American comics: Starting in Arkham, a system-based Batman

Chapter 127 Clark Kent Couldn't Understand

Superman exists, and a super army must exist as well.

Although Dr. Weir's research was secretive, it wasn't completely airtight. Shortly after Superman's appearance, the military approached Dr. Weir, and the two sides reached a cooperation agreement.

On the surface, Dr. Weir is still working for the LexCorp, but secretly he is using the group's technology and data to conduct research on human modification.

Even with the dual support from LexCorp and the military, the number of uranium batteries that the Metal Man needed to be replaced daily exceeded Dr. Weir's expectations.

Whether you can afford it or not is one thing, whether it's worth it is another.

His goal is to create a super army of metal-like beings, but if a suitable energy source cannot be found to replace it, his vision will be nothing but empty talk.

So Dr. Weir took a risk.

Although he couldn't fully master the use of Kryptonite, he still replaced the uranium battery on the metal man with Kryptonite. The success rate was only 70%, but fortunately, he succeeded in the end.

A small piece of kryptonite is enough to support the Metal Man's long-term activities, and the energy that can be obtained from kryptonite is beyond Dr. Weir's imagination.

He believed that if this power could be used in the military, defeating Superman would no longer be a pipe dream.

But before that, he needs to obtain more data and information. The more information he has, the better he can counterattack Superman.

To this end, Dr. Weir reviewed all the intelligence, news, photos, and videos related to Superman over the past few months—he tried to find Superman's weakness, and he did find it.

During one of the rescue operations, he realized that Superman couldn't see through lead.

The military's use of superhuman rescue maneuvers to demonstrate this finding greatly encouraged them.

Every monster, no matter what kind, has a weakness.

Dr. Weir coated the Metal Man with lead, making his body invisible to Superman, while the radiation-protected vehicle with lead coating also helped the Metal Man escape.

But the lead layer, as a weakness, was not enough for Dr. Weir and the military.

What they want to find is a way to defeat and kill Superman.

"Judging from Superman's performance just now, the Kryptonite seems to have a certain suppressive effect on him."

When the Metal Man was fighting Superman, Dr. Weir was watching intently in front of the screen, not wanting to miss a single detail.

He was a smart man, but he still needed sufficient information to make inferences. Before the battle between the Metal Man and Superman, Dr. Weir was always worried that Kryptonite would provide Superman with energy.

After all, this thing crashed to Earth along with Superman, and there are still scattered fragments of the spaceship around it.

He had good reason to suspect that kryptonite could provide energy for the spaceship, or that it might be Superman's food. Nobody knew what aliens would eat.

His main purpose in having the Metal Man fight Superman was to explore the relationship between Kryptonite and Superman.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have deliberately left the Kryptonite, the energy core of the Metal Man, exposed.

"What a great harvest!"

When Dr. Weir pried off the shattered kryptonite from the metal man's chest, he had a neurotic smile on his face. The outermost layer of kryptonite was of very low purity and was made by mixing small pieces of kryptonite with other materials.

He was worried that the kryptonite would amplify Superman's power, so he chose a material with good protective properties. If Superman had been able to use his heat vision for a few more seconds, he would have discovered a small, indestructible section behind the crack.

This is the real Kryptonite.

Deep within the metal man's chest, the darker, more sinuous green stone was the source of his power.

Zheng En's heart skipped a beat.

"What's this? Just because Lex Luthor became a good guy, does that mean Superman's other villains are also getting epic power-ups?"

While Dr. Weir was repairing the metal man, Jung Eun also used his X-ray vision to get a general idea of ​​the laboratory's structure and the items stored in the warehouse.

The amount of kryptonite this guy collected really surprised him.

Although most of them are small, scattered pieces of kryptonite and their purity cannot be guaranteed, there are also some that look quite ominous just from their color.

Is this really the amount of kryptonite that an ordinary villain could collect?

And those guys who look like just mercenaries are actually government officials, right?

When following the metal man into the lab, Jung Eun parked the car in the bushes some distance away. This was the maximum range his monocle could see; any further and he wouldn't be able to see the entire lab.

Although she didn't think she'd be discovered at such a distance, Jung Eun was used to being cautious. She drove the car into a ditch, pretending she was stuck and couldn't get out. She could also find a reason to linger for an extended period.

After all, it was Dick who saw Claw heading to Falcone's private villa on a monitor several kilometers away.

Based on a reasonable power matching mechanism, Superman's villains are either extremely intelligent or have extraordinary abilities, so it's best to be cautious when doing things.

He used his X-ray vision to look at everything he could see, including documents that appeared to be from the military.

Due to the angle and lighting, he couldn't see the contents clearly; at most, he could make out a few large characters.

"This is not a good sign."

Zheng En was somewhat melancholy, while Unjust Superman seemed quite relaxed, as if watching amusement.

"Look what I just said!"

Injustice Superman was the first to establish a super army, and he understood better than anyone the allure of such power to human nature.

He knew that he, and even the superheroes willing to support his regime, could not establish one on his own. He wanted to rule the earth and make everyone act according to his will, which required sufficient power to suppress and control human actions.

So after rescuing Luther, the first thing he asked him to do was to create a super potion.

He needs a powerful army to serve as his henchmen and maintain his rule.

He didn't believe the government hadn't tried to achieve such ambitions.

"Human greed is far more profound than you can imagine."

Jung Eun didn't react much to the mockery from the Unjust Superman.

He took a deep look at Dr. Weir and the metal man still on the operating table. "If I had to put it in a word, it would be humanity."

He slammed on the brakes, and the car veered onto the road, reversed, and drove towards the city center.

Many people were present when Superman and Metal Man fought, either watching from a distance or fearlessly getting close to the camera and unleashing their ultimate attacks, leaving behind a considerable number of photos and videos that went viral on online media.

Clark had just dealt with the Metal Man and escaped from the large crowd of enthusiastic onlookers, and he had to go to work the next day.

He had barely submitted the manuscript Perry had requested when a new task was quickly assigned to him.

"An article themed around Superman?"

Clark never expected to be given this kind of manuscript; Louise had always written this part.

The other party was his senior, who had achieved a lot at Planet Daily, and it was also the other party who first published the report that referred to him as "Superman".

Compared to Louise, Clark, who had only recently joined the Daily Planet, was like a greenhorn.

He stood there, stunned, in front of Perry, with the composed Louise beside him.

She readily agreed to Perry's request, and when she opened the office door, Clark was still standing in the room, stunned.

Perry glanced at him. "Is there a problem?"

"—No, no."

Although I expected that I would eventually write a report about myself, this was a bit too sudden.

Clark left Perry's office with his head down, still feeling dazed.

Just two days ago he was worrying about his writing, but now Perry has entrusted him with important tasks. He works at the Daily Planet himself, so he knows very well how important Superman's articles are.

As they left the office, Jimmy immediately put his arm around his shoulder. He and Louise had been called in at the same time; the office door wasn't closed, and if you listened carefully, it wasn't hard to hear what Perry had said to them.

"That's impressive, Clark. You're now competing against Louise."

Jimmy, a photographer, loved to stir things up. He patted Clark hard on the back, and Clark could only give him a wry smile.

It wasn't that he thought his writing was inferior to Lois's; in literature, there's no absolute first place, and even though Clark was a newcomer, he had the ambition to challenge top reporters. It was just that Perry hoped they would report the battle between Superman and Metal Man truthfully, showcasing Superman's glorious and awe-inspiring side.

But Clark knew that the Metal Man possessed something that could restrain him.

It's actually quite embarrassing to shamelessly boast about something like this.

But he soon lost interest in thinking about these things.

"No, it's too mediocre. This won't satisfy Perry, let alone surpass Louise."

Louise's workstation was right in front of Clark's. While he was racking his brains for the title, Louise had already finalized the outline. While he was deep in thought about the opening paragraph, Louise had already written most of the manuscript.

Clark didn't want to check on Louise's progress, but he couldn't help himself.

Louise's style has always been sharp and insightful. Clark, as a firsthand witness, could write more detailed accounts of many inside stories, but his information has no basis and he can't write it down. In fact, he is much more constrained than Louise, who is unaware of the inside story.

Because of their different writing styles, Louise could make bold guesses, while he preferred to speak with specific examples and data.

To surpass Louise, he must come up with something that others don't know.

Clark tried to find videos about Superman on common social media platforms, hoping to find evidence that could lead to his conclusions.

That's the downside of reporting on yourself and having to keep it a secret from others. While others start by deducing and guessing from various clues, you have to find evidence for the inside story you know.

Even if he just wanted to win, he could easily have secured an exclusive interview for himself. Superman has never given an exclusive interview to any media outlet before; if he were to produce this evidence and the article, it would undoubtedly become a rare headline in the Daily Planet.

But that would be too dishonest a victory.

Moreover, it doesn't meet Perry's requirements. Even if the other party wouldn't mind at all, Clark still wouldn't be able to get past his own conscience.

He usually appears humble and gentle, but deep down he still has an inescapable youthful spirit. He knew he was different from others from a very young age.

Greater strength, greater speed, the ability to fly, and the ability to see far—Clark had participated in school clubs, but quickly gave them up. Initially, it was because he couldn't control his strength and was afraid of hurting people; later, it was because he felt it was unfair to others.

Soccer, basketball, rugby, running—the strength, speed, and physical qualities that others need to train hard to achieve, he was born with. Talent, or rather, the difference brought about by race, cannot be easily made up for by training.

Clark realized this clearly after hearing the loser sobbing after a match.

The other person was hiding in a corner crying alone, but that couldn't hide it from the Kryptonian who had X-ray vision, super speed, and super hearing.

This is unfair to them.

After that, no matter how much others tried to persuade him, Clark never won another competitive event.

Blindly refusing would only backfire, so he simply tried to avoid participating in competitions. Even if people mocked him for being a bookworm and having such a big frame for nothing, he would just scratch his head to indicate that he was really not interested.

Even if he participates, he will remain at a medium or below average level. After a while, his past achievements will be forgotten by others, leaving only impressions such as big and clumsy.

Clark would never take advantage of his strengths to cheat or be opportunistic. Call him stubborn or inflexible, he would just stick to his principles.

Even if it gives me a terrible headache.

The videos you can find online are mostly hundreds of meters away, with shaky hands like someone with Parkinson's, blurry enough to only make out the characters by color blocks, or where you can only hear the fighting from afar. The videos that clearly show Superman's figure are those where he brings the girl back after the battle.

Unable to find the evidence he wanted online, Clark had to think of other ways.

Then I thought of Jung Eun, who went to eat fried chicken with him back then.

The fried chicken shop wasn't far from where they were fighting, only about a kilometer away as the crow flies. Zheng En drove there, and after he left, he would likely go and check on the situation.

Who knows, maybe they captured something on camera?

Clark went to Jung Eun's house with a "nothing to lose" mentality, but unexpectedly found what he wanted.

"Video? Which angle do you want?"

Zheng En calmly uttered words that surprised Clark, who was overjoyed.

"Can I see them all?"

"OK."

As Zheng En spoke, he typed on the keyboard to bring up the page. The densely packed videos instantly filled the entire screen, and the mouse wheel kept scrolling down as if there was no end. All the images were filled with a certain red and blue figure.

Clark was dumbfounded.

"Why...what are these?"

Clark Kent couldn't understand it.

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