Chapter 310: Lex Luthor vs. The Parasite
Luke's Call to Supergirl
The devastating encounter involving A.R.G.U.S. sent shockwaves. Upon receiving the news, Joel Nash immediately found a way to relay the information to Luke Shaw, who had just arrived in Metropolis.
"The meteorite was stolen, and thirty-eight agents from the Eastern Division were slaughtered on the spot. Sam Lane escaped completely unharmed."
Luke muttered to himself, sensing something suspicious.
Everyone else died, but Sam Lane survived. The old general's luck couldn't be that good; there was definitely something going on. As for the Parasite, based on the information sent by AVA, the alien parasite is a highly territorial, single-celled organism that will relentlessly kill and devour others of its kind to evolve further.
This meant his own possession of meteorite fragments made him the monster's next likely target.
"Damn it!"
Luke cursed irritably. Phantom-2 wasn't finished yet, and he didn't want to face the Parasite now.
After a moment's thought, he pulled out his phone and called Linda Danvers.
"My dearest Ms. Danvers, how was your Christmas?"
The term "my dearest" made the Kryptonian girl, who was currently shopping, recoil and shiver.
"You bastard, Luke! Don't call me 'dearest'! I have nothing to do with you!"
"That's harsh. We are, at the very least, friends who have faced hardship together. Have you forgotten our time at the Fortress of Solitude? You were captured by Dru-Zod, and I risked everything to save you."
"Stop! I don't want to hear your nonsense. What do you want?"
Luke cleared his throat. "Remember the Bloody Christmas case? The perpetrator has been found—a human infected by an alien bug. For certain reasons, its next target is likely me..." He paused, then admitted sheepishly,
"Phantom -2 is still unfinished, and I have a pile of work waiting at Tesla. I'm completely tied up, so I can only ask for your help."
"You want me to be your bodyguard?"
"Yes."
Linda scoffed. "You have so many girlfriends: the heiress of Ferris Aircraft, the FBI director/future star, the elemental metahuman. It sounds impressive, so why don't you ask them? Why come beg me? I'm not your anything."
Luke's mouth twitched. The girl's tongue was getting sharper; he wondered who she was learning from. After a momentary hesitation, he had no choice but to lavish her with insincere praise.
"I can't help it. You are the prettiest, the strongest, the most reliable, and the most loyal! Their abilities can't handle this problem, so I can only turn to you."
"Please help me out. I'll owe you one."
"Finally, he admits it!"
The girl's lips curled up in triumph.
"Wait for me. After I finish buying my new clothes, I'll head to Metropolis."
She hung up, took the elevator to the top floor of the mall, then launched herself into the sky, disappearing like a streak of light.
Luthor's Trap
In the Metropolis suburbs, the lavishly decorated villa was utterly ruined. Joshua, his body covered in blood, clenched his fist and slammed it heavily into the floor.
Boom!
The ground cracked, and a shockwave dispersed the surrounding air, kicking up a huge cloud of dust. Half of the villa collapsed.
Joshua pushed the stones aside and followed the opening into the basement. He kicked down a wall, revealing a vast subterranean space.
Lights on the walls flickered on, illuminating the underground area as brightly as day.
Joshua scanned his surroundings, finally fixing his gaze on the mechanical entity in front of him.
Armor?
No, it looked more like a robot.
"You shouldn't have damaged my villa. It contained many artworks representing human civilization. They should endure for ten thousand years, not be destroyed by an alien."
A cold voice emanated from the machine. The bulky mechanical entity slowly rose, revealing its limbs encased in metallic armor. The machine was primarily brown and yellow, its outer structure similar to a GUNDAM from the comics, but for one difference: its head.
It had no head; in its place was a square metal shell.
"The name of this armor is the Anti-Superman Suit. I designed it specifically for the creature who haunts the skies of Metropolis, but you have the honor of being its first real target. You should feel privileged."
A holographic projection of Lex Luthor materialized on the armor's surface.
Joshua sneered, paused for a beat, and lunged directly toward the suit.
Bang!
A punch landed. The roar of metal colliding echoed throughout the room. The gigantic armor staggered back three steps, each step embedding itself deep into the floor.
"Such immense power!"
Lex Luthor was inwardly shocked, his eyes grave. The force of that punch was at least four times stronger than anticipated. That damn Ivo provided wrong data again.
"Luckily, I was prepared."
The massive armor charged forward. Though it looked cumbersome, its speed was unusually quick. Upon reaching Joshua, a large cloud of red mist spewed from the pipes on its chest.
The red mist seemed to possess a special ability. Upon contact with Joshua, his body began to swell, and many irregular nodules appeared on his surface, giving him a horrifying appearance.
More bizarrely, his body completely stiffened, unable to move.
"Die!"
Lex Luthor roared. A pale red energy blade manifested on the armor's right arm, plunging into the monster's chest.
Pshew!
Blood spurted out, then was immediately vaporized by the high temperature of the blade. The blade slid downward, slowly slicing open the monster's chest with a sickening grinding sound, exposing its rapidly beating heart.
Joshua screamed hysterically, ignoring his body's rigid state, forcing himself to retreat backward.
Lex pursued relentlessly, unleashing the full force of his right arm.
Puff!
A massive wound tore through Joshua's body, starting at the collarbone and extending down toward his legs.
Organs and viscera spilled out of the wound, scattering everywhere.
"How could you possibly be my match?"
Lex grinned triumphantly and charged again. With a flash of the blade, Joshua's left arm was severed and fell to the ground. Perhaps due to the red mist or some other reason, large nodules erupted on the severed arm. To Lex's confusion, they began to burst one by one.
"What's going on?"
"Is the inhibitor that potent?"
Lex was confused. He had observed the inhibitor's effects, and they should not have been this strong. What was happening?
Hidden nearby, Anthony Ivo, who was observing the battle, shouted, "Kill him! Hurry! His genes are restructuring! Now is the perfect opportunity!"
Lex snapped, "What are you playing at?"
"It's not me, it's him! He swallowed too many of his own kind at once and came here before he could digest them! The inhibitor's job is to delay DNA splitting, and it hit the perfect weakness! Those nodules and bubbles are an external sign of the DNA restructuring process!"
"Hurry up! If you don't strike now, he'll finish restructuring, and you're done for!"
During their exchange, Joshua's body underwent a dramatic change. Large granules of flesh sprouted from his wounds, interlocking, showing signs of healing. The nodule-covered limbs popped with a strange sound, but the skin underneath began to heal afterward.
The rapid succession of changes made Lex's eyes twitch.
This thing was too bizarre! How could it recover when so gravely injured?
"Ivo, how do I kill it? The heart? Or the head?"
"The head! Don't bother with the heart, the heart is useless!"
Lex steadied himself, raised the energy blade, and swung it toward the monster's neck.
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