PFC Chapter 4317 Body of Steel (22)
Chapter 4317 Body of Steel (22)
Chapter 4317 Body of Steel (Twenty-Two)
The commotion outside the door grew louder and louder. At first, it was just the sound of running, then shouts, and then gunfire. You could tell it started with single-shot rifles, then submachine guns, and then machine guns. Now, you didn't need super hearing to clearly hear the sounds of the conflict outside the door.
About a minute later, without even needing to use my hearing, I could tell something was wrong, because the people in the interrogation room started running out. At first, only the soldiers guarding the door were transferred, then the officers left, and then even the staff in the adjacent lounge and tea room disappeared.
Clark stretched slightly, and the handcuffs crumbled like freshly baked butter cookies. He stood up, turned the doorknob, and peeked outside. The corridor was eerily quiet; the fully armed soldiers were gone, and no one paid him any attention.
So he strolled out. The closer he got to the door, the louder the sounds of gunfire and shouts filled the air. Clark waited in the corridor for a while, until he heard the sound of helicopter rotors, before he reached the front door.
The outside was a scene of devastation, littered with ammunition and traces of explosions. However, there were no bodies. The soldiers were all sheltering in the bunkers at the rear of the base, and so far, there were no casualties.
However, Clark had already spotted a wounded soldier. One of his arms was charred black, apparently from being hit by some kind of laser weapon. Clark walked around that section of the trench and came to his side. The soldier was shocked to see him, but Clark waved him off.
"Good heavens!" another voice came from behind him. Clark turned around and saw another soldier wearing a steel helmet.
“Okay, Superman. Wherever you’re from, get him out of here. He needs to see a doctor,” the soldier said.
Clark first sent the men back to the base, then went to the base gate and picked up two more wounded soldiers to send back, until several armed helicopters appeared over the military base.
Meanwhile, Clark had already reached the front lines. He then discovered that the intruders causing such a commotion were actually just three aliens. They were all wearing thick, dark full-body armor with a peculiar design, covering them completely and making movement seem very difficult. They were also carrying laser guns, weapons with immense power, capable of burning a hole in concrete with a single shot.
Clark didn't rush forward; he simply crouched in the trench to observe. His fellow humans looked somewhat strange, certainly not the Kryptonians he had imagined. If he had to describe them, they resembled humans with more advanced technology.
Their movements were somewhat clumsy and not smooth at all. Although they were fairly skilled at operating weapons, they seemed to be afraid of the weapons used by humans. For example, when the rocket launcher was fired, they would warn each other and run away to avoid it.
You see, for Superman, not even a rocket launcher or a nuclear bomb could kill him. He doesn't even consider conventional firearms a threat. You can't just stay indoors forever to avoid mosquito bites, can you?
However, these aliens fought hesitantly, and seemed unaccustomed to the planet's gravity. Despite wielding such powerful weapons and fighting for almost half an hour, they hadn't even breached the first layer of defense.
Clark grew increasingly convinced that he might have overestimated them. Listening to the officers' commands coming from the trenches, he believed the military probably thought the same. These aliens didn't seem as strong as he'd imagined.
As the armed helicopters entered, another group of people jumped out. Their attire was distinctly different from that of ordinary soldiers, resembling more of a special forces unit. The weapons they carried were also peculiar, somewhat resembling megaphones.
The lead special forces soldier jumped down, rolled on the spot to dodge a beam of light, and then charged forward. After getting close to an alien, he pulled the trigger of the horn-like weapon at him.
"boom!"
A tremendous bang startled Clark. Immediately afterwards, he felt nauseous and unwell. Seeing the green powder spreading in the air, he knew why.
Damn it, these guys are pretty quick; they turned the gems into weapons as soon as they got them. Clark couldn't help but curse inwardly. He tried to hold his breath, but realized he didn't actually need to; the powder wasn't something he could become immune to by simply not breathing.
The alien closest to the special forces soldier was knocked to the ground by the blast. Clark used his super vision to see that the alien's mask was shattered, and the green powder was sucked directly into his helmet before the alien lay on the ground convulsing.
The other two companions seemed terrified and at a loss. One of them had his mask shattered by a slug fired by another special forces soldier. He then collapsed to the ground, clutching his own neck and convulsing.
A large net had trapped the two aliens, and it seemed the military intended to capture them alive. Fortunately, the remaining alien reacted quickly, using a laser to repel the special forces soldiers, then quickly burned the net, activated the emergency life support devices on his two companions' armor, and swiftly ran back to the small escort ship not far away.
The special forces soldiers wanted to take action against the remaining two, but the spaceship was larger than they had expected when it arrived. They hesitated for a moment and did not dare to go forward. Then a beam of light took away the two of their kind who were lying on the ground.
Seeing this, Clark breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, his kinsmen weren't too stupid; if the military had captured one or two alive, it would have been a real problem.
After watching the spectacle, he returned to his cell. Not long after, sure enough, he heard cursing and swearing. The tall, white officer he had seen before walked in, glaring angrily at Clark.
“Staring at me won’t do any good,” Clark said. “I’ve told you before, I’m not one of them. If they all had my power, the earth would have been destroyed long ago.”
The officer opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to refute, but didn't know what to say, because Clark was right. Those invading aliens didn't seem to have any superpowers; their only advantage was their advanced equipment and weapons. And now, the military possessed weapons capable of countering them, making the crisis that seemed capable of destroying Earth appear insignificant.
So, although the officer suspected that the aliens were likely lured there by Clark, it might have been a blessing in disguise. Their successful victory over the aliens meant that their influence would increase.
The white officer was about to say something when his subordinate came in with the phone. He answered and said, “Yes. That’s right, we’ve won. No, we didn’t capture them alive, we just repelled them. Yes, the new weapons are very effective. I can say with certainty that we are currently the only ones who have the method to defeat them… What?!”
Clark watched as the officer performed a dramatic change of expression in front of him, initially appearing somewhat smug before his face darkened instantly.
"How is this possible?! The British Museum... is already on its way?! Are those gems real?! But... okay, I understand. We must intercept these artifacts!"
Clark couldn't help but rub his eyes. Why are you everywhere? The British Museum? What's going on now?
Then he suddenly remembered what the news had said: the Metropolitan Museum of Art had borrowed an exhibit from the British Museum, and the borrowed exhibit was the "Serpent of Fringe." In other words, the so-called "original" "Serpent of Fringe" would soon appear in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This "Serpent of Frini" also has a gem, exactly the same as the emerald in Luthor's hand, meaning it is also a weapon to fight aliens, and it will soon be on public display.
After the officer hurriedly left, Clark turned on his phone, and sure enough, the myths and legends about ancient Egyptian civilization defeating aliens had gone viral online.
By sheer chance, I've actually made a brilliant move. There was nothing beforehand to prove the story was true; after all, a legend is just a legend, and no matter how true it sounds, it happened thousands of years ago. No one knows the truth of what actually happened back then.
However, Clark's third visit to the US military base led the aliens there, resulting in a victory for the military, which had just developed a new weapon. This proved that the weapon made from emerald powder was indeed effective, suggesting that the legend must be true.
With armed helicopters deployed, the base's movements certainly won't escape detection. Once other factions within the Federation learn of this, they'll undoubtedly try every means to obtain the gemstone powder. Without a doubt, whoever controls this weapon to repel aliens will gain the upper hand in the ensuing power struggle.
Originally, it could only be obtained from the military, which allowed them to demand exorbitant prices or simply refuse to supply it, using this advantage to threaten the entire world. But now, the so-called genuine artifact is about to appear in the Metropolis, with an identical gem on the serpent's tail—who wouldn't want it?
The military naturally wants to maintain its monopoly, while others wanting it are trying to break that monopoly. Now, won't things descend into chaos?
However, more than what was happening on Earth, Clark was curious about the state of things on the spaceship. His arrogant kin were probably terrified.
Clark hadn't realized he was such a spectator. He felt it wasn't right, but he was reluctant to go back to work like this. After thinking it over, he took advantage of the chaos at the military base to sneak out and begin flying towards the atmosphere.
His phone rang shortly after takeoff. When he opened it, he saw that it was Bruce calling him.
"Come to Wayne Manor and take the machine I have on the roof to near-Earth orbit, thank you."
In the past, Clark would never have run errands for him, but after thinking about it, he realized that it was rather foolish to just squat in low Earth orbit and eavesdrop, only to be photographed by satellites later. It would be better to use Bat Technology. He could enjoy a hot coffee and watch the show from Wayne Manor.
So he turned a corner and went to the rooftop of Wayne Manor, where he saw the machine Bruce had mentioned. It was only about the size of a cell phone. He took the machine and flew to near low Earth orbit, deliberately choosing an angle that wouldn't be easily detected by spaceships, before tossing the little thing over.
When he returned to Wayne Manor, Bruce was already sitting on the sofa watching the projection screen. Clark went over to greet him and sat down on the other side of the sofa.
(End of this chapter)