"A human from Earth?"
"A human who kicked Kryptonians around like balls?"
After hearing Colonel Hardy's report, the general was completely dumbfounded, as if he'd just heard a joke.
Since when had Earth humans become this terrifying?
But very soon, Hardy sent over the combat footage of Alex fighting the Kryptonians.
After watching it, the general fell into a stunned silence.
That man—who slaughtered Kryptonians like chickens—
Was really a human?
"Alex…"
Several seconds later, the general finally muttered the name, exhaling heavily.
"Investigate!"
"Investigate this man immediately!"
The order was issued without hesitation.
---
And just like that, the quiet town of Smallville began to churn beneath the surface.
Various departments were mobilized at once, launching a full-scale investigation into Alex.
At the same time, discussions erupted across agencies and institutions regarding how Earth should treat Kal-El, the Kryptonian.
The conclusion was unanimous:
Kal-El was not an enemy of Earth—on the contrary, he was a friend.
And amid all this, the title "Superman" began circulating rapidly, both officially and among the public.
---
That said, because both Alex and Kal-El had displayed terrifying, superhuman abilities—
Many people also slapped the name "Superman" onto Alex.
After all, to ordinary civilians, their powers looked far too similar.
Who could really tell the difference?
"I'm Superman now?"
Back at home, Alex couldn't help but laugh when he picked up on those discussions.
正版和盗版同时登场,吃瓜群众自然分不清.
With both the "official" and the "knockoff" appearing at the same time, it was no surprise the crowd got confused.
Naturally, Alex didn't care much.
He gave it a brief thought—then turned his attention to the mission.
---
Opening the system interface, the result was exactly as expected.
Mission incomplete.
Alex wasn't surprised.
The mission clearly stated:
Not only eliminate General Zod, but also destroy Zod's fleet.
So far, Alex hadn't destroyed a single spaceship.
Naturally, the task wasn't finished.
That meant the next objective was obvious:
Destroy every ship Zod brought with him.
---
Alex immediately expanded his super senses, sweeping across the entire planet.
Very quickly—
He locked onto four Kryptonian ships.
Boom!
Alex vanished.
Just a few seconds later, he reappeared.
Every one of Zod's ships on Earth—along with all the Kryptonians inside—had been wiped out.
---
Yet to Alex's mild surprise, the mission still wasn't complete.
That could only mean one thing.
There were more ships.
And indeed—Alex's guess was correct.
The ships deployed on Earth were merely a forward force, meant to operate planetside.
Zod's main mothership was still floating in space.
---
At that very moment, inside Zod's massive mothership—
The atmosphere was suffocating.
So oppressive that no one dared to breathe loudly.
The Kryptonian soldiers stared at the figure before them, unable to believe their eyes.
General Zod… was dead?
Impossible.
The conqueror of countless star systems—
Killed on a backwater planet like Earth?
---
"General, this… this can't be real!"
"How could someone as great and powerful as you fail?"
"Is something wrong with the system? Engineers—engineers!"
Zod's trusted subordinate, Tal-Ma, stared at him in disbelief.
His brow was wrinkled like an old chrysanthemum in late autumn.
---
That's because—
The Zod standing before them was not the real one.
Just like the projection of Jor-El in Superman's Fortress of Solitude, this was an AI Zod.
A perfect replica, possessing all of Zod's memories, personality, and will.
Once Zod died, this program activated automatically to continue commanding the fleet.
---
"Enough shouting,"
AI Zod said calmly.
"The system is functioning properly. I am indeed dead."
"But General!"
"Kal-El couldn't possibly have such power!"
Tal-Ma protested instinctively.
"No,"
AI Zod shook his head.
"It wasn't Kal-El."
"It was another man."
"Alex."
"He killed Faora. He killed me. He killed every soldier I brought to Earth."
---
Alex?
Tal-Ma and the others frowned.
They had never even heard that name before.
Yet this person had annihilated the entire vanguard—including Zod himself.
That level of strength was simply absurd.
---
"So the obstacles on Earth aren't just Kal-El,"
Tal-Ma said grimly, murderous intent flashing across his face.
"But also this Alex?"
"General, I'll eliminate him."
---
"Do not act recklessly!"
AI Zod barked coldly.
"That man's strength is unfathomable. We've already suffered heavy losses. We cannot afford pointless sacrifices."
"But General, we still haven't recovered the Codex!"
Tal-Ma said anxiously.
---
"Actually… I've already found it."
At that moment, a Kryptonian scientist standing nearby suddenly spoke up.
All eyes immediately turned toward him.
---
"The Codex was never in the escape pod."
"Jor-El took it long ago."
"He hid the genetic record of billions of Kryptonians—"
"Inside his son."
"In every single cell of Kal-El."
---
The explanation stunned AI Zod and the others.
They never expected Jor-El to be so cunning—
To abandon convention entirely.
But if that was the case—
Then things became much simpler.
Of course, one key question remained.
---
"To retrieve the Codex from Kal-El's cells,"
AI Zod asked coldly,
"Does Kal-El need to remain alive?"
"No,"
the scientist replied without hesitation.
AI Zod's eyes gleamed.
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