The Comprehensive Evolution of American Comics.

Chapter 1044 S.H.I.E.L.D. and Lex Luthor

After his usual training session, Wally approached Artemis as usual, wanting to go on a date with her.

This is almost a daily activity for them. They don't necessarily get together every day, but they go out for a stroll whenever they have free time.

It's a pity that Artemis absolutely refused to let Wally know her home address, otherwise they wouldn't have to come to the base to gather during their holidays.

Wally was initially quite concerned about this matter, but he wasn't one to pry into the details of what happened to those around him, so he decided to wait until Artemis was willing to tell him on her own initiative.

Wally is currently waiting for Artemis in the base's lobby. Training has just ended, and both he and Artemis need to take a shower to wash away the sweat and odor. However, being a boy, he is destined to be much faster than Artemis.

Having waited so many times already, Wally had gotten used to it. He even downloaded a match-3 game on his phone to pass the time while waiting for Artemis.

"Click."

The sound of the hall doors opening made Wally think Artemis had arrived, but when he looked up, he saw it was Megan, the Martian girl, walking towards him with a worried expression.

"What's wrong, Megan?" Wally asked with concern.

“It’s Wally.” Megan scratched her cheek. “Have you seen Connor? I was supposed to go out with him today, but I still haven’t seen him as the departure time approaches.”

"Connor is not punctual? That's not like him at all." Wally was taken aback. Connor was almost the most punctual one in their group, with only Donna and Jackson being comparable to him.

"Have you looked for him in his room?"

“I’ve been there,” Megan sighed. “I’ve checked the bedroom, the kitchen, the training room, the infirmary, and so on, but I haven’t found Connor anywhere.”

As the two were chatting, Artemis, who had just finished bathing and dressing up, walked into the hall and happened to hear Megan's last words.

"Has Connor disappeared?" Artemis asked gravely. "Should we notify everyone to go look for him?"

Megan hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded: "We should definitely tell everyone. I'll inform Mr. Yang first."

...

The perspective shifts to the riverbank in Metropolis, where Superboy is gazing at Gotham Harbor across the river. Of course, most people don't have such powerful eyesight; this is all thanks to his half-Kryptonian genes.

However, Connor can only watch, since he only has about half of the Kryptonian genes, which means his superpowers are not complete. Without the ability to fly, he can't jump to the other side even if he uses all his strength.

However, if you use the power of 'Ball Ball', you can fly over there.

Connor looked back at Ball, who had transformed into a cool motorcycle. After discussions between the League and the New Founding Star, Ball ultimately stayed on Earth according to its own wishes and became an assistant to Superboy.

Ball made up for Connor's inability to fly to some extent, but it was not Connor's own ability, so Connor was not very happy.

However, Connor kept this grudge to himself. On the surface, he was still very happy and often took Megan for drives in his car. Today was the same plan, but a sudden change altered everything.

While inside the new base, Connor suddenly heard a voice in his head. The voice was both familiar and unfamiliar, and he couldn't tell who it was.

However, the owner of the voice told Connor to come to the riverbank in the Metropolis, and he would give Connor what he had always wanted. Both the voice and what it said were suspicious beyond belief, but Connor, as if possessed, went to the riverbank in the Metropolis alone without telling anyone.

Connor didn't inherit a super brain, so even if his little brain was working itself to the bone, he couldn't figure out who was looking for him. Just as he was racking his brains, a car drove up from a distance and stopped beside him.

The car must have been custom-made; Superboy's eyes couldn't see who was inside until the door opened, at which point he was shocked.

The first thing Connor saw when the car door opened was a shiny bald head, and he immediately blurted out the other person's name.

"Luther?!"

“It’s me, kid.” Luther got out of the car, and the passenger door opened at the same time. A very capable woman quickly stood next to Luther, acting as his bodyguard.

Connor didn't linger his eyes on the female bodyguard for long; he merely glanced at her before turning his attention back to Luther.

"You're talking inside my head? What's your purpose?"

"Getting straight to the point?" Luther was still smiling, a smile Connor disliked, as if the other party had never taken him seriously.

“Fine, I like being straightforward anyway.” Luther said, clapping his hands. His bodyguard then pulled a small box from his jacket pocket.

Connor looked over and saw a box made entirely of metal, only the size of a palm, which looked to contain something very valuable.

The bodyguard pressed a button on the side of the box, which then opened to reveal neatly stacked red shield-shaped objects. Connor, with his keen eyesight, recognized them as a pile of thin pieces resembling the Superman symbol, estimating there to be about twenty of them.

“This is S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Luther explained. “You can think of it as a kind of gene-suppressing device. Just take one out and stick it on your body, and it can temporarily suppress the Earthling DNA in your body, making you a true Kryptonian for a short time.”

"What!?" Connor was stunned. "What did you say!?"

Instead of answering Connor's question directly, Luther changed the subject.

"Haven't you always felt resentful about your lack of strength? Otherwise, Weapon O wouldn't have died..."

Before Luther could finish speaking, Connor had already rushed in front of him, grabbed the former's collar with his left hand, and growled angrily.

"You are not allowed to mention that name!"

"Click!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Connor noticed that the female bodyguard holding the Aegis had a completely different right hand; tattered skin was hanging from a grotesque cannon barrel, clearly indicating that she was a cyborg.

"Don't get so agitated." Despite being threatened, Luther wasn't afraid at all. He simply pulled out a handkerchief from his breast pocket, and a green light instantly shone on Connor's face.

A feeling of powerlessness instantly spread throughout his body. Connor's legs went weak and he almost lost his balance. He involuntarily let go of Luther's hand and staggered away, putting distance between himself and Luther.

(End of this chapter)