Chapter 27: Lex’s activities
In the dark of the night, a black van stealthily approached the entrance of the Lex Group and entered the underground laboratory through a secret entrance.
A group of about twenty-five people, led by a bald young man who was Lex Luther himself, awaited the van's arrival at the laboratory entrance.
Lex wasted no time and immediately asked, "Has the cargo arrived? Did it go unnoticed by the authorities?" He spotted three individuals stepping out of the vehicle and inquired eagerly.
The burly man in the co-pilot seat smiled at Lex and replied, "Don't worry, boss. The goods have been delivered. According to the plan, we made it look like a dead body. No one can trace it back to us."
These individuals were private mercenaries employed by the Lex Group, trusted for their exceptional skills.
Lex moved towards the back of the van, where the doors had already been opened. Inside lay what Lex referred to as the "cargo"—a man wrapped in a sackcloth, possibly a corpse.
One of the Lex Group mercenaries, seeing his boss approach, reached out and opened the sack, revealing a pale face to everyone present.
"I can't believe this is an alien. He looks just like us!" one of them exclaimed.
"I saw a picture of someone in town taken yesterday. It's the same person. He can jump as high as a building, punch through walls. He's unstoppable!" another added.
"What nonsense! Can't he be killed? In my opinion, the most powerful is that cop they call 'The Avenger'!" someone interjected.
The people accompanying Lex discussed the events that took place in the town the previous day—a sudden appearance of an alien spacecraft and the devastation caused by the aliens.
While others focused on the alien's extraordinary abilities, Lex's attention remained fixed on the wounds on the alien's body.
Despite being dead for a whole day and night, the alien's skin looked surprisingly fresh, not the color one would expect from a deceased person.
"If it weren't for those green wounds, one would think he's merely sleeping, not dead," Lex observed.
"Transport him to the laboratory immediately. I want you to figure out what killed him. The color of those wounds reminds me of something familiar," Lex commanded.
A female researcher in white clothes chimed in, "Mr. Lex, could it be the green meteorite in town?"
"Yes, the green meteorite," Lex confirmed as the body was transported to his underground laboratory.
Meanwhile, on Paradise Island, Diana searched for equipment in the tower while her mother, Hippolyn, led the Amazon warriors around the tower.
Li Ya floated in the air, arms folded across her chest, observing from above.
"Hippolyn, did you bring all these people to send me away?" Li Ya laughed.
Queen Hippolyn, riding a war horse, wore a complicated expression when facing Li Ya. "Mr. Li Ya, if you'll allow me to call you that, you have no right to interfere. Diana must remain here."
Li Ya smiled and replied, "Your Highness, I think you've misunderstood. If you want Diana to stay, you should have told her, not me."
"You don't know Diana at all. She's special. I can't let her leave this place. Mr. Li Ya, I truly hope it doesn't come to that!" Queen Hippolyn said.
Queen Hippolyn's hand instinctively rested on the saber at her waist. She stubbornly believed that Li Ya intended to kidnap Diana.
And perhaps, in a way, she was right.
Ares, the god of war, remained inactive, but Li Ya, knowledgeable about certain events, had connected Diana's restlessness with the involvement of Zodiac, the star god. She wanted to accompany Li Ya off the island to protect world peace.
"I understand that Diana is special. We all know about you, Zeus, right, Hippolyn? Do you truly believe you can keep her hidden forever? Do you think you can shield her from her fate with your limited abilities? Stop fooling yourselves!" Li Ya's words left the surrounding Amazon warriors perplexed, exchanging glances. Queen Hippolyn couldn't retort after being repeatedly questioned by Li Ya.
Firstly, regarding Diana's birth, it was known by few that she was the illegitimate daughter of Queen Hippolyta and Zeus. Li Ya casually hinted at this information, leaving Queen Hippolyn to believe that he had some connection to Mount Olympus, perhaps even being a child of one of the romantic gods.
Secondly, Queen Hippolyn couldn't help but agree with Li Ya's perspective. During Diana's hundred-year adolescence, she transformed from a spoiled young girl into the strongest warrior on the island. There was nothing more for her to learn, even from her
If danger ever came, it would be Diana protecting them, not the other way around.
After a moment of silence, it appeared that Queen Hippolyn had undergone a fierce internal struggle. Her hands clenched tightly as she asked, "Can I trust you, Mr. Li Ya?"
"You don't have to trust me. You just have to trust Diana!" Li Ya promptly cut off any retreat for Queen Hippolyn.
At that moment, Diana donned Wonder Woman's armor, held the divine shield and Vulcan's sword, and had the golden lasso of truth around her waist. She leaped effortlessly from the tower's lowest level to the rooftop.
Facing her mother and the crowd of Amazon warriors below, Diana wrestled internally but quickly resolved to follow her own path.
"I'm going, Mother. I have to go, no matter what!"
She spoke with determination, "Countless lives in the world may be at stake. People who are defenseless. I am willing to fight for them. I must confront General Zod and thwart Ares' plot. So, I have to go!"
"Diana, if you leave, you might never return!" Queen Hippolyn sighed.
"I know. Perhaps this is my destiny!" Diana turned and extended her hand towards Li Ya.
Sensing the tension in the air, Li Ya coughed discreetly and said to Queen Hippolyn, "Your Highness Hippolyn, I've hidden my friend's spacecraft in your jungle. Please take care of it."
After speaking, Li Ya seized the opportunity, pulling Diana into her embrace. In the presence of all the Amazon warriors, they ascended into the air, creating a loud burst of sound before disappearing from sight.