Clark posed this question to Diana. Diana had to break her self-protection mechanism once again and begin to carefully think about the details of previous events.
It wasn't hard to see that the Frenes Snake artifact itself and the green gemstone were actually two different lines. The Frenes Snake primarily served to bring out the fact of the aliens' existence, while the green gemstone was targeted at the Kryptonians.
The green gemstone line was also full of twists and turns: first in Luthor's hands, then it went to the military, and then Victor's father, Dr. Stone, brought it to Clark for desensitization experiments.
Thinking of this, Diana realized that someone had not appeared for a long time, which did not fit his style of sticking his nose into everything.
"I always feel this has something to do with Luthor," Diana said. "Think about it, from whom did they learn that Kryptonite is truly useful?"
Clark was also pondering this question. Knowing the artifact was fake, the other side still chose to refer to myths and use Kryptonite to attack him. They must have gotten some more precise information, knowing that this stuff had indeed hurt him before.
Who knew about him being injured by Kryptonite?
First, of course, was Luthor, who injured him. Luthor had a deep understanding of how useful Kryptonite was to Kryptonians because he was the one who acted.
Moreover, at that time it was at the Luthor Group, and there must have been no shortage of cameras in that office, nor in the surrounding streets. When Clark was in a very bad state, staggering out, unable to manage anything, he must have been caught on camera.
And Luthor also had the most professional research equipment, capable of giving various properties of Kryptonite. This kind of mineral must have some features that ordinary minerals don't, and that's the key to being able to harm Kryptonians.
Only when the behind-the-scenes manipulator had obtained this conclusive evidence would he dare to use this stuff against himself, knowing the artifact was fake. And Luthor could certainly provide such conclusive evidence.
And Luthor inexplicably targeted him from the start. Clark couldn't help but think, whoever is against Superman, Luthor helps them.
Don't think that just because Luthor did some good when the Savage Wolf came means he's turned over a new leaf. Maybe it's because he thought I was gone forever at that time, so in a good mood, he lent a hand.
The moment I came back, he surely started causing trouble again. Moreover, a smart person like him likely knows some inside details of the Martian invasion plan. But then I have to levy such a high tax on him, he surely hates me more. At this time, if someone seeks him out to join forces against Superman, he would definitely go joyfully.
Putting the two sides together like this, it becomes clear: Kryptonite is a weapon against Kryptonians, unrelated to the authenticity of the artifact because it has already had an effect before. Luthor saw it with his own eyes; it can't be fake.
It's just that Luthor doesn't know where to find more Kryptonite, so he stole files from the second-floor archive in Metropolis, hoping to find more clues in them.
Don't worry about whether the artifact and myth are true or not, at least the gemstone pried off them is useful, and there might be useful clues in those files.
However, they completely miscalculated — that gemstone wasn't even pried off from the artifact. What they should have done is find the Kryptonite wholesaler Shiller, not search for clues in his fabricated myths and fake artifact files. It's entirely a case of losing the substance for the shadow.
Clark sighed inwardly. Clearly, everything is related to Shiller, but he's perfectly hidden, playing everyone around a mere artifact.
But actually, Clark could understand why this was so. Because Luthor was full of anger towards him, had extreme prejudice. He was already completely blinded by hatred, not thinking through the process by which he obtained Kryptonite, nor realizing the important role Shiller played in it all.
If it weren't for becoming clear-headed himself and getting to this point, he might not have realized, still thinking Shiller was just an opportunistic swindler.
But how to deal with Luthor gave Clark a headache again. For one, he's a big player, paying taxes obediently, not making any small moves, can't just attack lightly. For another, Luthor is like a mad Chihuahua, bites at the sight of him. Even asking a few assassination-related questions might provoke him. There's no way he could communicate properly. Killing isn't an option, nor is negotiating — it's too hard to handle.
"Perhaps I should handle it," Diana said over the phone. "We are both victims of the same conspiracy. I'll go talk to him, see if I can make him change his mind."
"That's about all we can do," Clark said. "You should be careful, he should think the assassination succeeded by now. Even if I'm not dead, I'll be seriously injured. He thinks the plan succeeded, he might push his luck."
"You mean he could have an ambush waiting?" Diana frowned and said, "Whoever comes to negotiate will be captured? It can't be, right? Isn't he afraid of angering Batman?"
"His action of trying to assassinate me has already angered Batman, he doesn't care about provoking him again. Besides, if he's truly working with the behind-the-scenes manipulator, even if he doesn't want to, the manipulator would certainly make him do this. This is a prime opportunity to take down two people at once."
Diana nodded carefully and then said, "I'll contact Ron right away, better bring Barry too. In case something goes wrong, Barry can take me away, and Ron can escape on his own."
Clark said in some surprise, "I thought you'd fight a hundred rounds with them."
"That won't do," Diana immediately rejected. "The kind of ambush tactics used by resurrected individuals, the longer the battle, the more likely we are to get hit. But as long as we run fast enough, they can't get us."
"Alright. Make sure to stay safe. If you really can't manage it, go to Batman."
"Don't worry. I'll notify you once there's any news."
Diana hung up the phone, immediately sought out Barry, and then contacted Ron. The three of them headed to the Luthor Building together. On the way, they kept discussing what to do if there really was an ambush.
Actually, among the three of them, Diana is the most dangerous. She seems utterly defenseless, but she must go because she's most familiar with Luther and has good negotiation skills. Maybe she can even get some information out of him.
As Diana pondered her words along the way, she quickly arrived at the Luthor Building. Lex was momentarily surprised to see the three of them storm in and said, "What brings you here?"
"People don't visit out of sheer goodwill," Diana said, crossing her arms. "You know what you've done."
A hint of guilt flashed across Luther's face. Ron picked up on some of his emotions and gave Diana a look, indicating that it was as they suspected.
"So, are you here to stop me? Give me a good beating and thwart my plans?"
"Not quite," Diana changed her tone. "Luther, you're a smart man. You should know that now's not the time for internal strife. Even if you kill Superman, that cunning behind-the-scenes manipulator could destroy Earth and the entire cosmos. That's not beneficial to you, is it?"
Lex blinked. He sensed something was off in Diana's words, so he said, "Kill Superman? You don't think I was behind the president's assassination, do you?"
"Even if it wasn't you, it doesn't mean you're not connected to it."
"What kind of logic is that?" Lex said, quite displeased. "Just because I had a past grudge with him, when something happens to him, you suspect me? Isn't that an injustice?"
"Can you dare say it has nothing to do with you? Why did you feel guilty just now?"
"When was I guilty?"
Ron squinted his eyes. Lex glanced at him, pursed his lips, and said, "I do have some plans, but they have nothing to do with Superman, uh... not entirely unrelated, a little bit related, but definitely not killing him."
"What are you planning?"
"That's none of your business. Anyways, I didn't assassinate the president; I'm not so foolish. I'm not a reckless idiot with nothing to lose. If I were even slightly implicated in the president's assassination, both I and the Luthor Group would be finished. I've painstakingly brought the Luthor Group back, I wouldn't take that risk."
Though he had a point, Diana still wasn't convinced. She took out the Lasso of Truth and said, "We have a friend here who can use the Mind Reading technique, but we find that a bit impolite. So... Clark, why are you here?"
Lex instinctively turned his head, and with a "whoosh," the Lasso of Truth had him bound.
Lex widened his eyes, struggled a few times but couldn't break free, and glared viciously at Diana.
Diana clapped her hands and said, "Do you have anything to do with the president's assassination?"
"No," Lex said. "I learned about the assassination from the news."
"Have you provided anyone with any information about Kryptonite?"
"No," Lex said confidently. "Although I've indeed been researching that stuff, I've never shared any experiment results or reports with anyone else."
Diana frowned, even starting to suspect whether Lex had a way to deceive the Lasso of Truth, but thought her idea might be too biased. So, she asked, "What was the plan you just mentioned?"
"I want to get my hands on that Kryptonian spaceship," Lex said. "To be precise, I need the Kryptonian coordinates on it."
Diana took a gentle breath and said, "What do you want to do?!"
"Dr. Stone shared his research findings with me, namely that Kryptonians only have extraordinary powers under the illumination of the Yellow Sun of the Solar System. But back home, they're likely just ordinary people like humans—I want to send Superman back home."
Diana didn't know how to evaluate his plan. She could only say, "Clark has already returned home before. What significance does this have?"
"No, my plan is to forcibly send him back and then imprison him. If he stays there long enough without superpowers, even if he escapes from prison, he won't be able to fly back to Earth. Then I'll never have to see him again."
"Hiss..." Ron and Barry couldn't help but marvel. To be honest, compared to figuring out how to kill Clark on Earth, sending him back to Krypton and imprisoning him is obviously more feasible and likely to succeed.
Clark on Earth is really too powerful. He's even immune to Kryptonite now and has gained Magic Power; no one can shake him. But if he returns to Krypton for some time, things might not be the same.
And just like Lex said, once he loses superpowers on Krypton, he can't regain them. Without the power of the Yellow Sun, Superman will also become an ordinary person. Irreversible means gradually weakening, and by then, he might find it hard to even leave the ground, let alone leave the planet, forever trapped on that dying star. It's such a sinister plan!
Barry rushed forward and punched Lex. Lex smirked and said, "We all live like ordinary people on our own planets, so why should he get to be Superman on someone else's? I'm just sending him to live the life he should have been living, he should be grateful!"