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Chapter 574: Lex's Journey in Gotham (1)

When Lex and Copperpot met and locked eyes, they suddenly had a feeling that they might be very similar to each other.

This similarity didn't refer to their backgrounds or resources but rather to their mental and personality traits. In other words, they were both born psychopaths.

There were many similarities among people with an anti-society personality. Their cold, cruel, and volatile temperaments couldn't be concealed by any outward appearance. When two killers met, they could always find resonance in each other's souls almost immediately.

To some extent, these people could be seen as the opposite of proponents of the doctrine of innate goodness. Many of them didn't become psychopaths due to childhood trauma or psychological shadows. They were born this way and couldn't be saved.

Copperpot had been doing well recently. He had become Alberto's right-hand man within the Twelve Families, and it was foreseeable that when Alberto truly became the next Godfather, Copperpot's name would be engraved in the annals of the Twelve Families.

In terms of emotions, he had mingled with the folks from the professional school and had also recruited all the kids in Gotham, satisfying his lust for power. At the same time, he continued to learn from Victor, who was like a father figure to him, guiding and educating him relentlessly.

But as mentioned before, Copperpot had gained a better life, had teachers and friends, and had a promising future ahead of him. However, this hadn't transformed him into a cheerful and sunny person. He remained sullen, indifferent, lacking empathy for others, and deriving pleasure from violence and controlling others.

This personality didn't change with changes in external circumstances. If he were anywhere other than Gotham, the best place for him would be a mental hospital. But in Gotham, this disease couldn't be treated, nor did it need to be treated. Or rather, this anti-society personality was considered a model patient.

After a moment of simultaneous hesitation, both of them averted their gazes and didn't continue to look at each other. Just then, Victor walked out of another room and saw the two of them standing there. He approached and took the stack of documents from Copperpot's hand, then patted Lex on the shoulder.

Lex followed him into the room, while Copperpot continued to prepare experimental materials outside. He occasionally turned his head to look at the door through the frosted glass, where he could see Victor and Lex sitting face to face. Victor seemed to be asking Lex some questions, and Lex was responding smoothly.

When the two of them came out, Victor appeared to be in a good mood. He introduced Lex to Copperpot, saying, "This is Lex Luthor. He'll also be an assistant in the laboratory. After 5 PM, he'll need to use the laboratory for independent experiments, so remember not to lock the door."

In a rare moment, Copperpot didn't turn his head to look at Victor. He just continued with what he was doing, nodding his head.

He quickly organized the equipment and then turned to leave. Victor followed him outside, putting his arm around Copperpot's shoulder and said, "Don't be upset, Copperpot. I won't let you do independent experiments because you're still too young, even younger than him."

"I don't know what's gotten into you youngsters, planning to do such dangerous experiments at your age. When I was your age, I only read scientific magazines or played with fire to burn my dad's tires."

"Don't rush it, children. You should follow the path of reading books, getting into high school, and then college. When you're in college, you'll have plenty of time for experiments."

"Ice takes time to freeze, and people need time to grow."

Copperpot pursed his lips and said, "No, I'm not jealous of him. It's just..."

Copperpot shook his head. He didn't know how to explain his intuition to Victor. When facing Victor, he was always reluctant to mention his own past, like how he used to be The Godfather's hitman, how he had killed many people, and how he was still killing people now.

Every time he entered normal life, Copperpot felt repulsed by his abnormal desires outside of society. But whenever he acted on those desires, he couldn't control himself. He couldn't tell Victor because he was one of those people, and he could keenly sense that the person in front of him was also one of those people. He couldn't use his own dark history as evidence to warn Victor.

Taking a deep breath, he ultimately shook his head and said nothing before slowly walking away down the corridor.

As the sky gradually darkened, Victor finished his work and said to Lex, who was busy organizing materials at the lab table, "Thank you for your help. It's your free time now, and everything you need is ready. Just remember to stay safe. I'm heading out."

"Thank you," Lex smiled at Victor, who also nodded slightly and then walked away.

After Victor left, with the sky growing darker, Lex focused on his experiment. He was preparing a chemical compound to disperse rain clouds into the sky.

First, he needed to prepare the projectile, and then he would work on the launch mechanism. So, for now, he was immersed in the chemical experiment. It required his full concentration as he had to continuously observe the reaction without any distractions. Lex stared intently at the reaction in the test tube, the cold laboratory light shining on his face, leaving a scar of light.

Suddenly, a shadow partially blocked the light, and Lex quickly dodged to the side. With a sharp sound, a knife cut across his upper arm, causing blood to spray out.

The test tube was flung out, and the reagent inside spilled onto the floor. Upon contact with the ground, it sizzled, emitting a faint mist of smoke.

With a sharp "crack," the entire laboratory plunged into darkness. Gritting his teeth, Lex turned around to find an incredibly gloomy face emerging from the shadows—it was Copperpot.

During the daytime, he seemed merely sullen, but as night fell, his darkness and madness reached their zenith. He was like a penguin diving from the surface of a glacier into the water, going from slow to swift, from prey to predator.

"Are you out of your mind, Copperpot?" Lex shouted, "We just met today, and we have no quarrel!"

"It seems you don't have a proper understanding of your own mental state," Copperpot rasped, "But not long ago, I went to see a psychologist, and he told me I'm insane."

Holding a knife, Copperpot approached Lex, who stepped back, eyeing his grim and distorted countenance. Copperpot continued, "Moreover, he told me that if I ever met someone very similar to myself, then he too must be a lunatic."

"We belong to the same category—born psychopaths beyond cure. Therefore, I must kill you."

Lex found Copperpot utterly irrational and protested, "On what basis do you call me a psychopath? I haven't even killed anyone!"

"Someday, you will," Copperpot's figure may have been small, but the cold gleam of the blade he held, and his posture, suggested that he was no stranger to such acts. He knew how to use his stance to apply pressure effectively.

Lex clenched his teeth and said, "Gothamites are truly insane! You kill people without reason?!"

"I told you, because we are the same kind of people, I must kill you."

Lex didn't know what else to say. Perhaps this highlighted the difference between Metropolis and Gotham.

In Metropolis, all the villains had reasons for their crimes. They acted either out of self-interest, hatred, love, or pursuit, but they still committed crimes based on the logic of ordinary people.

Gotham was different. The lunatics of Gotham might kill someone because they ate a steak they liked that morning or due to some crazy hallucination and baseless intuition.

Many might think that holding a grudge and breaking the law and moral boundaries due to love or hatred is a form of madness, but in reality, it isn't. When a person's emotions, the driving force behind those emotions, and the resulting actions align perfectly, it means they still operate within a logical framework and aren't truly mad.

True lunatics have emotions disconnected from their actions, just like the difference between Lex and Copperpot.

Lex felt intense dislike for Clark due to their differing viewpoints, and this might lead him to seek trouble with Clark or even commit crimes against him in the future. His hatred provided a motive, and the motive led to criminal actions.

However, Copperpot was different in his attitude toward Lex. He was a total stranger to Lex, and there was no grudge or recognition. Yet, he had an intuition and a desire to kill Lex. There was no emotion, no motive, and no logical connection; it was merely a fleeting hallucination, serving as a reason to commit murder.

All the lunatics in Gotham were like this. Their actions lacked internal logic, which meant that no one could be entirely sure they wouldn't become targets. That was the true terror of Gotham because you couldn't stake your life on whether a lunatic had enjoyed their steak that morning.

Just as Copperpot raised his knife, there was a sharp "crack," the sound of glass shattering from outside the window.

Copperpot turned, and in that moment of distraction, Lex grabbed the test tube rack resting behind him on the lab table and hurled it at Copperpot.

The rack, along with the test tubes, struck Copperpot's back, breaking a tube and cutting his skin, causing blood to flow. Copperpot swiftly turned his head, his gloomy demeanor giving way to ferocity and madness. Just as he raised the knife again, a deep, enraged voice echoed from outside the room:

"Thomas! Stop! Cease your wicked deeds!"

With a loud thud, the sound of something heavy hitting the floor, followed by heavy footsteps, the room's door swung open, and a man rushed in.

He froze upon entering, seemingly not expecting to find others in the room. Knowing that his pursuers wouldn't give him much reaction time, he hesitated for less than a second. Then, he charged straight toward Lex.

Lex tried to dodge, but it was futile. The tall man captured his arm and then grabbed him from behind, holding him hostage and turning him around.

At this moment, the light from outside streamed in through the open door, casting a bright square on the room's floor. A pointed-eared, black shadow stood within the rectangular doorframe, like a playing card that had been dealt.

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