One week later, the desert underground base had changed completely.
What used to be an empty cavern reinforced with scrap steel and concrete had now become a functioning mecha manufacturing workshop. Heavy gantry cranes hung from the ceiling. Robotic arms scavenged from abandoned factories were mounted along both sides of the main assembly bay. Power cables as thick as a man's arm ran across the floor, feeding energy into fabrication units that Li Jie had either salvaged… or bought directly from the system store.
Compared to Bruce Wayne's pre-apocalypse armory or Tony Stark's pristine Malibu lab, this place looked crude.
But it worked.
And that was enough.
Suspended in the center of the bay stood his newest creation—
Black Dragon No. 2.
Taller than Black Dragon No. 1. Broader shoulders. Thicker armor plating. The surface was matte black, absorbing light like a predator in the night.
Weapon systems had been completely overhauled.
Two hundred micro Sidewinder missiles were housed across the shoulders and spine, calibrated with an upgraded missile guidance matrix modeled after the Mark 20 Python. Target-lock response time reduced to 0.03 seconds.
Chest-mounted beam cannon—experimental.
All energy could be condensed into a single, concentrated annihilation blast.
Li Jie stood on the observation platform, arms folded, helmet tucked under his arm.
This wasn't just about firepower.
This mech meant something else.
He could build his own weapons now.
He was no longer relying purely on the system.
He was evolving.
And today… he would test that evolution.
"I want to fight Superman."
He had thought about it long before he owned a mech.
If he could defeat Superman and extract his abilities—
Flight.
Heat vision.
Invulnerability.
Super strength.
He would become nearly invincible on Earth.
But the last time he had approached Superman wearing the Mark 20 Python suit, reality had slapped him in the face.
Speed alone made it impossible.
Superman's acceleration was beyond reaction time.
Impact force? Untouchable.
But now—
Black Dragon 1.
Black Dragon 2.
And Kryptonite.
He had options.
This would not be a reckless fight.
This would be a test.
A strength comparison.
And most importantly—
Was Kryptonite still effective against a zombified Kryptonian?
If yes, he wins.
If no—
Then the world is in serious trouble.
—
He first flew to the farmland once belonging to Superman's adoptive parents.
Empty.
Not even livestock.
Abandoned like most of America.
Next stop—
The Daily Planet.
He wasn't expecting Superman to be there.
He was looking for someone else.
Lois Lane.
Everyone thinks Kryptonite is Superman's greatest weakness.
It isn't.
Lois Lane is.
Even Batman once exploited that.
Love is a deeper vulnerability than radiation.
And if Superman—even as a zombie—retained instinctual attachment…
Then she was the key.
He entered the building.
Gunshot.
A woman screaming.
"Stay back! I'll jump!"
The mech zoomed in.
Gray suit. Short brown hair. Backed against a shattered window.
Four men in powered exoskeletons surrounded her.
Behind them—
A bald man with a cigar.
Identity confirmed.
Lex Luthor.
Even in the apocalypse, he looked composed. Calculating.
He spoke calmly, almost gently.
"Superman is dead, Lois. Or worse. He's a monster now. We must eliminate him."
His logic wasn't wrong.
A zombie Superman was a planetary-level threat.
Lois shouted back in defiance.
Luthor signaled his men.
"Grab her."
They moved.
She slipped.
And fell.
Li Jie reacted instantly, thrusters igniting.
He dove.
Target lock—Lois Lane.
Trajectory intercept—
Warning.
EXTREME THREAT DETECTED.
Before the White Queen could finish analysis, Li Jie felt it.
That sensation.
Predatory.
Like death itself had locked eyes on him.
He aborted rescue instantly and banked hard left.
Two red beams tore through the air where he had been.
BOOM.
Half a basketball court of concrete vaporized below.
A blur streaked past him.
Superman.
Zombie Superman.
Pale skin. Glowing red eyes. Torn suit fluttering behind him.
He caught Lois midair effortlessly.
No hesitation.
No logic.
Pure instinct.
Li Jie hovered at a distance.
So.
Even as a zombie…
He still saves her.
Interesting.
Superman shot him a glance.
No emotion.
Only hunger.
Then he flew off at incomprehensible speed.
Li Jie attempted pursuit for five seconds.
Then stopped.
No point.
Speed gap still overwhelming.
He wasn't ready.
—
On a nearby rooftop, Superman set Lois down.
Before leaving, he vaporized every zombie on the roof with heat vision.
Then disappeared.
Instinct to protect.
Instinct to kill humans.
Conflicting drives.
Fascinating.
But also exploitable.
—
Minutes later, Li Jie located Lois again.
She backed away immediately.
"Who are you?"
"Relax," Li Jie said through external speakers. "I need your help."
"Help? To hurt him? Are you with Luthor?"
"Think of it however you like."
Her expression hardened.
"No."
She ran toward the edge again.
"Don't come closer or I'll jump!"
He sighed.
"Superman must be exhausted."
Before she understood, vines erupted from the rooftop cracks, wrapping around her legs and torso.
She collapsed.
The vines tightened, sealing her arms gently but firmly.
Li Jie did not approach immediately.
He scanned the sky.
Thermal vision.
Long-range radar.
Energy signatures.
Nothing.
Superman was gone.
Good.
He walked closer.
"You misunderstand me," he said calmly. "I don't want to kill him."
She glared.
"He's already suffering. He's not himself."
"I know."
He crouched.
"I want to test something. If Kryptonite still weakens him… then there's hope."
She froze.
Hope?
"He's a zombie," Li Jie continued. "If he evolves further, he won't just destroy towns. He could destroy continents."
Silence.
Wind howled across the rooftop.
"I can't let Luthor use you," he said. "He'll turn this into a trap."
"And you won't?"
"I will."
Honesty disarmed her.
"But my objective isn't execution. It's measurement."
She searched his mask for humanity.
"You think I'm his weakness."
"You are."
"And if you're wrong?"
"Then I retreat."
"And if you're right?"
"Then I gain leverage."
She looked away.
"Even as a monster… he saved me."
"Yes."
"That means he's still in there."
"Or it's just muscle memory."
The vines loosened slightly.
"You're asking me to risk his life."
"I'm asking you to risk confirming whether he still has one."
She hesitated.
Far below, distant zombie shrieks echoed through the city.
Finally—
"What do you need me to do?"
Li Jie smiled behind the mask.
"Stand on this rooftop tomorrow at noon."
He activated a device in his palm.
A faint green glow pulsed within a sealed capsule.
"Kryptonite."
Her breathing quickened.
"I won't harm him unless necessary."
"And if he attacks you?"
"Then I'll see how much he's weakened."
She swallowed.
"This is insane."
"Yes."
The vines fully retracted.
"You're free."
She didn't run this time.
"Tomorrow," she said quietly.
"Tomorrow," he agreed.
As he lifted off into the sky, he knew—
This was a gamble.
Not just of strength.
But of emotion.
If Kryptonite works—
He advances.
If it doesn't—
He might have just provoked the most dangerous being on Earth.
And this time…
Superman might not choose to save her first.
....
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