Chapter 152: Loki Robbing a Bank?

"Uh…"

Peter hadn't expected this little troublemaker to have such grand ambitions.

John dreamed of inheriting the farm, and Star-Lord dreamed of traveling the galaxy.

While those dreams were interesting in their own right, they paled in comparison to Loki's ambitions—coveting Earth, ruling the Nine Realms of the World Tree, and becoming the King of Asgard. The difference in scale was staggering.

"That's not going to happen. Loki, you do realize that the World Tree is just a seed right now, and Asgard doesn't even exist?"

"Of course, I know that, Dad. Maybe it's a distant dream, but one day, you could become the ruler of the Nine Realms. Dad, do you think I could be a king?"

Loki gazed at Peter with hopeful eyes.

Hearing Loki's flattery and his unspoken request for affirmation, Peter paused for a moment before nodding. "Yes, Loki, you can be a king."

"Really?"

"Mhm. Really."

"Even though I'm not your biological son?"

Peter looked at Loki in surprise. "No, Loki, you and I share the same bloodline. Of course, you're my son."

Even though Loki had been sent by the World Tree, he shared Peter's blood. In this world, he had no other parents—Peter was, without question, his real father.

"I'm not ranked behind John and Star-Lord, am I, Dad?"

Loki hesitated, his eyes betraying a certain expectation as he asked, "I mean, if you had to choose just one person, would I be your first choice?"

"You, Star-Lord, John—you all have no ranking."

Peter walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"I understand, Dad."

Loki fell silent for a moment before smiling in response.

As Loki walked toward his room, Peter frowned slightly.

He had always thought that John's childhood personality was the most troublesome. Now that John was in high school, Peter had hoped to finally get some peace of mind.

But he hadn't expected Loki to be even more difficult than John had been.

Loki was maturing faster than Star-Lord, but instead of using his intelligence for good, he was constantly competing in secret, always seeking Peter's approval, trying to prove that he was just as good as John and Star-Lord.

On top of that, he was carefully disguising himself, using subtle tricks and schemes against John and Star-Lord.

It was probably because John had once jokingly said that Loki had been picked from a tree. That must have given him a deep sense of insecurity.

Sighing helplessly, Peter turned and walked toward his room.

The Next Morning

Luthor Family Bank.

A young man in a black suit, tall and handsome, walked into the bank carrying a backpack.

The only flaw in his otherwise polished appearance was his gleaming bald head.

Lex Luthor—the heir of the Luthor Group and son of Lionel Luthor—had once been acquainted with Peter. Now, he had grown into a high school student.

His expression was calm as he entered the bank, glancing around.

Seeing their boss walk in, the bank manager immediately stepped forward to greet him.

"Mr. Luthor, is there anything I can assist you with?"

The manager smiled warmly, shaking his hand.

Lex returned the smile. "I'd like to close all my accounts."

The manager was momentarily stunned before asking, "May I ask why, Mr. Luthor?"

"Is there a problem?"

Seeing Lex's impatient expression, the manager forced a smile. "No, of course not—just a little surprised."

Lex nodded and said, "I want all my money in cash. The sooner, the better."

The manager did not refuse. "Of course, Mr. Luthor."

He picked up a form and a pen from the side and handed them over. "Please sign here."

"No problem."

Lex took the pen and signed his name with a smile.

The manager took the form and walked over to the counter, comparing Lex's signature with the one on file.

Something was off—the signatures didn't match.

After a brief hesitation, he returned and asked, "Mr. Luthor, may I see your driver's license?"

Lex raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"We noticed a discrepancy in your signature. It's just a precaution."

Lex frowned in displeasure. "I'm standing right here in front of you. What more do you need?"

"Apologies, sir, but we're simply following protocol."

"If we're talking about protocol, let me tell you mine!"

Lex reached into his backpack and pulled out a gun, aiming it at the manager. "Now, put all the money in the bag."

At the sight of the weapon, everyone in the bank froze, terrified. They had no choice but to comply, hurriedly stuffing cash into his backpack.

A few minutes later, with a loud bang, Lex pushed open the door and ran outside.

Just then, Clark happened to be passing by. The two came face to face.

Seeing Lex—someone he had met just a few weeks ago—Clark instinctively reached out to greet him.

But before he could react, Lex shoved him hard.

A tremendous force sent Clark flying into a nearby store.

Clark crashed through the glass and slammed onto the floor. Shattered glass rained down, making a sharp, clinking noise.

Dazed, Clark got to his feet and dusted himself off.

He was completely baffled.

Why had Lex attacked him? And how had he become so strong?

Noon

Back at the farm, Clark recounted the morning's events to his parents.

Jonathan poured a cup of coffee and said, "This is already on the news. I saw the report—he stole a hundred thousand dollars. That's not a small sum."

"That's impossible. Lex isn't like that. I know him, and I know his character."

As Clark spoke, his phone suddenly rang.

Seeing that the caller was Lex, he quickly picked up.

After a brief conversation, he hung up.

Martha asked him, "So, what did he say?"

"Lex said he doesn't have an evil twin, and at the time of the incident, he was in Metropolis hosting a conference with two hundred fertilizer dealers."

Clark told his parents, "He assured me he wasn't behind the crime, and honestly, I don't think he was either. If it really were him, he wouldn't have needed to wear a mask."

At that moment, Clark suddenly thought of someone.

Just yesterday, Loki had transformed into Lana to deceive him.

If someone could transform into Lex to rob a bank, then there was a very good chance that person was Loki.

Thinking about Loki's usual personality, it wouldn't be surprising if he did something like this.

With that in mind, Clark quickly grabbed his coat and headed out.

"Dad, Mom, I'm going to my godfather's place. I won't be back for lunch."

Watching their son leave, Martha turned to her husband and sighed, "Looks like even after growing up, our son still likes hanging around Peter's place."

Jonathan could only smile helplessly at his wife.

Padraic Farm.

Clark called out to Loki, who was wearing a robe, a golden crown, and had taken on a youthful form.

The trickster god was lounging lazily on a windowsill, basking in the sunlight with a book in hand.

"Hey, Loki. Can we talk?"

"Of course."

Loki hopped down from the window, placed his book aside, and walked toward Clark.

Clark glanced around but didn't see Peter anywhere.

"Where's my godfather?" he asked.

By now, he was used to Loki appearing in adult form, so he pretended not to notice.

"Father went to Metropolis to handle some bar property issues. I'm not too sure about the details."

"Father?"

Clark was momentarily stunned. Since when did Loki call Peter that?

Shaking his head, he got back to the point.

"The robbery at the Luthor Bank this morning—was it you, Loki?"

Hearing Clark's question, Loki put on a look of exaggerated surprise. "Wasn't that Lex Luthor?"

As expected.

The fact that Loki knew about the robbery so conveniently only made Clark more suspicious.

Otherwise, how else would this guy have known?

"I ran into the so-called 'Lex' during the robbery, and he didn't seem like himself. Plus, Lex doesn't have the strength to throw me into a shop."

Clark laid out his reasoning. "And besides, Lex had an alibi—he was in Metropolis."

"Oh, so you're suspecting me now? Me?"

Loki put on a wounded expression, his voice tinged with disappointment. "I thought, as brothers, Clark, you would trust me, but…"

Seeing Loki's over-the-top acting, Clark cut in, "I want to trust you, Loki. But can you tell me where you were at the time?"

Loki thought for a moment, then answered, "I was here on the farm reading. Star-Lord can vouch for me."

At that moment, Star-Lord came downstairs, having heard their voices.

Just as he was about to speak, another identical Loki split off from the original and walked over to him, asking, "You can confirm that I've been here all day, right, Star-Lord?"

Clark, now faced with two Lokis, was completely dumbfounded.

If Loki could create a clone of himself so easily, that meant he could commit crimes whenever he wanted—

Leaving behind a fake Loki here to read while the real one went out robbing banks!

"So it was you, Loki!"

Clark stared at him in shock.

"I'll never admit to that. Besides, you don't have any proof." Loki smirked. "Clark, you do know that falsely accusing someone is a crime, right?"

Watching Loki's smug, fearless attitude, Clark could feel the veins on his forehead throbbing.

This guy… aside from his godfather, no one could keep him in check.

Unless John and I physically restrain him, that is.

"I'm calling my godfather!"

Clark threatened through gritted teeth.

"Go ahead." Loki shrugged nonchalantly. "But if you interrupt Father's work, you'll be the one responsible. Or are you still just a kid who only knows how to tattle?"

Clark was left speechless.

For the first time, he truly understood why his future self was supposedly more aggressive.

Suddenly, it all made sense.