Mongor

When Jay saw the room filled with eerie green light and those horrifying test subjects, he had thought nothing today could possibly surprise him more. Unfortunately, he had once again underestimated the surprises this building had in store for him. As he and Helena walked between the biological tanks, the sounds of machinery operating and gears grinding suddenly reached his ears.

He could not see through the lead-lined walls, but his hearing was unaffected. Alert, he pulled Helena behind a row of biological tanks and peered through a gap. Two extremely well-hidden automatic doors had slid open in one of the metal walls, revealing that an elevator had been concealed there. A middle-aged man with graying temples stepped out. He wore a crisp suit and custom-made designer shoes, looking quite polished, but his face was deeply unnatural. His facial muscles seemed frozen, utterly devoid of expression, and there was no light in his eyes. He looked like a walking corpse.

Jay remembered him. That was Leslie Bulwell, a high-ranking official in the World Federal Government and a frequent face on television. Jay remembered that every time he saw that face on TV, it had been filled with indignation, as though Leslie had something to be dissatisfied with no matter what it was. Jay had almost thought that indignant expression had been carved into Leslie's face from birth. He had never imagined this official could look as lifeless as a zombie.

The two crouched behind cover, keeping their voices low as they watched the official walk woodenly through the rows of biological tanks and stop blankly before a pitch-black wall. He reached out and pressed a spot on the wall. A tone sounded from within, perhaps signaling that identification had been confirmed, and a hidden door opened before him. The official strode inside, and the door immediately began to close.

Jay reacted swiftly, grabbing Helena by the collar with one hand and turning into a blur as he dashed out. He successfully slipped through the doorway with her in the instant before it shut.

By the time Helena came to her senses, he had already carried her through the new hidden door at super speed. The sudden acceleration left her insides violently unsettled. Irritated, she slapped away the hand holding her collar and was about to lose her temper when she noticed Jay's utterly stunned expression. Instinctively, she looked ahead as well. Her mouth fell open in shock, and all her displeasure was instantly forgotten.

The scene was almost unbelievable, but every high-ranking World Federal Government official they had ever heard of or seen was gathered in this room. A gigantic plant grew in the center. Its branches were twisted, countless roots clung to the floor like tentacles, and its thick main trunk pierced straight into the ceiling. A circle of reclining chairs surrounded its base, with an official lying in each one. Vines extending from the plant's trunk curled around their heads. Every one of them had unfocused eyes and a satisfied smile on their lips.

The sight sent an involuntary chill through Jay. The official who had led them in also found his own recliner with practiced ease and sat down. A vine extended from the trunk and wrapped around his forehead as well.

Helena carefully circled around the massive plant. Its enormous body concealed the computer mainframe behind it. Fortunately, the computer was not encrypted. Perhaps the enemy had never expected anyone to break in this far. Helena quickly powered it on and soon found everything she needed—the records and data for every human experiment in this base, complete surveillance and control over the mental states of every high-ranking government official, and even written records of every decision and choice Mongor had remotely made through the government.

The two were instantly invigorated. This was the objective of their mission, and it was even better than they had expected. It was just a little too easy—easy enough to make suspicion unavoidable.

"All right, no matter what, we got what we came for," Jay said in a low voice. "It's about time we headed back."

Helena nodded in agreement, but another voice suddenly rang out in the room, shattering the silence like muffled thunder. "Don't be in such a hurry to leave, brats. You came to my territory, and we haven't even had a proper chat yet."

Jay's pupils contracted as he spun around. A tall, burly giant was already standing behind them, his scarlet eyes gleaming with both excitement and cruelty.

Mongor, ruler of Warworld, had come in person.

The atmosphere suddenly seemed several times heavier. Both their hearts leaped into their throats, and they instinctively held their breath. Mongor walked as though no one else were present to the gigantic plant in the middle of the room. With his hands behind his back, he admired its body with intoxicated eyes, as though appreciating a work of art.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Mongor said, seemingly to himself.

If everyone in your hometown has taste as terrible as yours, that's really a sad story, Jay thought.

"Black Benevolence. I tested this plant on Carl-El—what you call Superman—and the results were quite good. This is a variant of it," Mongor said. "It lets people see what they want to see, forever immersed in their most wonderful dreams, welcoming death in the happiest possible way. Look how happily they're smiling."

"It's over, alien," Helena said quietly. "We already have conclusive evidence. Your control over this world is over."

Mongor glanced at her. There might have been amusement or disdain in those red eyes, but not the slightest hint of tension.

"It was only a matter of time before someone discovered the truth. That was always expected. I just never thought the first two to find this place would be two wet-behind-the-ears little brats."

Mongor turned to face them both, a strange smile on his face. "Perhaps you think the current situation was all part of my plan. Perhaps you won't believe what I'm about to say—but you're wrong. Even I never expected things to develop this way. I thought someone on this planet would eventually notice. Even if ordinary people did not react, surely one of those bizarrely dressed superheroes on Earth would discover the truth. But the fact is, no one did. Not one. No one even asked a question. Aren't you curious why?"

The two stared at him intently in silence.

Mongor grinned. "Because deep down, humanity wants to be enslaved by me."

"Bullshit," Helena forced out through clenched teeth.

"That is the truth," Mongor continued. "The war with Apocalypse Star destroyed your will and took away your hope. Humanity needs someone to rule them, to build a unified, better world. Look at what I have created—a unified world free of war and conflict. It is something Superman never achieved in his entire life. You think I am the villain, but I say that I am the greatest savior in human history."

"You can save that speech for the people you tied up and sent to the arena," Helena said darkly.

Mongor shrugged. "Sorry, I'm not used to giving things away for free. Besides, compared to what I have provided, that is merely a small amount of interest."

Helena opened her mouth angrily, about to retort, but Jay cut her off with a chuckle. "Honestly, I'm not really a racist. Having an alien as president doesn't sound all that ridiculous."

Helena stared at him in disbelief. Mongor also gave him a surprised look.

Jay immediately continued, "But if that alien is some wrinkled, shit-yellow-looking ugly freak, then forget it. The president has to represent our image, right? What if our friends on other planets get the impression that all Earthlings are ugly freaks like that? That would be terrible."

The smile on Mongor's face froze instantly, replaced by undisguised fury across his livid features. Without warning, his eyes flashed. Two highly concentrated energy blasts tore through the air and struck Jay squarely in the chest, hurling him into the air. Wrapped in a ball of fire, he slammed heavily into the wall behind him.

"Jay!" Helena shouted anxiously.

"Don't worry, Helena." Jay grinned as he climbed to his feet from the blazing heat. More than half his clothes had already burned away, and the rest were still on fire. "I'm fine."

He tore off his burning outer clothes, revealing the bright "S" emblem and dark blue uniform beneath. A red cape dropped from behind him with a swish.

Mongor froze in surprise for a moment. Then his eyes flashed, and delight appeared on his face. "A Kryptonian!?"

(Thanks to reader Wanshui Shuren for the 100 Qidian Coins, reader Jinshi Xianren for the 200 Qidian Coins, and reader Banjun Qingshu for the 1,000 Qidian Coins!

Also, a request for recommendations on any big shots' reading lists!)