Chapter 3518

However, this method of use also has some benefits. That is, it can fundamentally solve the problem of Kryptonians being too strong and difficult to control.

For example, right now, Hal can wake Zod up without any scruples, without worrying that he will smash everything around him to pieces with a flurry of punches after waking up. Because I'm afraid he has trouble even lifting an arm right now.

After Zod woke up, he was indeed very weak. To be precise, he still couldn't fully leave the cryogenic pod, otherwise, there might really be a danger to his life.

Since this matter is related to Krypton, all Kryptonians were called over, including Clark and Kara from this universe, as well as the two Supermen from other universes.

However, considering that this is a conversation, not an interrogation, calling everyone together inevitably feels a bit like a threat and would put too much pressure on the other party. So Hal took Zod to another room, while the others watched the surveillance in the conference room.

Hal only stood guard on the side; the representative for the actual conversation was Oliver. After reading Zod's resume, he was also very curious about what this General was thinking.

Although his abilities were greatly weakened, the Kryptonian's super vision still allowed Zod to see the contents of the documents in Oliver's hand. He let out a disdainful cold snort:

"It seems you have already been to my old home. I hope those green flies didn't swipe anything..."

Hal was just about to lose his temper, but Oliver stopped him. He sighed lightly and said, "General Zod, you should understand that it is precisely because we found this information that you have the opportunity to talk to us. Otherwise, we could have sent you directly to the laboratory.

"Of course, I don't want to talk to you with this threatening attitude either. Attacking each other has no meaning; I think you should know this better than I do.

"We won't forcefully demand your cooperation; we just want to know what exactly happened to your home planet Krypton back then, and what role you played in it."

Zod remained silent, looking like he was engaging in passive resistance, but also as if he were reminiscing.

Oliver honored his promise and chose not to press him, as if he could think there for as long as he wanted, which also showed he had the confidence and wasn't afraid of dragging things out.

Zod seemed to have resigned himself to his fate, or perhaps he had finished his reminiscence, and said, "You humans always have this kind of meaningless curiosity. But I didn't come here to satisfy your curiosity."

"In fact, we are precisely curious about why you came. If you are willing to talk about this, that's fine too." Oliver always appeared very gentle, but it was a kind of gentleness that made people feel annoyed, as if the other party had everything under control, while he himself was just an ant crawling past the edge of the card table.

"I naturally came to find Kal-El. Unfortunately, he will always only stand on your side, helping you weak humans instead of his own kin."

"What kind of talk is that!" Clark shouted from the conference room. He believed Zod could hear him, "He's been on Earth for months, right? From start to finish, he never looked for me at all!"

"I'm a reporter, my phone number is public. If he were willing to investigate even a little, he could have contacted me, but he didn't! Now he wants to push this responsibility onto me? Not a chance!"

After finishing, Clark showed his call logs and text message history to prove his innocence.

Bruce nudged his arm and said, "Then if he contacts you, are you going to go back with him?"

"I didn't say that. Besides, even if I wanted to go back and take a look, are you going to stop me?"

"Of course not. I mean, if you want to go back and take a look, take me with you. I also want to go see it."

"Then I'll go too," Diana said, "Actually, I'm really curious about what the old home of you Supermen would look like."

"Hal must have obtained the coordinates," Clark said, "When he goes back to report for duty, let's hitch a ride and go see it together."

The conversation in the next-door conference room made Zod's temples throb. He took a deep breath and said, "You bunch of stupid, despicable..."

"I hope you think carefully about your wording, Mr. Zod." Oliver said with a forced smile, "Even if you aren't afraid of death yourself, you should consider clearly that your spaceship is still in our hands."

"If I'm not mistaken, without this spaceship, your wife and child will be trapped in the Phantom Zone forever. Right?"

Zod's fist clenched suddenly. His heart began to waver, not because of Oliver's threat, but because he realized that the other party really had some kind of information channel he wasn't aware of.

His affairs with Ursa could indeed be found by querying certain Kryptonian records, but his child had only just been born, and this group of humans couldn't possibly enter the Phantom Zone. How did they know?

Zod took a deep breath and said, "I will not be threatened by you."

Oliver looked at him with some helplessness and said, "It seems that all along, it has been you threatening us, Mr. Zod. We have only adopted some necessary self-preservation measures. You can't deny that, can you?"

Zod also secretly regretted it in his heart, but not for anything else, just for his own carelessness. He really shouldn't have rushed into Earth without investigating clearly.

"So the position of shop manager is prepared for you."

Oliver didn't feel surprised either. It would be strange if this kind of person could easily spill the beans.

"Believe it or not, we didn't intend to kill you, or even do anything to you. Even if we need to conduct some scientific research, it won't endanger your life. As for your family, we have even less way to get to them."

"However, I also hope you are clear that we didn't treat you directly as a test subject for research work because there are some things about you that are worth us respecting you as an intelligent life form. We want to know the whole picture of the matter, and we just want to explore these things at a deeper level, not to gather intelligence."

Oliver sighed and said, "Mr. Zod, your race has already been destroyed. Whether you are willing to admit it or not, this is a fact. Many secrets you think should be kept have no meaning. Can we even go back and invade Krypton?"

"We are sitting here inviting you to talk about your past; what we want to explore isn't some scientific technology or Kryptonian intelligence. An extinct civilization won't become an opponent of humanity. We just want to understand what kind of person you are. That is all."

"Why are you interested in this?" Zod asked.

"Why can't we be interested in this? This is very important to us."

"Where is the importance?" Zod said, "I never hold onto meaningless fantasies. The Kryptonian civilization has indeed been destroyed. Since that is the case, everything that once happened on that planet is meaningless to you. Including my past."

"No, I think this is perhaps the difference between humans and Kryptonians. History is meaningful to us, and it has significant meaning. We want to hear the facts from your mouth, just hoping that the history we can learn is true and accurate."

"I still don't understand." Zod said.

"Alright, then I'll be blunt. This might be abrupt, but I still have to say it. From what we've investigated, the Kryptonian Council was wrong, and you were right. You aren't a criminal, but a hero."

Zod was stunned.

Oliver raised the documents in his hand and said, "This is our judgment of history. And this judgment has sparked our new curiosity: if you aren't the kind of destroyer with a head full of evil plans, then what were you so impatient to come to Earth for?"

"You see, humans don't learn lessons from history, but we discover problems from history and compare them with the current situation. This is the source of our almost endless curiosity. Are you not curious about this at all?"

Zod pressed his lips tightly together.

"I am not a hero." The gullies on Zod's face shifted under the shadows of the lights, like an earthquake that had lasted for hundreds of years, erupting all at once in an instant.

"By human standards, you are. If you aren't by Kryptonian standards, then perhaps that is the main reason why Krypton perished and humans are still alive."

Zod looked completely unable to endure it. He said, "Do you think you can break me like this?"

"It's even worse there," Merkel couldn't help but frown and said. "Although my family conditions are not bad, my parents are the typical control-freak type. If I go back, I might become the shame of the whole family in their mouths. So forget it."

"You love your homeland, so you want to change it. You also hate it, because there are too many things there that cannot understand you. I have had times like that too. I understand this is painful."

"But human life is very short, at least much shorter than yours. We don't have much time to spend on pain. I probably only took a week to get over it. What about you?"

"I didn't hope for anyone to understand me. Because like I said, I am not a hero. You can think of me as a rebel. I have always thought of myself that way too."

"Do you think only those who succeed can be called heroes?"

"Don't you think so?"

"No, we often say 'saints emerge from prison.' People always realize at the last moment that those who often judge others as guilty don't naturally have such a right."

"If they aren't legitimate enough, then my imprisonment isn't some unspeakable mistake, but a kind of honor, representing that I at least stood for a moment opposite these dangerous beasts, making them feel fear and forcing them to put shackles on me."

"But I'm afraid I'll disappoint you," Zod said, "Everything I did wasn't for the Kryptonians. I just found that society absurd and ridiculous."

"If you are born designated as a general, then no matter what, you will become a general. To prove this point, I did so many extreme things. As it turns out, they succeeded."

"Even though I was imprisoned several times in my youth for various dangerous crimes, I still became a general. And to repay them for their trust in me, I did what a general should do."

"And what is that?"

"Protect this planet."

(End of chapter)