OBS Chapter 4349 Body of Steel (54)
Chapter 4349 Body of Steel (54)
Chapter 4349 Body of Steel (Fifty-Four)
Amanda felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. She could no longer maintain her balance and stumbled to the phone. As soon as she answered, Superman's panicked voice came through: "Amanda Waller! That guy Lex Luthor kidnapped my mother!! I can't find her!!! I've searched everywhere, she's not here!!!"
Amanda took a deep breath and said into the phone, "Calm down. We'll help you find it right away..."
“He told me to kill you!” Superman’s voice came again. “He said he wanted to exchange hostages; if I brought you there, he would release my mother. You…”
With a "snap," the phone was hung up. Clark grinned like a golden retriever who had just wrecked the house, slamming his hand on the spaceship's control panel. The more he thought about it, the more pleased he became with his trick.
Yes, his last resort was to fight fire with fire. After all, Luther was already broke. The corporation was gone, his reputation was ruined, and the worst that could happen was jail. So why not follow the example of Gotham's predecessors? If he made a big enough fuss, everyone would have a headache.
Clark couldn't directly attempt a prison break, because that would not only be illegal but would also make them fugitives. However, if he was forced or threatened, there was nothing he could do.
Luther didn't leave any backup plans, but that didn't stop him from creating one on the spot. After all, he had already orchestrated the kidnapping gang to kidnap Kent's mother from the ranch. This proved he was capable of such a thing, and that he was the kind of person who would do it.
So, they decided to use a deceptive tactic, presenting this as Lex Luthor's backup plan. They pretended he had already made arrangements, sending a group to kidnap Superman's family and force Superman to get him out of jail.
That's right, this morning, Superman swaggered into the police station, was then "held hostage" by Lex Luthor, and the two left the station together. Moreover, to spread the word further, Clark even notified his superior, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet, who was already waiting outside the police station early in the morning. Now, news of Superman being held hostage by Luthor should already be on the front pages of major newspapers.
Having taken Superman hostage would allow them to leave the police station easily; after all, the police aren't that desperate. They would naturally try to stop Lex Luthor if he were alone, but he still had Superman. Even with Superman as a shield, the police wouldn't dare fire indiscriminately. Bullets hitting him would ricochet back and hit them. So they simply followed behind with guns, providing escort, not daring to get close.
The two of them swaggered out of the police station. Then, Superman, "forced" to take off again, took Luthor away from military and police surveillance. Finally, he delivered him to the expert's laboratory.
Of course, the experts were forced into this situation. Lex Luthor coerced Superman, and Superman coerced the experts, leaving Luthor with no choice but to stay and conduct experiments. However, the military and police are unaware of this, and they are currently conducting a thorough search in Metropolis.
Everyone thought Luther would stay to protect the Luther Corporation; after all, it was such a large enterprise, how could he just abandon it like that? But unexpectedly, Luther really did abandon it.
While Lex Luthor may be foolish in some ways, he is as arrogant as ever. He believes that Luthor Corporation's rise to the top is solely due to his existence. Without him, it's just a pile of junk. And if he wanted to, he could easily rebuild using his technology. Therefore, he has no intention of staying for Luthor Corporation.
Even after Lex escaped, the matter wasn't over. He couldn't remain a fugitive forever. He had to do something to turn things around.
Clark was willing to give him the chance, because he counted on his fingers. Currently, there were only two victims of Lex's foolish actions: himself and Zod. In truth, Zod was the only real victim. Zod wasn't human, so Lex couldn't really be considered guilty. It was better to give him a chance to retaliate and teach Amanda a lesson.
The reason he staged this kidnapping was to have a legitimate reason to beat Amanda up. After all, he was being coerced by Luther; his mother was in Luther's hands. He had no choice but to deal with whomever they told him to. Although he was in pain, he had no other option.
Clark himself felt a bit despicable. But he had to admit that it felt really good to give someone a taste of their own medicine.
Unlike military bases located in the suburbs of a metropolis, the Sky Eye Society's base is situated to the west of the city center. It is a 12-story building above ground and four stories below. The 12 floors above ground are primarily office space for ordinary employees, while the four stories below ground are classified buildings.
Thanks to Amanda having brought him here before, Clark located the building precisely. Then, in full view of everyone, he simply lifted the building up.
Just then, Amanda reached the first floor. A strong gust of wind blew, and blinding sunlight streamed in. She watched as the surrounding walls rose steadily into the air. A tall figure stood with his back to the morning light, his cloak fluttering like a flag.
Countless helicopters circled overhead. Police surged in from both sides of the street. But no one dared to approach. They all knew one thing perfectly well: Superman was an enemy they could never defeat. And his demeanor and unprecedented violence indicated that this incredibly powerful god was enraged.
The building slowly rose into the air, and the ordinary people inside didn't even feel the tremor. They rushed to the windows, only to see themselves getting further and further away from the ground. Some screamed, others took out their phones to take pictures. Superman landed in a park, dropped them off, and then flew around the building twice. After leaving behind countless images of his majestic figure, he returned to his base.
He slowly descended from the sky, releasing all the anger that had been building up inside him. He was completely unaware of how terrifying he looked in his rage.
Not everyone is Batman. For ordinary people, an enraged Superman is terrifying. Such a monster, capable of moving mountains and filling seas in an instant, descends like a god in fury, as if the next cataclysm is imminent. Most people are too scared to run.
Clark only snapped out of his daze upon hearing the crying. But he didn't stop; instead, he slowly landed in front of Amanda. Looking down at her, he asked in a low voice, "Why did Luther send me to find you?"
The questioning tone was clear enough, and Amanda was undeniably guilty. She knew perfectly well why Luthor had sent Superman to find her. Because she had pushed him too far. This madman was even willing to coerce Superman to ensure her death.
She had sent people to investigate the Kent family farm before, but it was protected by the locals. Her men couldn't easily get close. But that damned bald guy managed to break through the defenses and kidnap Superman's mother. That damned bastard!!!
Amanda was furious. Instead of answering, she turned to the police officers beside her and roared, "Why the hell aren't you firing?! You should be driving this monster away!!! Fire!! Fire!!!"
The veteran policeman in front quickly signaled to his colleagues with his eyes not to fire. However, every group has a few hotheads. They couldn't tell who was good and who was bad; they only knew that Superman had demolished the building. Long-established stress responses made them raise their guns and fire.
"Bang! Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!"
Countless bullets hurtled towards Superman. But just half a meter away from his body, time and space seemed to freeze. Everything came to an abrupt halt. One bullet after another was frozen in place.
Then, all the bullets floated to Superman's face. He stretched out a hand, the bullets compressing inwards until they were gripped in his hand, producing a sickeningly loud cracking sound. Smoke drifted from between his fingers, as if endless explosions were unfolding at his fingertips. When he opened his hand again, the metal had vanished. An extremely small but terrifying sphere appeared in his hand.
Through extreme compression, electrons outside the atomic nucleus are forced into the nucleus, maintaining them on the edge of neutron collapse. The field of metallurgy no longer has a technical term to describe this process, but in astronomy, such celestial bodies are usually called "neutron stars."
Even if those present couldn't understand the process, the sudden gust of wind and the forming tornado pillar were enough for them to understand that something extraordinary had happened.
Bruce, who was standing inside the Batcave staring at the monitor screen, saw, from the perspective of the external monitor, a perfectly circular vortex cloud forming on the eastern coast of the United States. He tilted his head back, took two steps back, and then quickly walked towards the door.
Clark was certain he saw terror in Amanda's eyes. But at that moment, he didn't feel relieved; he only felt pathetic. Did this kind of person never consider that forcing someone with such power would inevitably lead to this outcome?
Clark didn't consider himself particularly intelligent, but sometimes, the stupidity of some humans still surprised him. He dared not imagine what the world would have become if Bruce hadn't gone to save his mother that day, and Martha had really died at the hands of the kidnappers.
He was afraid to think about it. Because he knew the outcome wouldn't be good. He had sensed it before, but only now did he truly understand that he wasn't the kind of good person who wouldn't fight back.
He preferred seeing the approving looks from people when he did good deeds to seeing the fear in the eyes of fools and vicious criminals who acted without regard for the consequences, when they received their due punishment.
"Superman, stop!" A deep voice came from mid-air.
Clark closed his eyes and took a deep breath. With a "whoosh," the object in his hand completely turned into a wisp of smoke. As the gale subsided, the water accumulated in the clouds was squeezed out, turning into a torrential downpour.
The cloak and uniform, soaked by the rain, appeared even darker. The tall figure turned and looked back at the dark figure standing atop the high-rise building.
"Batman..."
"It's Batman!"
"Batman is here!"
Amid the cheers of the crowd, Superman leaped up and slowly came to a stop opposite Batman, looking through the heavy rain and the black mask into those unfamiliar yet familiar eyes.
An inescapable question echoed silently between the two like raindrops: if Martha really died, and Superman chose not to forgive her, what would Batman do in the face of the god on earth unleashing a storm upon the planet?
The B vs. Lex Luthor storyline suggests that Zack Snyder is not religious; religious people generally wouldn't have such questions.