"Hey—officers, wait!"
At that moment, Lex Luthor hurried out of the building, calling out loudly.
"Mr. Reed is the bodyguard I hired. The man he's holding is the leader of the armed group that attacked my company!"
He quickly stepped in front of Lucas Reed and explained the situation to the police.
Lex wasn't worried that they might accidentally shoot Lucas—
he was worried they might anger a humanoid tyrannosaurus.
Yes.
In Lex's eyes, Lucas had already surpassed the category of "human."
"I'm Inspector James Carter," a middle-aged officer said as he strode forward.
"I need your bodyguard to release that man and come back to the station with us to give a statement."
Lex turned to Lucas.
Lucas loosened his grip.
The armed leader immediately collapsed to the ground, howling in agony.
Two officers rushed forward to cuff him—but when they saw that his right arm was little more than softened pulp, they froze and exchanged looks before turning toward their superior.
"What are you looking at me for?" Inspector James said helplessly.
"Call an ambulance."
Other officers then approached Lucas, preparing to put him in cuffs as well.
Lex immediately stepped in to block them.
"Inspector James, all of Mr. Reed's actions fall within the legal limits of self-defense. You have no right to treat him as a suspect."
James replied coldly,
"Whether that's true or not, the facts aren't clear yet. He must follow procedure and come with us. Cuff him."
Lex frowned. He took a step forward, standing directly in front of James and staring him straight in the eyes.
Then he said in a grave tone:
"Inspector James—first of all, I just saved your life and the lives of your officers.
Do you really think someone who can take down a mech single-handedly is someone you can afford to provoke?"
James remained unmoved.
"I don't care whether I can provoke him or not. He's coming back to the station."
Lex immediately saw through the man's façade of fearless justice and recognized the selfish calculation beneath it.
The branch office behind them was already severely damaged.
Several square miles around were reduced to chaos.
Nearly ten police vehicles had been destroyed, along with a SWAT armored car.
Six officers had already been critically injured by the shockwave and rushed to the hospital.
Meanwhile, dozens of armed attackers were dead.
If James walked away from this incident without anything to show for it, the blame waiting for him back at the department would be enormous—possibly even enough to land him in prison after an internal investigation.
So, for the sake of his career—and even his freedom—he had to drag everyone back to the station.
Whether Lucas was innocent or not didn't matter.
Once they were inside the station, the responsibility would no longer be his.
"Give me three minutes," Lex said.
He pulled out his phone. James did not stop him.
If someone with a bigger badge was willing to take responsibility, James would be more than happy to step aside.
After a brief conversation, Lex hung up and looked back at James.
Thirty seconds later, Coffett's phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID and froze.
"Chief!"
"Yes… I understand. Understood."
When James hung up, the rigidity in his expression was gone.
He smiled.
"Since the Chief has spoken, Mr. Luthor—would it be convenient for your bodyguard to assist us in escorting the suspect back to the station?"
"Of course," he added quickly.
"We'll also make sure this gentleman receives a Good Citizen Award afterward."
Lex turned to Lucas.
"I've already arranged for Elaine to be looked after. Once the helicopter arrives, she'll be sent home immediately. Don't worry."
Lucas nodded lightly.
He then got into a new patrol car with Lex, following behind the ambulance.
Soon, they arrived at the police station.
The Deputy Chief personally waited at the entrance and greeted Lex warmly with a handshake.
After a simple statement, the two were allowed to leave—no bail required.
Lucas's mood had already stabilized.
He looked nothing like someone who had just been through a brutal battle—
though, to him, it hadn't really been a battle at all.
On the ride back, the two chatted casually.
"Being rich really is nice," Lucas joked, glancing at Lex.
Lex chuckled.
"Lucas, broadly speaking, you're already a bona fide multi-millionaire yourself."
He continued:
"The reason they treat me so favorably is simple. First, I've donated no less than twenty million dollars to this city's police department."
"Second, LexCorp has invested over one billion dollars in this city over the years."
"Out of respect for that money, they're willing to show me at least a little courtesy."
Lucas sighed.
"So that's the advantage of capital. I'd like to be rich too."
"With your abilities," Lex replied, "that's only a matter of time."
At that moment, Lex's phone rang.
He listened silently for over ten seconds, then hung up—his smile gone.
Looking at Lucas, he said with mild surprise:
"That man was Anthony Morty, codename Arctic Wolf. He's a well-known figure in the mercenary world."
"He made his name in South Africa and spent over a decade operating in the Middle East.
I never expected him to fall into your hands."
Anthony wasn't weak. Lucas could tell—his physical condition was already near the human peak.
Of course, compared to people like the Punisher or Deadshot, there was still a gap.
"You found out who hired him?" Lucas asked.
Lex shook his head.
"We only traced it back to a Middle Eastern tycoon who posted the job on the darknet.
But when my people went to his residence, he'd already been dead for over twelve hours."
"All other leads were completely cut—clean, professional work."
"The Middle East… and professional methods," Lucas murmured, thinking.
"Does LexCorp sell weapons to the Middle East?" he asked bluntly.
"Of course," Lex replied.
"There are only a few places on Earth where—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Smart as he was, realization struck instantly.
"I suspected him before. If it's really that man, then everything makes sense."
Lex pulled out his phone again and made two quick calls.
When he put the phone away, a knowing smile appeared on his face.
"So it really was you…"
"Obadiah Stane."
__
T/N:
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