Chapter 11 Clark
Just like that, the wishing magical stone that had caused massive global chaos in the original plot was sealed by Kal-El inside a secret underground chamber within the estate.
Kal-El and Diana's lives fell back into peace once more, only occasionally donning their battle suits to resolve sudden crises.
Time flew by. On an ordinary morning in 2013, Kal-El saw a special report in the news.
The report revealed that a superpowered individual with immense strength had appeared on Earth.
He had once saved classmates in a school bus that fell into the water during middle school, and later rescued oil rig workers trapped in a massive fire.
Although this was just news published by private media, which often posted unsubstantiated information,
Kal-El knew that this time, the report was true.
Because he knew this was something Superman Kal-Elhad done in the original plot.
"If nothing unexpected happens, General Zod of Kryptonwill also be arriving on Earth soon."
Kal-El decided to find Clark and have a talk with him.
After all, this could be considered his Kryptonian fellow townsman, and likely his own cousin.
Furthermore, Kal-El's father, Jor-El, had provided a lot of help when Kal-El came to Earth.
Kal-El did not notify Diana.
A robbery had taken place in Queens today, and Diana had already picked up her lasso of truth and rushed over.
Diana was enthusiastic about stopping crime.
Thinking of this, Kal-El took off his coat and came to the garden inside the estate wearing only his black Supermanbattle suit.
Bending his knees slightly, he instantly transformed into an arrow released from a bowstring, shooting up into the sky.
Swoosh——!
Boom, boom, boom——!
The sound of the sonic boom resounded across the heavens and earth, its massive roar acting like accompaniment for Kal-El.
Kal-El's body slashed through the sky, the air wake behind him piercing the heavens and earth, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived at the North Pole.
With this speed, wouldn't delivering takeout make a fortune?
Kal-El didn't think too much more about it, because Kal-Elhad already seen Clark.
At this moment, Clark had already put on his red-and-blue battle suit, and was excitedly shuttling back and forth across the sky with an emotional expression.
Wherever he passed, air waves rolled and the roaring sound of breaking the sound barrier was endless.
The more he flew, the more excited he became; the corners of his mouth gradually curled upward, unable to be suppressed no matter what.
Seeing Clark's excited appearance from afar, Kal-El found it somewhat amusing; Clark at this moment was as childish as a child.
Seeing Kal-El's appearance, Kal-El also became interested.
Kal-El flicked the cloak behind him, his black battle suit exuding a powerful sense of oppression.
He stamped heavily on the ground, shooting out like a cannonball.
At this time, Clark was still excitedly traveling through the sky; his body rapidly ascended, gradually leaving Earth and entering outer space.
Pausing slightly, he descended from outer space once more and flew toward the ocean.
When he sensed Kal-El behind him, he had already arrived above the Atlantic Ocean.
He stopped his movement, steadily standing upon the surface of the sea, the red-and-blue battle suit highlighting his muscular and well-proportioned physique.
Kal-El stopped instantly, the powerful wind force brought by his body stirring up large waves.
"Who are you?"
Clark looked at this handsome man wearing a Supermanbattle suit just like him, becoming vigilant.
"Kal-El, I am Kal-El. I came to Earth about a hundred years ago aboard a Kryptonian scout ship. Come to think of it, I should be considered your older cousin."
"You are also a Kryptonian?"
Clark's expression relaxed; he hadn't expected there to be another of his kind in this world.
Kal-El nodded.
"Of course, I know your father, Jor-El."
Clark became even more excited; it seemed this person truly was his tribesman, and even a close relative.
"Have you been living on Earth all these years?"
He asked impatiently, wanting to know everything about Kal-El.
"Then why have I never received any news from you in all these years? I always thought I was the only anomaly on this planet."
Kal-El chuckled softly.
"In fact, my information is not hard to find; it's just that many people are unwilling to believe it. I also participated in World War I and have been to many places. It's just that too much time has passed, and you didn't actively search for it either."
Speaking of this, Kal-El turned around to look at Clark.
"Among humans, they call me Superman."
Sorry, little bro!
This title had already been bestowed upon me by humans first.
Kal-El turned his gaze toward the distant coastline.
"For so many years, I have done many things in the human world, but I have never exposed my abilities to the sight of the whole world. Because I know humans are not ready yet."
"Once humans discover us, they will be terrified, afraid, and even reject us, so we need an opportunity to let the world recognize our goodwill."
"And I believe that opportunity will arrive soon."
Rumble——!
The wind picked up!
Lightning and thunder began to flash across the sky, a storm swept across the sea surface, and torrential rain fell instantly.
Kal-El reached out his hand to feel the rainwater falling from the sky, murmuring to himself.
"The storm is almost here."
On the verge of parting, Clark invited Kal-El to be a guest at his home, which Kal-El politely declined.
Because Kal-El wanted to bring Diana along, and by the way, let Diana meet this Kryptonian older cousin of his.
When Kal-El returned to the villa located in Washington, D.C., Diana was making dinner in the kitchen.
Seeing the joy on Kal-El's face, Diana was somewhat puzzled.
"Did something worth celebrating happen today?"
Kal-El raised his eyebrows.
"How do you know?"
Diana pressed her lips together slightly.
"Because your face is full of stories."
Kal-El sat down beside the dining table and took a bottle of red wine handed over by Diana.
"Diana, today I found my tribesman."
"Tribesman?"
"Yes, also a child of Krypton, his name is Kal-El, considered my cousin."
Kal-El smiled, feeling happy for Clark's arrival.
Diana held Kal-El's hand, quietly looking at Kal-El.
"Congratulations, Kal-El, this is indeed something worth celebrating."
Kal-El paused for a moment, interlocking his fingers with Diana's.
"But according to what he said, due to the over-extraction of core resources, Krypton had already been destroyed before he came to Earth; he was sent to Earth by his parents in a spaceship."
Diana listened quietly.
"Kal-El, you still have us."
Kal-El nodded.
"Rest assured, Diana, I don't feel too much sorrow. I was already prepared for Krypton's fate long ago; Earth is the place where I live."
"There is you here, and Clark too. I am never lonely, and I like it here. Now on Earth, I have gained one more person to cherish."
Diana's eyes slowly grew wet.
"Kal-El."
"Diana."
The atmosphere gradually heated up, and the figures of the two drew closer and closer.
...
A few days later, after Kal-El spoke with Clark over the phone, he brought Diana to the Kent Farm in Kansas, USA.
Seeing the boundless, verdant farm before her, Dianarolled down the car window and took a deep breath of the fresh air here.
"Having lived in the city for so long, I only realized that I haven't breathed this kind of fresh air from a farm in a long time."
Kal-El looked at the radiant Diana.
"You don't need to work in the city every day or be on standby; the city doesn't need you staring at it every single moment. You need more time to relax."
Diana leaned against the car window, closing her eyes to feel the cozy comfort of the breeze gently brushing against her cheeks.
"Ok, I will!"
Kal-El looked toward the surrounding wilderness, feeling an unprecedented sense of freedom and exhilaration.
Yet in his heart he was thinking that here he should be able to make a move without any scruples; only a battle like that could be considered truly gratifying and exhilarating!
But this farm would probably be completely ruined; he wondered if Clark would fight him to the death at that time.
But it seemed that in the original show, this place was also tossed around quite heavily by Clark and General Zod.
Chapter 12: Incoming
The car finally stopped outside an off-white decorated house deep in the farm. Clark and his adoptive mother, Martha, were already waiting outside to welcome them.
As the car doors opened, Kal-El and Diana got out and came before the two of them.
"You are Martha? Hello.
I'm Clark's cousin, Kal-El, and this is my girlfriend, Diana."
Martha also smiled and greeted the two of them.
"Hello, welcome."
As a few of them walked through the front door, Clarkmuttered quietly to Kal-El.
"Kal-El, this car is so cool. I can tell you're very rich."
Kal-El smiled at him.
"Amazon Beyond Type 7, if you're interested, I can gift you one."
"Are you serious? I'll take you up on that, Kal-El."
Clark looked somewhat expectant.
Kal-El waved his hand slightly.
"This is nothing to me."
Kal-El rolled up his sleeves, watched the second hand of his wristwatch tick a few times, and raised his head again.
"Alright, it's already been earned back."
Clark's expression changed slightly, and Kal-El could see his facial muscles twitching a bit.
Diana pursed her lips and smiled lightly, feeling that Kal-El's behavior at the moment was somewhat asking for a beating.
The group shared a lavish lunch together, and around four in the afternoon, Kal-El and Diana walked out the door.
Kal-El reached out and patted Clark on the shoulder.
"If you need anything, come to me. As a brother, I'll do my best."
Saying this, he glanced at the farm and added another sentence.
"You can also come to me for financial issues."
Kal-El and Diana stepped into the car, and Kal-El rolled down the window.
"In a few days, the company will send you a cool car, the same model as mine."
With that, Kal-El put on his sunglasses, stepped on the gas pedal, and sped away.
Vroom—!
The car shot out like an arrow from a bow in an instant, leaving behind clouds of dust.
Clark gently waved his hand to fan away the lingering dust, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
This cousin seems... not bad?
November passed in the blink of an eye.
At this moment, Kal-El was sunbathing by the villa's swimming pool, lying on a lounge chair and leisurely sipping fruit wine.
His chisel-like, athletic physique was unreservedly exposed to the Yellow Sun in the sky.
Kal-El could feel his body continuously growing stronger.
At that moment, an image suddenly appeared on the TV news hanging on the nearby wall.
A strangely shaped spaceship was navigating through the universe, approaching Earth.
Kal-El stood up and quietly watched the footage on the TV news.
It's finally here!
As the news spread, humans guessed one after another that this was an alien spaceship.
Experts also evaluated whether this spaceship with unclear intentions would pose a threat to humanity, and even began trying every possible way to establish contact with them.
But then all media, televisions, and mobile phones automatically switched to static screens.
Every flicker would bring a few English letters onto the screen.
"You are not alone."
Translated by Kryptonian technology, this sentence appeared on all media and televisions worldwide.
Soon, a blurry figure appeared on the screen again.
"I am Zod, from Krypton, 500,000 light-years away from Earth.
For a long time, you have sheltered one of my subjects, who has integrated among you.
I give you one day to make him come out and surrender, otherwise Earth will bear the consequences."
With that, Zod's figure vanished from the screens, and all electronic displays returned to normal.
But General Zod's words sparked heated discussions worldwide.
Netizens from various countries were chattering away.
"Fuck! Then let's fight!"
"Fight what fight? They are already capable of interstellar travel, while we are still stuck on Earth! The technological gap is just too huge."
"Then what should we do?"
"Make those politicians hand him over. Finally, we can find something for them to do, otherwise they just drink coffee in their offices all day!"
...
Humans weren't sure what attitude Clark held toward humanity, but they knew that if he wasn't handed over, Earth would definitely suffer a devastating blow from the Kryptonians.
On television programs, many experts expressed their views one after another, hoping that Kal-El would proactively step forward and take responsibility.
It had to be said that Zod knew how to use moral kidnapping—essentially betting on Kal-El's high moral standards.
At this moment, Kal-El no longer had his previous relaxed and comfortable posture. He slowly walked aside and picked up the black Superman suit hanging on the coat rack.
Whoosh—
After a gust of black whirlwind, Kal-El had already dressed neatly in the suit.
"Zod, I've been waiting for you for a long time!"
Clack, clack, clack!
Diana walked over in high heels and a trench coat, coming before Kal-El with a solemn expression.
"What do you plan to do?"
Kal-El pondered for a moment.
"We need to find Clark first."
Diana nodded.
The two of them took a flight and rushed to Kansas that very day.
To avoid drawing special attention from General Zod, the two chose to travel by private jet.
When the two arrived at Kent Farm, it was already close to evening. Clark was already waiting outside the door.
"I believe you would come."
Clark turned his head, his face full of complexity.
Kal-El smiled slightly, stepped forward, and patted Clarkon the shoulder.
"Don't worry, there's me and Diana. Zod won't be able to do anything."
The group came to a wooden table outside the door, and Clark poured a few glasses of wine.
"I have to go. They captured Lois."
He let out a soft sigh.
"Besides, humanity also hopes that I can go and surrender."
Kal-El raised an eyebrow.
"Lois? That female reporter?"
Clark smiled and nodded.
"I don't want to drag down any innocent people, especially since she can be considered a friend of mine."
Diana took a sip of her drink.
"Clark, you are being very irrational. Do you think General Zod is trustworthy?"
Clark stated the answer in his heart without hesitation.
"Zod is not trustworthy."
"Then why are you still going? This is clearly redundant, and you might even encounter unpredictable danger."
"No, this is not redundant."
Kal-El suddenly spoke up, a remark that surprised Diana a bit.
Kal-El continued to explain.
"It doesn't matter that we know Zod isn't trustworthy; what matters is letting humanity know that Zod isn't trustworthy."
Diana understood.
"You mean to make humanity see Zod's true face, so that Clark won't be subjected to pressure from the human world."
Clark agreed with this statement and stood up.
"Therefore, I must go out and surrender tomorrow, both to rescue Lois and to let humanity see Zod clearly."
Diana reluctantly agreed to the operation and turned to look at Kal-El.
"Is there any other plan for tomorrow?"
Kal-El thought for a moment and stated his plan earnestly.
"Tomorrow, Clark will surrender and enter the spaceship. We will wait outside for Clark to break free and protect Martha."
Diana nodded.
"And then?"
"That's it."
"Just this?"
"Just this!"
"This plan is truly simple and crude."
"I know that before Zod finds the genesis codex and prepares to terraform Earth, he won't harm Clark."
Diana and Clark were somewhat puzzled.
"genesis codex? Terraform Earth?"
Kal-El continued to explain to the two of them.
"Krypton has been destroyed, and Zod now needs to find a living planet anew, using Kryptonian technology to transform it into an environment suitable for Kryptonians to live in.
Only then can he use the genesis codex inside Clark's body to create more Kryptonians and rebuild Krypton."
Diana looked at Kal-El doubtfully.
"How do you know all this?"
Kal-El looked away, gazing into the deep night sky.
"I lived on Krypton for eighteen years and understand what kind of person he is."
Could I say I've watched the original show?
"If Clark doesn't break free within a day, then I will break in and rip off Zod's head with my own hands."
Clark:...
This cousin seems a bit vicious!
Chapter 13 Human Courage
The next day, Superman Clark surrendered to the human army as promised.
He hovered in the air in a red and blue battle suit, and the cape behind him exuded a strong sense of oppression.
Every part of his body was telling others of his strength.
The military soldiers became vigilant and pointed their guns at Clark one after another.
"I mean no harm, and I will surrender to Zod, but you need to release Lois."
Clark descended from the air and retracted his powerful aura.
A general waved his hand, and the soldiers behind him immediately surrounded Clark.
Seeing the actions of humans, Clark helplessly extended his hands.
"I will not resist, but before you hand me over to Zod, I need to see Lois, and I must ensure that you will release her."
"Then you had better put on the handcuffs obediently, otherwise I will order to open fire."
The middle-aged general looked at Clark and issued a warning.
There was no other way; facing Clark, this unknown alien, he had to pull himself together.
The soldiers behind stepped forward to put handcuffs on Clark, and Clark was very cooperative, obediently extending his hands.
Escorted by the human military, Clark came to a secret base where Lois was detained.
Entering a room with large floor-to-ceiling windows, he finally saw Lois again.
The two sat opposite each other by the table.
"Why are you surrendering to Zod?"
"No, I am surrendering to humanity."
Lois shook her head.
"This is different."
She looked at the handcuffs on Clark's hands, feeling a bit indignant for Clark.
"You even let them put handcuffs on you."
Clark was silent for a moment.
"If I resisted, it wouldn't be called a surrender."
After thinking for a moment, Clark spoke again.
"If this can make them feel safe, I am willing to cooperate with them."
Lois looked at the emblem on Clark's chest and asked doubtfully.
"What does'S' stand for?"
The corners of Clark's mouth curved slightly upward.
"This is not the letter'S'; on our planet, it represents hope."
Lois looked at the pattern on Clark's chest.
"I seem to have seen this pattern in an old newspaper. Your battle suits are very similar, but his is black.
Some call him Superman, possessing great power.
I always thought it was just a legend; is he also one of your people?"
Clark nodded.
"That is my cousin; he came to Earth very early.
He has lived here for a hundred years and even participated in your World War I."
Lois's tone was somewhat excited.
"If he is also on Earth, you won't be isolated and helpless."
Clark shook his head.
"Zod is not to be trusted, and we are not afraid of him. I surrendered to him just to show my goodwill to humanity."
Lois fell silent, looking at Clark's red and blue battle suit.
"Superman in a blue battle suit, since that's the case, let's call you Blue Superman!"
At this time, the military general and a doctor also arrived outside the floor-to-ceiling window.
Clark turned his head to look outside the window.
"Let's cut to the chase. I mean no harm to humanity. I have lived on Earth for a long time, and I love this planet very much."
He stood up from the chair and easily broke free from the handcuffs.
Seeing this, the soldiers outside the window immediately became alert, and the doctor could not help but take a slight step back.
"You are vigilant against me because you are afraid of me and want to control me. But I will not be controlled by anyone, not before, and not in the future."
"I chose to step forward, not to surrender to Zod, but to surrender to humanity. This is my goodwill."
The doctor and the general next to him exchanged glances.
"Thank you for your understanding, sir. We will release Lois as agreed."
...
The sun hung high in the sky, and it was already noon.
Escorted by the human army, Clark arrived ahead of schedule at the outskirts of Metropolis.
Kal-El and Diana were also in the distance, disguised as ordinary soldiers, paying attention to the situation at the scene.
As a streak of light flashed across the sky, a beetle-shaped small spaceship landed not far away.
After the cabin door opened, several warriors wearing transparent masks walked out of the spaceship.
The leader was a female warrior in a warrior uniform, followed by two soldiers.
Coming before the military representatives, she glanced at Clark and Lois.
"Kal-El, I am sub-commander Faora, and I bring greetings from General Zod to you."
After speaking, she turned her head to look at the middle-aged general of the military, and pointed at Lois with a condescending tone.
"We will take her away as well."
At this moment, a young major next to them bravely stepped forward.
"You didn't say you also wanted our people."
Faora was a bit surprised, turning her head to stare at this human major.
"Do you have a different opinion?"
Although facing unknown alien warriors, the major still did not compromise.
"This is not within the scope of our deal."
The atmosphere at the scene became stagnant, and the general felt his heart pounding with fright at this moment.
Worried that the Kryptonians might suddenly riot now, he was not out of danger yet.
Faora did not expect that the young major's superior hadn't made a sound, yet this major dared to step forward to stop her.
Humanity had already compromised with them, yet she didn't expect someone to still dare to reject her request under such circumstances, even though this request was very unreasonable.
Faora stared tightly at this brave human man, and the young major showed no intention of compromising at all.
As a pure warrior, Faora also felt a trace of appreciation for this human major at this moment.
But if she couldn't take Lois away today, she would have no choice but to kill.
At this time, Kal-El and Diana were also quietly watching this scene from a distance.
It must be said that humanity never seems to lack warriors.
It is precisely because of these heroes who do not fear sacrifice that humanity can continue to grow stronger.
Seeing the atmosphere at the scene, Lois worried that it would trigger a more intense conflict.
"I will go with you."
Her voluntary action successfully resolved the crisis and also diverted firepower for the military.
Faora did not bicker with the major anymore, turning around and taking Clark and Lois back to the spaceship.
The spaceship soared into the sky, leaving only a cloud of dust in its place.
In outer space, a huge tripod mothership was quietly docked above the Earth.
Led by Faora, Clark and Lois met a man with a resolute face, who was none other than Zod, the highest military commander of Krypton.
There was also a big guy named Arnold on the side, along with the deputy of Zod's adjutant Faora.
At this time, Kal-El and Diana on Earth returned to the Kent Farm in Kansas.
"Kal-El, why did we return here?"
"Because Zod needs to find the genesis codex, and he will definitely come to this place where Clark lived to search for it."
Kal-El looked at Diana and said seriously.
"Before Zod exposes his true colors, I cannot expose myself yet. I need you to protect Martha well."
Diana raised her head confidently.
"Leave it to me!"
"Don't be careless, Diana. The combat power of Kryptonians is very strong."
Seeing Kal-El's solemn look, Diana also became serious.
After a long while, an alien spaceship suddenly stopped at the Kent Farm, and Zod and Faora walked out of the spaceship.
Martha had just come out of the room when she saw Zodand the others had already arrived in front of her.
"Where is Kal-El's spaceship?"
Martha shook her head.
"I don't know."
Faora's eyes instantly turned fierce, and she stepped forward to choke Martha's neck.
"Tell us where the spaceship is!"
Bang!
Faora instantly flew backward and heavily smashed to the ground.
This sudden scene caught General Zod completely off guard.
Diana protected Martha behind her.
"Do not harm innocent humans."
"Who are you?"
"I am the protector of humanity, a warrior of the Amazontribe, Wonder Woman Diana."
At this time, Diana had restored her Wonder Womanoutfit, holding an exquisitely shaped sword in her hand, with a shield on her back and the lasso of truth hanging around her waist.
She protected Martha behind her, watching the few people vigilantly.
Just as Zod was about to step forward, the voice of a Kryptonian soldier suddenly came from the warehouse.
"The spaceship is here."
Watching Zod and the others' attention being diverted, Diana immediately took Martha and soared into the sky.
Although Zod was eager to enter the warehouse, he also did not want Wonder Woman to escape like this.
There cannot be such a powerful person on Earth!
This might affect the plan to terraform Earth later.
"Kill her!"
"Yes, General!"
Faora nodded and leaped up.
The huge force caused the earth within dozens of meters to crack open.
She drew an arc in the sky and quickly followed up.
Swoosh——!
Swoosh——!
Diana's speed was obviously no match for hers, seeing that Faora was about to catch up.
She quickly landed and put Martha down.
"Hide quickly."
"Thank you, you must be careful."
Martha also knew the situation was urgent and quickly hid into a hamburger shop by the roadside.
Faora rushed over at high speed, with continuous harsh sonic booms.
Seeing Faora coming aggressively, Diana was not to be outdone and met her.
But the ending was obviously not very pleasant.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Diana was directly knocked flying by Faora's powerful force, her body crashing through several buildings before stopping on a reinforced concrete wall.
She climbed to her feet again, and the gravel from the wall fell down one after another.
Diana leaped dozens of meters to come to the open road outside.
Faora approached step by step, not taking Diana seriously at all.
"You are too weak."
Diana was unwilling to admit defeat.
"Is that so?"
She drew her sword and removed the shield from her back.
Crouching slightly, she prepared for battle.
Chapter 14: A Glorious Death Is to Die Worthily
Looking at Diana, who refused to admit defeat, Faorapaused slightly.
As a pure warrior, she appreciated those brave souls who did not fear life or death.
She slowly spoke.
"A glorious death is to die worthily!"
She grew serious and began to face this opponent squarely.
Bang!
She shattered the ground, airwaves rolling behind her, and rushed over again like an arrow leaving a bowstring.
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
Faora's fists and kicks struck Diana's shield, producing a crisp metallic clashing sound, and countless punch and kick shadows enveloped Diana.
Diana parried with all her might, using her shield to block while looking for an opportunity to attack.
But her offensive was always easily neutralized by Faora, without even posing the slightest threat to her.
Although Wonder Woman Diana grew up on Paradise Island and possessed extremely strong combat and physical skills,
Faora was likewise a battle-hardened warrior of Krypton.
After coming to Earth and being strengthened by the Yellow Sun, she possessed a physique even stronger than Diana's.
Faora's attacks were fierce and ruthless, every move and stance crisp and neat, full of a warrior's combat style.
Faora casually picked up a car parked by the roadside and threw it toward Diana.
Diana leaped high, gripping the sword in her hand tightly and slashing down with force.
Bang!
Bang! Bang!
With a loud crash, the car was slashed in half by Diana.
The car landing triggered another explosion, and the soaring flames reflected Diana's back.
Seeing Diana neutralize her offensive, Faora rushed up again.
Her combat experience was rich, and every part of her body could transform into the most lethal weapon.
Fists! Legs! Knees! Elbows!
Her offensive was swift and powerful, constantly striking from around Diana like a bolt of lightning.
Diana continuously used her shield to block Faora's attacks, but Faora's immense strength still sent her flying backward.
The surrounding buildings became riddled with holes, smashed out with one gap after another by Diana.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Swoosh!
The sound of breaking air came, and the tip of the sword thrust toward Faora's chest.
Faora dodged sideways and seized the opportunity to grab Diana's sword-wielding arm.
Diana pulled back her arm with force, trying to break free, only to find herself firmly locked by Faora.
"Yaa!"
Faora let out a roar, spun her body, and forcefully threw Diana far away.
Diana completely lost control of her body, transforming into a stream of light that violently smashed into the ground dozens of feet away.
Bang!
At this moment, the flatly paved cement road beneath Diana had turned into pieces of gravel.
Faora's figure flickered, followed by countless afterimages behind her, charging toward Diana once more.
"I am far more powerful than you imagine."
Diana took out the lasso of truth, spun it with force, and a fierce whirlwind swept toward Faora.
Whoosh—!
Faora quickly stabilized her figure, but was still uncontrollably blown flying backward.
Bang!
A huge stone sculpture instantly shattered, turning into a rain of stone across the sky.
Before Diana could catch her breath, Faora tore through the air and rushed over again, followed closely by a sharp sonic boom.
Diana's pupils constricted, and it was already too late to react.
Seeing that Diana could no longer hold on, Kal-El intended to end this battle.
Dragging it out any longer would definitely result in Dianagetting hurt.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Kal-El transformed into a black bolt of lightning, suddenly rushing out from behind Diana, shattering the glass of the buildings on both sides of the street.
Kal-El sprinted rapidly toward Faora.
Clang!
Rumble!
After a loud crash, an airwave instantly spread outward from the center point where the two collided.
The streetlights on the roadside were uprooted one after another, buildings collapsed, and the cement road shattered as cracks continuously spread outward.
Diana only saw a black figure flying backward amidst the sky-filling smoke and dust.
It felt like a long time had passed, yet also like just a split second.
When the scene calmed down, only Kal-El in a black combat suit remained on the ground dense with spiderweb-like cracks.
Faora was sent flying backward, not being buried by the building ruins until she had crashed through countless buildings.
"Ah! Ah!"
She used her very last bit of strength to fling away the reinforced concrete walls pressing down on her.
She staggered to her feet.
One step!
Two steps!
Thud!
Faora fell to her knees again, tightly clutching her head with both hands.
At this time, her mask was already shattered, and the pain in her body combined with Earth's unfamiliar atmospheric environment made her suffer immensely.
"Ahhh!"
She curled her body and lay prone on the ground.
Pfft!
Suddenly, a mouthful of blood spewed out, dyeing the ground red.
Woo—
Bang—!
A Krypton spaceship flew over and landed quickly.
Faora's second-in-command leaped down from the hatch, helped Faora up, and returned with her into the spaceship.
Time rewound to ten minutes ago.
Diana had just left with Martha when Zod broke into the warehouse.
He recognized at a glance that it was a spaceship from Krypton.
Zod immediately searched every corner of the spaceship with his subordinates, but found nothing at all.
"Where on earth is the genesis codex?"
Zod was burning with anger.
Seeing the brand-new sedan parked quietly to the side, he grabbed its chassis and flipped it right over.
Bang!
Bang! Bang!
The moment the car hit the ground, it underwent a violent impact and deformed.
"My car!"
Clark saw the scene where Zod threatened his adoptive mother Martha, and his heart was filled with anger.
Fortunately, Diana had already taken Martha away.
As soon as he breathed a sigh of relief, he saw Zodoverturn the new car Kal-El had just given him not long ago.
"Ah—"
He roared, sprinting at full speed, every part of his body filled with strength.
The moment he saw Zod, he grabbed Zod by the neck.
Before Zod could react, he was pushed by Clark to crash toward a tall tower nearby.
Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Two large holes instantly appeared in the majestic giant tower.
Their bodies crashed through one building after another, and then entered a farmland.
Clark pinned Zod to the ground, his fists landing on Zod's face like raindrops.
"How dare you threaten my mother!"
"And you broke my new car!"
Clark roared angrily, every punch filled with fury.
They crashed into a gas station, cutting it in half like a sharp sword.
Bang!
Bang! Bang!
The violent collision caused a massive explosion.
Seeing this, the surrounding crowd scattered and fled in all directions.
Zod staggered to his feet, suddenly half-squatting and clutching his head in agony.
His helmet was already damaged, and the unfamiliar atmospheric environment gave Zod a splitting headache; he could feel countless voices rushing into his brain.
Just as Clark wanted to step forward again, a spaceship arrived in time.
Bang!
Clark was instantly hit by a powerful energy, and his body immediately flew backward.
Two Krypton soldiers stepped down from the spaceship, helped Zod up, and returned to the spaceship.
With the violent roar of the engines, the spaceship turned into a stream of light and entered high altitude.
Just as Clark was about to pursue, he saw the big guy Arnold blocking his path.
Clark did not hesitate, crashing over like a cannonball fired from a barrel.
But Arnold just flickered slightly, grabbed Clark's legs, and forcefully slammed Clark onto the ground.
Bang!
With a loud crash, only a huge pit was left in place.
Clark shook his head and jumped up again.
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Military fighter jets roared over, frantically pouring firepower onto the big guy Arnold.
The dense rain of bullets left countless sparks on Arnold's body.
The big guy leaped up onto a fighter jet, clenching his fists and smashing toward the jet's cockpit.
Bang!
Arnold reached out, dragged the pilot out, and grabbed him by the neck.
With a slight exertion of force, he ended the pilot's life.
The fighter jet lost control and plummeted downward.
He jumped up again and lunged toward another fighter jet; the pilot widened his eyes watching Arnold pounce right in front of him instantly.
Bang!
At the critical moment, Clark arrived in time, hugged Arnold, and crashed toward the ground.
Rumble!
The two continued fighting on the ground, every move and stance carrying immense might.
Harassed by the military's heavy firepower, Clark seized the opportunity with a whip kick to send Arnold flying high into the sky.
Then his figure flashed, arriving above the big guy.
A fully-powered punch!
Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
This punch was heavy!
Arnold's body fell toward a distant train station, crashing through several locomotives parked at the station and triggering a series of explosions once again.
Arnold did not entangle further; seeing that the situation was unfavorable, he immediately jumped into the Kryptonspaceship that had come to pick him up.
At this time, Kal-El and Diana also finally hurried over; seeing the scene in ruins, Kal-El's mouth twitched slightly.
Clark doesn't hold back when he strikes either; he'll learn to behave when Batman beats him up in the future.
"He won't give up; he will make a comeback."
Clark's expression was solemn.
"Humanity will eventually realize that Zod cannot be trusted."
"Get ready for a big fight!"
Chapter 15: Battle, On the Verge of Breaking Out
Inside the Kryptonian mothership, General Zod sat in his spacious chair, gently rubbing his head.
"If we want to defeat Kal on Earth, we must adapt to Earth's atmospheric environment."
He looked over at his recovering sub-commander, Faora.
"Faora, what happened to you? Why were you injured? Who else on Earth could defeat you?"
Faora raised her head.
"General, that woman is not worth mentioning, but a mysterious person appeared afterwards."
Zod was somewhat surprised. Why were there so many unexpected variables on a mere Earth?
"Who is he?"
Faora shook her head gently.
"I didn't see clearly. He was very fast, appearing from behind that woman, and then my visor shattered."
General Zod was silent for a moment before reaffirming his resolve.
"No matter who it is, no one can stop my plan. No one can block the revival of Krypton."
The surrounding soldiers also rallied their spirits once more.
After resting for a day, Zod landed the planetary engine in Earth's Indian Ocean.
Then he suspended the world engine in the skies over Gotham City, preparing to terraform Earth into a second Krypton.
A beam of energy erupted from the center of the world engine, linking up with the planetary engine in the Indian Ocean.
Zod officially began the terraforming of Earth.
Zod's mothership had a bizarre shape, featuring three legs about a hundred meters high, exuding an immense sense of oppression as it hovered in the air.
The gravity tides emitted from the world engine's center began to alter the surrounding gravitational environment.
Affected by it, surrounding buildings and vehicles were sucked up into the sky one after another.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Following a series of loud crashes, everything that had been sucked into the sky crashed back down.
Panicked humans fled through the streets.
Bang!
At that moment, watching the panicked humans on the command center's screen and the mothership over Gotham City, the middle-aged general slammed his desk in anger.
"That damned Zod really couldn't be trusted!"
He turned around and looked at his surrounding subordinates.
"Now, scramble our fighters immediately and drive all invading Kryptonians off Earth!"
The military fighters launched once again.
At this time, Caro and Diana rendezvoused with the military alongside Clark.
Seeing Caro beside Clark wearing a black battlesuit, the military instantly went on high alert.
After all, this outfit was far too similar to Clark's, and they knew very well how formidable a Kryptonian's combat power was.
Caro didn't care about their reaction at all.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Kal-El, Kal's older cousin, who arrived on Earth a hundred years ago. Humans call me... Superman!"
"You are Superman?"
A general stared at Caro in dumbfounded shock.
Although the legend of Superman had only spread within a small circle on Earth, high-ranking officials like them could still confirm his actual existence if they looked into it seriously.
They just hadn't expected Superman to be a Kryptonian as well.
He had always thought Superman was merely a metahuman with immense strength.
Seeing the confused looks on his subordinates' faces, the general explained Caro's identity.
"The legend of Superman first appeared in 1918, when he helped the Allied Forces destroy the German Army's poison gas bombs during World War I.
After the war ended, he appeared in many places. Many people tried to find Superman, but to no avail.
Nearly a hundred years have passed, and news of Superman has virtually vanished from the human world. Many people have forgotten him."
The general gradually calmed his excitement, his gaze filled with reverence as he looked at Caro.
"I never expected to meet you here!"
He turned his head to look at the valiant and heroic Diana.
"You are Wonder Woman Diana, another powerful superhero. Earth is saved!"
Diana smiled faintly and nodded at the general.
Caro hadn't expected this general to be a fan of his.
He looked at the general and said,
"We came this time precisely to deal with Zod."
The general let out a long sigh of relief, unfurling his furrowed brows.
"So how do we deal with the Kryptonian ship hovering over the city? According to scientific tests, it is terraforming Earth using a gravity device.
Once it succeeds, humanity won't be able to withstand the sudden surge in gravity and will be instantly destroyed."
As someone who had seen the original movie, Caro naturally knew how to solve this problem.
"The power source for Zod's mothership is a faster-than-light engine that can warp space-time and perform spatial jumps.
The ship Clark took when he came to Earth uses the same power source as Zod's ship.
If we can cause the two ships to collide, it will create a singularity similar to a black hole."
"That way, they can be sucked inside."
Clark added a line.
"I understand. We will cooperate fully."
Making up his mind, the general immediately dispatched a transport plane to take Clark's ship to Gotham.
As for why they didn't use Caro's ship, that was naturally because Caro couldn't bear to part with it.
Nothing could be done about it—he was traumatized by poverty!
He didn't dare waste a single thing!
Clark's ship could no longer fly properly anyway, so they might as well put the scrap to good use.
After some discussion, they decided that Clark would head to the Indian Ocean to destroy the planetary engine, while Caro would go to stop Zod.
Diana would board the transport plane with the military soldiers to drop the ship.
With the plan settled, they immediately set to action.
Just as Diana was about to board the transport plane, Caro suddenly called out to her.
"Diana, leave before the ship collides with the mothership. Be careful!"
Diana flashed a breathtaking smile.
"You too."
...
When Clark arrived above the Indian Ocean, he was whipped away by a metal tentacle just as he approached the planetary engine.
As if possessed of life, the planetary engine unleashed countless massive metal tentacles that pursued Clarkrelentlessly.
Near the planetary engine, the gravity was unstable due to the effect of the gravity tides.
Approaching this zone, Clark could clearly feel the resistance to his flight increase, severely limiting his flying speed.
Countless tentacles launched attacks at Clark. He tried his best to find every gap, weaving back and forth between them.
Bang!
Hit heavily once more, Clark was forced directly into the gravity tide.
The sudden change in gravity made him feel as if a mountain were pressing down on him, making every movement insanely heavy.
The gravitational force continued to increase, causing Clark's body to plummet continuously.
Meanwhile, on the other side, to stop the mothership above the city from terraforming Earth, the human military dispatched a large number of fighter jets to launch an attack on the Kryptonian mothership's world engine.
Boom—!
A fighter jet fired a missile at the mothership, but as soon as the missile reached the vicinity of the world engine, it instantly lost control and plummeted toward the fleeing crowd below.
Seeing this, Diana in the transport plane jumped straight out of the aircraft and whipped out her lasso of truthbefore the missile could fall into the crowd.
The lasso of truth tightly bound the missile. Dianaimmediately surged into the high sky and threw the missile forcefully upward.
Bang!
After a loud explosion, the missile detonated high in the air.
At this moment, another fighter jet was inadvertently affected by the gravitational field near the world engine, instantly losing control and spinning toward a building.
Having just descended from high above, Diana once again whipped out the lasso of truth in her hand.
Swoosh!
The lasso of truth successfully latched onto the underbelly of the fighter jet, and Diana pulled the jet back with all her strength.
Only when the fighter jet was pulled back up in altitude did Diana quickly fly beneath it.
She raised both hands to forcefully support the falling fighter jet, gradually slowing down its rate of descent.
Bang!
With a soft thud, the plane came to a slow, steady stop on the ground.
The pilot in the cockpit saw Diana. The joy of surviving a near-death experience washed over him, making him almost unable to contain himself.
He placed his hands over his chest, staring fixedly at Diana's departing back.
"My God, she's my goddess of luck!"
Meanwhile, above the Indian Ocean, Clark, who was trapped in the gravity tide, finally erupted.
"Ah!"
Unleashing his final surge of strength, he pushed through the immense suppression of gravity and pierced straight through the center of the planetary engine.
Boom!
The colossal force instantly cleaved the entire planetary engine in two.
At this moment, the gravity around the world engine in Gotham City finally returned to normal.
The transport plane also drew near the mothership. Loistook out the key and inserted it into the ship's slot, wanting to start the ship's engine.
But at this moment, the key to the ship couldn't be inserted no matter what.
The doctor quickly stood up to look for the reason, but behind them, Zod came pursuing in the scout ship that had crashed in the Arctic, his energy cannon locked onto the transport plane ahead.
"Zod, I've finally found you!"
Chapter 16: Earth-Shattering Battle
Karo suddenly appeared above the spaceship with a grim smile on his face.
He threw a heavy punch through the spaceship's viewing window.
"Let's see what you've got."
"Boom!"
After a loud crash, the cockpit window was blown off by Karo's hit and struck General Zod just as he was preparing to fire.
Throwing off Zod's aim, the fully charged energy cannon veered off course.
Bang!
Skimming past the transport plane in front, the energy beam blasted into the distant Kryptonian mothership.
The explosion echoed through the sky, though it did little damage to Zod's modified mothership.
Karo gave Zod no time to react, grabbing him and forcibly dragging him out of the spaceship's cockpit.
The spaceship immediately lost control and slowly plummeted toward the ocean below.
Splash!
The ship plunged into the sea, kicking up massive waves.
Meanwhile, Karo's fists rained down incessantly on Zod's face, each heavy blow echoing with dull, powerful thuds.
Pushed continuously away from the shore by Karo, the overwhelming force on Zod's face rendered him almost unable to fight back.
After a long moment, he finally seized a brief gap between Karo's attacks and broke free.
He wanted to put distance between himself and Karo to disrupt Karo's offensive rhythm.
Seeing through his intention, Karo naturally wouldn't let him succeed so easily.
Before Zod could even react, Karo struck him with a whip-kick, leaving his body to plunge uncontrollably into the sea.
Splash!
Zod slammed into the water, sending up a massive column of spray before the sea returned to calm.
Standing in midair, Karo scanned the water below, not lowering his guard for a moment.
Splash!
The calm surface suddenly tore open, and Zod emerged, coming to a halt about ten meters from Karo.
He shook his head, finally recovering from the brutal beating he had just taken.
Hovering in the air, he exhaled deeply, his gaze fixed on Karo with absolute shock.
He could feel that Karo possessed a strength far greater than even Kal-El's.
But what shocked him even more was the aura of shared Kryptonian blood emanating from Karo.
"You're a Kryptonian too? Who are you?"
"I am Kal-El, and I came to Earth a hundred years ago."
Karo said flatly.
"If you're a Kryptonian, you should join us and terraform Earth into Krypton! Why are you helping humans resist me?"
Zod roared in fury.
Karo did not agree with Zod's ideals.
"Clark and I live here. This place holds the people we cherish most and the life we want. This is our second home."
"So we will never allow anyone to destroy it."
Fierceness flashed in Zod's eyes.
"It seems you are determined to stop me from rebuilding Krypton."
Karo interrupted Zod.
"We don't want to stop you from rebuilding Krypton; we just don't want you to destroy Earth or humanity in the process."
Karo added.
"You can leave this place and rebuild Krypton elsewhere. The universe is vast; I'm sure Earth isn't the only habitable planet."
"But Earth is the most suitable planet for terraforming into Krypton! Humans are so weak—they don't deserve such a beautiful world."
Karo closed his eyes slightly, a fiery red glow gradually emerging around his pupils.
"Zod, you forced my hand!"
Two crimson beams of heat vision suddenly blasted from Karo's eyes.
Boom!
Bang!
Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, Zod was knocked flying and plunged into the ocean once more.
Boom!
A loud crash echoed from the sea as Zod rocketed out like a cannonball, slamming straight into Karo.
Airwaves surged behind Zod as sonic booms roared continuously.
Pushing Karo with one hand, Zod flew higher and higher into the sky.
His other fist hammered repeatedly against Karo's face.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Hmm, doesn't hurt!
Having tested Zod's strength, Karo found it impressive enough.
To Karo, it felt like getting a facial massage.
Boom!
Zod's fist whistled through the air toward Karo's face again, only to stop right at the tip of Karo's nose.
Zod's pupils shrank.
"What?"
"Now it's my turn."
Smirking, Karo grabbed Zod's arm and spun 360 degrees on the spot at high speed, immediately dragging Zod's body along with the uncontrollable force.
Their speed grew faster and faster, forming a massive tornado in midair.
Ha!
Karo hurled Zod toward the ground with immense power.
Zod crashed into the earth like a falling meteorite.
Boom—!
Crash—!
After a deafening impact, Zod had smashed a crater nearly a hundred meters wide into the ground.
Floating above, Karo looked down quietly at Zod in the crater.
"Leave Earth, and I won't hold this against you."
"Ugh... Argh!"
Zod slowly stood up in the center of the crater and shook his body, shedding his damaged armor.
Clad in his black suit, he leaped out of the crater.
"Ask me to give up Earth? Impossible!"
"Then don't blame me!"
With that, Karo stopped holding back. His figure vanished instantly, and his fist blasted straight toward Zod.
Boom!
Zod tried to dodge, only to find Karo's fist already right before his eyes.
He could only watch in horror as Karo's terrifying strike grew larger and larger in his pupils!
"No—!"
BOOM!!!!!
A deafening roar drowned out everything!
Zod was sent flying as if struck head-on by a colliding planet!
He instantly turned into a black meteor, flying backward with irresistible force.
Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!
One building!
Two buildings!
Seven buildings!
His body smashed through five skyscrapers before collapsing a bridge and crashing heavily onto the ground.
Oh, crap!
Looking at the massive trench in the distance that seemed to split heaven and earth, Karo felt a bit of regret for using too much force.
He immediately turned to glance at the destroyed buildings and breathed a sigh of relief.
Luckily, there weren't many people inside, and it wasn't Wayne Tower either.
It was just LexCorp!
Karo stopped overthinking and prepared to focus on dealing with Zod first.
By now, Zod had almost completely lost his mind.
He had been thoroughly overwhelmed throughout the battle with Karo. As the supreme military commander of Krypton, he could never accept such a defeat.
"Ah—!"
He stood up once more, enduring the pain wracking his body as he transformed into a streak of black lightning, rushing madly toward Karo.
Karo felt no fear; it seemed Zod's warrior instincts had been fully ignited.
He raised his head, his eyes burning with battle intent!
He also charged forward to meet the incoming Zod.
Noticing the devastation around them, Karo restrained a bit of his power after all.
They couldn't fight here; he needed to lead Zod to the sparsely populated outskirts.
Before he could prepare further, Zod was already right in front of him.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Karo and Zod turned into two black shadows of light, engaging in a fierce battle above Gotham City.
Their speed reached an absolute extreme; ordinary humans were completely unable to track their movements, seeing only two flickering dots of light.
Every collision detonated a ring of energy shockwaves across the sky.
They were simply too fast!
Missiles launched by military jets were utterly unable to keep up with their speed; trapped in the terrifying shockwaves, none of the missiles survived, exploding one after another.
Flames filled the sky around them, bursting like fireworks celebrating their clash.
The fight between the two remained entirely unaffected, as if the missiles were nothing more than a fireworks display set off by humans.
High in the sky, they continued to collide relentlessly, the sonic booms of their bodies tearing through the air and the roar of flesh-on-flesh impacts resounding without end.
Even on the ground, people could hear the thunderous explosions high above and feel the subtle tremors beneath their feet.
"People like this shouldn't exist in the human world."
A figure in an overcoat stared blankly at the battle high above, deeply worried by their terrifying combat prowess.
On the other side, a young man wearing a red suit skidded to a sudden halt, sparks flying under his feet.
He placed a hand over his forehead and peered up into the sky.
"I'd really love to race them."
What no one noticed was that Karo and Zod's battlefield was gradually shifting toward the outskirts.
Chapter 17 The Curtain Falls
At this moment, on the military transport plane on the other side, Diana was fiercely battling Faora.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Faora delivered a heavy punch crashing into Diana's shield.
Bang!
With a loud crash, Diana slammed heavily against the cabin, and the steel hull immediately dented inward.
Diana had no time to think and rushed forward to meet Faora once again.
She had to buy time for the doctor to start the spaceship.
"Doctor, hurry."
"We succeeded!"
The doctor, who had fallen to the ground, immediately got up and slammed the key inserted into the slot down.
Amidst the roar of the spaceship, Clark's spaceship was successfully started.
"Jump down, quickly!"
The doctor and Lois did not hesitate at all and jumped down from the plane.
Boom!
Faora already sensed that something was wrong at this moment and delivered a heavy side kick toward Diana.
The kick, carrying a piercing whistle through the air, landed heavily on the shield Diana was holding in front of her.
Bang bang——!
Diana's entire body was kicked out of the spaceship cabin door by this strike.
The major shook his head at Diana.
"To die a glorious death is to die a meaningful death."
Having said that, he ignored Faora on the side and piloted the spaceship straight toward the mothership.
"No!"
Faora finally understood what the major wanted to do, but unfortunately it was already too late.
Bang——!
Boom——!
The spaceship collided violently with the Kryptonmothership, and a powerful suction force immediately erupted at the center of the collision.
As the powerful suction force struck, the Krypton warriors inside the Krypton mothership and Faora had no power to resist at all and were sucked into this small black hole.
Diana exerted all her strength to control her body, watching the doctor and Lois falling from high altitude, and whipped out the lasso of truth in her hand.
The lasso of truth began to extend infinitely, wrapping around the bodies of the two in the blink of an eye.
Diana put the two down and looked softly at the spaceship being swallowed up high in the sky, speaking softly.
"To die a glorious death is to die a meaningful death."
...
Bang!
Kal-El delivered a Superman heavy punch slamming into Zod's chest, and Zod instantly plummeted from the sky.
Boom——!
Zod landed heavily on the ground, his body still sliding backward.
A large patch of land was plowed through by Zod, resembling a shocking scar.
Fortunately, this was already the outskirts, otherwise who knows how many things would have been destroyed by this blow.
"Pfft! Cough, cough, cough!"
Holding the dent in his chest, Zod suddenly realized something was wrong.
He turned his head to look at the Krypton mothership above Gotham City, only to find that the entire mothership was collapsing, constantly being dismantled, and turning into parts that vanished.
"No!"
He grew even more furious, with towering hatred.
At this moment, he held no hope for his plan to terraform Earth and rebuild Krypton.
Now that all his subordinates had perished, it was impossible for him alone to defeat Kal-El before him.
Since you guys value humans so much, I will kill them right in front of you.
However, he still didn't know Kal-El well enough; this trick worked on Clark, but it had no effect on Kal-El.
Zod glanced at Kal-El and, instead of continuing to fight Kal-El, suddenly charged toward the human city.
Boom——!
Zod rushed toward Gotham City like a fully fueled missile, leaving a wake of airwaves behind him.
At this moment, Kal-El also saw through Zod's purpose and followed closely behind.
Bang!
The earth shattered, and the distance between Kal-El and Zod rapidly closed.
In the blink of an eye, Zod arrived at a building and, seeing humans fleeing from it, charged forward without hesitation.
Not good!
It was Wayne Tower!
At Zod's speed, once an ordinary human was hit by him, they would definitely turn into a bloody mist instantly.
Kal-El held back no longer, erupting with his full strength, his speed surging once again.
Before Zod could crash into it, he grabbed Zod's legs.
"How can this be?"
Not giving Zod time to break free, Kal-El grabbed Zod's legs and forcefully hurled Zod into the distance.
Zod carved an arc across the sky and landed on the ground once again.
Bang!
Dust filled the air, and Kal-El turned into a blur, speeding toward the center of the dust.
Boom——!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Kal-El flew backward, instantly crashing through several cars parked nearby.
Boom!
Boom boom——!
Amidst the blazing fire filling the sky, Kal-El stood up once again.
"I didn't expect you to be able to unleash Heat Vision so quickly."
The cars behind him exploded one after another, and Kal-El stepped out from the center of the explosion step by step.
Zod only saw Kal-El, clad in a black combat suit, reappear completely unharmed, and his expression turned solemn once again.
Kal-El looked calmly at Zod.
"Alright, I've played with you enough, and this farce should end here."
Kal-El's tone was casual, not taking Zod seriously in the slightest.
Zod's pupils constricted.
"Having fought for so long, humans should also have seen our efforts; the harder we win, the more grateful humans will be."
Zod suddenly burst into laughter.
"Turns out you aren't as righteous as you profess to be; I suddenly find myself somewhat admiring you."
Kal-El, however, was noncommittal.
"If you choose to leave Earth now, I will still choose to spare your life."
Zod shook his head, however.
"Impossible, I am General Zod; rather than failing to achieve my goal, it is better to die a glorious death."
"To die a glorious death is to die a meaningful death!"
Zod seemed to suddenly let go, disregarding his injuries and charging over fearlessly once again.
He turned into a streak of light, the surrounding scenery retreating frantically, rushing toward Kal-El like a meteor dragging a tail.
Kal-El clenched his fists tightly, mobilizing all his power.
His aura gradually rose, and his cape fluttered behind him.
Boom——!
Boom——!
Boom——!
Kal-El's body moved, piercing and harsh sonic booms ringing out incessantly, his body seemingly traversing space, flashing continuously.
The surrounding air began to boil due to friction with Kal-El, turning the path he passed through into a passage of white mist.
Super Speed!!!
Kal-El's figure vanished instantly in Zod's eyes, and the violent power turned into a black blade of light, tearing through the surrounding air and magnifying instantly in Zod's eyes!
Pfft——!
Accompanied by a crisp sound, a hand chop swept horizontally across.
A head soared into the air, yet not a single drop of blood flowed out.
Kal-El turned around, and his body vanished once again.
Bang——!
Accompanied by a piercing sonic boom, in a split second he had arrived hundreds of meters away.
Kal-El caught Zod's head falling from the sky with one hand.
He slowly closed his eyes, still murmuring to himself.
"To die a glorious death is to die a meaningful death!"
Bang!
Bang!
Diana and Clark landed on the ground, turning their heads to look at Kal-El.
At this moment, Kal-El's hands were already dripping with blood.
"No, you didn't have to kill him, Kal-El, he is our kin."
Kal-El did not refute, instead casting a calm glance at this cousin.
"He is a warrior; this is his destination, and also the ending he wanted."
Seeing that Clark still wanted to speak, Kal-El added.
"I gave him a chance, to surrender or leave Earth, but he chose to die in battle."
Clark fell silent.
Diana walked forward, glancing at Kal-El.
"Even so, you didn't have to make yourself look this bloody; you'll scare the child."
Kal-El was somewhat puzzled.
"Who is a child?"
At this moment, Clark was no longer grieving for Zod.
He looked left and right.
"Who is a child?"
Diana tightly pursed her lips, looking at Clark with a smile in her eyes.
Clark pointed at himself.
"Diana, you must be joking, I am already thirty-three."
Kal-El thought for a moment and also chuckled softly.
"I am almost a hundred years old, and Diana is even..."
Chapter 18: I Have No Interest in Money
Just as Karo was about to continue, an invisible and formless killing intent suddenly swept over his face, making even Karo, who was now invincible on Earth, somewhat unable to withstand it.
Glancing quietly at Diana, he saw her expression turn serious as she stared intently at him.
"Karo, what were you about to say about Diana?"
The corners of Clark's mouth curled slightly into a faint smile as he pressed on relentlessly.
A sharp glare shot right at him.
"Clark, you shouldn't discuss age in front of a woman. That's not what a gentleman does."
A bit of a double standard! Why didn't she say anything about Karo?
Clark quietly shut his mouth.
Rumble—!
With another loud bang, a teetering two-story building crumbled into ruins.
Diana looked around at the destroyed city and the innocent citizens who had been hurt in the crossfire, speaking softly.
"The cost of this battle was a bit high."
Clark looked at their surroundings, his previously relaxed mood growing heavy.
Karo patted Clark on the shoulder as well.
"I will establish a foundation to compensate the citizens for the losses and damage caused in this battle."
Clark nodded, feeling a little better at last.
"Clark."
A clear voice called out from the distance. The group turned to look as a slender figure ran toward them, her shadow stretched long by the setting sun.
Karo and Diana shared a smile and watched the scene in silence.
Seeing Lois running toward him, Clark opened his arms and stepped forward to greet her.
Reaching Clark, Lois embraced him without hesitation.
The two held each other tightly, a quiet and beautiful scene beneath the setting sun.
Diana nudged Karo's shoulder.
"What?"
Diana raised her chin slightly toward Clark and Loisnearby.
Helpless, Karo reached out and wrapped his arm around Diana's shoulder.
...
One month later.
*Slap!*
Karo slammed the list in his hand heavily onto the desk.
"I said we don't need to compensate for damage to government agencies."
Snow Gray, the group's general manager in front of him, nodded.
"I know, Boss. We've already excluded the expenses that the government should bear themselves."
Karo smiled wryly and tossed the tally list onto the wooden desk before him.
He pointed his finger at a large compensation item.
"Then why is there still a 2 billion dollar item on this list?"
"This single expenditure alone is more than all the other compensation amounts combined."
Karo was a bit angry. Whose negligence could have led to such an absurd error?
Snow took a few steps forward, resting his chin on one hand.
"Boss, I think you've misunderstood. We were acting entirely according to your instructions."
"As for that 2 billion dollar item, it's the compensation for Wayne Enterprises' satellites."
Karo:...
Satellites?
Bruce did seem to have satellites—six of them, in fact!
But Clark was the one who broke them, which had nothing to do with him.
Karo thought for a moment before picking up the compensation list once more.
"We won't compensate for the satellites. And as for the LexCorp Tower, they aren't short on money."
With that, Karo put on his sunglasses, stood up, and patted Snow's shoulder.
"I'm leaving the company to you. I have to go save the Earth."
Snow watched Karo's back as he walked out of the office and gave a helpless smile.
His thoughts slowly drifted back, as if returning to that summer twenty years ago.
Just as he graduated from Harvard Business School, he ran into a group of desperate robbers.
They pressed a gun against his forehead, and he could feel the cold metal touch of the muzzle.
It tasted like death.
When Karo appeared wearing a black suit, his life was able to continue flourishing.
He stared blankly at the godlike Superman Karo, only finding his voice to ask as Karo turned around.
"What can I do for you, sir?"
To his surprise, the man turned back.
"Do you know how to run a company?"
...
In the blink of an eye, twenty years had passed. He had been working for Amazon Group the entire time, doing his utmost to take care of everything for Karo.
Whether it was for the boss of Amazon or for SupermanKaro.
Looking at the list in his hands, he shook his head slightly.
"This money really shouldn't be paid!"
One day later, at the Amazon Group press conference.
Dressed in a black suit, Karo walked onto the podium at the front of the venue.
"The boss of Amazon is here!"
Following an exclamation, the clamor in the room instantly died down, and a swarm of reporters swarmed toward the podium like cats smelling fish.
"Ahem!"
Karo cleared his throat, and the venue instantly fell silent.
"The Amazon Group press conference will now begin. We are here to respond to the compensation matters entrusted to us by Mr. Superman regarding recent events."
The eyes of the reporters below lit up, and they raised their hands one after another.
"The lady reporter from the Daily Planet."
Karo called on Lois first.
Lois stood up and glanced at the notebook in her hand.
"Mr. Karo, according to the Daily Planet's information, the Amazon Charitable Foundation will compensate for the personal and property damages caused in the recent battle between Superman and Zod. Is this news accurate?"
Karo nodded solemnly.
"Our company has always placed the interests of the citizens first."
"Then according to our sources, your company did not include the losses of Wayne Enterprises and LexCorp in the compensation. Are there any unknown secrets behind this?"
Karo adjusted the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose. His exquisite profile caused the eyes of a few less-than-serious female reporters to gleam.
He looked at the reporters whispering below, turned back, and gave his answer.
"In fact, as the boss of Amazon Group, I don't like money!"
The reporters below fell silent, while Lois twitched her lips in amusement.
Karo, however, was dead serious.
"Really, I have no interest in money. To me, it's just a string of cold numbers."
"I believe the same goes for Wayne Enterprises and LexCorp."
"Giving this money to them would merely add another string of numbers to their accounts without changing anything."
"But injecting this money into the foundation will help many citizens regain their homes and cars, rebuilding their happy families."
...
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Thunderous applause broke out below, and Lois smiled, nodded, and sat down.
Karo answered a few more questions after that, dropping another bombshell before leaving the venue.
"Authorized by Mr. Superman, the Amazon Charity Fund welcomes donations from all walks of life as an expression of apology."
Karo turned and walked away as the venue erupted into excitement once again.
Karo left, but his words began to ferment across various media outlets and tabloids.
The Daily Planet was the first to publish, describing Amazon Group as "putting the people's happiness first" and "the enterprise endorsed by Superman."
They called Karo "an entrepreneur with no interest in money."
As public opinion brewed, the exposure of Karo and Amazon Group soared, with continuous reports about Amazon Group appearing in newspapers.
Meanwhile, the core group from the battle against Zod—Superman, Blue Superman, and Wonder Woman—frequently featured in the papers. Amazon's foundation greatly boosted the goodwill of citizens affected by the battle toward Superman and his allies.
Meanwhile, inside the Lex Family Manor.
*Bang!*
A pair of large hands slammed heavily onto the desk.
"Fuck! Damn Amazon! Damn Superman!"
Chapter 19: Clash with the Megalomaniac
Watching the interview with the Amazon Group on television, Lex Luthor angrily swept everything off the desk in front of him.
Clatter, clatter, clatter!
Lex Luthor still didn't feel any better!
Table flip!
Bang!
The expensive wooden table collapsed to the ground with a crash.
"Damn Superman, causing me to lose a 500 million dollar LexCorp building."
He stared fixedly at Kal-El wearing sunglasses on the television.
"And this annoying Amazon boss, why won't they compensate us for the 500 million dollars?"
The assistant on the side opened his mouth to speak but hesitated.
"Boss, this money wasn't paid by Superman, and we can't hold him responsible either."
"Find Amazon boss Kal-El; he must have some kind of relationship with Superman."
Lex Luthor calmed down and thought quietly.
The assistant silently retreated.
After a long time, Lex Luthor's body trembled slightly.
"Hehe, heh heh heh! Hhahahaha... "
He smiled softly, acting deranged and twisted.
"Superman, an opponent as powerful as a god, will you die?"
...
As the battle with Zod concluded and external public opinion continued to ferment, Kal-El once again vanished from the public eye.
At this moment, Kal-El came once again to the waters where he had previously battled Zod.
Kal-El stood suspended in mid-air, his cape fluttering in the wind behind him.
Super vision!
Activate!
Kal-El's eyes kept scanning the surface of the sea, and the outline of the spaceship gradually appeared.
Found you!
Bang!
Kal-El instantly transformed into a blur, leaving behind bursts of sonic booms in his original spot as he plunged diagonally into the calm sea.
Splashes surged, and Kal-El, like a swimming fish in the deep sea, charged straight toward the spaceship at the bottom of the ocean at extreme speed.
The waves behind him lingered for a long time, resembling the wake of an Indian aircraft carrier sailing past.
"Who are you?"
A delicate-looking man holding a silver trident blocked Kal-El's path.
He stood before Kal-El, the trident in his right hand pointing diagonally at Kal-El.
"The ocean floor is not a place you should come to; return to your world."
Looking at the young man opposite him, Kal-El had already guessed the other party's identity.
Kal-El gave a faint smile and didn't take the words of the megalomaniac before him to heart.
"On Earth, there is nowhere I cannot go."
The man looked at Kal-El with a gaze carrying a look of arrogance.
"Damn human, I will let you know the terror of the ocean."
With that, he immediately rushed over at extreme speed, leaving a long wake behind him.
Bang!
The seawater was forcefully cleaved apart by his power, slicing through all resistance ahead like a sharp long saber.
Clang!
A crisp, resonant sound rang out as the man's trident stabbed into Kal-El's chest with an unstoppable momentum.
"What?"
The man's pupils instantly dilated, his face filled with disbelief.
This was a divine weapon passed down to him by the previous king; throughout Atlantis, aside from that truly legendary artifact, there was no weapon sharper than this.
At this moment, feeling the force and resistance coming from the trident in his hand and looking at Kal-El whose expression remained unchanged, an unprecedented sense of crisis made his entire body tense up.
He gripped the trident in his hand tightly and pulled it back with force, only to find that the trident didn't budge an inch.
He raised his head and found that at some unknown point, the man opposite him had grabbed his trident.
The corners of Kal-El's mouth curled slightly into a bloodthirsty arc, and his tone was amiable.
"Little kid, if you haven't grown up yet, don't play with dangerous weapons."
With that, Kal-El didn't give him a shred of opportunity to react, throwing a heavy punch outward.
Bang!
The seawater in front instantly cleared out, forming a water cannon that slammed heavily into the opponent's chest alongside Kal-El's fist.
Orm's body instantly flew backward.
Bang!
Bang!
Two huge reefs were shattered to pieces upon impact.
"King Orm!"
The two soldiers holding firearms behind him immediately raised their guns.
Kal-El's expression turned serious, and he immediately turned his head.
Boom!
Boom!
Two beams of high-temperature heat vision shot out from his eye sockets.
The two soldiers wearing Atlantis armor behind Orm instantly flew backward, and the armor on their bodies burst apart.
Bang! Bang!
Their bodies crashed heavily against the reef and rolled down.
"King Orm, go quickly!"
One soldier struggled to raise his head to look at Kal-El, and Orm also nervously stared at Kal-El's movements.
"Orm, are you the younger brother of Aquaman Arthur?"
Orm staggered to his feet, reaching out to fiercely wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Don't mention that bastard to me; he is just an unrecognized illegitimate child."
Kal-El raised his hand to interrupt Orm.
"Don't tell me about these things; I don't care about the romantic entanglements and hatreds between you all. My goal is simply that Kryptonian spaceship at the bottom of the sea."
"In fact, I haven't taken your offense to heart. Now please step aside."
Orm gave Kal-El a deep look and personally came before the soldiers to help the two of them up.
He used his trident to support his body, walked a few steps, and turned around once more.
"Who are you?"
Kal-El charged toward the spaceship at the bottom of the sea on his own.
"I am Kal-El; humans call me Superman."
"Superman? I'l remember you!"
Watching Kal-El's figure gradually recede, Orm also limped away with his two defeated soldiers.
Kal-El came straight to the spaceship and observed it all around.
The basic functions were intact, except that the spaceship's cockpit was damaged during the battle between Kal-Eland Zod.
However, as long as it was repaired, it could still be used.
Such a large scout ship—Kal-El had no intention of leaving it at the bottom of the sea.
Kal-El left the spaceship, came to its underside, and gently exerted force to lift one side of the spaceship's wing.
Kal-El exerted force once more, completely lifting one side of the spaceship.
Bang!
Kal-El stomped hard on the ocean floor and rapidly ascended underwater while holding up the spaceship.
The huge commotion caused the seawater above the spaceship to flow outward to both sides.
Bang!
Splash!
Another loud noise rang out, accompanied by the sound of falling splashes.
The huge scout ship was finally pushed to the surface of the sea by Kal-El; the weight of the spaceship struck the water's surface, sending layers of white spray rippling outward.
Kal-El didn't stop, instead directly pushing the spaceship to the shore of an uninhabited island.
Having finished all this, Kal-El re-entered the spaceship; the cockpit needed repairs, but the living quarters had not been damaged.
Kal-El entered the living quarters along the corridor, and the first things that came into view were the transparent display cases on both sides of the corridor.
Inside were several sets of Kryptonian battle suits.
Clark's red-and-blue suit and his own black suit were also quietly preserved in these transparent wardrobes.
Kal-El didn't linger here for long, instead turning without hesitation to enter the research room inside the spaceship.
The space here was filled with cold white tones and crammed with experimental equipment; at a glance, it was discovered that basically all of it was research equipment related to military weaponry.
A few boxes were piled in the corner, with an eye-catching slogan on top.
"Danger, keep away!"
Kal-El slowly picked up a box and placed it on the laboratory bench in front of him.
Opening the box, a trace of green filled Kal-El's eyes.
Inside was impressively a large chunk of green Kryptonitefilled with radioactive material.
Just as Kal-El was about to pick up the Kryptonite, he suddenly felt a sense of weakness wash over his body.
It felt as though all the strength in his entire body had been suddenly drained away.
Thud!
Kal-El suddenly half-crouched on the ground, clenching his fists, only to find that he still lacked the strength he should have possessed.
Just like recovering from a severe illness in his past life, unable to even clench his fists tightly.
Kal-El closed his eyes slightly, adapted to the influence of the Kryptonite, and finally succeeded in standing up.
It turned out that what was most fatal to a Kryptonianwasn't Kryptonite itself, but the radiation generated by the explosion of Krypton within the Kryptonite.
Kal-El grabbed the dark green Kryptonite in the box in one grip, refusing to let go despite the physical discomfort.
Kal-El knew that he had to overcome the impact of Kryptonite on his body, otherwise this kind of thing would sooner or later bring him big trouble.
Chapter 20: Walking Right Into the Trap
Until he felt his body adapt to the effects of Kryptonite, Kal-El slowly put this piece of Kryptonite back into the box.
After finishing everything, Kal-El came to the cockpit.
After checking, the spaceship was still capable of flying.
Kal-El got ready and started the spaceship engines once again.
Boom!
The huge spaceship slowly lifted off into the air, gradually accelerating as it flew toward Manhattan, New York.
Soon, arriving at El Manor, Kal-El landed the spaceship, picked up his phone, and dialed Snow.
"Snow, send some people proficient in repairs to El Manorin Manhattan. I have a spaceship that needs repairing."
Snow was not too surprised; after all, he knew the identity of his boss.
"Alright, Boss. I will arrange it immediately."
Kal-El put away his phone, picked up the box, and drove toward the Amazon research center.
Suddenly passing by a familiar place, it was the battlefield where he had fought Zod before.
At this moment, the messy scene here was gone; only the cracks in the buildings could still show the intensity of the past battle.
Screech—!
A harsh screech of brakes sounded, and Kal-El opened the car door and stepped out.
Kal-El walked here unhurriedly.
Zod's corpse had already been taken away by him, so Doomsday should not appear again.
Kal-El did not know whether his appearance would trigger a butterfly effect.
But in the original plot, Doomsday was transformed from Zod's corpse.
Without Zod's corpse, the Kryptonite inside the spaceship had also been taken out.
Then would the subsequent drama of Batman fighting Clark still be staged?
After all, without Kryptonite, it was equivalent to increasing the difficulty for Batman.
Although after his appearance, Clark had not engaged in overly fierce battles with Zod, and Wayne Tower was still intact.
But who knew if Batman would still settle accounts with Clark.
Even though Bruce was just an ordinary person, when he prepared everything, even Superman could not underestimate him.
After all, in the original show, he was the man who almost killed Clark.
Thinking of this, Kal-El suddenly grasped something in his mind.
He was the protagonist of the great battle against Zod, and although he had restrained himself a lot during the fight,
facing Zod, who held nothing back in his attacks, he surely caused some destruction as well.
Therefore...
Batman wouldn't still want to make a move against me, right?
Thinking of this, the corners of Kal-El's mouth curled up slightly.
In the original show, Clark had his face ruined by Batmanwhile being stepped on the neck with Kryptonite—how truly pathetic!
Bruce, I am not Clark!
If you dare to put your thoughts into action, I will give you a profound lesson.
But currently, Kal-El still wanted to overcome the weakness of Kryptonite as soon as possible.
As for the low magic resistance, Kal-El wanted to find the Marvel Universe.
If he could succeed, he could enter Kamar-Taj to find a solution.
Without Zod's corpse, Doomsday would not appear either.
Having not fought Doomsday, Kal-El even felt a little regret.
Ceasing his sighs, he opened the car door.
With a heavy stomp on the accelerator, the engine roared violently.
Vroom—!
As Kal-El released the brake, the car shot out at an extremely fast speed.
A long time later, a big guy in ragged clothes appeared here, quietly looking at the place where Zod fell.
Thump!
He dropped to one knee.
"General, I will avenge you, even at the cost of my life."
...
Amazon Group research base.
In a black suit, Kal-El was led by a staff member through an alloy door.
"Boss!"
A doctor with a Mediterranean hairline hurried up to greet him.
Kal-El nodded slightly and placed the box in his hand on the table.
"Dr. Allen, I need you to help me study these stones."
Kal-El opened the box, inside of which was a large piece of dark green Kryptonite and some smaller pieces of Kryptonite.
Dr. Allen adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose.
"What are these things?"
He reached out and picked up a small piece of Kryptonite, examining it carefully in front of him.
Kal-El sat on a chair to the side.
"These are stones found on the Krypton spaceship."
Dr. Allen looked closely for a moment.
"These stones actually emit this dark green light. If I am not mistaken, they might contain a certain type of radiation."
Kal-El nodded.
"I need you to forge this largest piece of Kryptonite into a long spear; I need to keep it as a collection."
"A long spear?"
Dr. Allen was somewhat surprised.
"It's an ancient weapon, not a modern firearm."
"Alright, I will help you make the most perfect Kryptonitelong spear."
"As for these smaller pieces of Kryptonite, I need you to put them into a weight-bearing bag."
Dr. Allen was somewhat puzzled, but he didn't ask too many questions.
Having arranged everything, Kal-El took a car and left the research institute.
The vehicle drove through the streets of New York, with people coming and going.
People of all races communicated amicably; it was truly a scene of great harmony.
Bang bang bang!
Several gunshots suddenly came from a distance.
"Damn it!"
Kal-El slapped the steering wheel hard and parked the car into a parking space on the roadside.
He slowly took off his sunglasses and took off his suit.
"I'd like to see who is looking for trouble."
Boom!
A sonic boom rang out, and Kal-El's figure traced an arc.
"It's Superman!"
The crowd gathered around one after another, raising their heads to look at Kal-El soaring into the sky.
Boom!
Kal-El landed heavily on the ground, his black battle suit outlining his well-defined physique.
"Superman!"
Several men with dreadlocks widened their eyes as they looked at Kal-El, looking at each other in dismay.
"Boss, Superman is here. Are we still going to rob?"
As if knowing what his several companions were going to say, the leading middle-aged stalwart glared at them.
"Run!"
The few people immediately turned around and fled.
Bang!
One!
Bang!
Two!
Bang!
Three!
With a few flickers of Kal-El's figure, the robbers flew back backwards one after another.
Their bodies were heavily piled together by Kal-El.
Reappearing once more, Kal-El was already standing in front of the middle-aged stalwart.
The middle-aged stalwart swallowed hard, picked up the pistol in his hand, and pointed it at Kal-El.
"Go to hell, Superman!"
Bang!
Kal-El tilted his head slightly, a faint spark appearing on his face.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The middle-aged stalwart emptied his magazine in one breath, yet Kal-El's footsteps stepped closer step by step.
Bang!
With a sonic boom piercing the air, Kal-El's figure vanished instantly, then suddenly appeared before the stalwart.
"I hate it when people shoot at me!"
Kal-El's eyes shot towards the stalwart like lightning.
Bang!
A whip kick slammed heavily into the stalwart's body.
"Ah..."
The stalwart immediately drew a perfect parabola in the air, crashing heavily onto the few robbers who had not yet gotten up.
"Daddy, Superman saved us!"
A crisp voice came over, and a cute little girl wearing a princess dress ran over and hugged Kal-El's legs.
Kal-El smiled and picked up the little girl.
"Superman, thank you for saving us!"
At this moment, a white man still holding a pistol protected a pregnant woman with a big belly as they walked out from behind a car on the side.
The woman had a typical European and American female face, with very white skin and delicate facial features.
Her appearance did not age rapidly like ordinary women; it was easy to see that their family conditions were very good.
At this moment, she was looking excitedly at Kal-El, who was holding her daughter.
Kal-El looked at the man lying in a pool of blood groaning nearby; he should be an accomplice of the robbers.
"Sir, being able to bravely pick up weapons to protect your family in the face of criminals, you are the real hero."