"The beast is in the cage."
Inside a dark monitoring room, the large screen cast a pale glow across the walls. Lex Luthor leaned back in his chair, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he stared at the surveillance feed.
On the screen, a young man in a blue T-shirt sat unconscious in a specially designed electric restraint chair.
The restraints were enormous.
Calling them shackles was almost misleading. They were closer to giant steel clamps, solid and immovable like heavy iron spheres. Only the young man's forearms, legs, and head remained exposed.
Everything else was locked in place.
On both sides of his head, massive sonic weapons had been installed, their muzzles aimed directly at his ears. Every precaution had been prepared in advance to suppress him the moment he woke up.
Even the walls of the containment room had been reinforced with high-grade steel.
Outside the chamber, dozens of soldiers stood guard with live ammunition. Their expressions were tense, and none of them spoke. The atmosphere made it seem as if a terrifying monster were imprisoned behind the wall rather than an unconscious young man.
"You never told me your plan involved knocking him out with a passenger train."
A tall middle-aged general stood nearby, his gray hair sharp like steel needles. His posture was rigid and straight, radiating the stern presence of a lifelong soldier.
General Sam Lane stared at the screen with a cold expression.
His voice carried clear dissatisfaction.
Whether something had happened to this unique organism—or whether a train full of civilians had been destroyed—neither outcome would have been acceptable to him.
Lex lifted a finger, correcting him with calm amusement.
"No, no, General. He wasn't knocked unconscious."
He spoke as if the difference were important.
"He fainted from force."
Sam Lane glanced sideways at him.
"What's the difference?"
Lex spread his hands casually.
"General, you wanted Superman," he said. "And I delivered Superman."
His tone was smooth but carried an unmistakable edge.
"As long as you remember what you promised me."
Sam Lane's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The agreement still stands," he said. "All biological material collected from this… Superman will be shared for research."
He paused briefly.
"Superman," he repeated, frowning slightly at the name.
"As far as I know, that name came from your daughter."
Lex chuckled softly.
"Yes, Lois Lane gave him the title. And interestingly enough, he doesn't seem to object to it."
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk.
"But whether he's actually human… that's still an open question."
Sam Lane snorted coldly.
"I've never seen a human inhale enough anesthetic gas to knock out thousands of elephants and still remain alive."
His gaze shifted toward the heart monitor on the screen.
Clark's heartbeat appeared slow but stable.
"If a normal human inhaled that much oxygen mixture," Lane continued, "they'd die of oxygen toxicity before anything else."
He crossed his arms.
"Take a blood sample."
Lex blinked.
"A blood sample?"
His brows lifted slightly.
"General, his skin is so durable that even a titanium alloy drill couldn't penetrate it. How exactly do you plan to collect blood?"
Sam Lane glanced at him but didn't answer.
Judging from the confident look in his eyes, he clearly had something prepared.
…
Back at home.
"Clark… was captured?"
Hearing the broadcast from the television, Martha hurried into the living room. Her face had gone pale as she covered her mouth in disbelief.
"Superman… is Clark?"
Her voice trembled.
"And the military took him away?"
Jonathan sat frozen on the sofa, his eyes wide.
For a moment he looked completely stunned.
Then anxiety surged across his face.
"This… this can't be…"
Dana stood nearby, staring at the television with a dark expression.
Clark had told him something important before.
Clark had never told their parents that he was Superman. He didn't want them worrying about him, so he asked Dana to help keep the secret.
But now the truth was impossible to hide.
The moment the news reported Superman collapsing, both Jonathan and Martha reacted instantly. Their panic clearly showed they had suspected the truth long ago.
"You knew," Dana said quietly.
Jonathan sighed heavily.
"Your brother tried to hide it from us," he admitted. "But how could we not notice something like that?"
He rubbed his face tiredly.
"We always knew he was hiding something."
Martha's eyes were red with tears as she covered her mouth.
When the first reports about Superman appeared on television months ago, the couple had believed it was just another person who had gained powers from meteorite exposure.
At dinner they even discussed it casually.
Among all the people who had gained strange abilities from meteor fragments, it was nice to see someone using their power to help others.
They never imagined it could be Clark.
After all, the Superman shown in the news was strong, confident, and unstoppable.
Clark was blind.
But over time, something began to feel strange.
Every time Superman appeared in conversation, Clark would avoid the topic. When someone praised Superman's actions, Clark's expression would become stiff and unnatural.
Slowly, suspicion grew.
How could it be such a coincidence that an alien boy they had raised possessed extraordinary strength—and suddenly a hero with incredible powers appeared in the same city?
Now the truth was undeniable.
Jonathan suddenly stood up from the sofa.
"Son."
His voice was urgent.
"This isn't the time to talk about that."
He stepped forward.
"You have to go bring your brother back."
If the military discovered Clark's full abilities, there was no telling what they might do.
Dana nodded once.
"I understand."
His voice was calm.
"I'll bring Clark back."
He gave the television one last glance.
Then he disappeared.
A powerful gust of wind swept through the living room as his figure vanished.
Martha finally broke down, tears streaming down her face.
Jonathan wrapped his arms around his wife as the two of them stared anxiously at the television screen.
Both silently prayed that their sons would return home safely.
…
Outside.
Dana's speed continued increasing as he left the town behind.
Within seconds he accelerated to nearly thirty times the speed of sound.
Less than thirty seconds later, he arrived at the Metropolis platform where the incident had occurred.
Inside his mind, a quiet notification echoed.
[Template integration: 97%]
After the battle on Paradise Island, the fusion rate of the Black King Template had increased dramatically. His control over energy had improved alongside it.
Now he could convert energy directly into physical strength and speed.
Which meant his body could move far beyond normal limits.
At the platform, soldiers stood behind barricades with rifles ready, preventing civilians from entering the restricted zone.
Military technicians were finishing the final evidence collection.
Nearby, two reporters hurried toward the scene.
"How could something like this happen?" Lois Lane muttered.
She and her assistant Jimmy Olsen had rushed over immediately after hearing the news.
Looking at the heavily guarded area, Lois felt a deep sense of unease.
She was just about to turn around and contact her father.
Suddenly—
A violent gust of wind tore across the platform.
Dust swirled through the air.
In the center of the restricted zone, a tall figure appeared out of nowhere.
Purple energy flickered across his body like burning light.
Before anyone could react, he grabbed a soldier by the throat and lifted him off the ground with one hand.
His voice was cold.
"Which base did you take him to?!"
....
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