Chapter 152: Black Adam

Located forty-five miles north of Baghdad.

The name Baghdad originated from Persian, meaning "God's gift."

Beneath the arid desert of the wasteland, an archaeological team, fully sponsored by Lex Luthor, was rapidly excavating. Their mission was to uncover ancient texts and artifacts, and they were finally closing in on their target.

"Thank you for your sponsorship, Boss. I believe we've found it—the most potent source of magical power," said Dr. Sivana, who, like Luthor, was bald and a slender middle-aged man. He was also a brilliant scientist who had dedicated his life to researching the ancient legends of magic.

He had always believed in the existence of magic in the world and had spent his life searching for it by studying various magical texts and exploring hidden relics.

Recently, he had received full financial support from Lex Luthor, including access to royal manuscripts and secret volumes, which had given him a head start in tracking the trail of magic. Eventually, he pinpointed traces of magic in a tomb located forty-five miles north of Baghdad.

"Are you sure about this, Dr. Sivana? I don't have much patience left. I've invested ten million dollars in you, and if I don't see results soon, you won't see me again," warned Luthor. He was dressed in a black handmade suit, and his usually shiny bald head seemed darker under the dim lighting. His tone carried a subtle threat.

He glanced around at the rudimentary stone-paved passage, lined with indistinguishable fallen stone statues bearing swords on both sides. His gaze settled on the passage's end.

Dr. Sivana, in his late fifties, hunched over and sweating despite the cool underground air, swallowed hard and replied, "All the ancient texts point to this location. I've spent my entire life searching for the power of magic, and it's here."

Dr. Sivana clenched his teeth, nodded with determination, and confirmed.

Luthor surveyed the surroundings with a single nod, then started moving forward, leading the team along the passage towards the end.

As they reached the end, they entered a small underground plaza, bathed in the clear light of searchlights. They descended the stairs.

Suddenly, Lex Luthor felt a sharp pain in his right eye, as if iron filaments were worming their way into his eye through his nerves. He couldn't help but cover his eye, furrowing his brow.

"The treasure is here!" exclaimed a member of the archaeological team with excitement, pointing towards an entrance. Behind that entrance lay objects with a history spanning at least a thousand years—various pots, bowls, and utensils, and even a statue of Anubis. The treasure was right there.

Dr. Sivana stared at the treasures in disbelief and muttered, "This can't be right! Where is it hidden?"

Their mission wasn't to uncover these antique treasures; their goal was magic, the legendary power of magic. While these ancient relics might hold significant value, they weren't what he had spent his entire life searching for.

Dr. Sivana wandered around, tapping the stone walls lightly, trying to reveal the hidden magic power. However, the small plaza was limited in size, and they had already examined it thoroughly. There didn't appear to be any other location.

He felt a sudden rush of impatience, unable to believe that what he had tirelessly searched for all these years was nothing more than a pile of ancient ritualistic artifacts.

"Boss, what's wrong with you?" Mercy, the female secretary and bodyguard standing behind Luthor, was the first to notice his unusual behavior. She stepped forward, her gaze sharp and filled with cautious malice as she looked at Dr. Sivana.

Meanwhile, Dr. Sivana, still lost in his search for magical power, was too absorbed in his doubts and continued tapping and knocking around without realizing he was walking into a deadly trap.

The stabbing sensation lasted only a few seconds, but Luthor immediately sensed something extraordinary happening to his right eye—a magical and expansive dimension that had opened up before him.

"I'm fine," he replied.

"Boss, your eye..."

"We've found the source of magical power." Luthor's right eye seemed to contain a white light bulb, radiating a silvery glow as he looked at a wall.

Dr. Sivana, who had been searching for magical power, turned to see Luthor's eye and was ecstatic. He jumped up and approached Luthor, his excitement evident. "Boss, have you obtained magical power? Is it really magical power?"

Faced with decades of research that was now on the verge of being realized, Dr. Sivana couldn't contain his enthusiasm and eagerly asked, even though he was addressing someone he dared not offend.

Luthor's mood was slightly uplifted at this moment. The silvery light in his right eye allowed him to see a new dimensional interface, a completely different magical dimension from conventional physical technology.

"Yes, I've seen the magical power. That pile of treasure was nothing more than an illusion to conceal the real treasure. It was designed to weed out those with weak wills, those who wouldn't succumb to temptation. There's nothing more valuable than what's recorded on this wall."

Luthor took the initiative to approach a seemingly blank wall. To onlookers, it appeared entirely empty, but through his magical eye, it was recording the origin of magical power.

The people behind him exchanged puzzled glances; they couldn't see anything on the wall; it was just a blank surface. Only Dr. Sivana grew more excited, saying, "Boss must be seeing traces and inscriptions on a magical dimension level, something that our naked eyes can't perceive."

"Yes, I can see through the magic he concealed. My eye is connecting to the magical world, and now I can decipher these symbols; they are the language of the Gods," Luthor explained.

Luthor's intelligence and photographic memory were well-known. Before providing Dr. Sivana with the collected ancient texts, Luthor had already browsed through them, committing the strange magical languages to memory.

Dr. Sivana scratched his head in frustration, resembling an agitated old monkey. "Boss, what does it say up there?" His entire life's study was right in front of him, but he couldn't see it, making him itch with impatience.

Luthor gently touched the wall with his hand, to others, it seemed like he was merely caressing the dry and uneven surface. However, through the lens of his magical eye, the languages recorded on the wall were gently brushed over, evoking his awe for the extraordinary nature of magic.

"Black Adam will be permanently sealed until someone capable of destroying him appears," Luthor murmured as he rubbed the inscriptions on the wall. He couldn't help but feel a sense of surprise.

Could it be... the magical power he was seeking was destined to be destroyed by that Kryptonian ruler?

A somber mood settled in his heart, and this record didn't exactly uplift his spirits. If he couldn't match the Kryptonian ruler, what use was there in searching for this power?

Luthor's expression turned unpleasant.

Regardless, this Black Adam could still be useful to him.

Luthor went through the entire record. These enemies of Black Adam seemed to have no connection to the Kryptonian ruler, which made his heart grow heavier.

The complex web of grudges and relationships behind this was something Luthor wasn't particularly eager to delve into until he reached the end.

"There is only one word that can open this tomb..."

"Shazam!"

Luthor whispered.

Boom!

The wall in front of them suddenly exploded, and Luthor and those around him were thrown by the tremendous force, crashing onto the ground. They looked up in surprise.

In the deep darkness, a tall figure appeared, imposing and powerful, with silver lightning flickering around him. He resembled a towering dark deity with a black hooded cape that revealed half of his stern face.

Luthor, who had been thrown, raised his neck and stared with his silver-gleaming right eye, seeing the formidable and terrifying power on the magical dimension. He grinned and said, "I've come to help you deal with him!"

°°°

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