Clark stared at Lex, uncomprehending. "Invest? Is he crazy?"
Lex held a gun pointed at him, yet he was talking about an investment opportunity. The thought that Lex was insane seemed very plausible.
"Ha, do you want to invest in the gun business?" Clark hinted, as if to say, "Do you want to invest while pointing a gun at me?"
Of course, Lex understood the implication. "Sorry, but I'm afraid you might kill the witnesses."
"And why do you think a gun will protect you if I wanted to kill you? You were watching me, right? So you know what I'm capable of," Clark said, gripping his knife, ready to end Lex. He thought to himself, "If I kill him now, I'll get rid of a great danger. I initially ignored this person because I thought he would be dangerous in the future, but now I realize that his existence will cause problems, whether now or later."
Lex was aware of the masked figure's murderous intent, but a genius like Lex wouldn't come to such a meeting with only one plan.
"Wait, wait. If you kill me now, all the photos and videos will be sent to the government, and they will start investigating this city. You'll have a lot of trouble, and it wouldn't be surprising if you were wanted by the American government."
"..."
"Instead of that, why don't we cooperate? I take the money, and in return, I help you do whatever you want. What do you think?"
"You scoundrel, do you think threats scare me?" Clark thought, but didn't speak. Instead, he moved quickly, reached the motorcycle, and said, "If you want to invest, let's go somewhere else."
Lex felt a pang of fear. He hadn't realized when this person had reached the motorcycle that was near him. In fact, Lex had hoped to scare him a little with the gun, but he realized that the gun in his hand was like a piece of scrap metal compared to this individual.
"Yes, let's go somewhere else," Lex said, climbing onto the motorcycle. "We're going to the project I want you to invest in."
Lex sped off on the motorcycle, with Clark moving at his super speed behind him.
...
Some time after Clark and Lex left, the police arrived at the clothing store and arrested the thieves. The officer was furious. He didn't know why or how, but he found the criminals tied up again and the stolen goods present.
"Is there some kind of vigilante playing hero in this town?" he muttered, taking a drag from his cigarette as he surveyed the scene.
...
Ten minutes later, in an abandoned factory in Smallville, Clark and Lex arrived. The factory was dark, but Lex didn't care. He got off the motorcycle and walked towards the entrance.
"Welcome to the future. Welcome to Project Cadmus." Lex Luthor flicked on the lights, revealing an empty factory with some old equipment, electrical components, and copper wires. The place was the very definition of an abandoned factory, filled with all sorts of junk, old walls, broken machinery, and dust everywhere.
Clark looked around the factory after entering, thinking to himself, "Isn't Project Cadmus the cloning project? I remember seeing in a TV series how Lex Luthor created Superboy and Bizarro." Then he looked at Lex, pondering, "I must get rid of this person. He's dangerous. Things are getting out of hand."
"Tell me, kid, what is this project? Do you want to open your own factory?" Clark didn't want Lex to realize he knew about Project Cadmus, so as not to make him feel even more threatened. Who knew what this teenager was capable of?
"No, I don't want to build a factory. This project will be the foundation for the future of humanity. Think about it: genetic modification, advanced robots, and super artificial intelligence, all combined in one project. Of course, your five million won't achieve all of this, but I just need a chance, and I believe you are that chance for me."
Lex's choice to start this project stemmed from his urgent need to accomplish something. Lex had been punished for a problem he caused at home and forced to go live with his grandmother in a small rural town. Compared to Lex's ambition, it was hell for him. But Project Cadmus would allow him to achieve what he wanted, and after seeing Clark, he decided to pursue his thoughts and ambitions.
"I won't let you experiment on my body, understand?"
"Oh, of course not. I only want the money, and in return, I will help you do whatever you want. In fact, I will focus all the project's resources on helping you. What do you say?"
"I don't know. I really don't need you, but I also don't know what to do with the money. So, let's make a deal. I have three conditions:
* You tell me about all the projects related to this, and all the information about them. If you hide any kind of project or information, I will do something you definitely won't like.
* You help me eliminate crime everywhere and use your intelligence to assist me. But if you try to investigate me or try to find out my personal identity, something you won't like will happen.
* You will write half of the project's shares in the name of… The name will remain undisclosed for now, but maybe in the future I will give you a name.
Yes, these are my conditions."
"Let me think for a day. I don't want to rush into this."
"We will meet tomorrow at the same time in front of Smallville High School, and you will tell me your decision."
Clark prepared to leave, thinking that he could make the villain help the hero fight evil. In fact, Clark knew that in the new stories there was a kind of friendship between the two, so it wasn't necessary to get rid of him now. He still needed help.
"Tell me before you go, are you a lab experiment or an alien?"
"Ha, I'm just a superpowered man. But tell me, how will you manage this project? Aren't you a teenager?"
"Ha, I'm Lex Luthor."
...
After finishing talking with Lex, Clark returned home and went up to his room to sleep, but he felt something strange, as if he had been transported to another place. Clark felt anxious, as if he were about to face something dangerous.
Clark's eyes snapped open, trying to understand where he was, and then he discovered he was inside a mysterious and dark cave. There were faint and strange noises in the cave, the source of which Clark couldn't identify. An old wizard with a long wooden staff sat on a large throne made of gray stone.
"Welcome, last son of Krypton. I am the wizard Shazam."