Chapter 446: Clark Kent and Lex Luthor
Ideological Divide
"Who exactly are you?" Lex Luthor demanded.
"Superman? Or an alien?"
"You speak their language—are you an alien spy sent to Earth?"
"Laughable! The hero of Metropolis turns out not to be an Earthling."
Lex Luthor's words were a mix of sarcasm and ridicule. He already despised Superman, and learning his alien identity only intensified his hatred. He was a staunch human supremacist who believed humanity was the master of the universe, not some foreigners.
Clark offered no reply. After Lex finished venting, Clark simply said,
"I will get you out of here."
Lex Luthor chuckled coldly. Someone who couldn't even save himself wanted to rescue others? Laughable and foolish!
Over the next four hours, Clark had several more conversations with Zod. Every discussion ended on bad terms. Zod tried every method to persuade Clark, even offering to make him a leader. Unfortunately, Clark remained unyielding, attempting instead to convince Zod to abandon the idea of starting a war.
The two were fundamentally different people.
Zod was a Kryptonian military commander, a mighty conqueror. In his view, military force and absolute power were the keys to racial revival. Clark was a child raised on a farm with kind, simple parents and a life of simple happiness. He cared about life, not civilization.
H'el's Condition
In the deepest bedroom of the warship, a grim-faced Zod walked in.
"You've seen it all. He is not Kryptonian. He is a traitor."
H'el, who was meditating, opened his eyes.
"You plan to kill him?"
Zod gritted his teeth, shouting, "Traitors should be executed! We cannot show leniency just because he is Jor's son. It's unfair to the rest of our people."
"He cannot die."
The warship was specially built for the House of El. It was saturated with Jor-El's painstaking effort. Anyone else could die here, but not his child. That was H'el's bottom line.
Zod was exasperated and couldn't help but roar,
"What do you want? No interrogation, no torture! If he doesn't talk, how will we find the Codex? How will we rebuild Krypton?" He took a deep breath and continued,
"H'el, you must understand the significance of Earth to us. There is no second chance. I beg you, don't let personal feelings sway you."
Zod's words left H'el unable to counter. After a long silence, he finally made a concession.
"His name on Earth is Clark Kent."
Zod was overjoyed. With his name, they could find his family on Earth and do much more.
A Tense Alliance
Back in the warship's cell, after several hours together, Lex Luthor had noticed some interesting things.
"They seem to really despise you."
"Fascinating. You're actually on Earth's side."
"An alien helping Earthlings against his own kind. Should I be grateful to you? Or despise you?"
Clark shook his head. "I just want to stop this war."
"A naive idea," Lex said, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "Wars start because of interests and needs, not personal factors. They don't begin or end because of one person. Don't you understand that simple truth?"
"It's not as simple as you think."
Lex chuckled disdainfully. The Superman of Metropolis was just an earnest fool with dreams. He found it ridiculous that he had once considered him a potential rival.
Clark turned his head. "Why did they kidnap you?"
He had always been curious about this. Logically, there was no conflict between Zod and Lex Luthor, so why abduct him immediately upon arriving on Earth?
Lex Luthor snorted coldly.
"You should ask your alien countrymen if they grabbed the wrong person."
"Wrong person?" Clark was taken aback. What?
Lex gritted his teeth and said spitefully, "That alien woman, Faora, keeps tormenting me, saying I humiliated them two years ago and that the dishonor must be washed away with blood! Pah!"
"I've never even met them! Where does this 'humiliation' come from?"
"It must be some other bastard named Lex Luthor who did it. They can't find the real guy, so they're taking their anger out on me!"
"Damn it! Absolutely damn it!"
Lex vented in a low growl. His entire life was marked by unparalleled intelligence, intense desire for control and power, and over a decade of dominating the political and business worlds. He had only ever suffered a minor setback from Luke Shaw. He had never experienced a defeat like this, where he not only had his armor destroyed but was now a prisoner, subjected to humiliation and torture.
Clark frowned. The story sounded familiar. He remembered now: before coming here, Luke Shaw had mentioned that when he and Kara returned to Krypton two years ago, they encountered Zod and his group, who tried and failed to seize the Fortress of Solitude.
Could it be...
A thought struck Clark, and his expression became extraordinarily complicated. He managed to suppress a laugh. If his guess was correct, Lex Luthor had definitely taken the blame for Luke Shaw.
The poor guy is so unlucky; he has no idea he's been framed.
The two were lost in their own thoughts: one secretly laughing at the other's rotten luck, unaware of his misfortune; the other mocking his cellmate as a simple-minded fool.
The Turning Point
After a short while, the cell door opened, and two Kryptonian soldiers entered with a person who looked like a scientist.
The soldiers grabbed Clark's arms and forcefully pinned him to the floor. The scientist produced a syringe and drew a large tube of blood from him.
Having completed their task, the three left without a word.
Something is wrong!
Lex Luthor was the first to sense it. After a moment of silence, he spoke urgently.
"If you have a way to escape, do it now! If you delay any longer, you won't have a chance."
Clark shook his head seriously. "If I leave now, all my previous efforts will be wasted. I need to talk to him one more time."
Lex yelled, "You idiot! Can't you see their patience is gone?"
"A person's emotional state is expressed through body language. Before, they hated you but kept their restraint—no interrogation or forced confession. It's different now! Two soldiers forcefully pinning you down, a scientist drawing your blood—what does that mean? They no longer see you as a countryman!"
"No intelligent species likes a traitor. That's a biological law."
"You can still escape now. In half an hour, it will be difficult to leave."
Clark frowned, carefully considering the words. Lex Luthor continued his earnest pleading.
"Didn't you promise to save me? Hurry up! If you don't care about your own life, at least consider my feelings!"
"I did nothing and was abducted by your alien countrymen! Don't you think I'm pitiful?"
"You're a hero! You can't abandon me!"
Clark was speechless. He found the bald man truly irritating. One moment he was insulting him, the next he was begging for help. He had no principles whatsoever.
Lex Luthor was truly desperate. If he had any other option, he wouldn't stoop to begging Superman. To survive, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and act like a scoundrel.
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