Every television broadcast network in the world was hacked at once. The technology gap was like tens of thousands of years—the Earth looked like a primitive village with no ability to fight back.
Even those on the moon were affected. Right after parting ways with Liu A'dou and the others, the Kryptonians began their invasion.
"They're Superman's kind!" someone cried out in shock.
Liu A'dou thought, 'You're only figuring that out now?'
Everyone was speechless. The whole world now knew: Superman's fellow Kryptonians were coming to colonize Earth. They wanted to drive all humanity into Australia. Meanwhile, General Zod's message echoed: "Superman, I know you are Kryptonian too. As your fellow countryman, I hope you'll help me rebuild Kryptonian civilization on Earth, and honor your father's legacy."
Clark never imagined he'd have surviving kin. But who was this General Zod, and why wasn't he dead? He rushed to the Arctic and asked his father's AI. Jor-El told him how he and Zod had gone from friends to enemies back on Krypton. Zod was an extremist, ruthless and violent, a true military man through and through.
"What should I do?" Superman asked.
"Zod will come for you," Jor-El said calmly. "He'll try to persuade you to join him. How will you choose?"
Superman hadn't even had time to feel happy about no longer being the last Kryptonian. Now he was caught between his Kryptonian heritage and his life on Earth. "Can't he be reasoned with?" he asked.
"I'm afraid it will be very hard," Jor-El replied with a bitter smile. "Zod isn't someone who listens easily. But you can try—maybe he's changed over the years."
With a heavy heart, Superman hurried back to Metropolis. Everyone there was in shock. Zod had given world leaders only 24 hours: surrender and move to Australia, or face war.
The UN convened an emergency meeting. This wasn't just an attack on New York anymore—why had Earth become so attractive to aliens? One wave after another of invaders—everyone was beyond fed up.
No country wanted their people herded like livestock. Most leaders were ready to fight. But who would do the fighting? All eyes turned to the U.S. President. Didn't they have the Avengers? Surely it was time for them to act.
The president, not shirking his duty, immediately ordered S.H.I.E.L.D. to assemble the Avengers. But with Thor absent, their main fighters were down to just Hulk and Iron Man. Still, better than nothing. "Director Nick, assemble the Avengers immediately," he ordered.
Unfortunately, even Nick Fury couldn't move fast enough this time. By the time Nick arrived at Stark Tower, the building had already lost three floors. Iron Man and Hulk were both gravely injured.
Zod knew how the Avengers had performed during the last alien invasion. So he'd preemptively sent one of his strongest warriors to crash directly into Stark Tower.
Half an hour earlier, a massive black figure had fallen from the sky. The black Kryptonian armor looked every bit as tough as Iron Man's suit. Coupled with a Kryptonian's physical power, Tony's attacks were useless. The giant Kryptonian grabbed Iron Man by the head, cracked his helmet, and squeezed so hard the plates jammed. Tony passed out, and he wouldn't recover for at least two months.
Then came Hulk's turn. The two giants smashed apart a third of the tower during their brawl. In the end, the Kryptonian used his heat vision to fry Hulk's brain. Hulk was now completely incapacitated, unable to take care of himself anytime soon.
This was what Kryptonians without morals or laws were like—far more dangerous than the Superman who'd once tried to restrain himself. These Kryptonians were born and bred soldiers, with genes full of violence. They struck to kill, with no mercy.
Nick arrived just in time to see a dark figure rocket skyward, breaking the sound barrier before vanishing into the clouds.
"How could this happen?" he muttered. With Iron Man and Hulk both defeated and critically injured, what chance did Captain America, Black Widow, or Hawkeye stand? Sending them would just mean certain death.
When the U.S. President heard the news, his pale face darkened instantly. The Avengers, in whom they'd pinned all their hopes, were down for the count. Nick's political enemies were overjoyed at first—this disaster would ruin his career. But that joy quickly turned to dread. What were they supposed to do now?
"Miss Lois, FBI. We need your help." The FBI found Lois in Metropolis.
"Need me? I don't know how to fight," Lois replied.
"We need you to find Superman." Everyone knew that Lois had a special relationship with Superman. Every time she was in danger, Superman would appear.
Only 24 hours—10 hours had already passed, with meetings and discussions so far. There were only 14 hours left, and Lois knew the importance of the situation. After all, this was news. How could she not cooperate? So, the plane flew directly to the United Nations headquarters in New York.
And sure enough, Superman arrived soon after. Lois was almost like a Superman summoner.
"Hello, everyone," Superman greeted.
The world leaders looked at Superman with mixed expressions. Although Superman spent most of his time in Metropolis fighting big villains, he did step in occasionally to help during major disasters elsewhere on Earth. Superman had saved countless lives, and there was no doubt about that. All of humanity was grateful to him. But the way the U.S. had publicized him made him seem like an American, and with the whole Extremis League incident, people began to fear him again.
This was Superman's first time attending an international conference, and with his fellow Kryptonians invading, the leaders' views on Superman became even more complicated. They could not bring themselves to like him.
"Superman, they are your fellow Kryptonians. Can you convince them to abandon our planet?"
Superman gave a bitter smile. "I'll try."
Look at that—Superman himself wasn't very confident. "What do we do?" People whispered among themselves. Seeing their anxiety, Superman could only offer a helpless look.
The U.S. President spoke up: "Just now, one of your fellow Kryptonians attacked Stark Tower, injuring Tony Stark and Hulk. Clearly, they all have powers like yours. If negotiations fail, can you defeat them?"
"If their numbers are small, I can win," Superman replied.
But this wasn't a gamble. The Chinese representative spoke up: "According to our intelligence, there are 21 of them."
No way. Where did China get that intel from? Everyone was skeptical. The U.S. had no intelligence on this, and even Superman was unaware. How could China have such accurate information? 21 of them? Was this a guess?
Superman also looked at the representative in confusion.
The Chinese representative remained calm. "Our intel is absolutely accurate. Yesterday, one of our people made contact with General Zod, the leader of the aliens. Zod ordered them to deliver a message—he plans to invade and terraform Earth. His tone was firm, as though there was no room for negotiation. They are ready for war."
More whispers filled the room. Superman now believed that the Chinese representative wasn't lying. While he wasn't sure where the intel came from, the fact remained: he couldn't defeat 21 of his fellow Kryptonians.
The leaders' faces showed their growing anxiety. The longer they waited, the more chaos would spread across their countries. This felt like the end of the world. Many people had already chartered boats to Australia, hoping to survive. Chaos was inevitable, and government authorities were struggling to maintain control. The world leaders were truly desperate.
Superman knew it was time to stop holding back. He stepped forward, surveyed the leaders, and said loudly, "Everyone, if talks fail, we still have one final line of defense."
Lois perked up. She thought to herself that what Superman was about to say must be related to the things she had been investigating. Everyone else also listened closely, hoping Superman had a surprise for them.
With a serious tone, Superman spoke: "Earlier, I gathered a group of like-minded individuals to form a new superhero organization—Justice League. We will do everything in our power to protect the Earth and our home."
At these words, the room fell silent. The shock was palpable. Lois's eyes lit up with excitement. She knew, deep down, that she had been right.