At Lex's castle.
"Honestly, Dilos, I didn't expect you to plead for this woman." Lex sat like a king on an ornate office chair, raising the glass of red wine in his hand. He looked at Dilos standing in the middle of the hall without expression, then took an elegant sip. His bearing was composed and carried the authority of someone used to being in charge.
But to Dilos, the guy was just putting on airs.
Dilos rolled his eyes and explained, "Keeping her around will be more useful."
Lex asked, "Are you sure you're not interested because she's a beautiful woman?"
Under Lex's teasing gaze, Dilos couldn't help rubbing his forehead. "I admit she's very beautiful, but there's no way I'm falling for her."
Dilos wasn't some desperate pervert with nothing but women on his mind. Besides, she wasn't even his type—and the way she'd looked ready to kill him after they captured her was more than enough to make him keep his distance.
"Oh?" Lex looked unconvinced.
Seeing that, Dilos helplessly held up three fingers. "First, I'm absolutely certain that this woman isn't a Mutant. I can't accept pinning the blame on Mutants just because she's a Metahuman. Unless there's no other choice, I generally prefer to stick to the facts."
Before Lex could speak, Dilos continued, "Second, I'm very interested in her abilities. You know, I'm the number one student in biology at Smallville High School. I've always wanted to study the blood of Metahumans like her."
At that, Lex looked as if he understood. Then, curious, he asked, "And the third reason?"
"The third?" Dilos gave a helpless smile. "This town is already chaotic enough. The previous incidents have left everyone on edge. And based on my deductions, quite a few important people are already keeping a close eye on this place because of those three incidents, aren't they? They suspect there are other Metahumans here."
As he spoke, Dilos suddenly fixed Lex with an intense stare. "Lex, can I trust you?"
At the same time, Dilos activated his ability and sensed Lex's thoughts. It was rude, but their relationship hadn't reached the point where he could blindly trust Lex.
Dilos's abrupt shift in tone caught Lex off guard. After thinking for a moment, he said, "All right. Tell me. As long as it doesn't violate basic human decency, I'll support you. And no one else will hear about what you tell me today."
No lies.
Through his ability, Dilos confirmed that Lex was telling the truth.
He felt slightly relieved, then stepped forward. "There obviously aren't only three Metahumans in this town, because I know a few others."
Lex's eyes flickered with surprise, but his years of habit quickly hid it. He gestured for Dilos to continue.
Dilos took out several newspapers. They were reports on the three Metahuman crime cases that had taken place in town. "Also, based on the strange incidents I've collected and the recent Metahuman crimes, I'd say most of the Metahumans in this town got their abilities from the meteor shower twelve years ago. They aren't Mutants."
"So I'd estimate there are more than twenty Metahumans in town. If you include the ones who left and moved to other cities, I think there are even more."
Before Lex could respond, Dilos continued, "And as far as I know, a considerable number of Metahumans just want to live their own lives. Compared to those jerks who use their abilities to hurt people, they're already pretty decent. Otherwise, this town would've fallen apart long ago, wouldn't it?"
At that, Lex's eyes brightened slightly. He seemed to have guessed what Dilos was getting at.
"That's right, Lex. You guessed correctly." Dilos smiled. "I don't want those groups coming to town to hunt down Metahumans under the guise of doing what's right. Many of them are innocent, and they shouldn't have to suffer like this. If news of these Metahuman crimes gets out, those groups will have all the justification they need to search the town for Metahumans."
"They'll even resort to illegal methods. All they have to do is call them Mutants, claim Mutants are dangerous monsters, and those fools who've been deceived by propaganda will gladly support them as they break the law and do inhumane things. It's terrifying, isn't it?"
"It is." Hearing Dilos's reasons, Lex agreed. "Terrifying. But what are you planning to do?" Lex suddenly asked.
"I can certainly help protect innocent people for that reason alone, but is that really your only motive?"
As Lex asked, his eyes sharpened, and the pressure of someone in power spread toward Dilos.
But would Dilos back down under a little pressure? Obviously not. He grinned.
"My ambition goes beyond that. These reasons are only part of it. I want a power base of my own—not just money, but resources, equipment, connections, and influence. In the end, I want to rise from being an ant in the eyes of corrupt rulers to becoming a demonic dragon that dares to roar at the world!"
Lex's eyes widened, and his breath caught. Several times, he tried to say something, but he was so excited he could only draw in breath as if he were oxygen-starved. At last, he managed a few words.
"That's an ambitious plan. But what makes you think you can pull it off? And why do you think you deserve my support?"
Instead of answering directly, Dilos sat down and spoke as if they were chatting about everyday matters.
"I really love this town, Lex. I truly do. This is my home, and I want to live here peacefully forever, get married, have children, and enjoy a carefree life. So for a long time, I kept telling myself not to meddle. Whatever happened, I'd let someone else deal with it. But I realized I was wrong. The moment I started living here, my family and I were already caught up in this town's whirlpool. The only way out would be to cut ties with this place completely and become a coward. But clearly, I can't do that."
Dilos was telling the truth. Before, he'd wanted to keep his head down, level up, and live comfortably. But seeing tragedies unfold had weighed on him. He'd said Clark should handle those things, yet deep down, he'd still hoped he could help people too. That was why sometimes he couldn't keep his hands to himself and would jump right in.
On top of that, Chloe had nearly died after getting caught up in the recent Metahuman crimes. That incident had finally opened Dilos's eyes.
There was a saying in his previous life: just because you don't want trouble, that doesn't mean trouble won't come looking for you.
This was an extremely dangerous, dark world. If you avoided it, did that mean it wouldn't come after you? Rather than hiding to one side and gambling that you'd stay safe, it was better to face these problems and figure out how to deal with them.
Dilos didn't think there was anything wrong with helping people when he was able to. But he wasn't some saint. He repaid grudges with revenge, grievances with grievances, and kindness with kindness. He killed those who needed killing, saved those who needed saving, and fought those who needed fighting. That was his code.
But whatever he did, he needed enough strength to do it.
"Thoughts without power are just wishful thinking. Power without thought is just violence." Dilos continued, his gaze fixed on Lex's pale, slightly excited face.
"Lex, I have a love-hate relationship with this world. It's given me the joy of living and the comfort of having a family. I want the people I care about to live good, peaceful lives, but this dark world won't let me. I want to make this corrupt world less cold-blooded, to bring more warmth to people's lives and put an end to so much injustice. But this world won't let me do that either."
"Because I'm too insignificant, and my ideas touch a nerve. So either I'll waste away in obscurity, or the world will crush me because I'm too weak. I don't want either outcome. That's why I need help!"
"Lex, please help me!"
Dilos stared intently into Lex's eyes. "Help me, and I'll prove that you made the right decision!"
Before you continue