Hearing this, Luthor's face immediately lit up with excitement.
Looking at Lucas, he said with barely concealed enthusiasm,
"Lucas, if what you're saying is true, then many of the problems we were struggling with before will no longer be problems at all!"
But as soon as the words left his mouth, Luthor's expression shifted.
His tone grew noticeably more serious.
"However, the fact that you chose to tell me this privately means you don't want anyone else to know about it."
"And once our progress accelerates too quickly, suspicion is inevitable—especially from the military and those people in Congress."
"Still, given your intelligence, there's no way you wouldn't have considered that."
Luthor fixed his gaze on Lucas.
"So the only conclusion I can draw is this: you intend to use the spaceship research as a smokescreen, while secretly using my laboratories to work on something else."
As expected of a top-tier genius.
Lucas nodded with satisfaction.
"Correct. I need you to help me develop a specific piece of equipment."
Luthor replied without hesitation,
"Name it. While my research team and facilities may not be the strongest in existence, they are absolutely top-tier—both in America and globally."
"Unless what you want to develop exceeds the technological limits of this era, it's only a matter of time."
Lucas nodded.
"Good. Then let me ask you this—how secure is your research team?"
Luthor answered confidently,
"The team I assembled for this spaceship project consists entirely of people I can trust without reservation."
"Their livelihoods—and their futures—are firmly in my hands."
"Good," Lucas said.
"Then tell me—do you know what a gravity chamber is?"
"I do," Luthor replied.
"The theory isn't complicated. Are you planning to build one?"
Lucas nodded.
"Yes. I want a room where I can move freely while constantly experiencing gravity—anytime, anywhere."
"The gravity multiplier must reach at least thirty times normal gravity."
Luthor frowned slightly.
"If it's just a matter of increasing gravity, that's not difficult at all."
"I could simply repurpose a high-G training system used for pilot training."
"But allowing you to move freely under that level of gravity—that's a completely different challenge. The difficulty increases exponentially."
Lucas smiled.
"If it were easy, I wouldn't be coming to you."
"Even though I'm not a scientist, I understand the core challenges—massive energy supply, mechanical structure, and material constraints."
"But all of that already exists on the spaceship, doesn't it?"
Luthor immediately nodded in agreement.
"You're right. I'll do everything I can to deliver results as soon as possible."
---
After returning home, Lucas sat on the sofa, contemplating the current situation.
The gravity chamber had always been at the top of his priority list.
For a Saiyan, it was one of the most effective tools for rapid power growth.
Now that the plot was beginning to move along its main trajectory, his current strength was still sufficient—but that wouldn't last forever.
What awaited him next could be Asgardian gods, the Chitauri invasion force, General Zod of Krypton, and more.
If this were a pure Marvel or pure DC cinematic universe, Lucas wouldn't be concerned at all.
The power gap between comic universes and movie universes in both Marvel and DC was enormous.
But this was a merged universe.
Because of overlapping characters and intertwined storylines, many details—and even timelines—had already begun to diverge.
Lucas couldn't be sure which major villains would still appear, or how much stronger they might become.
After all, many movie versions had been deliberately nerfed.
Thanos and Darkseid were the most classic examples.
Lucas had to prepare for every possible scenario in advance.
And the gravity chamber was a crucial part of that preparation.
In fact, a large portion of his long-term planning had been built around acquiring one.
Originally, he had intended to use the spaceship belonging to Supergirl's relatives.
He just hadn't expected the Dominator to deliver one straight to his doorstep.
As for why he chose Luthor, Lucas had weighed many options.
S.H.I.E.L.D. was never an option—giving it to them would be equivalent to handing the information directly to HYDRA.
The military and Congress, even if they agreed, would prioritize fully dissecting the alien spaceship itself.
They would never devote sufficient resources to something like a gravity chamber, as the focus was entirely different.
As for Stark Industries—setting aside Obadiah, that scheming bald fox—Tony Stark's current attitude alone made cooperation impossible.
The remaining options—Queen Industries, Kord Industries, and Wayne Enterprises—were also ruled out.
Queen Industries was entangled in waters far too deep; Lucas had no intention of stirring that mess yet.
Kord Industries had mysterious backers.
And Wayne Enterprises… Lucas had been on guard against them from the very beginning.
After all, Gotham's "Dark Knight" had an almost supernatural talent for targeting people.
At that point, it wasn't even about strength anymore—it bordered on metaphysics.
In the end, Lucas chose to trust Luthor.
In the source material, Luthor was a scientist on par with Tony Stark.
And beyond that, his villain aura—second only to Superman's protagonist halo—was simply too valuable to ignore.
---
"Aren't you afraid he'll turn on you?"
Elaine suddenly appeared beside Lucas, sitting down on the sofa as she asked.
Lucas came back to his senses, glanced at her, and smiled meaningfully.
"So, Miss Elaine—what exactly did you see in his heart?"
Elaine pondered for a moment.
"Desire. Bottomless desire."
"And a belief so strong it's nearly impossible to shake."
"At first, I even questioned whether he was human at all."
"His mind is more terrifying and complex than that of a god."
Lucas took a sip of water and replied calmly,
"Elaine, everyone has desires."
"Even angels and demons do. The desire to live, for example—isn't that a desire too?"
Elaine looked straight into his eyes.
"I'm just afraid you're playing with fire."
Lucas set his cup down.
"Don't worry. I understand Luthor's potential danger better than anyone."
"But the greater the risk, the greater the reward."
He paused, then continued, his voice dropping slightly.
"And if I ever sense even the slightest chance of him losing control…"
"I will erase him from this world without hesitation."
The coldness and killing intent in his words were completely unmasked.
Elaine shook her head slowly.
"In my view, you're actually more dangerous than Luthor."
"You know how to manipulate human desire and emotion to achieve your goals."
She looked at him intently.
"Let me ask you something."
"If—just hypothetically—it required the lives of everyone on Earth to guarantee Kara's safety…"
"Would you do it?"
Lucas didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked at Elaine and said quietly,
"Didn't you already know the answer?"
Elaine sighed softly.
"Your existence in this world may be a blessing…"
"…or it may be a catastrophe."
__
T/N:
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