"How about we play a game? Google Search Read"
Eric moved back slightly, his face once again hidden in the darkness.
"A game of hide-and-seek, let's see who finds the other first."
Eric's deliberately hoarse voice sounded uncomfortable, and coupled with his eerie orange eyes glowing from the darkness, it sent shivers down the spines of the Owl Council's noble men and women.
It was as if they were Owls, and he was a hawk hunting Owls, hidden in the night.
"No one dares to speak our name, and no one dares to disrespect us!"
The Black Robed Speaker's voice was filled with barely suppressed rage, "You will pay for this! A price that even blood cannot repay, Punisher!"
"I look forward to it!"
No emotion could be discerned in Eric's voice. "But before that, you must hide well within the low-walled attics, otherwise, once I find you, your ambitions and desires will be destroyed by me, your wealth and fame will be seized by me, and the so-called 'Owl Council' will vanish into thin air."
"You rats have overlooked one very important thing, and that is that you are merely dust and shadows, and have never controlled this city."
Clatter!
As soon as Eric finished speaking, before the Owl Council members could react, the remote connection was cut off.
The noble men and women in the council hall looked at each other, their expressions varied.
Even after being threatened and insulted by Eric, the emotions that arose within them, besides anger, were mostly doubt.
The fact that he could easily take out Chris and leave their side completely unresponsive indicated that he was certainly no ordinary person.
"I think,"
After a moment of silence, the Speaker looked up at the crowd with their varied expressions.
"It's time to activate our plan. The existence of the Council has been challenged by an enemy, and this city has developed a disease. The simplest way to deal with a disease is to excise the diseased part. Although we don't know Homelander's identity, no matter how we guess, he must be one of our enemies."
He then raised the Owl feather in his hand and said to everyone, "I propose we activate the purge plan, to clear out those existences that have already been listed as 'enemies' by the Council."
Who else could understand the Owl Council and be hostile towards it, besides those enemies who defied the Council's will, those powerful families, and those stubborn officials?
So the Speaker took this opportunity to propose the "Purge Plan" that had already been drafted.
Regarding the Speaker's proposal, although everyone hesitated, they ultimately raised their feathers, indicating their agreement.
On this end of the remote video call, Eric had no idea of the Owl Council's plan.
However, even if he knew, he would only say, "As expected."
The reason he used such arrogant words to provoke them was simply to make them take the initiative and reveal their weaknesses.
His Super Vision was not fully unlocked; covering all of Smallville was no problem, but covering all of Metropolis was beyond his current capabilities.
Standing up, Eric cleaned up all traces, then used his Super Vision to observe the apartment, finding and taking away all suspicious items like notebooks and documents.
"You seem a bit distracted."
Smallville, Luthor Manor.
Lex was dialing the phone number labeled "Reporter K" on his mobile phone.
His female friend sitting beside him, seeing his unusual expression, asked, "Are you alright, Lex?"
"I'm fine, it's just that some things have exceeded expectations."
Lex put down his phone and shrugged.
"I thought you always had the upper hand."
"No one can win all the time, Victoria."
Lex sat on the sofa, raised a glass of Paloma, "Even Emperor Napoleon was the same."
"I didn't expect you to be interested in history."
Victoria, with her charming figure and lazy aura, said with a smile.
"Actually, I'm not interested in history, but in men who conquer the world before the age of thirty."
"Oh, then you don't need to be anxious, because you still have a few years."
Victoria teased.
Lex took a small sip of Paloma, placed the glass on the table, "Victoria, do you know that the Luthor Family has Dutch ancestry?"
"Oh?"
Victoria asked in surprise, "I thought you were native Americans."
"The Luthor Family were early European immigrants to America, and the family has Dutch ancestry. This is a family that has produced many talents: scholars, doctors, scientists, educators, writers, missionaries. When a family grows large enough, it faces various problems, just like a corporation. Bloated, inefficient, emotional blackmail…"
"Is that why you wanted to use my father to pressure Luthor Enterprises, to help you seize influence?"
Victoria asked him with a smile at the corner of her mouth.
"No."
Lex shook his head, "The above topic about the family was just a momentary thought. What I really want to say is: when a family is old enough, there will be all sorts of legends, ancient urban legends carrying a sense of the absurd. Such as—a collective organization that secretly controls the city's lifelines, a group of dominators lurking in the darkness of Metropolis, sleepless like Owls, monitoring your every move in the night."
"Hmm, interesting."
Victoria nodded, "I've never heard my father mention such an urban legend."
"That's understandable, after all, Sir Harry's main work is international trade, and he wouldn't focus on Metropolis. Just like the daughter of a multinational industrial magnate would never rekindle an old flame while flying all over the world, even if she is an executive vice president."
"I see."
Victoria feigned understanding, "You've been beating around the bush so much, just to question why I would rekindle an old flame with you?"
"No, of course not, Victoria, you are always good at baseless associations."
Lex changed his sitting posture, "Getting back to the point, I always thought it was an urban legend, until I met a reporter, let's call him Reporter K. After some time together and investigation, I began to suspect whether such an organization existed."
"Reporter K, why not call him by his name?" Victoria asked.
"Generally speaking, when I use a code name to refer to someone, it means my trust in him is basically zero."
"What about me?"
Victoria smiled and leaned closer to him, "Can I know what letter my name is in your phonebook?"
"Sorry, it's confidential."
Lex smiled and put his phone back in his pocket.
On the other side of the town, Eric, who had just returned home, encountered a small problem.
"Eric."
As soon as he entered his room, there was a knock on the door.
Eric frowned.
He wondered why Clark would be looking for him at this time.
Did he see him go out just now?