"Ha ha…"
Lex Luthor laughed loudly, but his eyes remained cold.
He didn't believe a single word.
After the zombie crisis, he had converted Lex Tower into a fortified stronghold. Survivors worked under him in exchange for food, shelter, and protection. Powered exoskeleton units patrolled the perimeter day and night.
It wasn't charity.
It was leverage.
A private army.
And now, inside his workshop, he watched as Li Jie casually summoned the damaged remains of Black Dragon I and II from thin air.
Metal frames.
Missile racks.
Cracked armor plating.
They appeared as if pulled from another dimension.
Lex's jaw nearly dropped.
Telekinesis.
Spatial storage.
Advanced mech engineering.
Superhuman confirmed.
His smile widened.
Yes… recruiting this man had been the right move.
—
Both Black Dragons were heavily damaged.
Li Jie combined salvageable parts, prioritizing thrusters, power cores, and stabilization modules. Combat systems were mostly gone, but within hours he had assembled a stripped-down hybrid frame capable of sustained flight.
Weak.
Almost no offensive capability.
But enough to return to the desert base.
He launched into the air briefly to test balance.
Lex applauded enthusiastically.
"Brilliant! I dare say this is comparable to that Iron Boy from New York. If we could mass-produce these—"
"Without Kryptonite," Li Jie interrupted calmly as he landed, "a thousand mechs wouldn't matter."
Lex's smile thinned.
"Then you'll love this."
Minutes later, Lex Luthor returned wearing his pride and joy—
A Kryptonite-powered mechanical exoskeleton.
Cruder than the Black Dragon armor. Bulky. Industrial.
But at its chest core, embedded within reinforced housing, glowed Kryptonite.
Raw.
Radiant.
Dangerous.
Close-range superiority.
Li Jie's gaze sharpened.
An idea sparked.
Integrate Kryptonite technology into the Black Dragon platform.
Create a Kryptonite Black Dragon.
That would change everything.
"Impressive," Li Jie said. "May I?"
Lex hesitated, but nodded.
Li Jie placed his hand on the Kryptonite core.
"Luthor. We'll need more of this."
Lex laughed.
"You think Kryptonite grows on trees? This is rarer than gold."
He spread his arms.
"This is all I have."
Silence.
"Oh my—"
The exoskeleton vanished.
Gone.
Lex staggered backward, suddenly exposed in only his base suit.
"Where is it?!"
Li Jie stepped back toward the window.
"Luthor, defeating Superman requires investment."
"You thief! That's mine!"
"I'll return it," Li Jie replied calmly. "After I improve it."
"You despicable—!"
"Find more Kryptonite. When we meet again, I'll bring the antidote for the laughing gas."
He launched through the shattered window.
Lex ran to the edge, screaming like a man robbed of his kingdom.
But beneath the rage—
He was calculating.
They were using each other.
—
Back at the desert base, Li Jie began repairs and integration testing.
Kryptonite radiation shielding.
Power flow stabilization.
Close-combat reinforcement.
Two days later, wearing the repaired flight-capable Black Dragon frame, he returned to Gotham.
His objective—
Bruce Wayne's Kryptonite reserves.
—
Inside Wayne Manor's underground medical wing, Bruce Wayne sat shirtless while Selina Kyle applied treatment to bruised ribs. Alfred stood nearby, composed but attentive.
"Wayne," Li Jie said with a smirk, "did you fight someone, or lose badly?"
Selina shot him an irritated look.
"Whatever he did, it was for Gotham. Unlike some people who vanish."
Li Jie leaned back casually.
"Miss me already?"
Selina's hand pressed slightly harder against Bruce's injury.
"Ah—Selina, please."
Alfred coughed politely.
Bruce sighed.
"I fought Bane."
"Voluntarily?"
"He attacked Gordon's convoy and stole supplies."
"Food?" Li Jie asked.
"And medicine," Alfred confirmed.
Bruce's expression hardened.
"He endangered survivors."
Li Jie considered.
"Maybe there's another solution."
Bruce frowned. "Such as?"
"Get him out of Gotham."
Selina paused.
"He seemed… afraid of you last time," she added.
Bruce turned sharply. "Afraid?"
Li Jie shrugged.
"I saved his life once. Long story."
Bruce processed that.
"If you can convince him to leave, Gotham benefits."
"I'll take him to New York," Li Jie said.
Bruce nodded slowly.
"Fine. What do you need from me?"
Li Jie looked directly at him.
"Kryptonite."
Bruce went still.
"You're going after Superman."
"Yes."
Alfred's composure faltered.
Selina stared at him.
Bruce stood up despite the pain.
"Do you have any idea what you're saying?"
"Yes."
"You've seen what he can do."
"Yes."
"And you still want to fight him?"
Li Jie met his eyes steadily.
"I've already tested him."
Silence fell over the cave.
Bruce's voice dropped.
"And?"
"Kryptonite still works."
A flicker of hope.
"But not as strongly as before."
Hope faded.
Bruce exhaled slowly.
"You're not trying to kill him."
"Not unless necessary."
"You're trying to measure him."
"Yes."
Bruce turned away, thinking.
Finally—
"There's a secured Kryptonite reserve in the lower vault."
Alfred stiffened. "Master Wayne—"
"He's right," Bruce said quietly. "If Kryptonite still works, someone needs to refine its application."
He faced Li Jie again.
"You get one supply case. That's it."
Li Jie nodded.
"Fair."
Bruce stepped closer.
"If you lose control of this situation… if you escalate him…"
"I won't."
Bruce studied him carefully.
"You're not telling me everything."
"No," Li Jie admitted.
Selina crossed her arms.
"You have a plan?"
"Yes."
"And does it involve risking yourself?"
"Probably."
Bruce gave a tired smile.
"Then take the Kryptonite. And try not to die."
Li Jie turned toward the vault entrance.
Behind him, Bruce added quietly—
"Bring him back if you can."
Li Jie didn't answer.
Because he wasn't sure that was possible anymore.
....
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