After interviewing the hijackers, Superman just felt sorrow. The road ahead was long. His biological father wanted him to be a symbol for humanity, but sometimes Superman really doubted whether he could do it. The human world was just too messy.
"Farm boy, what's with that look? Did those terrorists scare you?" Lois noticed the subtle change in Clark's expression and couldn't help but ask.
Clark shook his head. "I'm fine. Maybe I caught a chill last night."
"With that body of yours, you can get a cold?" Lois looked surprised. "Maybe you need a different kind of workout." She said it while striding off toward the parking garage.
Her long black hair swayed behind her, highlighting her graceful figure. Clark's mood lifted a little. He could only take things one step at a time. There was a lot he couldn't control. But he still believed that most people were good and things would work out in the end.
Liu A'dou believed in human kindness too, which was why bad people really made him angry. Right now, he was wandering around the convention center. He fully trusted Chu Yuxuan to handle the setup.
He had to admit—the technology in this world was impressive. The surrounding games were super flashy, with graphics that could compete with 3D animated films. Motion-control games and head-mounted displays were everywhere. You hardly saw any that used traditional gamepads.
Maybe one day his own works could be turned into games too. Liu A'dou looked around left and right, thinking it was totally doable.
Three days flew by. He wandered around Metropolis, even snapped a photo outside the Daily Planet building. One thing he noticed—people in Metropolis walked with their heads held high. At first, he thought it was just pride, but then he realized they were all hoping to spot Superman. They were always looking up, just in case.
Luckily, Metropolis didn't have disasters every day. Small accidents didn't need Superman to step in. He was a guide, not a nanny. Just like during the invasion of New York—since the Avengers were there, Superman didn't need to get involved. He only watched from a distance.
So Superman hadn't appeared at all over those three days. As a reporter, he was busy too.
Meanwhile, Liu A'dou was fully prepared. Everything was ready for the big event. At the venue entrance, plenty of cosplayers were already in place. You could see all kinds of superheroes—just like the comic cons back before he crossed over.
"Check your costumes. You're going on stage soon." Liu A'dou reminded Kailan and Ben. He didn't worry about Elsa—she was already a pro idol.
"Master, I'm kinda nervous," Ben admitted. He'd always been a nobody, whether on his home planet or here on Earth. He'd been a wreck during his first film shoot, only loosening up after getting to know the crew. Now, performing in front of so many strangers? Huge pressure.
"Just treat it like martial arts practice. You and Kailan rehearsed this so many times—you haven't forgotten, right?"
"It's not that. I'm just scared I'll freeze up," Ben said.
Ah, youth. "Relax. Just stick to your usual level and you'll be fine." Liu A'dou patted his disciple on the shoulder. He really cared about these two alien apprentices—and that earned him both Ben and Kailan's respect.
At 9 a.m., the Superhero Expo officially opened. As soon as the gates opened, a chaotic, costumed crowd rushed in. Guys, girls, all in wild, colorful outfits—it was a visual overload.
The Transformers booth sat at the center and was quickly surrounded. The cold-toned, high-tech stage was a real eye-catcher. Plus, every nerd chased after goddesses—and Elsa was one. Naturally, most people came straight to support her.
Phones, cameras, camcorders—everything was ready. They were just waiting for Elsa to appear.
First on stage was Chu Yuxuan. He was there to introduce the movie and the toys. Only after that would Elsa and the other two come up.
The main event was a three-minute movie trailer, packed with all the best scenes—transformations, lightsabers, and a down-on-her-luck Elsa.
Liu A'dou, as one of the creators, also had to go on stage with the actors to talk about the inspiration behind the movie and the origin of the Transformers—basically just hyping everything up.
The whole thing was imaginative. Both the trailer and the toys were fresh and eye-catching, pulling in tons of attention. When Elsa came on stage, the cheers exploded.
It was a huge success. That's exactly the kind of response they were going for.
The event went off perfectly. The whole day ran smoothly, and Liu A'dou finally breathed a sigh of relief. But the calm of daytime ended as night fell. In the shadows of Metropolis, a short, chubby figure waddled toward Lex Luthor's company.
"My old friend, Luthor. That bald head of yours is still as shiny as ever. Even Superman can't ignore it."
Lex Luthor gave the visitor a cool glance. "Penguin. You should know our business relationship is over. Because of you, I lost a ten-digit profit."
"Did I?" Penguin looked surprised—or maybe just pretending. "That was ages ago." Back when Batman and Penguin first clashed. A few years ago, Penguin had partnered with Lucius to mess around with cutting-edge weapons. But Penguin botched it. Since then, they'd had no contact. Still, Penguin's connections were pretty wide.
"Penguin, you have five minutes." As someone with level 12 intellect, Lex Luthor was one of the smartest humans on Earth. But ever since Superman showed up, all his genius had been focused on one thing—taking down Superman. Superman was the hero. So Luthor became the villain.
"Don't be so cold. We used to work well together, remember?" Penguin grinned. "So... got the money ready?"
"?!" Luthor was speechless. If not for their past history, he wouldn't even have agreed to meet. "I don't like wasting time. Give me one good reason I should pay you."
"This." Penguin pulled a glowing green shard from his pocket. "Kryptonite."
The bald man's eyes lit up instantly. He knew exactly what it was—and how much Superman feared it. But as a businessman, he stayed calm. No sign of urgency. He just asked casually, "How much?"
"Kryptonite, plus Superman's life—I want 1 billion dollars."
Penguin was broke. That's why he stole this thing and came to Metropolis. He also hoped that by taking on the nearly impossible task of assassinating Superman, he could restore his status in the criminal underworld. Just imagining being the guy who killed Superman made him laugh inside.
The bald genius chuckled. Interesting. He never minded someone stepping up to challenge Superman. To him, Superman was just an obstacle holding back human potential—a shadow that dimmed his own brilliance. He wanted him gone, no matter who did it.
"1 billion dollars. Deal."
Superman would never know his life had been bought for 1 billion dollars.