Chapter 292: The First Meeting of Batman and Superman
The Corporate Elite and the Cash Problem
Bruce did not participate in the daily operations of Wayne Enterprises, but that didn't mean he was ignorant of business. The moment the crystal chip appeared, he realized the unlimited business opportunities contained within that small object.
It was like the steam engine or the power plant of the past, representing the most fundamental form of technological change, and the most fundamental things are often the most profitable.
From both a business and a security perspective, Bruce felt it was necessary to cooperate with Luke Shaw.
In fact, many people held this view. Those present were business elites, seeing far more than the average person, which led to Luke being immediately surrounded the moment the dinner began.
Bank presidents and corporate directors continually probed with questions, simultaneously building relationships and hoping to secure verbal agreements.
Luke presented himself as very humble, but no matter what anyone said, he maintained one core principle: ShowMe wasn't short on cash, Tesla wasn't short on cash, and neither was Bluebird.
Was he really not short on cash?
Of course not. ShowMe's development relied on data centers, which were funded by mountains of cash. The factory expansions for Bluebird and Tesla, needless to say, required tens of billions in capital injections to solve the production capacity problem.
Luke was very short on cash and needed a huge amount of investment.
Money is the driving force of corporate development. The reason he wasn't asking for it was to seize the initiative and cultivate a high-end image, allowing others to willingly come to him to offer money while daring not to utter a single useless word.
He needed to hold them by the throat and make them pave the way for Tesla's future.
Luke, Clark, and Lois
Halfway through the dinner, the auction began.
Because of Linda, Luke intentionally invited Clark and his girlfriend Lois Lane to sit beside him. Of course, this was not without a hint of mischief.
He wanted to observe this world's Superman up close, to study his personality, manner of speaking, and habits—the things that best reflect his outlook on life and values.
Lois was excited by Luke's invitation, while Clark was indifferent. Perhaps out of male instinct or some other reason, he disliked this sunny-looking young man, even feeling a slight repulsion.
His powerful senses told him that this boy radiated a very dangerous aura, far from the harmless appearance he projected.
Clark, possessing the Codex, was different from Linda. As a fellow Kryptonian, he sensed far more than she did.
Lois wasn't thinking as deeply. As a reporter, she badly wanted to dig up some internal information on Tesla for her assignment, but the setting was clearly inappropriate. After much thought, she steered the conversation toward Linda.
"Shaw, how did you and Linda meet?"
"When ShowMe was just starting, it didn't have an executive assistant. She came for an interview, and whether she was in a bad mood that day or not, she punched right through the boxing machine."
Luke chuckled as he recounted the story.
"Everyone in the company was shocked. Some even suggested I shouldn't keep Linda in the company; she was just too powerful."
"I never knew you two had such a history."
Lois murmured. She then deftly changed the subject, asking casually, "You went with Linda when she returned to Krypton, right?"
Luke's heart gave a start, but his expression remained unchanged.
"That's right, we went together. It was an incredible adventure. It was my first time leaving Earth, witnessing the vastness and the dangers of the universe."
"You ran into danger?"
Luke nodded. "We almost died there, and almost never came back."
Clark couldn't help but interject,
"Did you reach Krypton? What was it like? Were there any survivors?"
This question had bothered him for a long time. He had asked Linda before, but she wouldn't say anything.
"You should ask Linda that question. I can only tell you that there are survivors of Krypton."
Clark urgently asked, "Where?"
Luke shook his head and remained silent, his expression subdued. Clark was about to press further, but Lois quickly nudged him.
"Who caused the danger you just mentioned? Was it aliens?"
The question seemed to imply a deeper meaning.
Luke knew what she was probing for and smiled.
"Danger in the universe is everywhere, but the ones who truly put Linda and me in peril were the Kryptonian survivors."
He paused deliberately here, his gaze sweeping over the pair before continuing slowly, "The goal of that group of survivors was the Fortress of Solitude. They wanted to use the Fortress to obtain Earth's coordinates and use Earth as a base to rebuild Kryptonian civilization."
"Do you know what rebuilding civilization means?"
Clark's brow furrowed. "They want to destroy humanity?"
Luke sighed. "Clark, you and Linda are kind-hearted people, but other Kryptonians are not."
"The universe is vast, but planets suitable for Kryptonian settlement are few, and each is extremely precious. They won't give up. I hope you are prepared."
"Oh, there's one more thing you need to know. The leader of that group has a deep connection to you."
"To me?"
"Yes."
Luke took a sip of red wine, stating indifferently, "To be precise, he is the murderer of your birth father."
Clark's face changed dramatically, and Lois couldn't hide her astonishment. The 'birth father' mentioned here certainly wasn't his earthly adoptive father, Jonathan Kent, but his biological father, Jor-El.
The survivor leader killed his biological father!
This information was too explosive for Clark to process immediately.
A Fateful Encounter
Just then, footsteps approached from behind. Bruce Wayne, impeccably dressed in a suit, stood by the table and smiled.
"May I sit down?"
"Of course, please do!"
Luke had a waiter bring a chair and place it opposite the table. His gaze flicked from Superman on his left to Batman across from him, and he felt a genuinely strange feeling.
If he revealed their secret identities right now, what kind of scene would unfold?
Of course, he would never do such a thing. Both Batman and Superman were currently in their rookie phases. One had yet to meet his lifelong enemy, the Joker, and the other had only just met Lex Luthor. A hero who hasn't been tempered by experience isn't a good hero.
Bruce Wayne asked a waiter for a glass of brandy. He then turned and asked,
"And who might these two be?"
Lois smiled. "Lois Lane, reporter for the Daily Planet. And this is Clark Kent, my boyfriend."
Bruce nodded slightly in greeting. As a public playboy, reporters were one of the professions he disliked most. As for the man next to her, Clark Kent, his clothing suggested he was an ordinary person.
He had nothing in common with an ordinary person.
Since a reporter was present, Bruce couldn't discuss the cooperation openly, so he steered the conversation toward the exoskeleton armor.
"Mr. Shaw, I'm curious. Did you develop both the exoskeleton armor and the energy crystal chip entirely by yourself?"
"The exoskeleton armor is my product. The crystal is not; it's the result of research between myself and a friend of mine."
"Oh?"
Bruce raised an eyebrow. "I wonder what your friend's name is."
🗒️NOTE:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 20 chapters in advance!