"Kryptonite?"
Bruce Wayne looked confused. "What's that?"
Chu Mo narrowed his eyes. "Looks like Lex Luthor's up to something..."
Lex Luthor watched the reactions of the various VIP'S through his hidden cameras and smiled to himself.
"You may not know what kryptonite is," he began, "but I'm sure everyone here is familiar with Superman!"
"This meteorite fell from outer space, and it contains unique elements. Its power? It can weaken any Kryptonian! Even the mighty Superman becomes as weak as a baby when exposed to Kryptonite!"
"What?" Bruce Wayne couldn't believe it. "Superman's weakness? So if you have kryptonite, Superman can't touch you!"
In the military room, a general was urgently addressing his staff.
"Get a team on this. We have to secure it for the president!"
An older official gripped his microphone tightly. For years, Arkham Asylum had tried to find Superman's vulnerability, with little success.
Now, it seemed, the answer was at hand. The officials in the separate VIP rooms were all visibly excited; they understood the immense value of Kryptonite.
Luthor continued, "As many of you know, alien forces have recently arrived on Earth. And a new protector has appeared on our planet." He paused for effect.
"Based on our company's research, this individual shares similar physical characteristics with Superman!"
The rooms erupted at this revelation.
"So that means his weakness is kryptonite too!" muttered one of the military officials, his mouth going dry.
He had come here with full knowledge of the auction lineup and knew that Chu Mo had been invited. Yet here was Luthor, brazenly mocking him.
This man was either fearless or stupid.
Chu Mo smiled. "Looks like Luthor has a death wish."
Bruce Wayne, hearing Chu Mo's voice, was astonished.
"Kryptonite can weaken Chu Mo too?" His eyes sparkled with a mixture of fear and possibility.
Nora, standing next to Chu Mo, felt the tension. Chu Mo crossed his arms, his fingers tapping rhythmically as he watched the scene unfold.
Through his hidden cameras, Luthor kept an eye on Chu Mo's room and was surprised by Chu Mo's calm reaction. He had expected anger, but saw none.
"The auction begins!" Luthor announced, and a large green stone was displayed for all to see. "Starting bid: one dollar!"
The room fell silent. Luthor had set the low starting bid to encourage competition, daring anyone to take it lightly.
Chu Mo took the microphone and spoke. "I bid one dollar."
The crowd gasped. Someone actually dared to start the bidding at one dollar? They assumed Chu Mo was joking.
But Luthor recognized Chu Mo's voice and scoffed. This was no joke. 'Even if you're the strongest man in the world, others will fight for it.'
Undeterred, the director of Arkham Asylum took the microphone and confidently shouted, "Ten billion dollars!"
To his surprise, there was no response. The microphone seemed to be malfunctioning.
Frustrated, he tried the call button, but nothing happened. Realizing he was trapped inside, the director was both confused and angry.
Luthor, meanwhile, became increasingly agitated. His hidden cameras showed only Chu Mo's room clearly. The others were static.
"What's going on? These are brand new systems! How could they fail now?" Luthor muttered, alarmed.
Chu Mo grinned, feeling the power of Ultron's abilities as he manipulated the electronics with ease, locking doors and shutting down communication systems.
Wayne, in his private room, shouted, "I bid 100 billion dollars!"
He nearly drenched the microphone in saliva, but there was no sound. He pounded on the locked aluminum door, but it wouldn't budge.
With his bat equipment, he could have unlocked it instantly, but for now, he was trapped.
Standing in the main hall, Luthor felt a sinking feeling as he noticed the eerie silence emanating from all the VIP rooms. Had he really just offered kryptonite for a dollar?
"Is that all?" Chu Mo's voice broke the tension. "Mr. Luthor, are you going to back out now?"
"I... I..." Luthor stammered, beads of sweat forming. "A dollar isn't nearly enough!" he replied, forcing a smile.
"You're reneging? Go ahead," Chu Mo said mockingly, his calm voice further unnerving Luthor.
With a snap, Chu Mo crushed the microphone in his hand. Although the VIPs were trapped, they could still hear the conversation clearly on their screens.
Powerless to speak, they could only watch.
"Ding!" The silence in the room was broken by a small sound, signaling the end of the bidding.
Luthor stared at the kryptonite before him, trying to find courage in its glow. His only comfort was that kryptonite was supposedly Superman's only weakness.
And since his research team had analyzed samples of Chu Mo's clothing and concluded that Chu Mo shared physical similarities with Superman, Luthor was confident that kryptonite could neutralize him as well.
And if the plan worked, Luthor hoped to eliminate Chu Mo right here in his own facility.