hotmtlnovel Chapter 4314 Body of Steel (9)
Chapter 4314 Body of Steel (9)
Chapter 4314 Body of Steel (19)
"At 9:10 AM this morning, the Acting Royal Family issued a statement clarifying that reports in foreign media claiming that members of the Royal Family had stolen artifacts from the British Museum's collection are untrue. The Royal Family and the British government will pursue legal action against those spreading these rumors. Furthermore, to demonstrate its stance to the public, the Queen has decided to hold a three-day public exhibition of the British Museum's ancient Egyptian treasure, the 'Serpent of Phryne'..."
"This station reports that Prince Charles has privately commented on the matter, calling it 'absurd' and 'unbelievable.' Other members of the royal family, who wished to remain anonymous, also stated that if artifacts from the British Museum could be so easily replaced, what security would the royal family have? This is utter nonsense."
John Trevin, a well-known editor at The Guardian, told the interviewer that the charity exhibition did indeed take place, but the snake's tail from the "Serpent of Frigan" circulating online was not included in the charity exhibition because of its extremely important historical and cultural value and the presence of the most precious emerald in the entire mural. As for the claim of it being replaced, that was simply nonsense.
“Mr. Larry, a private collector from France, said that the ‘Serpent of Frigan’ has never been truly shown in the past hundred years, and this public exhibition is of great significance. He will rush to London immediately and hopes to see the treasure as soon as it is revealed.”
“Louise Lane, a well-known journalist from the United States, also said that if this event can bring ancient Egyptian treasures to light, it would be a coincidence. She also said that she is more interested in the artifacts themselves than the news and that she will go to the exhibition in person.”
"According to staff at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the museum is applying for loans from the British Royal Family and the British Museum so that the American public can also see the 'Serpent of Fringe'..."
With a click, Clark turned off the television. He sat on the sofa and rubbed his forehead vigorously. Things had unfolded exactly as Louise had predicted. Faced with the exposed scandal of the stolen artifact, the British royal family adopted the simplest way to dispel the rumors—by simply putting the "Serpent of Phrygne" on display.
In the news report from this television station, Clark saw photos they had taken of the "Serpent of Fringe" at the British Museum, which were identical to the photos he could find online.
This was actually rather strange, Clark keenly noticed. First of all, the timeframe was far too short: from the scandal's disclosure to the royal response to the opportunity to take photos at the British Museum, less than two days had passed. This mural is over three meters wide; even on-site carving wouldn't be this fast, would it?
Secondly, the details are too similar. Clark used his superhuman eyesight to repeatedly examine online images and royal photographs; they are truly identical, even the wear and tear is indistinguishable. Is this even possible to forge?
Clark had a hunch that this thing was probably the "real thing"—the "Frigine's Serpent" created by Schiller.
However, upon closer reflection, according to Bruce, even Lex Luthor only obtained the jewels, not the actual mural. This means that, apart from Schiller, no one knew where the mural was. It might not even be in America; he might have already transported it to England, just waiting for this day.
Clark stood up again and began pacing in front of the television. Although he could roughly foresee how things would unfold, he still felt uneasy. He wanted to do something, but he didn't know what to do. Besides, he hadn't regained his strength yet, so there was nothing he could do; he could only rest at home for the time being.
The good news is that, thanks to a deal Louise made with a certain officer, although her wanted poster is still up, no one is actually hunting her down. So she can stay in her apartment and rest a bit longer, waiting for that damn gem powder to dissipate.
But some people weren't as relaxed as Clark. After seeing the photos posted on the British Museum's website, Lex Luther slammed his phone on the table and then kicked it.
"That damned bastard! That heartless liar!!!"
Before he could finish speaking, the phone rang. And on the other end was the very "damn liar" he had just cursed.
“Mr. Luther, I’m sure you’re very angry right now. You think I cheated you and tried to fool you with a fake. But you know in your heart whether that gem is really effective or not. It’s just that your price wasn’t enough, and you wanted to rip me off, so I had to find someone else to take my place.”
Lex opened his mouth to curse, but Schiller interrupted him. Schiller said on the other end of the phone, "Instead of cursing me, think about how to deal with the military. They're probably already eyeing the jewels you have, aren't they? Be a good boy and give them the jewels, or think of another way—it's all up to you."
Lex's anger vanished instantly, as if he had been doused with cold water. His anger stemmed not only from the frustration of his failed double-cross, but also from his now awkward situation—the military had his eye on him.
The military has discovered that he was using something that nearly killed Superman. The military's medical examination of the injured Clark Kent revealed that this thing was incredibly effective; it allowed blood to seep into the skin even after only minor cuts. Isn't this a powerful weapon against aliens?
They will not allow any lethal weapon on Union soil to be out of their hands, not even if the person in possession of such a weapon is Lex Luthor.
The military put a lot of pressure on Lex, demanding that he hand over the gems immediately. Lex is working overtime to study them and is also using all his resources to negotiate. Even if he can't refuse to hand them over completely, he has to find a way to keep some for himself.
It wasn't that he didn't want to secretly keep some, but the military didn't operate that way. They were just waiting for the right moment to storm into Luther Tower and Luther Estate, loot everything of green quality, leaving nothing behind. The few samples they kept wouldn't be of any use.
Although angered by the news reports, Luther also realized one thing: the mural might contain important information, but the gem was the key. Schiller claimed that the gem he gave himself was pried from the mural, but there was another one on the one he gave to the British Museum, proving that he owned more than one gem.
Lex took a deep breath and said, "I know this is all your doing. The murals, the jewels, you've played us all for fools. Are you satisfied now?"
"Not at all, sir. I have good news for you. The Daily Planet and the Metropolitan Museum of Art are actively working on the loan. After a three-day public exhibition in London, the 'Serpent of Frigan' will most likely be transported to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for further exhibition."
With a "smash," Lex slammed his phone down again. This meant that new gems would soon arrive in the United States, and he wouldn't be able to negotiate with the military using the one he had.
He stood there, lifted the hem of his suit jacket, stomped his foot hard, and felt a surge of anger rising in his chest. So he kicked the table.
The kick landed squarely on the corner of the table. This was no easy target; with a crisp "crack," Lex let out a scream, fell to his knees, and collapsed to the ground, clutching his right foot, his face pale with pain.
Hearing the noise, the secretary rushed in and found his boss lying on the floor. Without a word, he called an ambulance. When the ambulance took Lex Luthor to the hospital, doctors diagnosed him with a fractured metatarsal bone in his right big toe. Lex truly felt a wave of despair.
If Lex remains in Luther Tower, the military will need a search warrant and an arrest warrant to enter and search the building. While these can be obtained with time, Lex is not without options. He can leverage his connections and negotiate to delay the process for a considerable amount of time.
But now, he's been taken directly to the hospital and is injured in the foot, so he can't walk for a while. The Luther Building is completely undefended, and they can easily search it under any pretext, like a fire inspection.
This is actually related to US law. The common law system in Europe and America is a typical example of extremes: they impose relatively lenient penalties for acts that do not cause harm. In other words, whether you rob a store or break into a burglary, as long as you don't injure anyone, you won't be severely punished.
Conversely, if you injure someone, or even if you break into a house and happen to find the homeowner there, you will be severely punished, even if there is no conflict with the other party.
Even in some European countries, you can get away with stealing from a thief because he hasn't harmed you, but you can't beat him up because you've harmed him. So if you beat him up to prevent him from stealing from you, you might face a much harsher sentence than he would have.
At first glance, it seems reasonable: judging criminals based on whether or not they injured anyone. But in reality, this method of punishment is simply the dregs of human civilization.
The lenient penalties for burglary led to the global notoriety of "zero-dollar purchases," and some states even have exemptions for amounts below which no penalty is imposed, which has emboldened these individuals to become even more rampant.
So, would severely punishing homeowners serve as a deterrent? Actually, it's completely ineffective. It only emboldens robbers who encounter homeowners to kill them to cover their tracks, since they know they'll be severely punished anyway, so they might as well kill them and gamble on not being discovered. This has led to the world-renowned serial murder cases in the United States.
So this is a double-edged sword: actions that do not harm people are punished lightly, which encourages illegal and criminal activities; actions that may harm people are punished severely, which encourages murder to cover up crimes.
The original intention of this law was to accelerate elimination: whether you are bankrupted by "zero-yuan purchase", or you commit crimes because there is no consequence for breaking the law and end up being arrested and killed, or you are just a witness to a crime scene and are killed to cover it up, you are going to die anyway, which greatly accelerates the ecological cycle of the lower class.
This law is also very useful for the upper class—the society Lex Luthor lives in.
While you're in the house, they have reservations, and you can hold out. Then you'll try everything to turn things around. This will force you to join their system, because without connections, you have no room to delay, which means certain death.
When you are not in the house, and because no one is in the house, no one will be harmed, the approval of various search warrants will be very lenient, and it will be easy to break in and ransack the house.
Don't think this is unrealistic; after all, some real estate developers' luxurious estates have been broken into, specifically when they weren't home. Lex Luthor is no exception.
When he was in Luther Mansion, those guys didn't dare to break in because Luther could sue them later; but when Luther wasn't there, there was no consequence for breaking in, since that blond real estate developer didn't do anything to those who broke into his house.
Lex wasn't incapable of accepting being at a disadvantage, or even losing, in his struggle with the military; in fact, he was prepared for defeat. After all, holding onto the emerald wasn't entirely safe. Giving it to the military would allow him to exchange it for something, and if he could secure enough benefits, defeat wasn't unacceptable.
The problem is, he hadn't even started fighting the military yet, and by kicking the table, he handed victory over to the enemy. Those officers must be grinning from ear to ear, and he'll definitely become a laughingstock for the next half-century.
Lying in his hospital bed, Lex pounded on the railing. He couldn't understand how things had turned out this way!
(End of this chapter)