Chapter 438: H'el: On Earth
A Reporter's Frustrations
All of Superman's prestige hadn't changed Clark Kent's life much. He was still a reporter at the Daily Planet, only six months into his permanent position, and his salary was still less than a tenth of his girlfriend's.
It didn't matter; Lois didn't care, and even if he did, he couldn't change it.
The job wasn't as comfortable as he'd imagined. Every day was a race against deadlines, covering the entertainment, sports, and political sections, plus the Planet's core focus: Superheroes.
Batman and Superman were the main targets, but the newly rising Green Lantern was also a priority. According to the photos captured, Green Lantern seemed to be missing three fingers. The editor deduced there must be an untold story there and commanded Clark to dig for details.
Right.
Clark shrugged. What could he do? Put on his suit and fly over to Green Lantern to ask, Hey, how'd you lose those three fingers?
He wouldn't do something that stupid even if his life depended on it.
Compared to other superheroes, Clark preferred writing his own stories. He wanted to tell the world that Superman wasn't a god, just an ordinary person trying to do good.
Work time slipped away silently until an unfamiliar voice suddenly broke the quiet.
"You really like this planet."
Clark froze slightly. With his super senses, he couldn't believe he hadn't detected the man who had appeared in front of him.
The newcomer was floating in the air. He had long, gray-blue hair, dark, lifeless eyes, and his upper body was completely bare. His powerful muscles were covered in dense scars.
Clark stood up, his body instinctively tense.
"Who are you? Why are you in my home?" As he spoke, he glanced at the clock: 6:00 PM. Good. Lois still had two hours before she got home.
"So similar," the man murmured, finding memories buried deep within his heart in that familiar face. "Identical to your father when he was young. The past is always nostalgic."
"Jor, I've met your child."
Kryptonian.
Clark frowned slightly. Aside from Kara, this was the first person he'd met who spoke the language of Krypton.
"How do you know my father's name?"
"My name is H'el, and I am from Krypton."
At that single sentence, Clark's face instantly changed. "How is that possible?"
Two years ago, Kara flew the Fortress of Solitude to the Kryptonian system to search for survivors, but found nothing. Since then, he'd given up the idea of ever going back.
If Krypton was gone, let it be history. The past was unreachable; living in the present was what mattered most.
He was a child raised on Earth and had little emotional connection to Krypton.
The newcomer seemed to sense Clark's vigilance and said slowly, "Where is Kara? Find her, and you will understand my identity."
"You know Kara?"
H'el showed a hint of nostalgia, his voice softening.
"She used to cling to me when she was a little girl. I wonder if she still remembers those decades ago." He paused.
"Son of El, don't be nervous. I won't hurt you, and I certainly won't hurt Kara. I'm only here to talk to you both, as an elder and a friend."
Clark remained silent. The mysterious man brought a pressure he'd never felt before; it was like a stone was lodged deep in his chest, making him profoundly uncomfortable.
The man claimed to be his father's old friend and knew Kara. Could he really be from Krypton? He thought for a moment, then pulled out his phone and sent Kara a text message: Do you know a Kryptonian named H'el?
A Reunion and a Revelation
Many things in life transition from unfamiliarity to habit.
When Linda first arrived on Earth, she didn't like this backward and savage planet at all.
As time went by, her perspective subtly changed. She began to engage with her surroundings, learned to enjoy food, integrated into life, found a mentor and friends, and even got a job (though she was forced into it).
She wouldn't admit it out loud, but she had come to think of Earth as a second home.
Her Kryptonian memories were slowly becoming images buried deep in her mind, destined to become history and possibly even dinner-time conversation in a few years.
In short, she was content with her current life and had completely abandoned the idea of rebuilding Krypton. Then, that text message arrived, and everything changed.
"H'el!"
Linda murmured, immediately standing up, rushing out the window, and disappearing into the sky.
Half a minute later, Linda, dressed in a business suit, arrived at Clark's apartment. Upon seeing the tall figure floating in mid-air, she froze in astonishment.
"H'el, it is you. You... you're alive."
"Long time no see, Kara."
A rare look of tenderness emerged in the man's eyes. "It seems you never grew up."
The Kara he remembered was a lively little girl. He was pleased that, decades later, she was still that girl. This thought sparked a moment of confusion. Clark looks at least twenty-five, and Kara looks about twenty. They don't look like cousins; they look more like siblings.
Linda exclaimed happily, "How did you get to Earth? What about Krypton? Are there any survivors? My father—is he... is he still alive?"
"I'm sorry, I found no trace of your father. There are survivors from Krypton, but not many."
"Is that so?"
A flash of disappointment crossed Kara's eyes, but she quickly composed herself, pulling H'el aside and asking him a stream of questions. In her mind, the two were transported back decades, when Linda was small and stayed in the lab all day with no one to play with except H'el, who was serving as a test subject.
They talked about many past events. As he listened, Clark also began to relax. It seemed this mysterious man called H'el hadn't lied; he was indeed his father's friend.
Unconsciously, time crept past 7:00 PM. They had talked for an entire hour.
"Where are you staying now? Come to my place. I'll have the chef prepare the best food to welcome you."
H'el smiled and shook his head. Kara's lively optimism made him feel better, but he had a more important mission here.
"Follow me."
He placed his hands on their shoulders. The next second, the three appeared in a mysterious and vast structure (likely the Fortress of Solitude or his own ship). The disorienting spatial distortion made Linda uncomfortable, and Clark was stunned by everything around him.
Space? The Moon?
To cross hundreds of thousands of kilometers in the blink of an eye—what kind of terrifying power was this?
"Kara, Kal, I have a very important question to ask you."
H'el looked at them with a serious, solemn expression.
"Are you willing to return to Krypton and see your parents?"
The question stunned them both. Kara hesitated.
"What are you saying? Return to Krypton? I've already been there. There's nothing left. I didn't even find any fragments."
"Not the current Krypton, but the past."
H'el clenched his fist, intense anticipation visible on his brow.
"Descendants of the House of El, I want to take you back fifty years to Krypton to stop the catastrophe."
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