"At 9 o'clock this morning, the 10th released a statement on behalf of the Royal Family, stating that the allegations made by foreign media about the British Museum's artifacts being swapped by royal members were not true. The Royal Family and the British government will pursue legal responsibility against the rumor-mongers. Additionally, to make their stance clear to the public, the Queen has decided to hold a three-day public exhibition of the British Museum's cherished Ancient Egyptian treasure, 'Frenes Snake'..."
"In a private statement, Prince Charles described the matter as 'absurd' and 'unbelievable.' Other unnamed royal family members also remarked that if the British Museum's artifacts could be swapped so easily, where would the royal family's security be? This is utterly baseless."
"John Treven, a renowned editor at the British Guardian, told interviewers that the charity exhibition is real, but the Snake Tail of the 'Frenes Snake,' due to its immense historical and cultural value, and containing the most precious emerald on the entire mural, was not part of the charity exhibition. As for the swapping claims, they are equally baseless."
"Mr. Larry, a private collector from France, stated that in the past hundred years, the 'Frenes Snake' has never truly been displayed, making this public exhibition of great significance. He plans to head to London immediately, hoping to see the treasure at the first opportunity."
"Renowned American journalist Louise Lane also commented that if this incident could lead to the unveiling of the Ancient Egyptian treasure, it would indeed be a fortuitous coincidence. She further expressed that she's more interested in the artifact itself rather than the news headline and plans to personally attend the exhibition site."
"Relevant staff at the American Metropolitan Museum revealed that the museum is applying with the British Royal Family and the British Museum to borrow the artifact for exhibition so that American citizens can also witness the majesty of the 'Frenes Snake'..."
"Click," Clark turned off the television. He sat on the sofa, rubbing his forehead vigorously. The development of the situation was indeed exactly as Louise had anticipated. In response to the exposed artifact-swapping scandal, the British Royal Family chose the simplest way to refute the rumor—by directly exhibiting the 'Frenes Snake.'
In the news report from that TV station, Clark saw the photograph they had taken of the 'Frenes Snake' located in the British Museum, identical to the ones he could find online.
In fact, this was somewhat strange, Clark astutely noticed. First of all, the time was too short: from the scandal's disclosure to the royal family's response to entering the British Museum for photographs, it took less than two days in total. The mural was more than three meters wide; even current carvings couldn't be so quick, right?
Secondly, the details were too similar. Clark used his Super Vision to repeatedly examine the online images and the photos taken by the royal family; they were precisely the same, even down to the wear and tear. Could this truly be a replica?
Clark had a premonition that this thing might just be the 'authentic piece'—that is, the 'Frenes Snake' created by Shiller."
But thinking carefully, according to Bruce, even Lex Luthor only obtained the gemstone and not the actual mural. This means, other than Shiller, no one knows where this mural is. This thing might not even be in America, having long been transported by him to England, just waiting for this day.
Clark stood up again, beginning to pace in front of the TV. Although he could vaguely foresee the development of the situation, he still had a feeling of restlessness. He wanted to do something but didn't know what to do. Moreover, his Strength had not yet recovered, so he couldn't do much, needing to rest at home for now.
The good news was that, due to a deal Louise made with a certain military officer, his wanted notice was still up, but no one was actively pursuing him, allowing him to hide in his apartment for some additional rest, waiting for the damn gemstone powder to be metabolized.
However, some people weren't as leisurely as Clark. Lex Luthor, upon seeing the photos published by the British Museum on their website, violently threw his phone onto the table and kicked the table hard.
"Damned bastard! That deceitful swindler!!!"
He did not finish his words when the phone rang. On the other end was the 'deceitful swindler' he had just cursed.
"Mr. Luthor, I believe you must be very angry right now. You think I tricked you, using a fake to fool you. But whether the gemstone is really effective, you know very well in your heart. It's just that your offer wasn't enough, trying to blackmail me, so I had to find another buyer myself."
Lex opened his mouth to curse, but Shiller interrupted him. Shiller on the other end of the phone said, "Instead of using your energy to curse me, why not think about how to deal with the military? They're likely already eyeing the gemstone in your possession, right? Being a good boy and handing over the gemstone to them, or thinking of other ways, is all up to you."
Lex's anger suddenly vanished, feeling as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. His rage stemmed not only from the failure of the blackmail but also from his now awkward situation—the military was targeting him.
The military had found out that he possessed something that had nearly killed Superman. The medical examination results on the injured Clark Kent showed that the thing worked remarkably well, barely cutting through some outer skin, yet it could seep into the bloodstream. Isn't this a powerful weapon against aliens?
They wouldn't allow any type of deadly weapon not under their control on the land of the Federation, even if the person with the weapon was Lex Luthor.
The military applied great pressure on Lex, demanding that he immediately hand over the gemstone in his possession. Lex was working overtime researching while deploying all his powers to negotiate, even if he couldn't completely refuse, he had to figure out a way to keep some.
Escaping secretly wasn't his intention, either. The problem was that the military wasn't that easy to handle. They were only waiting for a time to rush into Luthor Building and Luthor Manor, ransack all green items inside, leaving nothing behind. That bit of leftover sample would be useless.
While angry about the news reports, Luthor realized one thing: the mural might contain important information, but the gemstone was the key. The gemstone Shiller had given him was claimed to have been extracted from the mural, but there was still one attached to the one given to the British Museum, proving he had more than one gemstone.
Lex took a deep breath, then said, "I know it's all your doing. Whether it's the murals or the gemstones, you've played us all like fools. Are you satisfied?"
"Not even close, sir. Here's some good news for you, The Daily Planet and the Metropolitan Museum are actively promoting the loan exhibition arrangements. After completing a three-day public exhibition in London, the 'Frenes Snake' is very likely to be transported to the Metropolitan Museum for further exhibition."
With a "smack," Lex threw his phone again. In other words, soon there would be new gemstones arriving in America, and he couldn't use the one in his hand to bargain with the military anymore.
He stood there, lifted the hem of his suit, and stomped his foot hard, a surge of anger inexplicably flaring up from his chest, prompting him to kick the table once more.
This time, he kicked the table corner precisely. This place wasn't soft ground, and with a crisp "crack," Lex let out a cry of pain, falling to one knee and then to the floor, clutching his right foot, his face pale with agony.
The secretary heard the noise and rushed in, finding his boss lying on the ground. He immediately called an ambulance without saying a word. When the ambulance took Lex Luther to the hospital, the doctor diagnosed a fracture in the big toe on his right foot. Lex truly felt a wave of despair.
If Lex had stayed in the Luthor Building, the military would have to obtain search and arrest warrants to enter. Although it would take some time to arrange, Lex wasn't completely defenseless. He could leverage his connections to intervene and delay for a long time.
But now, he was directly taken to the hospital with an injured foot, unable to walk for a while, leaving the Luthor Building completely unguarded. Anyone could enter with some flimsy excuse like a fire inspection.
This was actually related to American law. The maritime legal system in Europe and America is a classic instance of extremes: they tend to issue lighter sentences for non-violent acts. So, whether you're robbing a store or breaking into a house, as long as you don't harm anyone, the penalty won't be severe.
On the contrary, as long as someone gets hurt, even if you accidentally encounter the homeowner during a burglary with no confrontation, the penalty would be very severe.
In some European countries, a thief can steal from you because he hasn't hurt you, but you can't beat up the thief because you're harming him. If you hit him to prevent theft, you might receive a heavier sentence than he does.
At first glance, it seems quite reasonable: using whether someone is hurt as a standard to judge criminals. But in reality, this kind of penalty system is simply the scum of human civilization.
The light penalties for breaking and entering lead to the world-famous "zero dollar purchase" events, with some states even having exemption amounts, encouraging these people to become bolder.
Would heavier penalties for encountering homeowners serve as a deterrent? In practice, it doesn't work at all. It only makes the robbers more determined to kill and silence homeowners they encounter, since if they're seen, they'll certainly be heavily punished, so they may as well kill and take a gamble that they won't be caught. This has led to the world-renowned serial murder cases in America.
So it's a double bind: non-violent acts receive light penalties, fostering crime; potential violence receives heavy penalties, encouraging murder to silence.
This legal system is designed to accelerate elimination: whether you're bankrupted by "zero dollar purchase," resorting to crime due to lack of consequence and being caught and killed, or merely a witness to a crime scene and being silenced, it's all the same—death, vastly accelerating the ecological cycle of the lower classes.
Regarding the upper class—Lex Luther's society—this legal system is also very useful.
When you're inside the house, they are apprehensive, you can hold your ground, and you'll try every possible method to reverse the situation. This forces you to join their system because lacking connections means you have no room to stall, inevitably leading to death.
When you're not inside the house, since no one is there, no harm will come to anyone, making the approval of various search warrants very lenient, easily allowing entry and looting the place completely.
Don't think this isn't realistic. After all, even a certain real estate magnate's luxurious estate has been intruded upon, catching the opportunity of him being absent. Lex Luther is no different.
When he's in the Luthor Building, those people indeed don't dare to barge in as Lex could sue them later; but when Lex isn't there, barging in carries no consequence since that real estate mogul didn't do anything to those who intruded on his property.
Lex isn't incapable of accepting that he would be at a disadvantage in the tussle with the military, or even face failure—he's even prepared for failure. After all, holding onto this emerald isn't entirely safe; handing it over to the military could at least be used to exchange for something valuable. As long as he gains enough benefit, failure isn't unacceptable.
But the problem is, he hasn't even started the tussle with the military yet, just because he kicked a table leg, he's handed over victory, and those military officers are probably grinning ear to ear; he is doomed to be a laughingstock for the next half-century.
Lying on the hospital bed, Lex hammered the railing forcefully. He couldn't understand how things had turned out this way?!