The horizontal repulsive force unleashed by the golden key was too powerful.
The secret room was utterly destroyed, and Linda was in an even more miserable state, embedded in the wall, her already modest "white buns" flattened into "small doves."
"Pressed so flat, what will she do in the future?"
Luke shook his head, looking worried. He checked her body, and after confirming she was only unconscious and not in any life-threatening danger, he let out a long sigh of relief.
Linda was the owner of the Fortress of Solitude. If she died, that scoundrel AI named Al would definitely not give him any backdoor access.
In a way, their fates were intertwined.
There was another person in the room.
Luke walked up to Dar, his eyes scanning the blood-soaked face. A hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes, then quickly receded.
"Considering you closed your eyes and sought death just now, I'll spare your life for now, but..."
He spread his five fingers, and a pale green flame erupted. He swiped it across Dar's body, and a ethereal figure appeared in his hand. The figure, engulfed in green flames, seemed to be in extreme pain, its face contorted, terrifying like a vengeful spirit.
Luke's expression remained unchanged until the figure became almost transparent, then he dispersed the flames.
"It's better for you to become an idiot."
After dealing with Dar, Luke picked up Linda, left the space station, and returned to the Fortress of Solitude.
The fortress had a comprehensive medical system, so the girl's injuries would heal quickly. He also needed to recuperate; the impact of the key's explosion, while destroying Phantom-1, had also caused damage to his body.
Outwardly, there was no change, but his internal organs were problematic.
Luke coughed, and as he felt the increasingly strong metallic taste in his throat, he couldn't help but curse, "Damn key, I'll definitely dye you shit-green later..."
Fortress of Solitude, Second Basement Level.
Faora woke from unconsciousness, her head aching terribly. She instinctively wanted to pound it, but her arm had barely risen halfway when she had to stop. Energy restraints bound her hands and feet together, allowing only limited movement.
She lost!
She lost completely and utterly, with no room for maneuver.
Faora gritted her teeth, filled with intense unwillingness, her body trembling slightly from the exertion.
"Lex Luthor!"
"Sooner or later, I will repay the humiliation you inflicted upon me, with interest."
The sound of rattling chains came from nearby. Faora's body stiffened, and she sharply demanded,
"Who's there!"
"It's me."
Accompanied by a weak echo, Edwin, Hill, Drutt, and a group of Kryptonian soldiers revealed themselves.
These individuals were cuffed to pillars with energy restraints, not far from Faora, but the room was too dim to discern them easily.
"You all..."
Faora opened her mouth, her expression etched with bitterness, "...were all captured."
Everyone fell silent, the atmosphere incredibly oppressive.
"What about the General? How is he?"
Someone replied, "The General is seriously injured and is currently receiving treatment."
After that one sentence, the air fell silent once more. No one knew what to say; they felt so uncomfortable they wished they could crawl into a hole.
They had arrived arrogantly, not even considering the Earth natives, and had even mentally planned how to deal with that guy if he stubbornly refused to cooperate.
Who would have thought that the outcome would be like this?
As elite soldiers of a high-level civilization, despite having a numerical and tactical advantage, they were completely wiped out by a native from a low-level civilization.
If this got out, they wouldn't be able to face anyone.
"Lex Luthor, I will definitely kill him."
Edwin gnashed his teeth, filled with furious hatred. As the captain of the elite squad, General Zod's top warrior, he had never suffered such humiliation.
The others echoed his sentiments in unison.
One after another, they all cursed Lex Luthor.
As more people spoke, the atmosphere gradually intensified, and a cheerful air filled the room.
On the floor above, Luke's face darkened as he watched this scene, looking as displeased as possible.
"I think it's necessary to beat them up again."
Linda said, speechless, "How can you even say that? Your name is Luke Shaw, yet you insisted on tricking them into thinking you were Lex Luthor. What if one day, they come to Earth and vent their hatred for you on that poor guy named Lex Luthor? Whose responsibility will that be?"
Luke shrugged indifferently, thinking, if these idiots indiscriminately killed Lex Luthor, Clark would wake up laughing in his dreams.
Of course, the possibility of such a situation was extremely low.
As the chairman of LuthorCorp, a genius with a ninth-level intellect, Lex Luthor wasn't that easy to kill.
"What do you plan to do with them?"
Linda remained silent.
Luke continued, "Listen to me, kill them all. Otherwise, there will be endless trouble."
"I can't do that. There aren't many Kryptonians left, and they are all my compatriots. I can't bring myself to do it."
"So what?"
Luke shrugged, "Don't tell me you're going to let them go."
The girl cautiously glanced at Luke, "Can't I?"
"Of course not."
"Don't forget, these guys were defeated by me. By the rules, they are my spoils of war. How can you let go of his spoils without the owner's permission? But..." He changed his tone, and Luke suddenly smiled, "If they compensate me for something, then it's a different story."
The girl's expression was strange.
"What new scheme are you cooking up?"
Luke chuckled, "Don't you think that spaceship outside suits me perfectly?"
Linda was stunned, her eyes wide like two quail eggs.
"Are you crazy? The *Voyager* is General Zod's spaceship. If you take his ship, those people will hate you to death."
Luke waved his hand dismissively, "There's an Eastern saying: 'Too many lice don't bite, too many debts don't bother.' Besides, they hate Lex Luthor, what does that have to do with me?"
The girl's mouth hung slightly open, deeply impressed by Luke's shamelessness.
"Did you plan this all along? Is that why you made up a fake name to trick them? Don't you feel any remorse for doing this?"
"Don't talk about useless things. One word, do you agree or not?"
Linda shook her head, "Even if I agree, it's no use. Kryptonian spaceships have genetic codes. You're not a Kryptonian, so even if you get the *Voyager*, you won't be able to activate it."
"It's fine if I can't use it, isn't there still you!"
"Me?"
The girl frowned, indicating her confusion. How did this involve her?
Luke whispered, "Although you haven't said it directly, I've noticed these past few days that the highest authority of the Fortress of Solitude belongs to your cousin, right?"
Linda pursed her lips, her expression a little displeased.
Luke continued, "Whether you admit it or not, the owner of the Fortress of Solitude is your cousin. You are currently like a poor relative staying at someone else's house, with the right to use a room, but no property deed."
"Suppose one day, you and your cousin fall out over something. He can always use his highest authority to sever your connection with the Fortress of Solitude. What will you do then?"
"No matter how good someone else's things are, they're not as solid as your own. People always have to prepare for the future, don't you think?"