Chapter 540: Bruce's Decision
The Conspiracy Uncovered
Going back one month, at Wayne Manor in Gotham City.
After several months of investigation and intelligence provided by Talia al Ghul, Bruce Wayne finally tracked down the real culprits behind the bootleg powered armor.
It wasn't the League of Assassins, nor the CIA or the military, but a mysterious organization called the Secret Society.
The core technology and modification plans for the powered armor were provided by the Secret Society. It handed them over to the CIA, who then sold them to the League of Assassins. The various parties cooperated to build a factory in Eastern Europe, selling the bootleg powered armor to countries worldwide.
Realizing this, Bruce traced the money flow through an underground bank, eventually obtaining a photograph. The photo showed a well-built, sophisticated-looking Asian woman.
Despite the blurry lighting, Bruce managed to identify the woman: Mercy Graves, the personal secretary and bodyguard of the bald CEO, Lex Luthor.
With this discovery, everything became clear. Lex Luthor was the one pulling the strings. He cooperated with the CIA publicly but secretly colluded with the League of Assassins, using their power to strengthen himself, even developing cloning technology.
The Superman who appeared at the White House press conference was a fake. Luthor intended to use him to push through the Guard Corps Plan and ultimately trigger a global war.
Preparation for War
Having grasped the full context of the events, Bruce leaned back in his chair, remaining silent for a long time.
Alfred said, "You need to think this through. You're not facing one Kryptonian this time, but a group of them."
"I'm ready."
A hoarse voice echoed in the room. Alfred refrained from further advice and instead brought up the weapon schematics.
"Based on prior research, Kryptonite can severely weaken Kryptonian power. Your weapons and armor must contain Kryptonite components. Even so, your situation is extremely dangerous. My suggestion is to lure them into an environment saturated with Kryptonite dust, or create artificial rainfall." He paused, then added,
"Of course, the best way is to form an alliance. Find the five superheroes from the Battle of Metropolis and work with them. Your chances of survival will significantly increase."
Bruce shook his head.
"I have my own plan."
He pressed a button, and a giant metal box glowing with green light appeared on the screen. This was a pulse bomb enhanced with high-purity Kryptonite dust. Its power was enough to destroy everything within a few kilometers. With the Kryptonite, even Kryptonians would not be safe.
Alfred gave a wry smile.
"The pulse bomb is still in the experimental phase, and its effectiveness is unstable. Furthermore, intelligence suggests Superman is likely being held in the missile base. If you detonate the bomb, he will die too."
Bruce was silent for a moment, then said determinedly,
"It's the only way."
Once the plan was confirmed, Bruce immediately deployed his resources. First, he spent tens of millions of dollars to buy the land near the canyon. Then he hired a construction team, ostensibly to build a nature reserve, but secretly, he laid down layers of traps.
The traps were interconnected, all prepared for the Superman clones. He was about to initiate his plan when another group of people appeared.
A circular spaceship with a diameter of one kilometer!
Aliens? Or Lex Luthor?
Bruce sensed trouble. Just as he was about to leave, a strange voice sounded in his mind.
"Hello, friend from Gotham City."
"Who are you?"
"You can call me Martian Manhunter, or J'onn."
Bruce's eyebrows twitched. Martian Manhunter was one of the six superheroes from the Battle of Metropolis. Why was he here? Was he also after Lex Luthor?
"You guessed correctly. Our purpose for being here is the same as yours."
Bruce was speechless.
The other party could read his mind.
Martian Manhunter didn't prod him further but stated his request directly.
"Superman is being held in the underground base. We need to save him. If possible, please cooperate with our operation."
"Who else is with you?"
"I am not at liberty to answer that question right now."
Bruce pondered for a moment, then changed direction and flew out of the area. The situation had changed. Forcing his way into the fight under these circumstances would be highly irrational. He didn't trust the six superheroes.
The Confrontation
After watching the black fighter jet fly away, Barry couldn't help but ask,
"Was that... Batman?"
Linda scoffed. "Who else could it be?"
"How did he get here?"
Luke explained, "R&D and building experimental bases require funding. Lex Luthor's funding mainly comes from two sources: first, the money provided by the military and the Senate; second, the profits from selling bootleg powered armor. If I'm not mistaken, Batman found his way here by tracking that line of investigation."
Barry nodded knowingly. Although he didn't fully understand, it sounded impressive.
"Forget him. Ava, fire!"
The main cannon below the yacht flashed with a water-blue light. Countless free-floating light particles converged at the center, forming a gigantic energy mass.
Boom!
A blue energy column shot out, striking the hilltop heavily. The ground shook violently. Dust billowed and spread outwards, slowly dissipating after a long time.
The hill was gone, replaced by a crater several meters wide.
Luke turned on the loudspeaker.
"Mr. Luthor, won't you come out and greet us?"
Seconds later, the ground shook violently. The walls of the canyon collapsed, and a spacecraft resembling an insect carapace burst from the earth, hovering in the sky.
A projection of Lex Luthor appeared above the ship. The bald head was as conspicuous as ever.
"You arrived two days later than I expected."
Luke shrugged. "You left too many problems behind; it gave me a headache."
"Only an idiot would believe that. Luke Shaw, I underestimated you. You are far more treacherous than I imagined. You manipulate politics, the military, and public opinion. You have people in both the light and the shadows. Even the President is under your control. By colluding with the government and seizing national interests, you expanded your power and grew Tesla and ShowMe into world-class companies in just two years."
Luthor laughed coldly. "Years ago, many people called me a black-hearted businessman and a capitalist with no bottom line. But compared to you, I'm practically a saint."
"Luke Shaw, you are the most insidious and contemptible one."
At his words, Diana and Barry Allen's expressions instantly changed. Batman, watching from afar, also narrowed his eyes, staring coldly at the scene.
The atmosphere was tense.
Linda opened her mouth, wanting to argue, but she didn't know what to say.
Luke burst into laughter. As he laughed, he spoke.
"Mr. Luthor, am I as insidious as you say? Yes, I did come from the Hongmen and have a criminal background. I also saved the President's life and have a close relationship with him."
"However, none of that has anything to do with Tesla or ShowMe. Those companies grew to where they are today because of technology far exceeding this era. Especially the powered armor. It holds landmark significance and has laid a solid foundation for humanity to reach space. It's a shame that such a good thing has been destroyed by you."
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