PFC Chapter 4325 Body of Steel (3)
Chapter 4325 Body of Steel (3)
Chapter 4325 Body of Steel (Thirty)
Superman's speech was incredibly inspiring, revealing the truth to the public without causing panic, effectively calming the people. Furthermore, by simultaneously resolving the problems of the Luthor Corporation, the military, and the federal government, he could be considered a middleman that all three factions were willing to acknowledge.
But clearly, the trouble had only just begun. Because that damned gem was successfully displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and was destined for a permanent residence in the United States.
When Clark heard that the federal government, the military, and the Luther Corporation did not want the gems to fall into each other's hands, and therefore decided to place them in the hands of a safe intermediary—namely Clark Kent—it took all his willpower to refrain from cursing.
You want me to keep the jewels safe? Are you serious?
They were indeed serious. Moreover, they believed it was a plan to kill two birds with one stone. Because if Clark kept the gem, they could weaken Clark's power while resolving the hot potato.
“Alright,” Clark said, standing in the conference room, “I can keep this gem and make sure it doesn’t fall into anyone else’s hands. But you also have to promise me that you won’t misuse the remaining gem, okay?”
Clark said this because he and Bruce had eavesdropped on the Kryptonian spaceship and learned that two Kryptonians who had come into contact with the gem powder had mutated and gained superpowers. Therefore, he believed that although the substance would initially weaken people, it could actually enhance Kryptonians.
So he figured it wouldn't be a problem to take the gem back and keep it for himself. Although it was a bit uncomfortable at first, it would be good if it could increase his power afterward, and it wouldn't matter if it didn't, since there were no aftereffects anyway.
His instructions to the others stemmed from his desire to prevent the military from using new weapons against the Kryptonians. What if they just get stronger the more they fight them?
Seeing their expressions, Clark knew they hadn't listened, so he emphasized again, "While those gems may temporarily weaken them, they will ultimately make them stronger. You should try your best not to use that thing to attack aliens."
This advice was ignored, as it was seen as akin to saying, "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger." The military assumed this "stronger" meant developing antibodies. But they didn't care. Who wouldn't want to enjoy a superweapon immediately? Otherwise, why would they leave it in storage waiting to be phased out?
Clark didn't understand the underlying principles, didn't know any technical jargon, and wasn't even sure if it was true. He had tried his best to explain things clearly. But perhaps because his explanation wasn't professional enough, sounding like plain, inspirational drivel, it wasn't taken seriously at all. So in the end, Clark could only leave alone with the box.
He returned to his apartment, opened the gem, and then almost cursed again. No, this gem has also degenerated?
The one in the photo looked so big, how come I only have this little bit left? What happened to the rest? Did you manage to take some out of the pan while cooking?
Clark was holding a gem the size of a thumbnail. But he remembered that when Luthor held it, it could fill his entire palm. If it had been this small back then, it might have gotten stuck in his pectoral muscle and been impossible to pull out.
Clark sighed. He knew these people had no good intentions. After peeling away a layer of skin from each person, what's left?
Even holding it in his hand, Clark still felt unwell, experiencing waves of dizziness, weakness, and nausea. However, the thought that the gem could enhance his strength made the discomfort bearable.
In addition, he had been injected with gemstone powder before, and the discomfort he experienced then was more than ten times greater than what he's experiencing now. Moreover, when Martha was kidnapped, he was extremely anxious and mentally tormented. Compared to that situation, this is nothing.
So Clark stubbornly endured the discomfort and kept the gem inside his person. He figured he could just avoid going out unless absolutely necessary and just bear with it.
On the Kryptonian flagship, Zod slammed his fist on the table. He had almost completely lost his mind.
The spaceship sent to land in Metropolis was blown up with a single punch; of the three men sent to attack the US military base, two were killed; and the men sent to intercept the military at the hotel also slunk back.
He was starting to wonder if Earth was cursed. Why had everything gone wrong ever since he arrived?!
Zod took a deep breath, looked at his adjutant with a cold gaze, and asked, "How did their strength tests go?"
"The results are in. His strength has increased to 15 times its original level and is still growing. His resilience and reaction speed have also greatly improved. It's almost like he has superpowers."
“This is superpower.” Zod looked at the tablet screen. It showed a picture of a gemstone, set in a three-dimensional sculpture. The gemstone looked ancient and weathered, yet it was also lustrous and had a captivating charm.
“Send those two down,” Zod said, “to get the gems at all costs.”
The adjutant hesitated for a moment before saying, "But we came to Earth to find the Central Scripture..."
Zod suddenly turned back to look at him and said, "Fine, then go find the Central Codex. And bring it back. Can you do that?"
The adjutant sneezed, unable to speak. He hadn't expected that Earth wasn't some primitive civilization at all. While their technology wasn't as advanced as Krypton's, their firepower could still suppress them. What's more, they had Superman, who could blow up their spaceship with a single punch. Continuing to search for some kind of treasure book like this was suicidal.
"Thank goodness for the green gem," the lieutenant thought. "If this thing could grant them superpowers, it would give us a bit more hope. But can those two people who have just gained superpowers really get their hands on the gem?"
Clearly, the general's orders could not be changed. The adjutant walked through the ship's corridors to the training room and said, "New mission. You two immediately fly through the atmosphere and parachute into the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Bring back the gem from the tail of the 'Serpent of Frinier'."
"Yes, I promise to complete the mission!"
When the small frigate reappeared over the metropolis, it caused some commotion, but when they saw the red and blue figure appear in the sky almost simultaneously, they felt much more at ease and quickly retreated back into their houses.
Clark didn't even need to guess to know that it was those brilliant minds in low Earth orbit who came to steal the gems.
Although he didn't think these guys could beat him, he wasn't arrogant enough to fight them with the jewels. Instead, he left the jewels with Diana first before coming over.
As soon as he got close, he saw the two unfortunate guys had fallen onto the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He sprinted down, grabbed one of them, and threw him far away.
Fearing it would hit a building, he threw it upwards. Surprisingly, after spinning a few times in the air, it stabilized and floated there. Judging from the expressions of both parties, they were clearly astonished.
Clark narrowed his eyes. It seemed the gem's enhancing effect was even stronger than he'd anticipated. In just a few days, they'd already learned to fly. Give them a few more days, and wouldn't they be even stronger than him?
Clark immediately felt a sense of crisis. He knew he was alone, while the enemy had at least a dozen people. If they were all as skilled as him, they could truly conquer the Earth.
"No way, I'll go back and train with the gems." Clark thought angrily to himself, "I've lived on Earth for so many years, how could I possibly lose to these country bumpkins who just left their village?"
He then immediately apologized for his somewhat impolite thoughts: "Sorry, Krypton isn't exactly a village... or a suburb."
Thinking this, he showed no mercy. First, he punched the one on the roof, then grabbed the ankle of the one that flew back and slammed it to the ground.
Their physical abilities didn't seem to be that great; the one who was knocked down was dizzy, and the one who was hit was spitting blood. Seeing the situation was bad, the two of them turned and ran.
Superman wanted to give chase, but as soon as he turned around, he saw people taking advantage of the chaos to break into the car. Thinking that the two of them would probably slink away, he turned back to stop other illegal activities.
But in reality, these two dared not return. They knew perfectly well that Zod was furious. Since arriving on Earth, they had accomplished nothing. If they dared to go back empty-handed, even though they had mutated, Zod would definitely bring them to court-martial law.
"What should we do?" one of them asked, looking at the other.
“What can we do? We can’t beat that big guy,” another sighed. “Besides, he must live not far from the gems. He’s guarding the place closely. How are we supposed to rob him?”
"You've reminded me. If we can't get the one in the city, we can try to steal one from somewhere else."
"Other places? Where else can you find gems?... You're not talking about those places that have already been turned into guns, are you?"
"That's still easier to steal than the whole gem. Although those guys have guns made of gems, their physical abilities are no match for this big guy. Now that we have superpowers, it'll be easier for us to rob them."
The other person had no choice but to sigh and say, "Let's give it a try. Let's find their helicopter first."
These two had previously attacked US military bases and had some understanding of human military facilities. Plus, they had now learned to fly and were quite fast; after circling the metropolis a few times, they actually found it.
In fact, humans weren't even trying to hide. There's a special forces training base on the outskirts of the metropolis, and several special forces soldiers are currently practicing there with new weapons. The military is clearly still dreaming of capturing aliens alive; they even set up some dummies and practiced capturing them with nets, making quite a commotion, which led to their discovery immediately.
The two Kryptonians watched from above for a long time, but the soldiers didn't put the weapons down. They didn't dare to go up and steal them, so they waited until dark, watching the soldiers put the weapons away in storage. Only then did they use their superpowers to sneak over and steal one, taking it back to report.
Zod was speechless when he received the weapon. He stared coldly at the two men for a few seconds, but in the end, he didn't say anything.
He understood that the newly mutated Kryptonians were no match for Superman. Besides, the gems in the museum weren't guaranteed to be genuine; weapons that actually wounded them were more likely to be useful.
Having obtained the weapons, Zod examined them but couldn't figure anything out. His group consisted of soldiers exiled from their planet, lacking professional scientists. While the weapons could be disassembled, they were afraid of damaging them, or discovering some special reaction device inside that would render them unusable.
Zod grew increasingly angry as he studied the situation, all the misfortunes he had experienced since arriving on Earth transforming into rage. He decided he couldn't wait any longer; he would use the most rudimentary method: one gun per person, quickly creating super soldiers to show those Earthlings their power.
Krypton's medical system is highly advanced; even with a hole in the head, one can survive as long as they are promptly taken to a medical pod. Therefore, although everyone was terrified, they obediently lined up to be shot under Zod's oppressive presence.
The problem is that this is a weapon specifically developed by humans. Lacking any defining human characteristics, they are simply obsessed with researching things that can kill their own kind, and their weapon development is incredibly rapid. Bigger is better, more is better, caliber is truth, range is justice—the core principle is to kill someone who doesn't know what's coming to them.
Furthermore, they've stripped another layer of armor from a different gem, significantly increasing ammunition capacity and improving the propulsion system. It boasts the size of a pistol, the power of a shotgun, and the range of a sniper rifle. The initial version could easily penetrate Krypton's advanced armor with a single shot, demonstrating its formidable power.
These Kryptonians on the spaceship weren't wearing armor. Although Zod didn't shoot them directly in the head, he didn't expect to be able to shoot a hole in their chest with a single shot.
With a "thud," a Kryptonian slowly collapsed to the ground. He stared in disbelief at his superior, blood flowing freely from a gaping hole in his chest.
Zod was stunned. He quickly helped the man up and shouted, "Quick, get him into the medical pod!!!"
But it was too late. Green powder scattered, and everyone collapsed weakly, including Zod himself. The Kryptonian who had been shot closed his eyes in despair.
(End of this chapter)