The Uncooperative Key
Luke remained deeply curious about the Key, but frustratingly, it refused to cooperate. It acted like a fiercely loyal, chaste stone maiden who had taken an oath; no matter how much he provoked it—be it electric, water, ice, fire, or oil therapies, the eighteen different techniques he tried—it showed absolutely no reaction.
Luke even began to suspect it had lost its power and turned into scrap metal.
Fortunately, two days later, the Key began to glow.
Faint, barely perceptible golden light flowed within the deep-brown metal, like countless floating luminous snakes.
Luke tried to interact with it again. Still no effect. He had no choice but to call Linda over, thinking: A man can't do it, surely a woman can!
The result was still the same.
Stripped of its light, the Key looked like a celebrity without makeup—utterly distasteful. The girl examined it several times, then tossed it aside in disgust.
When she was a child, her father often said the Golden Key was a sacred object, and only a Steward with a pure heart was qualified to touch it. This led to a period where Linda dreamt of wearing a long dress, holding the Key, standing beneath the throne, and being worshiped.
Now...
The dusty Key was covered in verdigris; it felt dirty just holding it.
"The database has no relevant information. You'll have to figure it out yourself."
Luke spread his hands, helpless.
"If I could find a way, I wouldn't have called you. Linda, think carefully. What is the secret of the Golden Key? Kryptonians must know."
Linda looked exasperated. "I was only 12 when I left Krypton. Do you think my father would tell a 12-year-old such a vital secret?"
"What about Zod? As a General, he should know, right?"
The girl pondered for a few seconds, then slowly nodded.
Luke rubbed his hands, sincerely suggesting, "Well, how about we capture him again?"
Linda didn't speak, the sheer disgust in her eyes almost tangible. Luke felt a little awkward, but fortunately, he had thick skin and didn't let it show.
"Bully, you're a bad person!"
Linda snapped angrily. "Once wasn't enough? You want to fleece him a second time? What do you think Kryptonians are, sheep? I'm telling you, Kryptonians have dignity. You can defeat them, but you can't strip away their self-respect completely."
"In any case, the Key is already yours. How you deal with it is your business, not mine."
"One more thing."
Linda gestured, and a robotic guard walked in, carrying two metal containers.
"The left box contains Liquid Metal. The right box contains Energy Crystals used to power Kryptonian ships. Considering you helped me earlier, they are a gift."
With that, she snorted and turned to leave.
Luke ignored the girl's subtle pique, his gaze fixed tightly on the metal boxes.
Liquid Metal and Energy Crystals—these two items were things he had coveted for a long time.
The Liquid Metal could not only be used to create a super A.I. with self-evolutionary capabilities but also significantly enhance the Phantom Armor's data analysis. As for the Energy Crystals, they needed no explanation. A piece the size of a palm could supply Metropolis's power needs for half an hour.
Kryptonian made, guaranteed quality.
With this, he wouldn't have to worry about the armor's energy supply for a long time.
"It's time for an upgrade."
Luke clenched his fist, filled with anticipation.
The Allure of Forbidden Metals
Over the next few days, life returned to its original rhythm. Linda continued searching the world for survivors. Luke continued his studies, and when he tired, he retreated to the warehouse to repair and modify the armor using parts from the Odyssey.
He had to admit, Kryptonian technology was indeed formidable. Just the Mass-Energy Conversion system alone gave the Phantom 1 a revolutionary jump in performance.
Mass-Energy Conversion, as the name suggests, is the exchange between energy and mass.
On Earth, this technology was in the initial theoretical phase, lacking even basic principles. Krypton had perfected it to the highest level.
The Kryptonian combat suit was a masterpiece of Mass-Energy Conversion.
The seemingly heavy and massive black combat suit was actually light as a feather, because it was essentially a bundle of energy, a physical armor converted from energy, capable of morphing into various shapes according to the wearer's will.
Although it was fundamentally energy, its durability exceeded most metals. It could defend against various strikes. Earth firearms couldn't harm it, and heavy weapons could only damage the outer protective membrane—that's the limit.
In terms of pure performance, the Kryptonian combat suit far surpassed the original Phantom 1.
However, the latter possessed two of the world's most mysterious metals: Promethium and Amazonium.
Promethium is an ultimate composite material that can absorb and generate energy. When applied to other substances, it can cause structural mutations. The Phantom 1's semi-metal, semi-energy charging armor was derived from this.
Amazonium is even more powerful, an extremely pure substance that appears in various myths. In some places, it's considered a divine metal.
Amazonium possesses extreme toughness. It can not only resist physical and magical attacks but also release absorbed energy as a shockwave.
The Phantom 1's counter-damage ability was built with Amazonium as the foundation and Promethium as the framework.
The only unfortunate thing was that the content of both metals was too low, leading to many incomplete functions—this was one of the three major issues the Phantom Armor desperately needed to resolve.
Super-metals existed on Earth, but their scarcity was daunting.
Promethium was manageable. As a composite metal, it was stored in the U.S. government's Red Room Laboratory, used for collecting alien technology—a resource Luke naturally felt no obligation to leave alone.
Amazonium, however, was a major problem. Aside from Themyscira, Diana's birthplace, only old Greek noble families were likely to have collected it.
Luke searched the entire world, paying countless prices, and finally obtained a piece of Amazonium the size of a pinky finger from a dying Greek elder.
This process cost him nearly two billion dollars.
Two billion dollars, enough hundred-dollar bills to fill five large trucks, all for that tiny piece of metal.
Was it worth it?
Absolutely, it was immensely worth it.
Kryptonian technology led Earth by over a hundred thousand years, and its Mass-Energy Conversion combat suit completely crushed Earth's technology. Yet, Luke's Phantom 1, modified with just these two metals, was able to overcome adverse circumstances and defeat nine top Kryptonian soldiers.
With a record like that, who could say it wasn't valuable!
Thinking of this, Luke was suddenly hit by a chilling realization, and many unwelcome thoughts began to flood his mind.
Wonder Woman Diana's three pieces of gear—the Bracelets of Submission, the Aegis Shield, and the Tiara—are all made of Amazonium.
Deathstroke's armor contains Promethium, which enhances all his physical capabilities, dramatically increasing his strength and speed.
Hawkman and Hawkgirl's armor is even more potent, entirely made of Nth Metal, an ultimate metal that can defy the laws of physics and possesses many unimaginable magical abilities. If I could get my hands on that...
Suddenly, an extremely terrifying aura descended into the room. Luke looked up, green light flooding his eyes, like a demon from hell.
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