More than a dozen kilometres away from town, in a dense cave, archaeologists were carefully studying clusters of ‘growing’ green ores on the rock walls.
“There’s a stronger radiation with high energy readings, similar to gamma rays and X-rays, which can penetrate objects and living things …”
An old man with grey hair analysed the strange new mineral with the help of various instruments.
“Fortunately, Mr Cavill warned us before to use lead containers to collect them. Otherwise, under prolonged exposure, it might cause damage to the human body.”
Behind the flock of archaeologists, there were workers carrying instruments. They were all wrapped in a layer of thick clothing similar to protective clothing.
The surface was covered with lead that was designed to stop kryptonite’s radioactive energy from penetrating cells, inducing mutations in the body.
“Oh, I just happen to know a few things.”
Luke waved modestly. He symbolically wore a protective suit and walked into the cave.
The pervasive radiation energy pressed over like ocean waves.
If Luke were replaced with his younger cousin Clark, within a few seconds, the other party would be too weak to walk.
This was a Kryptonian’s nightmare.
Even breathing in there had become a deadly move.
“Professor Bass, according to the agreement we signed, this is a private expedition, so all items found during the expedition are property of Vought Enterprise.”
Luke touched the fluorescent shimmering kryptonite with his hand and gently reminded.
“Of course, Mr Cavill. You generously funded us, so it’s reasonable that anything found during this period would belong to you.”
Professor Bass withdrew his fascinated gaze. These green ores had never been seen before. According to the data obtained by the instruments, their composition wasn’t even on the periodic table.
If he could conduct in-depth research, he could write over a dozen world-shaking, world-class research papers.
Maybe he could prove that there were some civilisations that lived in space.
Unfortunately, Vought Enterprise had a strong presence.
A mere professor of archaeology from the University of Michigan couldn’t compete with a huge company.
The reality wasn’t a Hollywood movie. Nobody could overturn a large company. It was even more difficult than reaching the sky. At least the latter could be reached with the help of airships and rockets.
“Can I keep a piece as a souvenir?”
The professor cautiously asked.
“This is probably the most valuable discovery in my archaeological career.”
Luke nodded and didn’t refuse.
In this studio, kryptonite was like vibranium in the Marvel studio.
It sounded very precious and rare, but in fact, it was quite popular; almost every person had some.
Except for Lex Luthor, who knew how to synthesise kryptonite artificially, and Batman, a kryptonite collector.
Almost every villain who had faced Superman had used that thing against Clark.
And the results were remarkable, tried and true.
“I’ll have someone polish an ore as a gift for you, Professor.”
Luke slightly smiled. A tiny piece of kryptonite had no effect on ordinary people. Otherwise, Clark’s crush, Lana, would have mutated a long time ago.
As for whether this generous behaviour would cause trouble to his younger cousin, it was no longer his concern.
Anyway, according to the will of the universe, Superman would always be the first guy to leave in a Justice League group battle. It didn’t matter what tactics the kryptonite would be used for.
Whether targeted or not, he wouldn’t appear on the team battlefield, at least not for every big event.
Moreover, with the many villains led by Lex Luthor, they always had a variety of Kryptonite weapons at their disposal, such as gloves, spears and so on.
There were also various means of using the Red Sun projector, charm magic, mind control … and so on.
This resulted in Superman’s combat power fluctuating between a very high ceiling and a very low floor for many years.
Sometimes even the Swamp Thing and the second-rate villains like Poison Ivy could easily defeat him.
Sometimes powerful beings like Darkseid and Mandrakk were beaten back by Superman.
Of course, no matter how the version was updated, Batman was always the top dog.
“Are most of them green kryptonite? Are there any other kind?”
Luke’s Super Vision was greatly limited in the cave. The radiation formed by a large amount of kryptonite was like a hazy mist, obstructing his vision.
Maybe that’s why he couldn’t find this cave in the first place.
The leaked radiation was like a perfect protective cover, hiding from his gaze.
Had it not been for the information provided by the unlucky bank robber, Luke would probably have had a hard time finding this place.
Wearing protective clothing, he continued to go deeper until he reached the end of the trail. He didn’t get anything else.
Luke reluctantly shook his head, a little disappointed. He really couldn’t get his hands on a piece of pink kryptonite.
Supposedly, that stuff could change the sexual orientation or gender of a Kryptonian.
If it was true, then Luke didn’t mind having another female cousin besides Supergirl, Kara.
Or hold a grand wedding for Superman and Batman, which would be much more exciting than a grand wedding for an Asgard god from the studio next door.
‘I must have brought the Marvel Universe’s way of doing things here.’
Luke smiled and shook off the strange ideas in his head.
In the DC world, thinking about these funny things all the time wasn’t a good thing.
It needed to be darker to fit in.
Luke casually told the staff a few things and turned to leave the cave.
He had learned the exact location of the Kryptonite cave from the bank robber who had been paralysed earlier than Lex.
After confirming that it was true, the archaeological team was sent over for further in-depth study.
The formation of kryptonite was originally formed when the planet was destroyed, and some kind of material become radioactive in the huge explosion. They eventually condensed into irregular crystal-like minerals.
They crashed to Earth together with the spaceship carrying Superman.
The meteorite shower in the town 17 years ago was a phenomenon manifested by the disintegration of a huge piece of kryptonite.
‘Lex also seems to be trying to dig out some useful information from that unlucky guy’s mouth. ‘
Luke, who had walked some distance away and flew high into the sky, was a little distracted by his thoughts.
Lex thought he was very secretive about those small movements, but in fact, they were all caught by him.
Obviously, his godson had become suspicious of his good friend Clark.
“Hmm …”
Luke was thinking about what he should do if Lex’s friendship with his younger cousin capsized.
Suddenly, there was a loud explosion, and screams could be heard.
Luke slightly frowned and instantly moved to the sky above the town.
Surprisingly, he saw Clark in his Superman uniform, walking down the street.
The red cloak fluttered, and his eyes were bursting with red light, forming a high-temperature beam.
Boom!
A parked car was instantly set ablaze and exploded, releasing a roaring flame.
“What’s going on?”
Luke was a little confused. This was probably the first time an event beyond his control had happened since his arrival.
His younger cousin Clark became the source of panic, a criminal who was wreaking havoc.
Had he not known the situation, Luke might have thought he had arrived on the set of the Injustice League.
‘This doesn’t make any sense!’
“Clark …”
Luke didn’t dwell on it. He covered himself with his Superman battle suit and landed in front of his little cousin, ready to stop the other party from carrying on with the destruction.
For superheroes like Superman and Batman, hurting others and taking away lives had always been the beginning of turning evil.
This had long been proven by the Dark Knights of the Dark Multiverse.
Although it sounded unreasonable, because in the Marvel Universe next door, even Captain America didn’t go soft on the battlefield, he was still the embodiment of absolute justice.
But such boring questions could usually be attributed only to the influence of the will from above the all-powerful universe, and no decent answers could be obtained.
Superman, who killed Joker, formed an Injustice League.
Batman, who killed Joker, became the Batman Who Laughs.
The source of the problem had been found.
The culprit was the Joker.
“Do you know what you’re doing?”
Luke’s voice rang out directly within Clark’s mind.
The latter’s pitch-black pupils faintly stared at the familiar figure not far away.
“Kill him! You’re the most powerful person in the world!”
“Any stumbling block that stands in the way will be trampled to smithereens!”
“…”
The negative personality caused by black kryptonite seemed to dominate Clark’s will.
He hesitated, struggling violently within.
But before the two personalities could distinguish the winner, Luke took a step forward. The ground bloomed with cracks.
He used the powerful recoil force to push his way to Clark’s side.
Thump!
A dull thud rang out.
Like a clear sky suddenly exploding with ear-splitting thunder, it reverberated and spread far away.
Clark’s eyes widened, seemingly in disbelief.
Then his body flew up, and he slammed heavily on the ground.
Boom boom boom!
Clark broke through the walls behind him. His entire body was pushed to the ground by the overwhelming force, causing a deep gully.
‘Luke is actually beating me up?’
The normal personality, which was briefly conscious, expressed shock.
‘Normally, shouldn’t Luke be trying to wake me up, vocalizing the good old days while enduring my stormy attacks and refusing to fight?’
‘Why didn’t he even try that and just attack?’
The questions passing through his heart were soon swallowed up by the anger of his negative personality.
Clark supported himself with both hands and got up from the ground.
He slightly shook his head to eliminate the buzzing in his head.
In his right eye, a circle of an obvious bruise appeared.
“Kill him! Take revenge!”
The violent and impulsive emotion took over Clark’s heart.
He coldly snorted and exerted his strength under his feet.
Like a gust of wind on the flat ground, there was a loud roar.
The red cloak drew out a residual shadow and charged straight at Luke, who was one street away.
“I’ve told you many times, Clark! If you’re slow and have low damage, don’t even think about pouncing head-on at your opponent!”
Luke curled his mouth. His younger Kryptonian cousin, who had been sunbathing for 17 years, posed no threat to him.
Suddenly he opened the bio-force field, slightly delaying Superman’s movements.
Then he raised his right leg.
Boom!
There was a huge bang!
Like a bomb detonating in the air.
The air fluctuated violently, visible to the naked eye.
Like the waves rolling out.
Clark, who had forced his way to his older cousin’s body, had a swollen face as if he had been slapped.
Then he flew out faster than he had approached, and there was an extra footprint on his face.
“Don’t worry, I have a lot of experience with brainwashed victims.”
Luke kindly smiled and faintly said, “I used to have a friend named Bucky who regained his true self and memory under my effective treatment.”
For some reason, hearing the comfort from his cousin, Clark’s negative personality was a little scary.
His opponent’s punch, combined with the kick, had shown him that perhaps he wasn’t the most powerful person in the world.
“Don’t, don’t come closer…”
Tap, tap, tap …
As he spoke, Luke moved forward, step by step.
Each step was like a hammer blow to Clark’s heart.
Compared with the positive personality, the negative personality was arrogant, cocky, brutal, and merciless.
So, when he met an opponent who was too strong and invincible, it was easier for it to feel fear and self-doubt.
“What are you afraid of? As long as you trample me underfoot, there will be no one to stop you anymore.”
Luke, with a playful smile on his face, deliberately walked slower.
He stared at Clark closely, with a look of indifference.
The invisible pressure enveloped the younger cousin, who gulped as his throat rolled twice and harshly shouted, “If you take another step, I’ll kill everyone in this town!”
“Then do it! Don’t be afraid!”
Luke shrugged, acting indifferent.
“By the way, my dear little cousin, you don’t think I’m some kind of nice guy, do you?”
The sarcastic laughter made Clark, who was dominated by his negative personality, speechless. He really didn’t know what to say.
According to the memories preserved in his brain, his older cousin never taught him that he should save the world, protect the human race, and so on.
Compared to Jonathan, his adoptive father, who was always full of positive sayings, Luke would only teach him how to fight, how to defeat the opponent, how to avoid getting hurt …
“Haha. You see, the older cousin you admire is actually a selfish villain…”
Clark’s negative personality sneered, but after he said that, his face appeared a bit odd.
As a bad guy, rebuking people with great righteousness felt a bit wrong.
“You can vent your desire to kill as much as you want, hurt those innocent people, and put the blame on my head — if you can do it.”
Luke spoke calmly, but his eyes suddenly glared, hitting Clark like a blade, causing him to shrink his neck subconsciously.
Boom!
The dark red cloak suddenly floated up. The terrifying wind pressure swept across the streets.
The parked cars tumbled and rolled, and a lot of smoke and dust rose up.
The hard ground cracked, and Luke’s figure had already disappeared.
All of a sudden, Clark felt a powerful palm pressed firmly against his face.
It was as if he had been hit head-on by a speeding train. Under great pressure, his whole body wailed in pain.
“Let go of….”
Before the furious voice could be heard, Clark was taken up high into the air.
Rumble!
The speed broke through the sound barrier!
“Clark, I don’t know exactly what’s going on or what it will take to get you to wake up right away.”
Luke carried his younger cousin in his right hand and quickly burst out of the atmosphere towards outer space.
“So, I have to take a more brutal approach.”
“Good luck!”
Luke loosened his right hand and kicked his younger cousin in the chest.
He used great force and showed no mercy.
Boom!
The other party looked like a falling meteorite. With friction against the atmosphere, his body produced a trailing red flame.
