The Spoils of War
Three items were placed on the table.
"The Key, the Access Code, and the Program Lock!"
Luke spread his hands, offering the most sincere invitation.
"From now on, the Odyssey is ours."
Linda's head was spinning; she didn't snap out of it for a long time.
"You... you..."
"What about me?"
Luke wore a relaxed smile. "I neither tortured him nor forced him. General Zod willingly handed them over to me to save the lives of his subordinates. I must say, he's truly a great man!"
Linda gnashed her teeth, feeling inexplicably furious.
"Luke Shaw, you are a bully! Zod is a Kryptonian General. You can kill him, but you cannot humiliate him."
"I did not humiliate him! You just witnessed a negotiation. Both sides sat at the table and engaged in a contest of wits and psychology. Who wins and who loses depends on their brains."
"I was lucky; I quickly figured out General Zod's weakness, but he had no clue about my intentions."
"As for the tactics used—the asking for the sky, settling for the ground, feigning an attack, trickery, and deception—these are all essential skills."
At this point, Luke suddenly sighed with emotion. "When I was studying Kryptonian knowledge a few days ago, I gained a detailed understanding of your procreation mechanism. I must admit that controlled reproduction is beneficial to the development of civilization. A person's future is defined at birth, and with a certain amount of education, they can become a useful talent to society."
"Unfortunately, after interacting with General Zod, I've changed my mind. He is a warrior; it was decided even before he was born. And the mind of a warrior is antithetical to that of a merchant. The stronger one side is, the weaker the other becomes. During the height of Kryptonian civilization, this approach was not wrong. In fact, clear division of labor and coordinated action made efficiency skyrocket."
"But once the civilization declines, the weakness of controlled reproduction is infinitely magnified. Just like Zod, he is a brave and fearless warrior, but he can only be a warrior!"
Linda scoffed. A native from a low-level civilization presuming to evaluate Krypton, a high-level civilization. Childish!
Luke saw through her thoughts and smiled.
"What? Disagree?"
"If you hadn't threatened him with his comrades' lives, he wouldn't have fallen for it. Kryptonian soldiers value honor above all else; they would never sacrifice a comrade to save their own skin. You simply don't understand anything."
"Perhaps."
Luke shrugged, too lazy to argue.
"In any case, my part is done. The rest is up to you. Whether to kill them or release them is your decision. Also, regarding the Odyssey, I need materials from it to repair the Phantom Armor. You'll have to help me then."
With that, Luke stood up and left.
Kara's Decision
Linda pondered for a while, then gave a command to the A.I. Steward.
"Send three robotic guards to the Odyssey to inspect its defense system. If there are no issues, take control of it."
"Understood, Kara."
"I need to confirm one last time. Are you truly taking the Odyssey from General Zod?"
Linda silently nodded.
The A.I. Steward said no more. Following the instruction, it dispatched three cracking robots to the Odyssey. Using the access code and program lock, they quickly took control of the ship's central system.
Linda then boarded the ship and injected her own genetic information into the central system. From this moment on, the Odyssey was no longer Dru-Zod's vessel; it belonged only to Kara Zor-El.
Having done all this, she went down to the underground dungeon.
Dru-Zod was there, along with the other Kryptonian soldiers.
Linda looked at them, and they looked back at the girl with the same gaze. They were speechless.
"A child of the House of El collaborating with an alien native to harm her own people! Your father may have been soft, but he fought for Krypton until his last breath. I wonder what he would think, knowing his daughter is a traitor!"
The mocking words echoed in the room. Linda immediately flared up. "If you hadn't attempted to overthrow the Council and establish a military regime, Krypton wouldn't have been destroyed so quickly!"
Zod closed his eyes. Despite being shackled, he lifted his head proudly.
"I will not explain myself to the ignorant. The House of El is not worthy to stand before me."
The other eight men also closed their eyes, their faces bearing undisguised contempt.
That scorn stung the girl. She felt like chopping them up and feeding them to the fish in the pond.
Scoundrels! All scoundrels!
You were the ones who struck first! It's bad enough you ambushed me, but then you tried to take over the Fortress of Solitude! You don't apologize after failing, but instead act high and mighty and call me a traitor!
How can you be like this!
You blame me for your mistakes! Did you expect me to surrender and let you do whatever you pleased?
Bad people, all bad people! Worse than Luke Shaw! At least he doesn't bully me like this.
Tears welled up in the girl's eyes. Her people's actions broke her heart. She had gone to such lengths to return to Krypton, hoping to find survivors and offer whatever help she could. She never expected to face this.
Linda wiped away her tears, her expression becoming serious.
"If you don't wish to speak, then so be it. Out of kinship, I won't kill you. I will exile you to the space station. Whether you survive is up to your luck."
Soon, robotic guards carried the nine people out and dumped them like garbage.
The Odyssey undocked from the Fortress of Solitude. The external passage retracted, and the ship became an independent vessel, disappearing like a stream of light.
In the space station, the remaining Kryptonians watched, gnashing their teeth in utter frustration.
Their ship, Krypton's last surviving mid-class warship, had been stolen.
"Lex Luthor!"
Edwin roared, punching the metal door.
"General!"
Faora looked at Zod worriedly. After this series of defeats, everyone's confidence was severely shaken.
Zod raised his hand. "This was a war. When you lose, you pay the price. There is nothing to debate..." His hawk-like eyes swept across his comrades. Wherever his gaze fell, the Kryptonian soldiers stood tall.
"As long as we live, as long as the Golden Key is in our hands, Krypton has a future! Remember that person, Lex Luthor! Remember that name! One day, we will conquer Earth. We will rebuild Kryptonian civilization upon the corpses of countless Earthlings, and Lex Luthor will witness it all, becoming the sacrifice of the new era!"
"Krypton will never perish!"
The crowd saluted and shouted in unison, "Krypton will never perish!"
Just then, the soldier responsible for medical work rushed over frantically.
"General, no... this is bad!"
"The Key! The Key is gone!"
Zod's face changed drastically. He immediately rushed to the secret chamber.
The ruined room looked like it had been hit by a bomb. On the central pedestal, the Golden Key, which should have been glowing with golden light, was gone.
"Why is this happening?"
"Who... who took the Key?"
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