American comics: Random transformations

Chapter 140: It's It, It's It, It's Really It!

With his invisibility magic active, Tian Xiaoban swaggered into the LexCorp headquarters.

The journey here had been quite "normal." Compared to the citizens outside, who were flashing all sorts of cool abilities, things here seemed excessively normal.

In this building closest to the entrance, the employees weren't using super-power drugs; they were just working normally.

Bypassing the crowd, he walked inside, venturing deeper and deeper.

"Strange… where is everyone?"

He explored from the first basement level down to the fifth, seeing many laboratories, but most of them were already empty, as if they had been moved out.

Logically, that shouldn't be the case.

LexCorp was such a large company, owning the entire industrial park. The people on the first floor were also very active, not just filling positions.

But why did this underground experimental site look like the group had run away?

For important areas like laboratories, no matter how deserted, LexCorp, with its vast wealth, should at least have a few people guarding the door!

…

But the reality was that it was really empty down here. From the first to the fifth basement levels, from the parking lot to the laboratories, there wasn't a single living person. The deepest level, basement five, still had many semi-finished technologies and specimens.

It felt like they had thrown everything from the upper levels into the last level.

Tian Xiaoban searched for clues in this "garbage dump," looking for any remaining biological data.

As a result, he found something strange. It was pressed under a pile of things. Tian Xiaoban moved it out and, after searching for a long time, only saw the joints of the limbs and the head model. There were also a large number of exposed wires behind the head, indicating it was a semi-finished robot.

Tian Xiaoban carefully examined the semi-finished robot. The simple mechanical structure could still provide good flexibility. Judging from the surrounding paper materials, this technology came from the Toyman.

"This technology is impressive."

Some time ago, Lex Luthor ordered his researchers to thoroughly understand this technology, but later, this group of researchers was evacuated.

The robot's data had been compiled, and many physical robots had already been made.

However, this semi-finished robot placed here was the earliest eliminated prototype. The finished products had already been taken away.

"Never mind, I'll take it! Kovacs can fix it and then we can use it."

Tian Xiaoban took a new Digimon machine out of his pocket. The bright screen quickly absorbed the robot into the digital space, and the paper materials here were also transferred away.

"Not a wasted trip. Let's go, let's go."

With a crackling sound, he stepped on electricity and left the fifth basement level.

Just because this building didn't have anything didn't mean other places wouldn't, so Tian Xiaoban wanted to check out the other buildings. But LexCorp had more than a dozen buildings like this, and it would take a lot of time to see them all.

…

…

…

"Mr. Lex, please give us some more time. It's not that we're not strong enough, but Superman, he hasn't appeared for nearly half a month! Even if we want to catch him, we can't!"

The tone on the other end of the phone was full of grievance, with a sense of: It's not that the brothers are not trying hard enough, it's just that the enemy is too cunning!

Lex Luthor's bald head had bulging veins, and he roared at the other end of the phone: "F*ck, then why don't you hurry up and catch him! Damn it, it was a waste to use the 'God Gene' agent on you!"

"I'll give you ten more days. If you still can't find him after ten days, I'll catch you back and draw your blood! Don't doubt whether I can do it or not. I can create a pile of mass-produced goods like you!"

The person on the other end of the phone was so frightened that he immediately said in a proper attitude:

"Yes! Boss, we guarantee to complete the mission!"

Then he quickly hung up the phone.

…

Lex Luthor took deep breaths, adjusting his somewhat irritable mood. He still had experiments to do next, and he couldn't be too irritable.

"Hmph! These wastes, and Superman too! When no one is stronger than him, he jumps out to be a hero. Now that someone as strong as him has appeared, he doesn't know where he's hiding!"

"It's driving me crazy!"

"Bang!" Another table was broken by Bald Lex.

After his anger erupted once again, Lex Luthor finally calmed down.

He silently walked into another laboratory, where there wasn't any biological technology at all, only specially made mechanical parts.

"Sure enough, machinery is more suitable for me! Simple, reliable, and easy to use, much easier to control than those people.

Genetic technology is too uncontrollable!

After a while, I will find a way to resist super-power drugs."

The appearance of gene monsters reminded Lex Luthor that not everyone has a brain like him.

Rational use of super-power drugs could indeed allow Earthlings to quickly achieve the purpose of evolution, but reality slapped him in the face. Not everyone would abide by the rules.

Uncontrollable evolution is trouble!

And a very annoying big trouble!

Those mutated gene monsters, even the "God Gene" was useless. They couldn't be modified back, and instead would make the other party stronger.

Moreover, with the existing genetic technology, they simply couldn't be saved unless Superman was found to obtain Kryptonian technology from him.

This made Lex Luthor decisively give up saving those idiots.

Saving them was not as good as studying robots more. At least robots were more reliable than this group of people.

According to the current Earth, genetic technology has already been bottlenecked. And for Lex Luthor, the research has reached its limit unless there is a technological big bang, otherwise, it would simply be wasting his time.

Lex Luthor needed to see some higher-tech materials to break the limitations of existing thinking.

Like these, the technology he got from the Toyman.

The special transmission structure, and some special materials developed by the Toyman, could allow him to make some strange props.

Moreover, the Toyman has also researched many special materials that far exceed normal weapons, which are very suitable for making other serious things.

Like power armor.

What Lex was researching in seclusion was this thing. As long as he wore it, even an ordinary person could move freely among super-powered people without worrying about being threatened with their life.

There's no helping it; there are too many superpowered individuals these days, and we can't rule out the possibility of them seeking revenge on society. They might just pop pills and mutate in a crowd.

But Lex Luthor hasn't transcended the bounds of humanity. He still wants to lead humanity, so how could he possibly mutate himself so early?

Therefore, Lex Luthor needs a powerful weapon, a weapon capable of restraining these superpowered individuals!

This time, he's not targeting Superman, but everyone with superpowers, even if those people were born because of him.

… …

Ending his musings, he started working: "Data connection normal… Energy connection normal… Power sensor also normal… Good! Ready, AI control."

He activated the power armor's AI auto-pilot mode, letting the AI perform simple movement operations.

Even a toy robot's chip could do this. When he controlled the toys to kill people, they were more agile than Lex Luthor's current power armor.

"The materials are still too heavy; the movement speed is slow…"

"Power consumption, acceptable."

His power source is a thermal dynamic furnace made from green kryptonite and fragments of Groudon's shell.

Smaller, lighter, and more powerful than nuclear power!

Toyman's transmission technology, LexCorp's intelligent AI, a newly developed thermal dynamic furnace, and a backup "God Gene" in the built-in medical system.

Lex Luthor calculates that this state-of-the-art power armor will allow him to walk sideways in Metropolis.

"Ah, hahaha… Beautiful, perfect. I'm such a genius!"

… … … … … … … … … … … …

After wandering around in circles, Tian Xiaoban had been to laboratories with many people and those with few.

There were many good things, and he quietly swiped a lot, but unfortunately, he hasn't found his main objective for coming here.

"Lex Luthor, where exactly are you hiding people?" (Very softly)

The Digivice in his hand showed an image of a penguin's head, which was the digitized Kowalski.

It had just obtained a lot of new data here, which was very beneficial to the growth of the Digital World.

"I don't know, Boss. They don't have any records in the network. Should I just come out?"

Tian Xiaoban frowned: "What are you going to do coming out? You're so big; there's nowhere to hide."

Kowalski suggested a feasible plan: "Um, I can merge with a machine directly, like a Ditto. That shouldn't be easy to expose."

Tian Xiaoban thought that made sense! They had just passed a supercomputer. It was LexCorp's supercomputer.

Tian Xiaoban ran back and pressed the Digivice onto the supercomputer.

In the next second, the computer room began to "darken."

Kowalski successfully invaded. In the next second, it knew which areas of LexCorp originally had a network connection but had recently been disconnected.

Then, it checked the nearby surveillance to determine if that was where people were being "hidden"!

"Found a few disconnected areas. I'll go check them out."

Tian Xiaoban nodded: "Okay, I'll wait for your news!"

… … … … … … … … … …

The black data stream drilled over along the signal.

It stopped outside the disconnected door, transforming from a black slime state into a normal-sized penguin. Perhaps, it was a little rounder than a normal penguin.

"Oh, an electronic lock? Are you underestimating me!"

Kowalski swiped its flipper across the door like a card. Beep, click, the door opened.

"If money wasn't useless to me, I'd be the greatest thief in the world! Hahahaha!"

Kowalski waddled inside.

… … … … … … … … … … … …

Lex Luthor had already put on his power armor.

The suit inside the power armor had an extra layer of padding at all the joints and muscles to prevent wear and tear from excessive movement.

Artificial muscle fibers were added to many parts of the power armor, ensuring that the power armor had the same flexibility as a human body while also possessing toughness.

"Very good, I love this feeling. System, start recording!"

「Voice activation: Received」

First was running speed. With the explosive power of the artificial muscle fibers in his legs, Lex Luthor easily outpaced an Olympic sprinter. Five seconds for the 100-meter dash, faster than a supercar.

Running into the shooting range, he used the hand lasers, shoulder lasers, and leg lasers, all in turn. With the AI's automatic aiming, Lex Luthor blew up the heads of every dummy on the other side with every shot.

"Stable energy output, beautiful. Now for the pressure test."

Walking into the pressure simulation room, two hydraulic plates pushed two three-meter by three-meter metal plates towards him.

The power armor's hands supported the two metal plates. New support frames quickly extended from his back and shoulders, securing him in place to prevent accidents like hand fatigue.

This was also one of the emergency devices. The human body is ultimately made of flesh and blood, not as reliable as metal. In case of a broken hand, sprain, or abrasion, when one can't exert strength, this device can be used to save lives, helping Lex Luthor hold up a small space in times of crisis.

The numbers on the hydraulic press went up like crazy, instantly reaching three tons… six tons… twenty-three tons, and the numbers were still rising.

Lex Luthor could tell from the indentation of the metal plates and the slightly trembling support frame on his back that it was almost at its limit. Any more force, and the hydraulic press would break.

It was definitely not because he was afraid of his hands shaking and not holding on, causing problems with the support frame behind him.

Finally, he used voice control to turn off the hydraulic press and glanced at the data. One hundred and twenty tons!

The titanium alloy power armor theoretically could withstand over 1000 tons, but this was a temporary support frame cobbled together for the mech, so this level was already good.

"Very good, this can also come in handy when buildings collapse during fights with superhumans!"

"Wow, nice technology! Long time no see, bald Lex!"

The familiar nickname, the familiar taunt, the familiar cheap tone!

It was it, it was it, it was definitely it! That damn Antarctic vermin.

Lex Luthor turned his head, and all the lasers on his body aimed at Kowalski.

Kowalski had all of Ditto's data on him, including the memory of Tian Xiaoban transforming into Kowalski and leading Lex Luthor around in circles.