They still had their own set of plans.
Even though their roles were divided so that Benjamin would pacify the guests at the Manor with his agents and the trio would hunt for the spy, the real plan set forth by Lex and Bruce was to investigate the treasure under the Manor while Benjamin was occupied with the guests.
Clark fiercely condemned this dishonorable act. However, he joined them for fear that they might threaten ordinary people with whatever dangers lay under the Manor.
They started their search earlier, so even though it took them a while to find the entrance, they still beat Shiller to it.
The gray-mist-formed Shiller was drifting towards the warehouse when he saw the trio. He turned to leave, but it was already too late.
Among the three, Lex was highly alert and had sharp eyes. He was the first one to notice the peculiar fog flowing towards the warehouse.
Bruce recognized it instantly; it was his dear professor. After witnessing Shiller's transformation into this form during the Battle in Living Hell, he quickly turned to Clark and said, "Block him!"
"...Block whom?" Clark asked, confused.
"That fog, stop him, quick!"
Sensing the severity in Bruce's tone, Clark didn't question but instantaneously rushed in front of the gray fog, opening his arms and shouting, "Stop!"
And the fog did stop.
Clark even noticed that the fog retreated silently, which puzzled him. He hadn't actually done anything, just ran over there, opened his arms, and hadn't used any superpower. How did it stop?
Bruce, with arms crossed, walked over, scanned the fog, and then said, "Professor, come out. Let's talk."
The fog first formed an arrow, pointing at Clark, then turned and extended in the same direction.
Clark and Lex were both baffled, but Bruce understood Shiller's message. He instructed Clark, "Take a few steps back."
Though befuddled, Clark complied and stepped back slightly, only to see the gray fog gradually solidify into the shape of a man; it was Shiller.
"Oh, Professor Shearer, it's you."
Clark was surprised, not at Shearer's capabilities, for he had shown off his superpowers earlier. He was taken aback that Shearer would appear here at this time.
As Clark moved forward to stand near Shearer, Shearer pointed at him with the umbrella in his hand.
Clark paused, confused, as Shearer turned to him and said:
"Don't come any closer."
The way he looked at Clark was like a pedestrian watching a nuclear bomb running around on the street.
However, the only difference was that if a normal person saw a nuclear bomb running around, they must be hallucinating. But Clark was indeed that nuclear bomb, with legs and wings, capable of flying fast and exploding whoever it caught, and whoever was hit would undoubtedly flatten.
"I..." Clark took another half-step, intending to come closer. Shearer took a silent half-step back, always maintaining a certain distance from him.
Bruce rubbed his eyes at this point. It seemed that Shearer was scared of Clark, but why?
Suddenly, he remembered that last part of the dream, some details to be exact. For instance, when the shock wave dissipated, he saw the shattering of the invisible wall and the collapse of the floors beneath his feet after the ground gave way.
Despite getting kicked out of the dream right after that, it was enough for him to infer what happened next.
After deducing that Clark's thought-bomb might have blown up and toppled several layers of Shiller's Thought Palace, Bruce felt his spirit lifting.
"It seems you've also found that entrance and are about to check it out. I won't disturb you then."
After saying this, Shearer turned to leave, but he was stopped once again by Bruce.
"Do you know what's down there?" asked Bruce.
Shearer shook his head. Annoyed, Bruce said, "No, you should know. Otherwise, how would you explain that dream?"
"Couldn't I have simply made it up?"
Seeing that Bruce was still staring at him, Shearer sighed and said, "Alright, I have some clues. But I didn't infer them from visiting the place personally; I deduced them from some other factors."
Shearer shifted his gaze to Clark, who was quite puzzled himself. Still, Shearer said, "Clark, remember when we talked before, you mentioned feeling weak as soon as you were near the Manor?"
Clark nodded blankly. Seeing Bruce's suspicious look, Shearer continued, "From what I know, there indeed exists a mineral that could make some possessors of incredibly strong superpowers feel weak. It's called Kryptonite."
Bruce's expression changed slightly. He wasn't sure if Shearer mentioned "some possessors of incredibly strong superpowers" specifically referring to Clark or everyone with special superpowers like Clark and Shearer. If it's the latter, then this mineral couldn't fall into anyone else's hands but his.
Obviously, Lex shared the same thought.
Their alliance almost dissolved in an instant.
Originally, if this mineral was specifically against Superman, they could indeed share equal parts. But if this mineral could equally weaken all superpower users, then allowing any other person to have this mineral would be perilous.
However, the logic was indeed more persuasive because it was highly unlikely that a certain mineral in this world was specifically targeted at a particular person.
Moreover, the secret lab beneath the Mayor's Manor was built several terms ago. At that time, Clark might have just been born. There's no reason for that Mayor to specially research a mineral for an infant, whom he hadn't even met.
Without sufficient factual basis, neither Lex nor Bruce, no matter how smart they were, could imagine a series of complicated alien background stories related to the Kryptonians, Kryptonite, etc. Based on the current clues, it was more likely that the stone targeted all possessors of superpowers.
What intensified the conflict between Bruce and Lex was that they both had opponents they urgently needed to contend with—Lex was worried about Clark while Bruce was worried about Shearer.
They both wanted to find something that could restrain their adversaries' superpowers. And now, that very substance was beneath their feet.