Even though Reid said it was troublesome, in truth, dealing with these superpowered beings was actually the easiest part.
Now that the mutant incident had come to an end, the real problems were only just beginning.
Because his abilities had been exposed.
Along with them, Atlantis, the underwater civilization led by Aquaman was revealed to the world as once again.
So was Themyscira, the island of Amazons represented by Wonder Woman.
And 'Green Lantern,' the alien visitor Reid had carefully planned for.
The system had the ability to rewrite reality itself. It could have flawlessly inserted 'Hal' into history, just like in the comics, as a U.S. Air Force pilot chosen by the Green Lantern Ring.
But Reid turned down that option.
If 'Hal' had that identity, then everything the man did would be tightly tied to the military. That wasn't something he wanted.
Now that LexCorp's influence within the military had grown, if 'Hal' became a U.S. soldier chosen by the power ring, it could easily threaten the company's standing within the army.
Some military leaders might even try to use him to counter LexCorp, and to Reid, it just felt like tripping over his own feet.
So instead of using the system, he created a new backstory for 'Hal' by himself, one unique to this world.
A regular American caught up in the Civil War. A man who joined the fight to free the slaves because of the justice in his heart. In the end, he was mortally wounded during the war.
But at that moment, the strength of his will and his unwavering sense of justice drew the attention of the mysterious Green Lantern Ring. It recognized him and chose him to become a Green Lantern, a guardian of justice across the universe.
Now, more than a hundred years had passed. Sensing the changes on Earth, 'Hal' returned home. But he was spotted first by LexCorp's satellites and ended up connecting with them before anyone else.
That was the origin story Reid had created for him. And in this Marvel world, where someone like Captain America existed and superheroes had become national symbols, this kind of origin was instantly accepted by the general public.
A hero who had bled during the Civil War—many people had already started comparing 'Hal' to Captain America.
As for Diana and Arthur? They only needed to rely on the original settings of Paradise Island and Atlantis. Their identities were already a perfect fit.
* * *
Just as all this was happening, Luthor walked into the White House for a conversation with the president, who only wanted a peaceful retirement.
"Can you be honest with me, Mr. Luthor? How many more secrets is LexCorp still hiding? Atlantis, Paradise Island, and now Hal Jordan? I'm not even counting the Martian Manhunter from before. How did all these connections happen without the government knowing?"
Was that a demand? No. It was closer to a plea. The President didn't have the authority to truly question the chairman of LexCorp. As long as the company didn't cause public outrage, there was no way he could actually make a move against them.
Besides, he just wanted a calm retirement. Why provoke them now?
"This kind of thing... you'll be seeing more of it in the future."
That was all Luthor said. Simple and direct. But then the President changed the topic.
"Also, the Secretary of Defense wants to know if the armor you wore on Liberty Island could be added to LexCorp's sales list?"
Thanks to past cooperation and Luthor's position as the mayor of New York, there hadn't been any kind of congressional hearing like in Iron Man 2. Instead, the President had come forward to ask in advance.
"As for the exosuit, that's also for the future. Besides, Mr. President, you don't really need more achievements now, do you? Why not save the good stuff for the next generation?"
With those words, the President understood what Luthor meant.
The armor would eventually be supplied to the military. Although it would definitely be downgraded, it would still be sold as a product. But that would only happen after he stepped down. Once the next president, supported by LexCorp, took office, the company would unveil the armor to boost his achievements.
"I understand."
Before this, the President had received calls from other American conglomerates.
If Luthor had outright refused to share the armor, they were prepared to accuse him of illegal possession of high-powered weaponry and forcibly seize the technology. It would've been a way to suppress LexCorp.
But clearly, he wasn't that kind of stubborn person.
Unlike Tony from Iron Man 2, Luthor never intended to be a superhero. Because of that, he had many more options.
The former refused to sell his armor because he wanted to preserve world peace. The latter had no such ideal. A chaotic world suited both LexCorp and Reid just fine.
Luthor's stance quickly spread through the upper ranks of power, and everyone realized their plan to go after LexCorp had fallen apart.
The next presidential election was only a few months away. That wasn't enough time to take action against the company over the exosuit technology.
All they had to say was that the tech wasn't fully developed yet. Delaying a year might be tough, but buying a few months? That was easy.
* * *
After briefly discussing a diplomatic meeting with Atlantis and Themyscira, Luthor returned to LexCorp headquarters.
"Looks like I was right. Those guys from the energy, banking, and finance sectors really are planning to move against us, aren't they?"
Reid said exactly what Luthor had been thinking. It wasn't because he was particularly good at reading people, but because their minds were linked. He already knew everything that had happened at the White House.
The people he referred to were, of course, the other major corporate giants in America.
With LexCorp steadily taking over the foundational industries, the only groups still capable of opposing them were the ones in energy and finance.
"Yes, but it's not really a problem."
Luthor nodded. The reason he hadn't dealt with them earlier was simple: those industries weren't worth the effort yet. Fields like energy and finance couldn't just grow overnight.
Even if he developed a new form of clean energy, it wouldn't matter unless there was a real use for it. Who would pay for something that had no practical application?
It was the same with banks and finance. Getting a license was easy, but people's habits were hard to change. If someone suddenly opened a new bank, who would ditch their existing accounts to switch over?
But now, those issues were no longer a concern.
LexCorp had already built a strong presence across almost every other industry. The next step was to reshape America piece by piece.
And finally, Luthor had the chance to deal with those annoying guys.
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