Finding Kryptonians Among Us

In Arkham Asylum's basement, Duke used his authority as director to clear it out and turn it into a private laboratory. The lab was not large, just enough for him to tinker around in. Once he had a worthwhile project on hand, he would consider expanding it or moving the lab elsewhere.

Duke set up an array in the basement. Ordinary people who came here would instinctively turn around and leave. Even nonhuman superheroes or supervillains would subconsciously overlook the place.

Inside the lab stood a culture tank filled with pale blue nutrient fluid. Within it was a bald, burly man wearing a respirator. He had an imposing build, bulging muscles, and a face full of vicious-looking flesh. No matter how one looked at him, he did not seem like a good person.

The man stood two and a half meters tall, with a furry tail growing from behind his backside. He was a Saiyan clone Duke had created based on data from Dragon Ball World—Nappa!

Of course, the Nappa in the culture tank did not possess Saiyan blood. His genes came from a robust mentally ill prisoner at Arkham. Duke had deleted, altered, and added to his genes, increasing his height and build while making him grow a tail.

At first, Duke had wanted to alter the genes so he would regress evolutionarily and grow a tail on his own. But the result... the genetic map told him Darwin had been bullshitting. Humanity's ancestors were not monkeys.

At least, DC Universe's Darwin had been lying!

Duke had even written a paper and sent it to National Geographic, only for it to be rejected. Supporters of evolution would not permit any targeted challenges.

Duke tossed the paper aside and did not dwell on it, instead starting work on the spacecraft.