Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics

"Where's the nearest rear exit around here?!" Luther burst out from behind the counter, grabbing Stagg by the collar and demanding, "The kind that leads to a back alley!"

Stagg was completely caught off guard, but instinctively pointed to a path beside the elevator saying, "Over there."

Luther initially walked briskly in that direction, but then heard a series of heavy footsteps coming from the stairway nearby. Just as he passed the fire safety door, he saw several people wearing FBI-marked jackets rushing out from the safety door.

Luther cursed through gritted teeth and sprinted towards the rear exit. The group of FBI agents also ran in this direction.

Luther rushed out through the rear exit, looked left and right, and chose a direction with more plants and heavier shade to run towards. But as he dashed to the center of the road, a car suddenly darted out from around the corner.

"Bang!"

Luther was struck directly, sent flying at least three meters away. The FBI agents chasing him slammed on their brakes, stopping by the roadside. Shiller got out of the car, checked Luther's condition on the ground, and said, "Assaulting an officer, obstructing work, interfering with the investigation. Take him away."

Back at the base, Shiller took off his jacket, straightened his shirt collar, went to the coffee machine to brew a cup of coffee, and took it to Wonder Woman's interrogation room. He didn't go in; he just leaned against the door and said to the three people playing cards, "It's done."

The three of them turned to look at him.

"Have you figured out what's going on?" Natasha asked.

"Has the rumor been cleared up?" Superman asked.

"Can I go out now?" Wonder Woman asked.

"None of that is resolved," Shiller said.

"Then what have you resolved?" the three asked in unison.

"Lex Luther."

"What?!" Superman stood up first and said, "What's happened to Luther? Has he done something bad again?"

"He's been arrested," Shiller said, taking a sip of coffee, "and will be charged with obstructing work and assaulting an officer."

Superman widened his eyes and said, "Assaulting an officer?! Are you saying he attacked you?!"

"We were pursuing a fugitive, and he charged into the middle of the road, interfering with service vehicles. Though he ended up being hit, as long as he's not dead, we won't drop the charges against him."

Superman seemed to hear something unbelievable and said, "So you're saying he was hit by you while crossing the road, then you want to charge him with assaulting an officer?!"

Superman gestured in the air, finally clenching his fist and swinging forcefully, saying, "Though Luther is quite bad, you can't just twist the truth like that, can you?"

"Why don't you ask why he was crossing the road?"

"Is it illegal to cross the road in Gotham?" Superman appeared bewildered.

"Allow me to remind you, Mr. Superman. He was jaywalking, and forcibly did so without any need, conveniently colliding with a service vehicle. Doesn't that seem like intentional obstruction of work?"

"Does it?" Superman also seemed confused.

After thinking for a moment, he scratched his head and said, "Right, Luther is very careful. He hardly ever appears in unsecured areas without blockade, always travels in safe vehicles wherever he goes. I have dealt with him for so long, never seen him cross the road. Why suddenly rush to the middle of it?"

"Oh, I understand. He is indeed obstructing work. It's his conspiracy. He doesn't want your affairs to succeed, yet wants to clear his suspicion, so he deliberately made himself look like a victim. That way you wouldn't be able to hold him accountable."

Shiller snapped his fingers and said, "Perfect reasoning, sir."

"Then where is he now?" Superman asked.

"At the base's medical center," Shiller replied, "I know you might want to see your old friend, but now is not the right time. Both of you are detainees, so stay put obediently. Natasha, come with me."

Natasha walked out of the room. Shiller closed the door, turning the room into a completely enclosed chamber, isolating Superman and Wonder Woman's senses.

"So what's going on exactly?" Natasha asked.

"Just a little scheme." Shiller shook his head and said, "Luther is a very smart person, cautious and cunning. But in my career, I've often dealt with people like this. I know how to make them fall victim to their own smartness."

"Tell me more." Natasha seemed very interested.

"The information we received is that Luther arrived by helicopter. But this is actually very unusual because it's too conspicuous. Everyone in the world knows Gotham is Wayne's territory. If Luther truly wanted to stir things up here, he should come discreetly, instead of landing a helicopter with the Luther Group logo so brazenly."

"So, he's informing Wayne he's here."

"Yes. I think it's a test. He wants to know what the president's attitude toward him is. Or rather, he has anticipated an attitude and wants to come and verify if it's real."

"What attitude?"

"Of course, it's Wayne wanting to get rid of him."

This is not surprising either. The presidential power of Arkham Batman is too strong. Many bigwigs have been toppled by him since his ascent. Though Luther Group is currently fine, that doesn't mean it will remain so in the future.

Luther's high-profile visit to Gotham must have some probing intention. He just wants to see if Bruce Wayne will take action against him.

Or, it could be more malicious speculation. The rumors between Batman and Natasha were concocted by Luther himself. If Natasha is drawn over and conflicts with Luther, Luther can accuse Batman of sending agents to kill him. Under the cameras of many media outlets, Batman wouldn't be able to deny it.

If rumors of assassination spread, when something happens to Luther later, people will first suspect Batman. Batman would find it difficult to act against Luther.

Such a risky plan, Luther must make thorough preparations. He won't trust anyone, including the utilized Stagg. That's how Shiller inferred that if Stagg were to go with Luther somewhere, Luther certainly wouldn't use Stagg's vehicle. Nor would his security vehicle be parked in Stagg's underground garage, to prevent Stagg from tampering with it. So the security vehicle must be parked in a random surrounding parking lot.

Thus, Shiller first instructed his subordinates to occupy all parking spaces around. Diamond Street isn't big, and people lack legal awareness, yet are relatively wealthy. Most people, upon finding no parking spots, wouldn't bother driving miles to find one and would simply park anywhere. The fines are just fines; they don't care about the few bucks.

You park, I park too, and the originally spacious driveway gets blocked. Plus, with patrol policemen inspecting and issuing fines, Diamond Street will soon be clogged from end to end. Luther's prepared security vehicle simply can't get through.

Then, he might walk to find a secure vehicle. But walking is risky. Not mentioning the chaotic outside, many patrol officers carry guns, and he doesn't know who might be Wayne's men. Just the simulated sniper scope reflection arranged by Shiller on the building rooftop is enough to unsettle Luther.

Unlike the young and brash Stagg, Luther has weathered many storms. He knows many assassination techniques, especially the reflection of sniper scopes. Although it's just a faint beam of light, it's enough to make him tread cautiously.

As he retreats into the building, Shiller triggers the smoke alarm, creating an illusion that Wayne is preparing to burn the building down. Even though the fire alarm is called, he intentionally ensures the fire trucks are blocked at the street entrance. Luther is more inclined to believe Wayne is trying to kill him, halting all rescue measures.

Just as he intends to retreat from the back door, Shiller sends his subordinates rushing downstairs, appearing to chase him. Naturally, Luther assumes those agents rushing down are sent by Wayne to take his life.

Luther may be smart, but his physical abilities are rather average. Even with specialized training, he can't compete with professional agents. He certainly knows he can't outrun professional agents.

So, he can only find another way. Upon exiting through the back door to the two streets on either side, the street with denser foliage has more people; if he can run across, he can call for help. So he will definitely dash that way. And Shiller has long been waiting in the car for him.

Overall, it's Shiller using some clever agent tricks to make Luther think the president has laid a vast trap for him, then guiding his escape route until he gets hit by a car and captured.

As for why not rush in to grab him directly, the reason is simple. On the one hand, this guy has many hideouts and might not be caught, and Shiller's manpower is insufficient and might let him escape. On the other hand, it's hard to fabricate charges for this guy who shows no flaws. If he hasn't done anything himself but is framed by the Special Agent Organization, the Luther Group's litigation team isn't in vain; it might not win the case.

So Shiller simply solves the problem from the root, forcing Luther to take some action. It doesn't matter what he does; as long as he takes action, charges can surely be pinned on him.

And since Luther doesn't know this is really the evil agent acting on his own, he believes Wayne saw through his plot early and used the advantage of local warfare to turn the tables on him. Shiller can also claim he's just an executor, thus cleverly extricating himself.

Still, Shiller is more inclined to use this information gap to negotiate with Luther, perhaps he can gain some unexpected benefits.

Shiller arrived at the medical center. Despite Luther being thrown far away by that crash, Shiller knows well. Luther wasn't injured seriously, nor were any vital organs hurt, at most a few ribs broken.

When he arrived, Luther was already awake. Shiller walked over and placed a cup of coffee by his bedside, pulled out his credentials, and said, "Mr. Luther, I've long admired you. Detective Rodriguez sends his regards."

Luther squinted his eyes, staring at Shiller. All his sanity told him the person before him is the very typical notorious FBI Agent, experienced, cunning, and difficult to deal with, honestly deserving the name "blue skin dog."

But his instinct told him it's not that simple. Those grey eyes shrouded in shadow seemed to contain more dangerous secrets.

"Want to talk, Mr. Luther?" Shiller asked.

As a precaution, Luther didn't refuse. He prepared to take the initiative and asked, "Who do you work for? The president?"

"I work for the Federation, sir." Shiller revealed a smile and said.