I'd gotten into some crazy shit over the last few weeks, but I honestly don't think I'd ever laughed harder in my life.
There was just something poetic about the way Superman and Lex had looked at each other. It might legitimately have been the funniest thing I'd ever seen.
[Feat Achieved! A Stain On His Legacy]
[+1 Silver Gacha Ticket]
I snorted.
It seemed my power agreed with me.
"Something funny?" Lex Luthor ground out through clenched teeth.
I simply smirked as I looked over at him.
"Yeah. You."
That seemed to strike a nerve. His face turned red, and for a moment, it looked like he was genuinely considering coming over and punching me.
Soft wings fluttered beside my ear as Simmy landed on my shoulder and released a quiet song. Lex twitched at the sight of her before stiffly leaning back in his chair.
After his little "accident," we'd relocated to another office deeper inside Wayne Tower. A woman dressed in a suit and pencil skirt stood protectively beside him, while nearly a dozen bodyguards waited outside the door.
Honestly, that was understandable when a freaking robot had nearly disintegrated their boss.
Metallo and several other out-of-town villains had apparently attacked Wayne Tower for some reason. I did want to figure out why and give them a beating of my own for muscling into Gotham, but it seemed the white hats already had things covered.
Even with fortune on my side, the part of me that had grown up admiring and respecting them wanted nothing to do with fighting Superman and Wonder Woman. Besides, while I had issues with certain members of the Justice League, I wasn't one of those maniacs who wanted to destroy them for some stupid reason.
Earth probably wouldn't have survived half the aliens and lunatics that attacked it without them. Anyone who thought otherwise would have to be a complete fucking idiot.
I chuckled as I shot Lex another glance.
"Do you have something you wish to discuss with me?" Lex asked coldly. "If not, get out."
"I'm pretty sure Bruce put us in here for our own safety." I raised an eyebrow.
"Out," Lex repeated with a scowl.
I supposed even a good actor like him had his limits.
"Or what?" I shrugged.
The woman beside him slowly stepped forward, one hand drifting toward her pocket. Simmy floated off my shoulder, her wings beating softly as she hovered beside me.
A tense silence settled over the office. I simply raised an eyebrow at Lex.
"Mercy," Lex ordered.
She stopped and backed away, though not before shooting me a sharp glare.
"Tell me," Lex said as he massaged his brow. "What do you want from me?"
"No, no, Lex, buddy." I leaned forward and rubbed my hands together. "It's about what you might want from me."
I slid the camera across the table.
"You probably didn't notice it during your little stare-down with Superman, but…"
Lex's expression turned to stone as he stared at the camera.
"My PR department will dismiss whatever footage you possess as fabricated or digitally altered nonsense." His fist tightened against the desk as he glared at me. "Then I'll sue you into the ground for defamation and a thousand other charges."
"True, true." I nodded thoughtfully. "Although... it'd be a damn shame if this footage somehow ended up in Lois Lane's hands. Hell, maybe she'll even ask Superman to comment on it."
I could practically hear Lex's teeth grinding.
"Blackmail."
"Yep!" I smiled without the slightest trace of shame.
He stared at me for a long moment before leaning back in his chair.
"Out with it. There is very little I cannot offer you. Money? Political influence? Technology?"
"No, nothing like that. I just want a simple investment." I pulled out the stack of contracts Harvey had prepared and spread them across the table. "You see, I'm building a new place. It's only a small investment, and you'll even own a portion of the building."
Lex grabbed the papers and rapidly scanned through them, one eyebrow slowly rising.
"You merely need me to sign these?"
"Yep."
"…I will require you to sign a nondisclosure agreement, along with contracts of my own guaranteeing that the footage will never be released."
Lex snapped his fingers, and Mercy immediately walked over to a nearby briefcase. She removed several documents and placed them in front of me.
I didn't bother reading them.
Instead, I glanced toward Simmy. She studied the papers for a moment before giving me a small nod.
"Then we have a deal!" I smiled and offered Lex my hand.
He narrowed his eyes at me for a moment before finally accepting it.
"...We do."
We shook hands, and I watched with barely contained glee as Lex signed the documents—including the blank Retroactive Builder's Contract.
"Thank you for your patronage." I gave him a broad smile.
"Get out of my sight."
I gave him a mocking bow before turning and leaving the office.
Oh, the things I could do with this...
—
Bruce was understandably busy dealing with the aftermath of the attack, so I never got the chance to say goodbye. It was a bit of a bummer, but what could you do?
Still, I couldn't feel too disappointed about the visit.
I drummed my fingers against my office table. Between the Silver Gacha Ticket and successfully nabbing Lex Luthor's signature, the trip was already a big win.
[Rolling Silver Gacha]
[Job Application Form]
|Common Item|
An otherwise ordinary-looking job application form. When filled out with the correct information and handed to an employer, it guarantees that the applicant will be hired regardless of the position or their qualifications. However, it does not guarantee that they will keep the job. The form loses this effect after being used once.
...Would that work for any job?
The fact that I wasn't guaranteed to keep the position was a pretty big downside, but I couldn't help wondering what would happen if I used it to become the President or something.
Something to test out later.
"Is it finished?" I asked, glancing toward Simmy.
A pen floated through the air as Simmy filled in the contract's specifications. I wasn't an architect, but thankfully, having a precog around let me sidestep that particular problem.
Simmy released a soft hum and nodded before floating the contract over to me.
I skimmed through it one last time and couldn't help but smile at the ridiculous cost. Everything appeared to be in place; Simmy always did good work.
Now, come to Papa…
I added my signature to the bottom of the contract.
The moment my pen left the paper, the Retroactive Builder's Contract burst into flames.
—
Lex was going to ruin that irritating little pest.
It was bad enough that the alien had witnessed his humiliation, but the thought of that jumped-up criminal believed he could blackmail Lex Luthor was utterly intolerable.
His fist slammed into the desk at the memory.
There had been reports suggesting Jean Valjean possessed other abilities beyond his potions. Had he somehow engineered the entire incident?
Lex's expression tightened.
Of course he had!
Lex Luthor—the smartest man alive—did not simply trip over a bottle and suffer such an obscene accident through mere chance. Valjean must have done something to him!
Yes, that was the only reasonable explanation.
Jean Valjean would pay for humiliating him. Did the fool truly believe a few signatures would protect him from Lex's wrath?
There were countless ways to destroy the man without leaving even the slightest trace. Waller would take his calls, politicians practically threw themselves at his feet for campaign donations, and LexCorp employed an army of lawyers and accountants capable of burying Valjean's little construction project beneath so much legal obstruction that the building would never make it past the foundation.
His office door opened.
"Boss," Mercy said as she stepped inside. "It's time for your next meeting."
Lex frowned but gave a curt nod. "Very well. What progress have you made toward obstructing Valjean's little real estate development?"
Mercy blinked. "What real estate development?"
For several seconds, Lex simply stared at her.
"The development we discussed mere hours ago."
Mercy's brow furrowed. "I'm not aware of any recent development projects you've signed."
Lex's eyes narrowed.
"I have little patience for incompetence, Mercy. If you believe your years of service allow you to grow lax, then you are sorely mistaken." He pointed toward the door. "In recognition of that service, I will give you one chance to correct this failure."
Mercy opened her mouth, confusion still written across her face, but Lex waved her off before she could respond.
"If you cannot figure it out yourself, I will be deeply disappointed."
Mercy hesitated before nodding and quickly leaving the office.
Lex scowled at the sheer disaster the day had become. Now even his most competent subordinate was failing him over the simplest of tasks.
He shook his head in disgust.
"Activate meeting mode. Code Prometheus X-1312."
Lex's office shifted around him. The windows darkened as reinforced metal panels slid into place, sealing them from view. Composite lead shielding overlaid with technosorcery spread across the walls, cutting the room off from every conceivable form of surveillance.
The lights dimmed, and several holographic screens flickered into existence.
"Welcome, L-3," a robotic voice announced.
Four figures appeared across the displays: Vandal Savage, Ra's al Ghul, Queen Bee, and Ocean Master.
"Where is the Brain?" Lex demanded.
"He is currently attempting to salvage what remains of the Starro project," Vandal answered. "He will not be attending."
"Then let us begin."
"In quite a rush tonight, young friend?" Ra's asked with faint amusement.
"I am in a rush because I have discovered a potential threat to our plans," Lex snapped. "Not that your League of Shadows has been particularly useful in dealing with such threats lately."
Ra's expression hardened.
Lex stared back at him. If that deranged immortal made one more irritating remark, he was going to launch a missile at the man's favorite little island.
"Now, now," Queen Bee interrupted smoothly. "Let us hear what Lex has discovered before we begin squabbling. I have no objection to allowing him to speak first. Do the rest of you agree?"
Ocean Master and Vandal both gave their assent. Ra's remained silent for a moment before reluctantly leaning back.
"Very well."
Lex began explaining his suspicions regarding Jean Valjean and his apparent ability to manipulate chance. Such a power would explain how the man had defeated Klarion and, more importantly, engineered the humiliating events at Wayne Tower.
Ocean Master's expression grew grim. "The manipulation of fortune is not unheard of among the highest echelons of sorcery, but it is an exceedingly dangerous endeavor. If Valjean truly overcame a Lord of Chaos, then I would assume he possesses the backing of a higher entity or someone of comparable stature."
"That is unacceptable," Vandal said.
"For once, we agree." Lex pulled up several financial records. "We should commit additional resources toward eliminating him. I am prepared to finance the recruitment of mercenaries and supervillains from across the globe."
His fingers moved rapidly across the holographic keyboard.
Then he froze.
One of his accounts was empty.
Lex frowned and opened another.
Empty.
His eyes narrowed as he accessed several shell companies, offshore accounts, and emergency reserves.
The others continued speaking, but their voices faded into the background as Lex hurriedly opened the security feeds connected to his private vaults.
Empty.
Every last one of them was empty!
Lex stared at the screens in stunned silence.
How!?
There was no trace of a breach in the banking systems. None of the alarms protecting his vaults had been triggered. His money, gold, bonds, and every other part of his fortune had simply vanished.
"No, no, no!" Lex screamed as he flipped the table.
Voices came through the holographic screens, but he could no longer hear them.
All he could do was stare at the empty balances as he came to one horrifying realization.
Lex Luthor was poor.
***
Sorry for the delay
Comments and Thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Likes are like a drug to me and boost my creative juices.
I have advanced chapters on Pa tre on/daisyberry if you wanna read ahead.