Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics-Chapter 4436 - 3523: Research on Cats and Dogs (34)

The night Barry returned to Gotham with the umbrella, he knocked on Lex's door.

Lex was bent over his desk, working. Barry walked over, handed him the umbrella, and said, "The professor said you'd know what to do."

Taking the umbrella from Barry's hand, Lex thought for a moment and quickly deduced Shiller's intentions.

The item known as "Shiller's Umbrella" had a somewhat awkward level of power. Whether it was the Life Equation or the Anti-Life Equation, both held the potential to tap into the essence of the universe, but only if the wielder was a scientist. The umbrella could only truly reach its potential in the hands of someone like Batman or Darkseid.

However, Shiller clearly wasn't a scientific researcher. With this item in his possession, all he could utilize was its surface-level functionality, namely, strong control.

Regardless of its principles, the point was, under normal circumstances, intelligent creatures couldn't directly look at the umbrella's canopy. A single glance would induce dizziness.

The difference was that a human would faint instantly after one look, while Kryptonians with super brains could endure slightly more, though they'd still feel dizzy for a short period. In unguarded moments, even a few seconds of unconsciousness was possible.

Beyond that, the umbrella had no other special functions. It didn't enhance physical attacks, so it couldn't really be considered a weapon.

But the item had one major advantage: hardly anyone knew about it. Most people had no clue what the umbrella's canopy was made of. Seeing someone pull out an umbrella, they'd simply think it was about to rain.

Thus, the umbrella was quite suited for subterfuge.

The choice of targets for ambush was obvious. Although Batman wasn't great in ambush scenarios, his vigilance made him hard to trap without meticulous preparation. Failing once would mean there'd never be another chance.

In contrast, Superman was much easier to deal with. His sensitive senses made him immune to ordinary traps, but the umbrella was clearly beyond his comprehension, leaving him with little defense against it.

Coupled with the fact that Injustice Superman's mental state had always been unstable—having been previously controlled by someone unknown—and that most of his attention was focused on Injustice Batman, he was an easy mark.

Don't underestimate the strong control ability of the umbrella even if it could only incapacitate someone for a few seconds. Superman had another massive weakness: Kryptonite.

This flaw was widely known, yet few could exploit it because there was typically no opening. After all, not everyone could act as Superman's external brain and catch him completely off guard.

Shiller's intention in sending the umbrella was clear: to have Lex use it to create an opening to subdue Superman.

Lex's original plan was simple: use the umbrella to control Superman for a few seconds, then bury him in Kryptonite—and Lex had plenty of it. In addition to what was unearthed in Gotham, Lex had been steadily collecting Kryptonite from around the globe.

But after some thought, he decided to consult Pamela.

"Cactus thorns are non-poisonous, correct?"

Still wearing gloves and safety goggles while conducting an experiment, Pamela didn't even turn around as she replied, "Are you referring to regular cacti? Then yes. Most plant thorns are non-poisonous; their lifeforms don't support the development of venomous fangs or glands like animals do. Cacti are no exception."

"Then how did you poison Batman?"

"Because the cacti I cultivated weren't ordinary." Pamela set down the test tube in her hand, turned around, and looked at Lex. "If it was just for physical attacks, cabbages would suffice. Guess why I chose cacti?"

"I thought you intended to use them for ranged attacks."

"There are far better options than cacti for that." Pamela shook her head slightly. "I chose cacti mainly for their thorns, but also because of their ability to utilize water in soil... Never mind. All you need to know is that I wanted their thorns."

"Can you make their thorns poisonous?" Lex framed his words as a statement.

"Yes, by adding plant toxins to the cultivation solution, I can make their thorns grow with venom. But as you've seen, the traits aren't very stable; otherwise, Batman would've fainted by now."

"Can you add other traits to them?"

"Like what specifically?"

"Could Kryptonite solutions make cactus thorns carry Kryptonite effects?"

"...What the hell?"

Now pacing in front of the lab table like a bona fide mad scientist, Pamela murmured, "In theory, it's feasible. But Kryptonite is a mineral, and mineral solutions may not affect cacti the way plant toxin solutions do. Even if mutations occur, there's no guarantee the thorns would absorb or manifest those traits..."

"That's your problem to solve," Lex said. "I've got a plan concerning that rabble-rousing Evil Superman."

Lex outlined the broad strokes of his plan to ambush Injustice Superman: incapacitate him with the umbrella, subdue him using Kryptonite, then have Charles Xavier take possession of his body.

"Is there a chance," Pamela asked, "we could skip the first two steps and just have Charles take control? Isn't that something he can handle?"

"I'm not sure," Lex admitted truthfully. "Professor Xavier's abilities are beyond my comprehension. Even if he could, I still would go for the safer route. Superman is just too powerful."

"Moreover, this Superman isn't exactly a good guy. In his original universe, I've heard he didn't just kill the Joker; he also killed superheroes. If the plan to control him goes awry, there's no moral code to stop him from slaughtering indiscriminately. That could spell disaster."

Pamela frowned slightly, her darting eyes indicating a weighing of pros and cons in her mind.

Undoubtedly, joining Lex's plan would require Pamela to command her plants during the confrontation. This meant facing Superman head-on. If the plan failed, she'd be the first to suffer.

But for Pamela, facing Superman also carried a certain temptation. If her cultivated plants could indeed develop Kryptonite attributes, it would mean she could counter most versions of Superman.

Achieving this would also give her something to report back to All Things Green—her agent could defeat Superman. As for the justification, well, that could be dealt with later.

Gritting her teeth and making up her mind, Pamela said, "All right, let's do it."

In the laboratory, as Pamela watched Injustice Superman slowly rise to his feet, she felt momentarily relieved. But when Charles's blue eyes flashed across her vision, a new sense of dread crept in.

Evil Superman was terrifying, but was handing such a being control over Superman's body truly safe?

Pamela couldn't stop herself from glancing at Lex, who seemed quite pleased with his accomplishment. He nodded toward Injustice Superman, saying, "Now, let's resolve the issues between you and Batman. Professor Xavier, are you ready?"

Injustice Superman nodded slowly. "I have experience in this."

Though Lex wasn't particularly familiar with the Marvel universe, Professor X and Magneto's prominence in Battleworld couldn't be ignored. The two of them, with their lifetime of disputes and entanglements, were infamous.

While Magneto often seemed like the aggressor, no one could deny that Professor X was no victim. He could easily be seen as the prime accomplice.

He was, without a doubt, an authority on handling twisted, dysfunctional relationships.

Pamela's brow remained furrowed, clearly uneasy. After Injustice Superman stepped out the door, she turned to Lex. "Do Oliver and the others know about this plan?"

"Why are you concerned with the Justice League's opinion?"

"Uh... I just think being a bit conservative isn't a bad idea sometimes," Pamela said, clicking her tongue.

"Really, Poison Ivy?"

"Don't call me that." Pamela scrunched her face. "I don't want to dress like a head of broccoli. I mean, come on, I'm not that much of a total anti-social type."

"Unfortunately, the Justice League approved the plan."

"Tsk..." Pamela hissed, softly. "The anti-social crowd around here is really something."

"It's because of this," Lex said, shaking the umbrella.

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"Of course, Professor Shiller gave me the umbrella specifically to deal with Evil Superman. But are you sure he wanted you to put Xavier's soul into Superman's body?"

"Seems like you still don't trust Professor X."

"Who would?"

"Obviously, those anti-social folks in the Justice League," Lex sneered. "They didn't question the plan at all, which made me wonder if I'm being overly cautious."

"I think I understand their reasoning," Pamela said. "If Professor X really wanted to take over the world, resisting him would be futile. Since he's refrained from doing so, it's proof that he can be trusted."

"Not the worst rationale," Lex admitted.

"My concern isn't about him ruling the world—it wouldn't make much sense for him, especially since our universe doesn't even have mutants."

"Then what worries you? That he'll brainwash everyone into being heterosexual and ruin your dating life?"

"Thanks for that; now I'm actually worried about it!"

Lex picked up his phone and said to someone on the line, "It's done. Head to the surveillance room downstairs. No ice in the drink."

When the two arrived at the secure surveillance chamber beneath Luthor Manor, the Justice League was already assembled. Barry, Harley, and Kara were there too, busy unwrapping snacks.

Clark handed Lex his drink with no ice. Pamela sifted through a pile of snacks for her favorite flavor, grumbling about Hal and Oliver hogging all the spicy chips. She then flopped down onto the spacious sofa.

In front of them was an enormous holographic projection screen, currently displaying the interior of the lab where Injustice Batman was working.

In the lab, Injustice Batman was making adjustments to his gear. He appeared to be constructing a new grapple device, testing his ropes' strength with a saw blade.

At that moment, there was a knock at the lab door.

Injustice Batman turned around. The mask of his bat suit made his nose appear even more prominent, sharp like a dagger when viewed from top to bottom, cutting through the tense lines of his tightly shut lips.

He seemed to already know who the visitor was.

His assumption was both correct and incorrect. The icy blue eyes of Injustice Superman, cold as an Arctic storm, appeared in his view. Injustice Batman glanced at him briefly before turning away, pretending to stay focused on his work.

Until a deep voice resonated:

"Bruce, I think we need to talk."