American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

511. Conversation with Luthor.

"It's indeed been a long time. It's been months since I last saw you at the Luthor Tower. I've been dealing with issues from other universes and couldn't come back to visit. You've been working hard during this time," Alex said, looking at Luthor's dark circles and the bloodshot veins in his eyes, feeling genuinely moved.

As expected, some tasks should be handled by professionals. Although it's been exhausting, Luthor managed to organize the entire wasteland with remarkable order—something Alex himself couldn't have accomplished.

Luthor, on the other hand, appeared more relaxed. "Everyone has their role to play, don't they? Clark and the others have been contributing to the wasteland, so I naturally can't just sit idly by."

"Moreover, this is a very new universe for me. The opportunity to establish a new empire here is a reason I can't turn down."

Alex had always held Luthor in high regard.

Although Luthor frequently wavered between the roles of hero and villain and often enjoyed causing trouble for Clark, there was no denying that everything he did was for the sake of humanity.

This was somewhat similar to Doctor Doom, who prioritizes his own people. Although he could be obsessive and often clashed with the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, it didn't stop him from being considered one of the greatest leaders.

Even after battling the Avengers during the day, he could sit and chat with Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch in the evening at the wizard's tavern. That alone spoke volumes about his character.

Luthor was the same. In the Apokolips War universe, Luthor had successfully "redeemed" himself and joined the Justice League. Although most of the heroes wouldn't admit it, the truth was that Luthor was now a hero.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The wasteland needed someone to lead the reconstruction efforts, and Luthor needed a place to display his talents. In a sense, this was a mutual exchange.

Setting national policies wasn't that difficult, but ensuring their successful implementation required a strong and capable leadership team.

The challenges faced in the wasteland's reforms were often less troublesome than the small, trivial matters.

For instance, when Bruce Wayne had to deal with aliens, he hadn't anticipated that so many extraterrestrials would come to Earth, and that many of them intended to settle with their families.

If you agreed, the wasteland was nowhere near ready to accommodate aliens; if you refused, the entire universe was watching, and your refusal might lead to serious misunderstandings.

Now, the urban legend of Gotham had completely transformed into an Earth diplomat, and his exceptional learning abilities had turned into daily studies on various intergalactic civilizations.

Under these circumstances, there were no shortage of troublesome matters in the wasteland.

Clearly, Luthor was the best person to resolve these issues. At the very least, the people trusted him, and the heroes highly recognized his abilities.

Even though some people were initially unwilling to hand such significant power to Luthor, after seeing him tirelessly working for the wasteland and the reconstruction efforts falling into place, they eventually came to accept it.

After all, the changes Luthor had brought to the wasteland were visible to all, and these great achievements were not something anyone could erase.

"Actually, the main reason I came here, besides taking a break, is to see if there's anything I can help with," Alex said as he and Pietro took a seat on the sofa at Luthor's gesture.

"Most of the major rebel forces in the wasteland have already been eliminated, but there are still plenty of minor issues," Luthor sighed.

"Can you tell me more? What kind of difficulties are you facing now?" Alex gently asked.

"Ultimately, it's still poverty. Winter is coming soon, but aside from a few cities, most parts of the world are still in a primitive, barren state. Although I've opened up cities to recruit people, the number of refugees is too high, and the cities are already saturated."

Luthor sighed again. After all this time, he finally had someone to vent to about these matters, as he had been silently handling them on his own. Now that the true master of this universe had arrived, Luthor found himself talking more.

"In my plan, I originally hoped to build a few prosperous cities and use them as beacons, like lighthouses, to radiate to the surrounding towns and drive economic prosperity."

"The idea is great, but the execution is very difficult. Skilled people are flocking to the big cities. Their deeply ingrained classist mindset makes it hard for anyone to go to the countryside to help with construction."

"The League issued several encouraging policies after spring, but even after more than half a year, those towns are still underdeveloped. Forget about exporting food; I'd be grateful if they weren't starving to death themselves."

Taking a sip of coffee, Luthor continued.

"Reluctantly, I managed to bring in some people from other continents. I used them as examples to encourage labor, and it's had some effect. At least some people are willing to return to farming under the welfare policies."

But the problem is that the integration of the population has brought a series of troubles. Originally, with the resources we had, it was enough to feed most people. But now that there are so many more, our resources are starting to run short.

And that's not even counting the large batch of plants and animals we transported to the Watchtower. Now, every region on the planet is reaching out to me for funds.

I'm also in a difficult position. The agricultural reforms won't bear fruit until next year. Where am I supposed to get the resources from?"

Hearing Luthor vent, Pietro and Kara were both a bit shaken.

They'd been happily going about their tasks every day, never lacking food or water. In their minds, the wasteland was becoming an increasingly better place. They never imagined the situation was so grim.

"Can't we hunt those dinosaurs? Those creatures are huge. One dinosaur could feed an entire village for a day," Pietro couldn't help but say.

He had dealt with those dinosaurs before and could confirm that they were just ordinary dinosaurs, without much intelligence. They only knew how to hunt for prey.

"Speaking of dinosaurs, it just makes me angry," Luthor said helplessly. "The biggest headache we've faced during our reforms has been those things. The dinosaurs keep destroying the farms, and one dinosaur or one moloid is enough to drive me crazy.

As for hunting the dinosaurs, that's more of a temporary solution. I've already sent out troops to hunt them down and drive them back into the mountains, but it's just a stopgap measure."

"Indeed, in order for society to stabilize, we must be self-sufficient. Constant hunting only provides short-term relief; it's not a sustainable solution," Alex nodded in agreement.

"Fortunately, Bruce over there has made considerable progress. Temple No.2 is large enough, and the plants and animals raised there are doing very well. I believe that, before long, the supplies from the Watchtower will help replenish the wasteland," Luthor said solemnly.

"Speaking of the universe, can't we contact other planets and ask for some resources to help the wasteland through these tough times?" Kara asked.

"It's not that simple," Alex shook his head and looked at Kara.

"The universe is in a strange kind of balance right now. The capable civilizations are carving up the territory of the Universal Church of Truth, while the less capable ones are hiding. A lot of aliens have sent out scouts trying to probe Earth's situation. We can't afford to expose Earth's status right now."

"Yes," Luthor glanced at Alex in surprise. He wasn't sure how Alex knew so much about Earth's situation, but he nodded and explained, "The entire universe is watching Earth. The Watchtower, besides being a place to receive alien ambassadors, is also the first line of defense against those alien scouts. The universe is so vast; who knows if someone might take advantage of our vulnerability?"

"That's unlikely, right? With Earth's current strength, is there a civilization brave enough to come after us?" Pietro said, surprised.

"Nothing is impossible. You're underestimating the beings out there. The Guardians of the Galaxy have thwarted the plans of schemers more than once. After the fall of the Universal Church of Truth, all the rats from the gutters have emerged," Luthor's expression turned cold, his tone darkening.

"Earth has already been attacked twice. While both attacks were blocked by the Martian Manhunter, we can't let our guard down. The enemy is in the dark, while we're in the light."

Hearing Luthor's words, everyone understood how severe the current difficulties facing the wasteland were. With both external and internal challenges, Luthor's ability to keep the wasteland stable was a testament to his skill.

"Actually, these aren't insurmountable. With the strength of the Justice League, the Avengers, and the other forces, I believe we can solve these problems. But!" Luthor's tone shifted, and his face immediately turned grim as he looked directly at Alex and said each word carefully.

"Alex, you have to help me deal with that old wolf, Logan. I just can't stand him anymore. He's more frustrating than Darkseid."

"Logan? What's wrong with him?" Alex was genuinely surprised. To think that Wolverine was the one giving Luthor so much trouble.

And judging by Luthor's expression, it was clear that Logan had pushed him to the breaking point. In Luthor's eyes, Logan was even more difficult to deal with than Darkseid.

Upon hearing Alex's question, Luthor seemed to find his confidant and began to vent all his frustrations about Logan's actions over the past period.

This included how Logan, in his pursuit of resources, had even snuck into Luthor's bed, sleeping beside him.

Heaven knows what Luthor's expression must have been when he woke up to find a man lying beside him.

.....

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