After rolling the 'Black Bat Circus Coin' between his fingers for a moment, Alex closed his hand around it. When he opened his palm again, the coin had vanished.
It had been returned to his inventory.
In the desert, after Superman left, Alex reached an agreement with the military.
By the time he returned to the small town, General Ryder had also received orders and eventually withdrew the troops he had mobilized.
So when Caitlin opened the door, she had no idea a battle had just taken place outside.
At that moment, some information appeared on Alex's retina.
[Black Bat Circus Coin has entered cooldown. Cooldown time: 19 hours.]
After the message disappeared, Alex took Caitlin's hand and said, "Come on, their car has arrived."
The two of them got into a vehicle marked with military insignia.
———
[Metropolis, LexCorp]
Several men holding their faces and supporting their arms, bruised and battered, walked into a luxurious office.
Inside the office, a symphony was playing. A figure stood in front of an oil painting. The painting was Paradise Lost: the almighty God casting Satan into hell, where demons burned in raging flames.
"Mr. Lex," A man dressed like a janitor spoke.
The figure standing with his back to them made a gesture, telling them not to speak. Only after the symphony finished playing did he turn around.
He was a young man with brownish-blond long hair parted in the middle. His clothes were casual, and he looked like a college student.
But in reality, this man was a very important figure.
Lex Luthor, the son of the founder of LexCorp.
Smart, wealthy, and highly influential, one of the top elites standing at the pinnacle of human society.
"Judging by how you look, you messed it up?"
Lex took a gummy candy out of his pocket, opened the wrapper, and tossed it into his mouth.
"Cherry flavor. My favorite."
"Well then, gentlemen, can you tell me who beat you up?"
"As far as I know, our Gotham vigilante, that bat, should be busy right now. He's probably preparing for tonight's carnival."
The man disguised as a janitor said, "It was Superman, Mr. Lex."
Lex paused, "Superman? He's back?"
"Yes. He just rescued Lois, the reporter from the Daily Planet."
Lex burst out laughing and waved his hand, "It's fine, it's fine."
"The objective has already been achieved anyway. If we couldn't catch that woman, then so be it."
"As long as the 'witch' is in our hands, that demon will have no choice but to listen to me."
Footsteps sounded. Lex's new assistant walked in.
"Sir, General Archie wants to see you."
The young billionaire raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Let him in."
He waved his hand, and the "janitor" and the other two men left.
.
.
.
A moment later, a group of people walked in.
Leading them was General Archie.
The general looked as though he had just come off the battlefield. There was a smell of gunpowder about him. His brows were tightly furrowed, and his expression was heavy.
Lex noticed that among the group, besides soldiers, there was also a civilian.
The man wore a baseball cap and glasses, along with a plaid shirt. Pale skin, blue eyes.
He looked like a worker.
'Why is there a worker with General Archie?'
Lex placed a question mark in his mind.
On his face, however, he wore a casual smile and spread his hands.
"Welcome, General Archie."
Archie glanced lightly at the civilian man beside him, then nodded.
"Mr. Lex, it's good to see you."
"I'll get straight to the point."
"I know the body of the Kryptonian general is in your laboratory."
"I'm here to take back that 'item.'"
Lex's expression changed slightly. Then he sat on a table, reached back for a jar of candy, and took one out.
"Want one, General?"
Without waiting for a reply, he continued, "Here's the thing. The Kryptonian's body is now the 'property' of our corporation."
"Even if it's you…", He shrugged, "I'm afraid I can't hand over such valuable 'property' to you unconditionally."
General Archie stepped forward two paces and said in a low voice, "Perhaps you've made a mistake, Mr. Lex."
"The Kryptonian body is a national asset, not the property of your corporation."
"So I'm not asking for your opinion. I'm ordering you to hand it over."
Lex smiled, "How about this. Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow I'll give you the Kryptonian's body."
Archie shook his head, "No. I want it now."
Lex was about to continue "persuading" the general when he saw the civilian man walk straight toward a wall of the office.
He frowned and called out, "Hey, sir."
"Did you take a wrong turn?"
The man said nothing and kept walking forward.
Lex jumped down from the table and shouted, "Please escort this gentleman out."
Immediately, two corporate security guards stepped forward and blocked the civilian.
"Sir, please leave."
Archie said quietly, "You'd better have your men step aside."
Lex looked at the general, "Or what?"
Just as the words left his mouth, a scream was heard.
One of the guards suddenly flew through the air for no apparent reason and landed at Lex's feet.
Then Lex saw the other guard reach out to push the civilian.
But the civilian didn't move an inch. Instead he casually pushed back, and the guard flew out, slammed against the wall, slid down, and was unable to stand up.
Archie looked toward the young billionaire, "Otherwise, things like that will happen."
Lex stared in disbelief, "Who is he?"
"Mr. John," Archie let out a long breath, "He is our secret weapon against superhumans."
Yes.
In the desert, Alex had reached an agreement with the military.
He could help the military fight against hostile superhumans, but the military had to agree to certain conditions.
For example: hand over the Kryptonian's body to him.
Or let him enter the Kryptonian spaceship.
Lex looked shocked. Then he burst out laughing.
The young billionaire laughed so hard he clutched his stomach, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
"General, is today April Fool's Day?"
"That's the funniest joke I've heard all year."
"You're planning to let a plumber fight Superman?"
"Why don't you just hire Super Mario?"
At that moment, from the corner of his eye, Lex noticed a golden glow appear near the "plumber's" eyes.
Then a golden beam shot out and struck the office wall.
The wall instantly melted, like cheese heated to extreme temperatures, quickly burning through and exposing the passage behind it.
The golden beam continued forward, melting through several walls. Finally even a wall made of alloy armor melted into flowing metal.
At that moment, Lex was no longer laughing.
"Damn!", The young billionaire looked stunned.
Then he saw the "plumber" lift off the ground, flying through the openings one after another, until he arrived inside Lex's secret laboratory.
There, the body of the Kryptonian General Zod lay quietly on a morgue table, cold air rising around it.
The "plumber" turned around and stretched out a hand toward Lex in the distant office.
"Where's that little green thing of yours?"
"Hand it over to me. Now."
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