Chapter 170: The ‘Real’ Business War

Lex Luthor's neck was wounded by an arrow.

Bright red blood soaked through his pure white suit, creating a terrifying sight. He was somewhat shocked, staggering back three steps before collapsing into a chair.

Everything had happened so suddenly that his beautiful secretary and bodyguard, codenamed "Mercy," took a full second to react.

She quickly rushed over, using her body to shield the direction of the attack. She pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it against Lex’s neck, while simultaneously calling for emergency assistance.

For a moment, Lex's villa descended into chaos.

Two hours later, at a military hospital.

Lex Luthor lay peacefully in his hospital bed, his pale face almost entirely drained of color.

Looking at his secretary, Mercy, Lex’s pale lips parted, "Go ahead, I can take whatever bad news you have."

Mercy brushed aside her bangs, her expression grim. This incident was clearly her failure.

"This attack was completely illogical. Your home uses 44mm five-layer bulletproof glass. It can withstand not only 7.62mm sniper rifles but even a Barrett M95 anti-material rifle from a distance."

"five-layer bulletproof glass was shattered!"

Mercy fell silent, showing images from the scene on her laptop.

Yes! That very glass had been shattered by an arrow.

A hole, about the size of a small apple, was blown through the glass.

"We slowed down the surveillance footage to the extreme, and in the final frame, we barely saw what seemed to be an arrow-like object. Its damage was bizarre—it only grazed your neck, not even touching your carotid artery. We couldn't find any bullets or fragments at the scene afterward."

After a moment of silence, Lex screamed, "Are you saying I was ambushed by someone using arrows?"

"Not certain. It could be something like an arrow-shaped projectile from a shotgun."

In his agitation, Lex's freshly stitched neck wound began to bleed again.

At that moment, the TV in the hospital room was broadcasting a speech by Senator Finch, passionately declaring that Superman and all the extraordinary heroes who participated in the Battle of New York should come forward for questioning.

Although President Ellis had passed the "Temporary Extraordinary Persons Rating Act," its passage didn’t eliminate opposition.

Everyone knew the law itself was fragile. If an evil extraordinary individual committed an act that seriously hurt public sentiment, the law could be repealed at any time.

The law was only valid for two years, and with more than half that time gone, it was about time to discuss its renewal or repeal.

Lex couldn’t forget the mess he’d caused.

A few days ago, in some desert, he had set a trap to make it look like Superman had committed a massacre.

It caused an uproar across the United States.

Just last night, he had collaborated with Senator Finch, launching a public campaign ostensibly targeting Superman but, in reality, questioning all extraordinary individuals.

It was similar to Nick Fury’s argument from back in the day—"We can't rely on the mercy and morals of beings beyond humanity. We must have the means to destroy Superman and all other gods on this blue planet."

So when Lex showed Finch a piece of Kryptonite and demonstrated how it weakened the cells of General Zod’s corpse, they devised a plan.

Of course, the senator’s idea was even more brilliant—control Superman, and if that didn’t work, destroy him.

Lex, on the other hand, had a more ruthless approach...

A hundred kilometers away from the military base, Atreus was in his villa, watching Lex in the hospital room through a small portal.

Watching the "live broadcast" with him was Catwoman.

She was lounging on a chaise longue, stretching her elegant body, resting her face in her left hand. "Is this the guy?" she asked.

Atreus sipped on a soda, smiling as he shared his "analysis":

"Yeah, his plan’s pretty decent—hide in the shadows, have a high-profile senator act as a pawn to manipulate Superman’s moral compass, then control Superman’s family to force him to kill another famous superhero, Batman. Oh, and maybe that’s just the start. Ideally, he’d use Superman to kill all the superheroes on Earth, then finish off Superman with Kryptonite. A perfect closed loop!"

Atreus didn’t mention the mysterious creature known as "Doomsday" because it didn’t fit his analysis.

In fact, if it weren’t for him, Lex would have come pretty close to succeeding.

"Too bad he ran into you, you cunning dragon," Catwoman teased.

There’s a certain kind of cunning, called a fox. But the fox’s lethality is limited.

A higher level of cunning? That would be a sneaky black dragon.

"Are you complimenting me?" Atreus grinned.

"I’m mocking you." Even though her body was soft to the touch, Catwoman’s tongue remained sharp.

Atreus smiled, accepting Catwoman’s "praise." "This Lex Luthor kid is smart, but his biggest flaw is thinking in terms of business."

In movies, business wars are dramatic: ruthless CEOs vs. wealthy heirs—sending Tony Stark-level super hackers to infiltrate the opponent’s systems, gathering incriminating evidence; sending Natasha Romanoff-level spies to seduce key players and hack into closed networks... high-level corporate warfare, like a trilogy of corporate empire clashes.

In reality, business wars are more straightforward: poison the chairman; storm the office and steal company seals; cut the competitor’s internet lines; or, in extreme cases, scale the factory wall and take patent photos, calmly smiling as security apprehends you.

Ridiculous?

Yes, ridiculous!

But if you think about it, it makes sense. *High-level competition can still be simple*.

Why waste time if you can physically eliminate your opponent?

Would a human apologize to an ant’s family for accidentally stepping on it?

Everyone follows laws and morals because the state machinery behind them enforces mutual restraint.

Sure, tycoons rarely resort to physical elimination.

Because if you can play the assassination game, so can the other side.

It’s like how U.S. politics avoids going after former presidents—once that Pandora’s box is opened, it never ends.

But when one side possesses power far beyond any state machinery, and holds to the belief that "as long as I have no morals, my opponent can’t use morality to restrain me," Lex Luthor’s actions start to look laughable.

Lex cursed venomously, his body trembling slightly. "Aren’t you afraid of making an enemy of the entire United States, extraordinary being?!"

(End of Chapter)