Chapter 451: The War Begins
A Necessary Alliance
"This happened suddenly, and you certainly have your doubts. There's simply no better option. The individual power of the Kryptonians is immense, and ordinary weapons can't harm them. Only you three have the power to contend with them."
"This concerns the survival of human civilization. I hope you can understand."
Diana interjected, "How do I know if what you're saying is true or false?"
Luke Shaw looked toward the sound. A remarkably refined face met his gaze. Unlike typical beauties, her eyes were sharp and steady, radiating the fierce authority of a Valkyrie.
She is an extraordinary female warrior.
Stronger, more beautiful, and more formidable than the Amazons of Themyscira.
Luke glanced at her and calmly looked away.
"The war will begin soon enough. You will naturally know the truth when it happens. I've said all I can say. To agree or to refuse is your decision alone."
Barry Allen raised his hand without hesitation.
"Count me in."
He then glanced at Linda, muttering under his breath,
"I didn't really have a choice, did I?"
Linda stared at him with an odd expression. Her X-ray vision clearly showed the face hidden beneath the mask: Barry Allen, Deputy Director of the Tesla Technology Department.
The guy who likes to sneak snacks during work hours is The Flash?
No wonder Luke told me to look after him!
Luke was not surprised by Barry's decision. The other two were harder to gauge.
"What about you two?"
John Jones closed his eyes, attempting to probe Luke's mind with his psychic power. The next moment, a boundless, emerald-green flame rushed out of his conscious mind. The icy fire, carrying a force that seemed capable of destroying all souls, threatened to consume him.
Ah!
He clutched his head, crying out in pain. Under the emotional shock, his body transformed, shifting from human to the monstrous form of a Martian.
The sight terrified everyone. Diana even drew her Sword of Hephaestus.
Bald, red-eyed, and green-skinned—the John Jones of the moment looked anything but human.
Barry Allen stammered,
"You're an alien too?"
Luke shot him a look, walked up to John Jones, and beckoned. A few minute, almost imperceptible green sparks of fire leaked from the Martian's body. John Jones was finally released from his pain.
He gasped for breath, his expression deeply alarmed. Fire was his natural enemy, and the green flame was the ultimate foe—a complete counter.
Luke was truly speechless. This guy must be crazy to try and use his psychic ability to check if I was lying. He was practically pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth; he didn't know the meaning of the word 'death.'
"Are you alright? Do you need to rest?"
John Jones shook his head.
"I will participate in this war."
He then closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.
"And you, Madam?"
Luke looked at the last person. Diana sheathed her sword and said solemnly,
"If war begins, I will definitely be on the ground."
"I knew I was right about you."
Luke clapped his hands, looking quite pleased. "Number One, bring the items."
The robotic butler entered with a briefcase. Opening the case, it revealed six uniquely shaped metal discs laid out side-by-side. Luke took one and placed it on his temple. The disc automatically adhered to his skin, transforming into a device resembling a power detector.
"This little invention of mine has multiple functions. Besides data analysis and enemy intelligence detection, it allows for unrestricted communication."
"Wear this, and we can communicate information anytime, anywhere."
"In addition to this, you may each submit one request. I will do my best to fulfill it, provided it's something I can manage."
Diana was displeased. "We didn't come here for conditions."
"Fine, pretend I didn't say it."
Luke spread his hands and began to deploy the battle plan.
Despite a few setbacks, the first Justice League (Luke's Version) was successfully formed. As it was their first meeting, there was naturally a degree of unfamiliarity between them, but that was unimportant. As long as their goal was united, all other issues could be resolved.
The Engine of Destruction
Aboard the Kryptonian warship.
The recovered Zod stood before the moon-window. Behind him were fully armored Kryptonian soldiers. Before him were two giant shuttles, each loaded with a World Engine.
There were only a dozen or so Kryptonians who came to Earth. Trying to take on billions of people with such a small force was obviously impossible.
Zod was not so arrogant. Therefore, he adopted the quickest and most ancient method: use the World Engines to change the Earth's gravity, using natural forces to kill every single human.
This method had one drawback: the World Engines themselves. If the Engines were destroyed, the plan would fail completely.
Faora approached from behind and said softly,
"H'el has agreed."
"Excellent!"
Zod clenched his fist, unable to contain his excitement. With H'el on their side, Kal and Kara wouldn't dare approach the shuttles. H'el's power was one of the greatest in the entire universe.
"Begin!"
"Activate the shuttles, destroy Earth, and rebuild Krypton from the ruins."
He turned to his soldiers. "This is our last chance. We must succeed. Failure is not an option."
The group saluted simultaneously.
"Victory belongs forever to Krypton!"
The moment the giant shuttles appeared in low Earth orbit, the war officially began.
Zero Hour in Metropolis
Sam Lane sat motionless, staring at the two dark shadows on the screen. The inverted-triangle-shaped shuttles, trailing fire, pierced the stratosphere and split in two. One shuttle headed toward the US East Coast, and the other sped toward the South Indian Ocean.
"What are their destinations?"
"Based on the flight path, one is heading for Metropolis, and the other is in the South Indian Ocean region."
"General!"
Colonel Dregg, Captain of the Mech Corps, shouted,
"We request permission to proceed to Metropolis!"
Sam Lane looked at his old friend, Norman Gant, who nodded slightly.
"The President has already approved it."
Sam Lane was overjoyed. He walked up to Dregg and punched him lightly in the chest.
"Go! Let those alien bastards see the power of Earthlings!"
Dregg saluted and strode away.
At the same moment, atop the Sea Star Building in Metropolis, Diana, John Jones, Barry Allen, Clark, and Linda stood side-by-side on the rooftop. Two kilometers in front of them, the gigantic shuttle descended from the sky.
Wooo!
An electromagnetic pulse spread outward, shattering the glass in nearby buildings. Several structures even showed signs of cracking and imminent collapse.
"Terrifying alien weapon," Barry Allen stammered, looking around.
"What are they trying to do?"
Clark shook his head gravely. "I don't know, but I have a very bad feeling."
Before his voice faded, the shuttle erupted in a blinding flash of light. A white beam, dozens of meters wide, shot down from its tip, striking the ground with tremendous force.
BOOM!
The entire city shook violently. An invisible field spread out from the point of contact. Everything it touched first strangely floated upwards, then rapidly plummeted back down.
The oscillation between up and down caused devastating destruction.
Building after building was compressed downward. Structures, furniture, people... everything was flattened into a cookie-like foundation.
In that single strike, over a dozen buildings vanished. A blank area over a kilometer in diameter appeared in the city center. Every human caught inside was instantly killed, with no survivors.
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