"Lex Luthor?" Tony Stark, the most sociable of the three tycoons, stepped forward and shook his hand. "Are you the Lex Luthor of LexCorp?"
"I wouldn't dare say my name is unique, but... yes, that's me." Lex Luthor, despite being bald, was brimming with confidence. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Tony Stark."
"Though I've heard plenty about you…" Tony's eyes narrowed slightly with a hint of scrutiny. "But as far as I recall, LexCorp isn't one of the FBI's outsourced contractors, is it?"
The moment he said that, Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen both turned to look at Lex.
As the three major outsourced contractors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, they were naturally allies.
Lex Luthor, however, wasn't.
To be exact, Lex was basically their rival.
He had long-standing ties with the U.S. Government and Military.
For example, when Dante had Grant Ward eliminate the traitor Sitwell, he also had him clean up a batch of U.S. politicians.
Politicians who had likely taken a nice chunk of money from Lex Luthor.
With that kind of connection, combined with the natural tension between the FBI and the Military-Government complex, Lex had probably caused them a lot of headaches.
Recently, the companies under their control had all experienced minor but irritating attacks. They hadn't found any hard proof yet, but then Lex Luthor just happened to show up...
The three exchanged glances.
No doubt about it. This guy was the culprit.
"Outsourced contractor? Of course not," Lex said calmly, picking up a glass of champagne from the buffet table. "I'm just a humble businessman. I'm here simply to observe. After all, the FBI just went through a little event called the Washington War."
He took a casual sip.
"But gentlemen, your gazes feel a little unfriendly. I don't quite understand the hostility."
As he spoke, the three CEOs were caught off guard.
Standing nearby, the Kansas Big Guy had been silently watching all this, but now he was practically groaning inside.
It made sense for them to not know much about Lex Luthor. They hadn't interacted with him much.
But Clark Kent was a reporter from Metropolis. How many times had he covered LexCorp stories? How many shady incidents possibly tied to LexCorp had he investigated?
The problem was, LexCorp's operations were meticulous. Their cover-ups were flawless.
So flawless that Clark couldn't even justify switching to Superman mode.
Like this time—those sneaky, targeted strikes on the foundations of their businesses? The only one with the means and money to do that quietly was Lex Luthor.
But all they had were suspicions. No hard evidence. They couldn't move against him directly, so at best, they could fight fire with fire.
While Bruce, Oliver, and Tony continued glaring at Lex, a laid-back voice piped up behind them.
"Hey, you guys haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll treat you after this... except for the bald guy over there. I don't like him. He looks like the type who'd charge rent to his own grandma."
The three turned around. Sure enough, it was Dante, with Hela beside him, her expression mostly back to normal.
Dante gave them a look that said chill, I've got this, then walked straight toward Lex.
After hearing Lex's name from Agatha Harkness earlier, a thought had immediately clicked in his brain.
Him? Oh yeah. That checks out.
"I've heard of you. You're Agent Dante Alighieri," Lex said with a smile, extending his hand.
Even after Dante's sarcasm, Lex didn't flinch. "It's an honor. Your name is quite well known among high society these days. Most have heard of you, though few have seen you."
"Oh? So you mean you're honored to meet me?" Dante stared at the extended hand for a beat, then finally shook it. "Too bad I don't have a good impression of you…"
"Haha, I think that's a misunderstanding."
"Nope. I just don't like bald people," Dante said flatly. He tightened his grip so Lex couldn't pull away, then used his free hand to gently tap Lex's shiny forehead. "I only approve of two bald guys, and you're not one of them. So unless you grow some hair, I might have to send Internal Affairs agents to LexCorp. Fourteen visits a week."
Lex's eyelid twitched violently. His businessman mask was cracking, and the dark gleam in his eyes started to show.
Dante tilted his head. Wow, this guy really has patience.
I've already poked him this hard, and he's still smiling?
Has he gone soft, or am I losing my touch?
Meanwhile, the four bystanders, especially Clark Kent were losing it inside.
Outwardly stoic, inwardly howling.
Dante really was something.
No wonder he was the chosen one of that batshit friend of his.
There's no such thing as "craziest" anymore. Only crazier.
Of course, Dante couldn't hear Clark's thoughts. Not that it mattered.
"Agent Dante, I don't believe LexCorp or I have done anything to offend you, have we?" Lex said with a pained expression. "Sure, I'm not an FBI contractor. And yes, because of my ties to the U.S. Government and Military, I may appear to be in a rival camp... but I absolutely respect the FBI's efforts in maintaining global peace."
"Listen to this guy! Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen, Tony Stark—stop your whispering!" Dante said to the trio. "Now this is a real businessman! The audacity! The spin! That skin's so thick, not even a Batarang could pierce it."
Lex's smile faltered.
Finally.
Dante looked back at him.
There it was—the crack.
"Agent Dante, while I can't control your behavior, I will be reporting everything you just said to Director Nick Fury. I may be just a businessman, but I have my dignity. You've gone too far!"
His voice rose sharply. Agents nearby picked up on it.
Among them were Maria Hill and J'onzz, who had been holding a casual recruitment meeting by the buffet table.
Hearing Lex's outburst, they stopped their conversation and exchanged a knowing look.
Lex Luthor was going to complain to Nick Fury?
About Dante?
Go ahead, buddy. File that report.
See what happens.
While amused, Hill and J'onzz weren't just watching the show. They started connecting the dots behind Dante's open hostility.
"You know Agent Dante. He's not the type to act without a reason," Hill said. "Sure, he's chaotic and unpredictable, but his actions usually make sense in hindsight."
"You always defend him, but… you're right," J'onzz nodded. "Internal Affairs reported those contractor companies were hit recently. External sabotage. Now that I think about it, Lex Luthor's behind it. And LexCorp's been messing with our recruitment too."
Hill frowned, looking at the bald man Dante had just humiliated.
Both bald... but Professor X was wise and kind.
This guy? Just plain disgusting.
"Recruitment interference?"
"Yeah. Several big-name security companies under LexCorp have been poaching our people. Offering double, triple the salary. Nothing illegal, but... still sabotage."
J'onzz looked frustrated.
So, instead of sympathy, Lex's meltdown had painted a big red target on himself.
The Internal Affairs and HR heads made a silent agreement.
They'd deal with LexCorp the moment they got back.
For now, they kept their eyes on Dante and Lex.
They didn't know what Dante was planning, but they did know Lex was doomed.
Sure enough, Dante let Lex finish his rant in silence.
Then he smiled. Gone was the mockery, replaced by a calm, almost kind expression.
"Lex Luthor... sigh. I really thought you'd have deeper insight as a genius."
"But here you are, talking like a jealous kid."
He sighed again. "You should just resign. Hand LexCorp to your sister, Lena. I hear she's a real genius. Probably more capable than you."
Lex's hand trembled.
"What the hell did you just say? Lena Luthor? Better than me? That woman doesn't even have Luthor blood!"
"Oh right, my bad, you probably didn't know yet," Dante said, putting on an innocent face. "Turns out Lena is your dad's daughter... from a mistress."
He leaned in like he was whispering family gossip. "So yeah. She's a Luthor. And if she's outperforming you... well, that's perfectly reasonable."
Lex used all his strength to break free from Dante's grip.
Dante let go.
But to everyone watching... it just made Lex look like a flailing clown.
"You're spouting nonsense! Lena will never surpass me!" Lex snapped. "You're just a thug who knows how to fight! What do you know about genius?!"
Dante stared into his eyes.
Sure enough, the faint orange mist was there.
So it's true.
The blood of a dimensional demon. The sin of Greed.
Lex had been contaminated by Grandet's blood. Mammon's blood.
Unlike Hela, he had no divinity. No Asgardian resilience.
What Hela could resist, Lex had fully absorbed.
Otherwise, a guy like him wouldn't have gone solo targeting three mega-corporations.
Looking at Lex, teetering on the edge of madness, Dante leaned in.
He whispered the final nail in the coffin.
"What a waste of space. Superman's a hundred times stronger than you... no, a thousand times. You're nothing but a parasite chasing a red cape. And every day, that gap just gets wider."
Dante waved at Clark Kent in the distance.
"Eventually, you won't even be able to catch his shadow."
Lena was bait. Superman was the kill shot.
And it landed.
At the mere mention of Superman, Lex completely lost it.
Like someone flipped a switch on a glitching robot.
"I'M THE GREATEST HUMAN GENIUS! SUPERMAN, THAT SO-CALLED GODDESS NEXT TO YOU, AND HER DAMN FAMILY—THEY'RE ALL ALIENS!"
The orange light in Lex's eyes ignited.
"IT'S ALL MINE! LEXCORP IS MINE! THE LUTHOR FAMILY LEGACY IS MINE! EVERYTHING SUPERMAN HAS IS MINE! LOIS LANE... IS MINE!"
Under the dual influence of Mammon's blood and the Greed Light, Lex exploded with every dark thought he'd bottled up.
Especially that last line...
Dante winced.
He knew Lex had a twisted thing for Lois Lane, but...
Dude. Clark's standing right there.
How are you still alive?
Did you not connect the dots on who Superman is?
Dante looked from Lex, now fully unhinged to Clark, who was about to take off his glasses.
"Clark, ignore the lunatic. Lois is here too, right? Why don't you take me to say hi?"
Bruce Wayne calmly walked up, put an arm around Clark's shoulders, and gave Dante a reassuring nod before leading Clark away.
Batman. Always clutch in a crisis.
(To be continued.)
***
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