to him and Comi. Below the code was a phone number.
This needle-in-a-haystack approach seemed foolish, but the effect was surprisingly good.
Not long after the codes were posted, Luke received a call from Joshua. The voice on the phone sounded exhausted, and the real Joshua was no better.
His body was hunched over, his hands covered in grime, and the leather coat wrapped around him was tattered and old, as if he'd scavenged it from a garbage bin.
The Joshua of this moment was devoid of the elegance and goodwill from yesterday. He was simply a destitute, homeless vagrant.
"Mr. Shaw, I will keep the appointment. Please don't hurt Comi."
After saying this, Joshua tossed the phone aside and trudged down the sparsely populated street. No one noticed him. No one cared to spare him a second glance. Even those who passed by accidentally wrinkled their noses at the stench emanating from him, their faces showing disgust.
He had lived in Metropolis for six years, yet he couldn't find a single sense of belonging.
The current Joshua was lonely. No matter how noble his thoughts, reality was dragging him into the abyss.
"They were right. I'm a monster."
Joshua muttered under his breath. Remembering the slaughter from the previous night, his body trembled involuntarily. The entire town, over a thousand people—all dead, wantonly consumed and ripped apart by these hands.
A torrent of life force surged into his body, and he felt a power he had never known. Yet, the faces of the horribly killed victims tormented him like an unending nightmare.
He felt like he was losing his mind. Hallucinations flickered in his eyes, as if another Joshua was watching him.
"Who is that person? What does he want?"
"No!"
"I am me! Joshua Allen! Joshua Cveria!"
"Damn it! Who the hell am I?"
Joshua roared, his eyes bloodshot, terrifying power brewing inside him.
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