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Chapter 434: Metropolis Mystery (Eighteen)

Lex and Bruce both stood beside the young man, but they didn't rush to help him. Instead, they observed his condition because his appearance was a bit too mysterious in terms of timing and manner.

"Sorry, can you give me a hand? I'm not feeling very well," the young man coughed twice and said.

Bruce didn't move, just standing in place as he asked, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm Clark, Clark Kent. As I said, I'm a student from Metropolis. I saw smoke coming out of the dormitory, so I rushed here to put out the fire."

The young man named Clark sighed and continued, "I just started college this year. My student ID is in the pocket of my clothes. You can take it out and check. I'm not lying."

Bruce walked over and felt the pocket of his clothes, indeed finding a student ID that read, "Metropolis University, Freshman, Clark Kent, Major in Mass Communication."

He put the student ID in his own pocket, then approached Clark and helped him up. Supporting Clark, he left the messy reception room and took him to an adjacent guest room.

Clark lay on the bed, resting for a while, and seemed to feel better. He removed the gas mask from his face, revealing a handsome and attractive face that could rival Bruce's.

He took a few deep breaths and then touched his chest, saying, "Damn, what happened to me..."

Bruce turned his head and looked at the patterns on the bedsheet, while Lex focused on studying the structure of the doorknob. Schiller entered the room and, upon seeing another person lying on the bed, he paused and looked at Bruce, saying, "...Is this your helicopter engine?"

Clark, who had regained some strength, sat up from the bed and said, "Hello, I'm Clark. Thank you for saving me."

Schiller squinted his eyes, then scrutinized Clark and asked, "Are you in high school or college?"

"I just started college at Metropolis University, not far from here. So when I saw the smoke, I rushed over immediately."

"How did you rush over?" Schiller inquired.

Bruce also turned his head to look at Clark, clearly curious about the answer. Schiller glanced at the snowy scene outside the window and said, "If my estimation is correct, the snow outside is already too thick for vehicles to pass through."

"I walked here."

"I used to teach at Metropolis University. Although it's close to here, it would take at least 20 minutes to walk. From the time the fire started to the appearance of the smoke, it hasn't been more than three minutes..."

"I run pretty fast; I'm the long-distance running champion in our department," Clark explained earnestly.

Clearly, the three people in the room, besides Clark, didn't believe his explanation. Just as Bruce was about to ask further questions, Schiller said, "You look a bit unwell. What's wrong?"

"I just... suddenly feel a bit uncomfortable," Clark frowned and said, "Maybe I ran too fast just now."

As if realizing something suddenly, he looked at Schiller and said, "Are you a professor at Metropolis University? Then, I..."

"Things are urgent here, right?" Schiller interrupted him, and Clark's face relaxed as he replied, "Thank you for understanding. I know the school told us not to go out..."

"Regardless of how you got here, it's obvious that you are trapped with us."

"Or..." Schiller looked into Clark's eyes and said, "You can demonstrate for us how to run from the Mayor's Mansion to Metropolis University within three minutes."

Clark shook his head like a wave drum, saying, "No, I'm a bit tired."

Schiller turned his head to look at Lex and Bruce and said, "I want to talk to him about the current situation at Metropolis University. If you're okay, you can go back and rest."

Lex seemed to have something to say but Schiller turned away directly. Lex hesitated for a moment but eventually left the room. Bruce followed him out, walking in the dim corridor, and turned his head to say, "You must know something, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" Lex didn't give a direct answer to his question.

"That so-called treasure, your father, the conspiracy two years ago, and that Professor..."

"Oh, you're here." Selena appeared at the staircase, glancing back at the devastated reception room across the hall, shaking her head. "You two sure know how to make a mess. You actually blew this place up."

After that, she looked Lex up and down and said, "Are you really a citizen of Metropolis? Your destructive power is not something we often see in Gotham."

Lex seemed completely uninterested in talking to Selena. He stopped in his tracks and looked at Bruce, saying, "I acknowledge you're also a genius, but compared to me, you're far behind. Your so-called perfect helicopter engine is nothing special..."

"I can tell you that I do know a lot of information," Lex crossed his arms and looked into Bruce's eyes. "My father has been searching for a treasure, and in these two years, he hasn't come up empty-handed."

"Today's party was originally his conspiracy. He invited all the East Coast celebrities here, partly to eliminate those who hindered him and also to cause a mess, stirring the waters and muddying the situation to cover up his true intentions."

Bruce narrowed his eyes, staring at Lex. "Are you saying the treasure is here?"

"Correct." Lex gave a positive answer and then began pacing before Bruce, explaining, "The mayor's mansion is the oldest manor in Metropolis. It was built by the first European immigrants who came here. After the immigrants left the city, it became the residence and office for all the mayors."

"Everyone knows that, unlike Gotham, Metropolis operates under a strong mayor system. The mayor holds considerable power here. Under the governance of the mayor before White, Metropolis prospered."

"Some said he might be a strong candidate for the presidency. However, after he stepped down as mayor, he mysteriously disappeared. Nevertheless, this mayor left behind many rumors, including the one my father heard."

"He heard that the mayor was conducting secret radiation experiments, trying to find a way to improve humanity's physique and brain, to turn humans into powerful, long-lived, and intelligent mutated beings."

Lex glanced at Bruce's expression and continued, "I know this sounds like the delusion of a fool, but he did find some evidence that the mayor conducted secret experiments underground in the mansion."

"He constantly sought extraordinary wisdom, so he investigated this matter until he bought all the buildings around the mayor's mansion and planned this event to secretly explore what lies beneath the mansion..."

Lex stopped walking and looked at Bruce. "Metropolis' affairs should be handled by Metropolis' people. Whatever the mayor was doing underground has nothing to do with you. Go back to your Gotham."

"You know what I'm truly interested in, don't you? What happened in the conspiracy two years ago and that Professor..."

"I was indeed inside the mayor's mansion at that time, but I never left the room throughout the entire event. I don't know what happened inside the manor."

"Then..."

"Regarding that Professor, I won't say anything."

Lex crossed his fingers, forming an "X" in front of his mouth. After putting his hands down, he turned and walked away, leaving behind a slightly wicked smile.

Once he left, Selena approached and walked alongside Bruce. After they returned to the room, Bruce sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard, his face showing a hint of weariness. He rarely displayed such an expression in front of outsiders, but Selena seemed used to it.

"It seems like you're a bit unhappy," Selena sat beside him and turned her head to look at his face. "Is it because you really want to know about that Professor's story?"

Bruce pursed his lips and replied, "If I can't figure out his origins, I can't ignore his dangerous abilities."

"You distrust him? But I can see that he seems to trust you."

"Where did you see that?"

"Didn't you notice? When Lex wanted to attack you, he chose to stand on your side."

Bruce shook his head and said, "I only distrust those dangerous abilities. If one day those abilities go out of control, I need to have a way to counter them..."

"Alright, then let's talk about that treasure. I like searching for treasures, what about you?" Selena smiled at Bruce.

"Lex told me that there is a secret beneath the mayor's mansion, and he may have wanted me to pave the way for him."

"Yeah, but..." Selena intentionally dragged out her words, prompting Bruce to turn his head to look at her. Then, Bruce saw Selena extend her hand and flick her index finger, and a key appeared on her fingertip.

"If, I happened to find a key on him?"

Same-aged Batman, Superman, and Luthor.

Who endangers me, I won't say.

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