mtl008 Chapter 4308 Body of Steel (3)
Chapter 4308 Body of Steel (3)
Chapter 4308 Body of Steel (Thirteen)
“Let him go.” The politician in the suit said with a grim face. “That thing in low Earth orbit is the real problem. Even if we can dissect him now, it will be difficult to learn how to deal with his own kind. Now is not a good time to offend him.”
“No,” another person said. “He’s injured. As long as we know what injured him, we can find a way to deal with these aliens.”
"Who are you going to send to search? Right now, the only expert who might be able to produce results is in his hands."
“No matter what, I disagree. We can’t just let such a valuable test subject go. Once he recovers, we’ll never have another chance like this.”
“A call from Washington,” another figure said, knocking on the office door. “The President’s instructions: Release Clark Kent.”
The group exchanged glances. Although some were still unwilling, the order was eventually relayed to the military base.
As soon as the messenger left, one of the politicians slammed his pen on the table and said, "It's all about votes. As long as that spaceship doesn't destroy Earth during his term, he'll accept anything!"
"Alright, you should have expected this. Besides, figuring out how he got injured doesn't necessarily require an autopsy. Someone saw him fly out of Luther Tower, and that might be related to Lex Luther."
"You mean Luther injured him? How did he do that?"
"You and I both know that guy isn't a businessman, but a super genius. He might have come up with some powerful weapon that could hurt aliens."
"If that's the case, this weapon must be in our hands. If only we can repel the spaceships in low Earth orbit..."
The two looked at each other, understanding each other tacitly.
Aliens may be a major threat, but if used properly, they could also be a great asset.
“Luther isn’t so easy to deal with.” One of them shook his head and said, “He won’t hand that thing over to us easily.”
“He also has things he cares about. If the military joins forces with us, he will have to hand them over whether he wants to or not.”
"I'm just worried..."
"worry about what?"
"No, it's nothing." The politician shook his head. They all knew what kind of person Luther was; there was no way he would cooperate with aliens.
The fully armed soldiers gradually made way. Clack, with his hand on the expert's neck, cautiously moved forward, through the same corridor, and arrived at the door. A helicopter was parked there.
Clark took a deep breath. He led the experts to the helicopter, but even after boarding, he remained vigilant. Soon, however, he saw a familiar face. The helicopter pilot was the black officer.
"where to?"
Wayne Manor.
The Black officer gave a relieved smile, turned back, and started the helicopter. The armed helicopter disappeared over the coast, while increasingly dark clouds gathered over the east coast, forming a storm.
“Clark Kent, right?” the expert suddenly said.
Clark had released him, and the two sat side by side in the helicopter. Clark nodded, somewhat absentmindedly.
"How much do you know about that spaceship in low Earth orbit? Don't get me wrong, I support you. I believe you're not with those suddenly appearing aliens."
Clark looked at him with some confusion.
The expert sighed and said, "Do you remember the spaceship you saw in the Arctic?"
Clark frowned, becoming somewhat wary. The expert shook his head and said, "Don't be alarmed. After we discovered that spaceship, I warned them that there might be unusual alien radiation inside. So far, no one except professionals like myself has been inside."
"so you……"
"Although I cannot start the spaceship, I can still reconstruct its entirety, its structure, and its operating principles through research. You were once a very great civilization."
Clark was stunned. He was shocked. But the expert, as always, spoke in that calm voice: "That spaceship was once home to many of your kind, and many researchers like me piloted it through the universe, exploring its unknown mysteries, inspiring curiosity, learning knowledge, and passing on civilization."
The expert turned to Clark and said, "All my research tells me that you are not some alien monsters; you are a cosmic civilization with intelligence and emotions, just like us. You must have encountered some terrible disaster to have come to this point."
"The universe is vast. The emergence of every life form is a miracle. We are so strong, yet so fragile, that even dealing with natural disasters requires our utmost effort. In this context, what civilizations should do is not to fight, but to help each other. No matter what your homeland has suffered, dragging the Earth into the same situation will not benefit you. What we need to do is communicate and work together to solve problems."
Clark remained silent for a long time. Reason told him that this idea was too idealistic. But idealists are always moving. Especially an idealist full of knowledge, wisdom, and empathy—the beautiful future he depicts can touch anyone. Even Clark couldn't help but yearn for it.
"What if they destroyed Earth just to resurrect their own planet?"
"Them? You..."
“I grew up on Earth, and I don’t consider them my kind. I’d rather stand with humanity,” Clark said.
"So that's how it is. No wonder you were so agitated when you saw that spaceship. But you should know..."
“I know I may never fit in. You will never acknowledge that I am human. But I don’t need anyone’s acknowledgment. I just want to live the life I want on Earth.”
"No, what you should worry about is not that humans don't acknowledge you, but that they acknowledge you too much. If they worship you as a god, what will you do?"
"We can talk about these issues later. I just want to know, if invading Earth could actually bring them real benefits, would you still want to talk to them?"
"Of course. Because what they believe the actual benefits of invading Earth could bring them are very likely not benefits at all, but rather the prelude to another disaster. You only need to answer one question for me: if they could really rebuild Krypton on Earth and continue their civilization, then why was Krypton destroyed in the first place?"
Clark was speechless. For the first time, he had so vividly experienced the power of knowledge. For some reason, he felt that the expert in front of him probably knew more about Krypton than he did.
"I can tell you why I am an anti-war activist. The reason I oppose all wars of aggression is that in modern times, external aggression is always due to the inability to solve internal problems. Whether external aggression succeeds or fails, it will inevitably repeat the same mistakes made in addressing internal problems, causing no progress other than casualties. The essence of aggression is escapism, an unwillingness to confront social problems, and a mere outlet for social pressure. Ultimately, it can only lead to repeating the same mistakes time and time again. This is precisely a constant testament to the failure of a nation and its people."
"Krypton is destroyed, proving that they never solved their internal problems in the end. So if they find another planet and reproduce again, it will still be destroyed again. It's meaningless except to prove the inferiority of their race over and over again."
Clark fell into deep thought, because he felt the expert's words made a lot of sense. He had also considered whether it was truly wrong for the Kryptonians to want to find a suitable new home in the universe after their extinction.
From a common-sense perspective, this seems to be the right thing to do. Seeking continuation is the nature of intelligent life. Since some of their people have survived, it's natural for them to establish a new home. From the perspective of Earthlings, their invasion of Earth is an evil act; but from their own perspective, it was merely a choice made out of desperation.
But the expert's words opened up a new world for Clark. Krypton was destroyed, but all the Kryptonians, including his father, were vague about how it was destroyed. His biological father seemed to believe it was due to over-exploitation of resources, but was that really the case?
They can build spaceships to Earth, but can't find many planets where they can mine resources? They can drop a baby on Earth, but are helpless against the planet's disintegration?
Clark grew increasingly uneasy. He felt things couldn't be that simple. Perhaps the problem wasn't astronomical or technological, but sociological. The entire society of Krypton might be flawed. Otherwise, ordinary natural disasters and man-made calamities couldn't so easily destroy such an advanced civilization. The strongest fortresses are often breached from within.
The more Clark thought about it, the more determined he became to fight his own kind. Those people probably knew nothing, foolishly chasing after Earth to rebuild their home. If they weren't stopped, not only would humanity face annihilation, but this planet would never become the Kryptonians' ideal home. Ultimately, they would both lose.
"To be honest, I don't want to continue working for the military. Their bodies have survived into the modern era, but their souls remain in the Cold War era, their minds filled only with war and confrontation. Their consistently tough and indifferent attitude will only make things worse."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Clark asked.
“I have a research team,” the expert said, “and they are basically controlled by the military. I hope they can break away from the military, and I need a ship so we can go to the Arctic again.”
Clark opened his mouth, but didn't immediately agree, because he knew he couldn't do it right now. And even with superpowers, he couldn't openly attack a human military base. He'd learned his lesson.
“I can help you with that,” the Black officer piloting the helicopter said. “I’ll get them out and then send you to the Arctic. But I doubt the people on the low Earth orbit spacecraft will be interested in anything from the Arctic. You won’t survive against them.”
“I can find a friend to protect you,” Clark said as if he had suddenly remembered something. He took out his phone, started searching for Diana’s name, and then said, “She is also a superhuman and should be able to protect you from my kind.”
The helicopter quickly arrived over Wayne Manor. Finding no one to intercept him, Clark knew what was going on. He jumped out of the helicopter, bid farewell to the officers and experts on board, and then entered Wayne Manor.
As soon as Clark stepped into the hall, he smelled a familiar aroma. He saw Batman sitting at the table eating, with a bowl of fragrant oatmeal next to his plate.
At that moment, Bruce Wayne put down his spoon, stood up, walked towards him, and stopped in front of him.
boom!
Clark knocked Bruce down with one punch.
"God!"
A scream came from the bottom of the stairs, and Clark quickly turned around to see his mother, Martha, running down the stairs.
"Clark, what are you doing!"
Clark walked slowly toward Martha. His eyes were red and his movements were awkward. Only when he actually touched her face did he hug Martha tightly.
"Mommy mommy……"
(End of this chapter)