Lex Luther was pacing in his office. He was waiting for news. He had indeed collaborated with that woman a few times. She was a competent broker, handling some dirty work that was troublesome to deal with. But this was the first time they were involved in something like this.
Hopefully, it would succeed. They better succeed. The dark thoughts circling in Lex's mind were almost becoming tangible. If this time it succeeds, maybe...
The phone alarm went off once again. Lex rushed over to grab the phone. Before he could clearly see what the alert was about, a loud explosion sounded. He turned his head and watched in bewilderment as a massive explosion occurred over Luthor Manor.
"Damn it!" he cursed through gritted teeth.
He immediately realized that the thief from last night, unable to succeed in burglary, had turned to robbery. What magic did that gemstone possess that they would go through so much trouble?!
Unfortunately, the item wasn't in the manor. It wasn't even with him. Although the gemstone was important, the clues on the mural were the most crucial. So he had to stay here and wait for news.
Over Luthor Manor, Diana was satisfied as she looked at her masterpiece. She hadn't really attacked the manor, just blew up a mountain beside it with divine power, making it look like the manor had been attacked.
First, she had punched the vault door to trigger the alarm system. Seeing the commotion she caused, the other party would know she was determined. If the item was here, they would definitely find a way to move it.
After waiting for a long time without anyone showing up, Diana was a bit disappointed. It seemed the item wasn't at the manor. Could it be at Luthor Building?
She targeted Luthor Group first, not because of a grudge against Luther, but simply because he was closer. If she couldn't find any clues here, she would have to travel to investigate Wayne Enterprises.
Driving to the base of Luthor Group, Diana found a spot. After watching for a while, she realized there wasn't much to see. She recalled seeing in a news report that Lex Luther had an interview in his office, which had a floor-to-ceiling window.
Diana sneaked onto the rooftop of another building. The angle still wasn't right, so she jumped to another rooftop. This time, she finally got to see the window and, with the impressive vision of a demigod, she could see Lex himself.
She could tell that Lex Luther was anxious. Instinctively, she felt she had found the right place. But then, Lex started making a phone call, and Diana realized something was wrong. From his lip movements, she read the word "kidnap."
Diana felt a thud in her heart. She suddenly realized that a great dragon couldn't suppress a local villain. No matter what the British intelligence agency MI6 was, or the Royal Family, they couldn't be a match for Luthor Group on the East Coast of the United States. If Luther had indeed bought the Snake Tail, he wouldn't let them easily take it back.
"Damn it," Diana swore, rushing downstairs. She took out the business card she got from Shiller and dialed the number, but there was no response. Her heart started to sink.
She began to regret getting involved in these matters. She knew clearly that neither MI6 nor Luthor Group was innocent. Even the businessman had hidden too many things. But she also knew she had to do this. Being targeted by a special agent organization would bring endless trouble, and she didn't want to be resented by the petty British.
Picking up the phone, Diana chose to call the police. She referred to Shiller as her friend, stated that he was missing, and especially emphasized his identity as a British businessman. But she didn't have much hope. The American police were known for their inaction.
She got into her car, thinking carefully. The other party's attire and demeanor didn't seem like someone lacking money. Diana re-examined the business card, noticing it didn't list an address, meaning the person probably didn't have a house here but was staying at a hotel. The best hotel in Metropolis was the Luther Hotel.
Diana couldn't help but wipe her face. She should have reminded the other party that few on the East Coast could afford the Snake Tail, and Luthor was one of them. Staying at his hotel was like walking into a trap.
Feeling regretful for not saying more, Diana arrived at Wayne Hotel, pulling out the business card. The hotel receptionist thought for a moment and said, "This gentleman just left. I think it was around 1:20... "
Diana took a deep breath; it was now 1:30. They had just missed him. Luther probably used some excuse to lure him away. She then went to ask the hotel doorman, who pointed her in a direction, and Diana quickly turned her car to give chase.
It wasn't long before Diana saw a Bentley. Using her exceptional vision again, she saw the back of Shiller. So she sped up and honked, trying to warn him.
Just as she was about to catch up, an SUV suddenly swerved from the opposite lane and crashed into Shiller's Bentley. The massive impact caused the Bentley to spin twice on the road, crashing into a nearby utility pole. Shiller was slammed hard, his head bleeding, clearly unconscious.
With a screeching halt, Diana stopped the car and rushed out, but she was still a step too late. Several people jumped out of the SUV, opened the Bentley's door, dragged Shiller out, and shoved him into the SUV.
In her panic, Diana thought of flying, but then remembered Superman's expression when he was taken. She looked around, tapped her forehead with her hand, got back into the car, and followed the SUV towards the suburb.
In the office, Lex's expression became more grim. A thought circled in his mind that the broker was planning a double-cross.
This group had the best information. They knew precisely what was being contested either openly or in secret. Moreover, these guys dared to blow up his manor. There was no way this group of hyenas wasn't aware of the Snake Tail.
If they planned to take the commission without telling him the location of the artifact, keeping it for themselves and selling it for a good price, he might never see that mural again. He had to do something.
Shiller opened his eyes to find himself tied to a chair. Blood trickled down his forehead, causing his eyelashes to stick together, making blinking difficult.
A woman stood in the shadows, smiled at him, and said, "Hello, beautiful, we meet again."
Shiller looks up at her. Because the frame was already broken, the glasses fell off when he raised his head. Upon seeing the full view of those gray eyes, the woman's heart began to race uncontrollably.
She didn't think it was attraction. On the contrary, it felt more like her body was signaling her to escape.
Suddenly, Shiller smiled and said, "You want the Snake Tail?"
"Yes. Tell me where it is, and you'll suffer less."
Shiller gently shook his head. The woman wanted to persuade him further, but she heard Shiller say, "The most valuable gemstone on the Snake Tail is with Lex Luther. The slab you can get from me only holds historical and cultural value."
"Bullshit!" The woman, disregarding her fear, rushed over and grabbed Shiller's hair, just as the door was kicked open with a bang.
A whip coiled around his wrist, pulling the woman directly to the ground. Diana rushed in, shouting, "Don't move!"
Behind her were two people, clearly the lackeys that she'd already taken down. Diana saw Shiller's blood-covered face but didn't rush to untie him. Instead, she cautiously asked, "What did you just say?"
Clearly, she'd heard Shiller's words and realized it might be a trap. But soon, countless police officers swarmed in, their dark gun barrels pointed at everyone.
"Don't move! Drop your weapons!!!"
Diana cursed under her breath. But the police had already seen her face. American police insist on catching people with the crime and criminals together; if neither is seen, there's room to flee. But being seen at the crime scene, fleeing means resisting arrest.
Diana knew she'd been duped, but she still had a societal identity to maintain and couldn't become a fugitive. She didn't even want to expose her superpower, so she raised her hands in surrender under the watchful eyes.
Behind the police, she saw Lex Luther's face. Diana clenched her fist tightly. This had to be a trap by this bastard. Why else would he coincidentally be here?!
Yet Lex wasn't focused on Diana. He looked at the dent on the door, the few people knocked out on the ground, and finally at Diana.
"Damn." Diana's heart sank to the bottom. In her haste to arrive, she forgot to hide her strength. Lex Luther is a smart man; he might have already noticed something amiss.
At this moment, the sheriff waved his hand, shouting, "Take them away!"
Diana had no choice but to be handcuffed and escorted onto a police car. Likewise, the woman, her accomplices, and Shiller were all taken into police cars.
Sitting in the police car, Lex clenched his fists. His breathing was very hurried, seemingly about to suffocate.
"Are you alright, sir?" asked the officer beside him. "Don't be too tense; if this gang of terrorists really attacked your home, the court will certainly give a fair judgment."
"Will they?" Lex asked coldly, "Even if she can blow up a steel gate with one punch?!"
"You think you can?!" Lex turned to stare fiercely at the officer, "You think you bunch of useless cops can stop these monsters who could crush normal people with ease?! In front of them, you're nothing!!!"
And another thought echoed in his mind — "…I'm nothing either."
As if realizing he was a bit overboard, Lex took a deep breath, pulled out his phone from his pocket, dialed a number, then said, "Help me find out about someone. I've sent you the photo."
Within seconds, a full set of information was sent to Lex's phone. The leading photo was of Diana Prince in a trench moving supplies, looking just as young as today.
As Lex closed his eyes, his expression was nothing short of despair. He was stiff like a corpse, his mind flashing with fragmented images: a blasted alien ship, explosions above Luthor Manor, a steel gate kicked and deformed…
Later, his heart settled, sinking into the slow flow of the solid like sinking into asphalt. Everything around slowed down, with only one thought shooting from his left brain to the right like an arrow, causing a throbbing sound in his ears and a splitting headache.
He saw his fingers typing a sentence on the keyboard — "I'll help you escape, help me with something."
In another police car, the woman's phone screen lit up. She first glanced up at the officer's expression, noticing he wasn't paying attention, then quickly glanced at the screen and blindly typed out a message.
"What is it?"
"Kansas State Smoville, Martha Kent."