"Alex!"
"Clark!"
Outside the Daily Planet building, Alex met Clark Kent—glasses on, refined and scholarly-looking.
Alex subconsciously glanced at the glasses perched on Clark's nose.
It was pure instinct.
After all, back in Smallville, Clark had never worn glasses.
Clark, for his part, made the exact same reflexive move—lifting his head to glance at Alex's glasses.
The two exchanged a look, a mutual understanding passing silently between them.
"Your glasses look nice."
"So do yours."
The two of them exchanged a round of professional flattery.
"So you're Alex. Clark talks about you all the time."
Standing beside Clark, Lois Lane greeted Alex politely.
Seeing the two of them together, Alex immediately understood the situation.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Clark had only moved to Metropolis about half a year ago—this progress was fast.
"Alex."
"Lois Lane."
While silently teasing Clark in his heart, Alex extended his hand and shook Lois's.
Greetings exchanged.
"Looks like coming to work here has paid off for you, Clark."
Alex shot Clark a teasing glance.
"Yeah? I think so too."
Clark nodded with a grin.
"You two—are you really going to flirt this openly right in front of me?"
Lois laughed from the side.
The three of them chatted and joked comfortably.
---
Next, Clark treated Alex to a meal at an elegant restaurant, with Lois accompanying them.
"Alex, Clark said you've known each other since high school," Lois asked curiously during dinner.
"What was Clark like back then? Tell me about it."
Seeing Clark shoot him a helpless look, Alex smoothly changed direction.
"Back then, Clark was very popular with girls," Alex said with a smile.
"But he was pretty cold. His true love was football—he devoted his whole heart to it."
Clark finally relaxed and laughed.
The three continued eating and chatting, laughter filling the table.
The atmosphere was excellent.
---
Luthor's Secret Base
In front of a piece of ultra–high-tech machinery—so advanced that an ordinary person wouldn't understand a thing—
Lex Luthor stood with his hands behind his back.
He watched the figure inside a transparent chamber while glancing at the scrolling data on the control panels.
Technicians worked busily nearby.
Beep—beep—beep!
A countdown echoed through the room.
One minute remained.
"You're certain this experiment won't fail?"
Lex Luthor asked coolly, turning to a nearby technician.
"Absolutely, Mr. Luthor. I can guarantee there won't be any issues this time."
The technician nodded firmly, brimming with confidence.
"That's your promise," Lex said coldly.
"No one lies to me."
The technician's spine went stiff with fear, instantly regretting how confident he'd sounded.
Lex Luthor was not someone to trifle with.
Fortunately—
When the countdown ended and the technicians executed the final sequence, the person inside the chamber suddenly opened his eyes.
At that instant, a massive surge of energy erupted outward.
BOOM!
The entire apparatus exploded.
"Mr. Luthor, look out!"
Two bodyguards shouted as they threw themselves in front of him.
They shielded Lex just in time.
The three were blasted backward like rag dolls, smashing heavily into the ground.
The two unfortunate bodyguards were killed instantly by the shockwave.
Lex Luthor himself nearly lost consciousness.
After a long struggle, he finally managed to stand.
He walked toward the figure, inspecting him closely.
The man stood perfectly still, like a statue—
Yet an overwhelming pressure radiated from his body.
Lex nodded in deep satisfaction.
He quickly moved to the control center, typing rapidly on the keyboard.
A program interface popped up.
After making a series of adjustments, Lex's smile grew wider.
Everything was set.
The most perfect super-soldier of the Ares Project was ready to go online.
"No… Ares failed once before," Lex murmured.
"So this time, I'll give you a different name."
"You're as destructive as a nuclear bomb."
"I'll call you—Nuclear Man."
Lex Luthor's newest creation was officially born.
"Let me see just how strong you really are."
Anticipation gleamed in Lex's eyes as he issued a string of commands.
---
Back at the Restaurant
"Alex, how long are you staying in Metropolis this time?"
Clark asked casually.
"Hard to say. Depends on my mood," Alex replied honestly.
"But I probably won't be here too long."
He planned to see Clark, stroll around Metropolis, and see if any opportunities—or missions—presented themselves.
If something came up, great.
If not, he'd return to the Marvel world.
Suddenly—
The television screen in the restaurant flickered.
The image changed.
A muscular man with golden hair filled the screen.
Clark and Lois's expressions instantly grew serious.
Their attention snapped to the TV.
Someone had hijacked the broadcast?
It was no wonder they reacted so strongly.
Half a year ago, when General Zod invaded Earth, he'd done the same thing—taking over global broadcasts.
The scene was eerily familiar.
Even Alex sensed something unusual.
He focused immediately.
This might be another mission.
"People of Metropolis! You may not know me yet—but you will soon."
"Because I'm about to do something very interesting. Very fun."
"Care to guess what it is?"
The man grinned on-screen.
"I'm going to blow up the Empire State Building!"
"I've planted explosives with enough yield to turn it into rubble!"
"Sounds fun, right?"
"Oh—and you can call me…"
"Nuclear Man."
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