Chapter 519: Destroying Superman
Luthor's Psychological Attack
In the dark, cramped room, Luthor continuously provoked Clark.
His words were like venom-soaked snakes, drilling into his mind through his ears. Clark's psychological defenses were being destroyed little by little. His beliefs and convictions crumbled under the harsh, rasping voice.
Luthor was utterly scathing, verbally tearing him to shreds.
Clark wanted to refute him, but he couldn't find a way in. The man's words were horrible, but they also contained a grim truth.
All fear stems from death, a sensation Clark had never experienced. Since he could remember, he knew he was different. Whether it was snakes, wild beasts, blades, gunfire, fire, lightning, drowning, or frost, even falling from hundreds of meters wouldn't injure him.
After countless attempts, Clark realized he was invincible. Nothing could hurt him; without injury, there was no death; without death, there was no fear.
Therefore, just as Luthor said, he had never experienced fear and simply didn't know the impact this terrible feeling could have on the spirit.
"I've said enough. Time to send you on your way."
"Goodbye, Kal!"
Luthor held the gun against Clark's forehead. To Clark's shock, he slowly pulled the trigger.
Click!
The hammer struck the firing pin, making a crisp sound. Clark shivered violently. Fear surged uncontrollably from the depths of his heart.
This time, he truly felt it: fear, and the resulting helplessness, confusion, unwillingness, and resentment...
Luthor patted his shoulder and whispered with a laugh,
"There was only one bullet in the gun. It was used up just now."
"Farewell, Kal. Next time, you won't be so lucky."
Luthor tossed the pistol aside and left the room laughing. The mysterious man followed immediately.
Lois Intervenes
An hour later, a visibly exhausted Clark returned to his home in Metropolis. Seeing the expression on his face, Lois asked,
"What happened? Did something go wrong?"
"No."
Clark shook his head, walked into the bathroom, filled the tub with cold water, and submerged himself. The cold water stimulated his skin, giving him a moment of peace.
"Was I really wrong?"
Recalling Luthor's words, a look of confusion crossed Clark's eyes.
"If you haven't experienced fear, you can't face it head-on. Great power doesn't equal a great mind. True strength is only found in a fearless heart."
"Lex Luthor?"
Clark clenched his fists, then finally relaxed them.
Lois walked in with his clothes.
"I saw on the news that the mysterious man you fought could shoot heat rays from his eyes. Was he a Kryptonian?"
Clark didn't answer. His silence was an affirmation.
Lois was perplexed. "The group that came to Earth with Zod is either dead or frozen in the Fortress of Solitude. How can there be other Kryptonians?"
Clark said with a complex expression, "He was a clone. A clone of a Kryptonian soldier."
"A clone?"
Lois froze for a moment, then quickly pressed him.
"Who did it? Was it Luke Shaw? Or the military?"
In her mind, only two entities could pull this off: either Luke or the military, who had access to the Kryptonian bodies.
"It was Lex Luthor."
Clark thought for a moment, then decided to tell the truth.
"He used the bodies the military had to create clones. I don't know how he controls them, but he's using the clone as a weapon."
"The purpose of destroying the memorial was to lure me out and lead me into a trap."
"Did you win?"
Clark gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "He somehow got hold of that glowing green Kryptonite rock. That stone comes from Krypton and greatly weakens my strength."
"I was careless. I never expected him to have something like that."
Lois grabbed her boyfriend's hand. "Tell me everything that happened. I have a feeling this is more complicated than it looks."
Clark was reluctant to talk about it, but he couldn't resist her pleading and recounted the entire event.
After listening, Lois's expression became extremely solemn. The person involved is often confused, while the observer sees clearly. Clark was missing the point, but Lois knew exactly what was happening. Capturing him but not killing him, using both threats and intimidation, and those specific words—it was all clearly deployed, targeting his psychological weak spot.
That guy was trying to destroy Clark's will.
That damned bastard!
Lois was furious. How could a person like this exist? Clark was tirelessly protecting the citizens and Metropolis, yet Lex Luthor was trying to turn him into a monster.
"Bastard!"
Lois swore uncontrollably, then grabbed her boyfriend's hand.
"Don't believe a word he says. He's trying to manipulate you. None of what he said is rational thinking."
Clark sighed softly. "Don't worry. I'm fine."
"No."
Lois shook her head. "If you were truly fine, you would be investigating right now instead of soaking in a bathtub."
"There are others behind Lex Luthor. Based on the current situation, they will surely push for the weaponization of Kryptonians. If they succeed, do you know what that means?"
"One Kryptonian can destroy a nation. A thousand Kryptonians can rule the world."
Lois paused to catch her breath, then continued,
"What's worse is that he has your blood. If he uses that blood to create a clone identical to you, what will you do then?"
The last sentence was a wake-up call for Clark. He immediately got out of the water, put on his clothes, and walked out.
The Search and the Bat-Signal
For the next two weeks, Clark and Lois used every channel available to search for Luthor's whereabouts. But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't find a single clue.
Lex Luthor seemed to have vanished into thin air.
To prevent a clone disaster, Clark even contacted the Martian Manhunter, asking him to use his telepathic abilities to assist in the search, but they still found nothing.
Day by day, time slipped away. Lex Luthor never reappeared, as if the previous encounter had been just an isolated incident.
After multiple failed attempts, Clark was forced to slow down the search and prepare for unexpected emergencies.
He had a feeling.
The man would certainly reappear, in the most shocking way possible.
...
Metropolis didn't change much due to the memorial incident. The war-torn city was like a wounded, lone wolf, slowly licking its wounds. Healing takes time, and time is something the world has no shortage of.
After finishing her week's work, Linda traveled to Gotham City to begin a new round of detective work with Barbara.
Compared to before, the crime situation in Gotham was much better; at least, there was no longer rampant robbery and extortion.
Their target tonight was an underground bank specializing in laundering money for gangs. The process was easy, with only a small hiccup at the end when the manager of the illicit bank turned out to have modified powered armor. Unfortunately, it was useless against them.
After collecting the evidence, the two were about to leave when a Batarang dropped from above, pinning itself into the wooden floor.
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