Chapter 3519: Research on Cats and Dogs (78)

Under the slightly dim light in the room, a man wearing a plaid shirt and black-rimmed glasses was busy. He hurriedly marked one document, then went to look at another.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Please come in."

"Dr. El, you need to see this." Another person, who also looked like a researcher, walked in and handed the man a file.

The man called El took the data. In an instant, his eyes widened.

"Why is it like this?! How could the geothermal reaction suddenly again..."

"We discovered more than 160 probes within a 200-kilometer radius around the detection point. This proves that the number of energy pumps has not decreased at all. Such frequent energy activity is making the thermal reaction beneath the planet increasingly violent. If we don't take action, the planet will disintegrate!"

The fingertips with which El held the data were trembling slightly. He took a deep breath and said, "Does Lattasa know?"

"They have been working here the whole time; it's impossible that they don't know. But they say it's the will of those above."

"Above? Which above? Rao?!"

El angrily threw the data onto the table to the side.

At this moment, the door was knocked on again, and a black-haired woman wearing a combat suit walked in. She looked even taller than El, like a born warrior.

"Mr. El, your geothermal research investigation report has been delayed for two weeks. If you don't hand it in soon, I'll almost forget what our purpose for staying here is."

"Ursa, you should know better than I do why I haven't been able to hand in the report. What they want isn't real data at all; they just want a satisfactory number. How do you expect me to fabricate that out of thin air?"

"What's so difficult about that? Just fill in some random data; you scientists are such a hassle."

"Then look at this!" El threw the data he had just been holding onto the woman called Ursa.

Ursa glanced at it, but it was clear she didn't understand it at all. She sighed and said, "You don't need to show me this; just tell me when you can hand in the data."

El revealed a fake smile and then said, "You're not going to look at it, right? Then let's just wait to be finished in three months."

"What do you mean?" Ursa frowned and said.

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand; I'll explain it to you." El snatched the data away and said, "See this number? If this number goes any higher, the entire planet will shatter into 16 pieces in three months. Do you understand now?!"

"What the hell!" Ursa snatched the data back and said, "You aren't trying to say the planet beneath our feet is going to explode, are you? How is that possible? How could everything be perfectly fine..."

"Perfectly fine?!!!" El roared at her, "At least 160 giant thermal pumps are running at full power to extract geothermal energy, just to provide electricity for the indoor greenhouses and gardens of those lords in the Council. You call this perfectly fine?!"

"Hiss..." Ursa took a light breath and said, "But didn't the news reports a while ago say they had already dismantled more than half of them..."

Before she could finish, another sheet of paper was thrown over. This time Ursa could understand it, because it was an image—dense, packed probes, almost turning the planet's core into a hedgehog.

Ursa threw the paper in her hand aside, crossed her arms, and said: "You are scientists; don't you have any way to change all of this?"

"Haven't I tried?" El sneered mockingly, "I gave them the real data. I emphasized to them countless times that things couldn't go on like this. And what did they do?"

"They published hundreds of reports, claiming the geothermal anomalies were due to faulty testing equipment, and that the energy depletion was a rumor spread by the revolutionary party."

"Now, there are over 20 people patrolling around my home and laboratory every day. I have to be checked by three people just to buy a newspaper. What can I possibly do?!"

Ursa looked away. She took a deep breath and then said: "I will report this truthfully to the General. Perhaps he has a way to persuade the people on the Council... perhaps."

El moved a large stack of data from the table nearby and patted the top of it, saying: "I believe your General can find scientists more professional than me to verify whether what is in this data is true. I can only tell you that if we cannot solve this problem within a month, we will no longer have a home planet."

Ursa's expression darkened. She had someone move the data away. Before leaving the room, she turned and said: "Joe, we know you are an excellent scientist, and your data is very likely correct. But perhaps you also know..."

She didn't continue, but El understood what she meant. Of course he knew. Nothing would change.

After Ursa left, El slowly closed his eyes, then turned his head to look out the window. His reflection on the glass looked as if it were floating in the blue sky, merging with the clouds.

That glance, ordinary as it was, felt like a farewell kiss in his eyes, which were filled with lingering attachment.

"So, you surrounded the Council with an army?"

"Did I have any other choice?"

Oliver was silent. He didn't know how to evaluate all of this.

He even began to feel a bit fortunate for the backwardness of human technology.

Because if Earth still had three months before disintegration, then humanity would certainly be united as never before—because once Earth is lost, even the wealthiest people have no way to survive.

But he also knew Krypton was different. They were a high-tech civilization; even without the planet beneath their feet, they had space stations, spaceships, and other colonized planets.

The wealthy could all move away, go to the next planet, drain all its energy in the same way, and then go to the next one.

And those without money could only wait for death in despair.

The physical constitution of Kryptonians is indeed generally much stronger than that of humans, but with all resources controlled by the upper class, how long could one last in the dark universe relying solely on their flesh and blood?

Feeling a bit of chest tightness, Oliver sat back down. He looked at Zod again and said: "Then why did you fail?"

"It was inevitable," Zod said. "The Praetorian Guard controlled by the Council had all genetic restrictions removed. They feel no pain, have no fear, and will only charge forward forever without fear of death."

"Moreover, the Council has a Breeding Center. In times of crisis, they can directly accelerate the growth of infants and throw them onto the battlefield, which is equivalent to having an endless supply of warriors. Not to mention their more advanced weapons and equipment."

"From the beginning, I knew this battle wouldn't be won. But I still had to do it."

"Why?"

"You want to know my purpose for coming to Earth? There's no harm in telling you," Zod shook his head slightly and said, "I am here for the 'Codex'."

"The Codex? What is that?"

"The genetic library of the Kryptonians. You can understand it as the complete set of data we need for breeding."

"Alright. And this thing is on Earth?"

"This thing is currently inside Clark Kent."

Oliver was a bit stunned, unable to react for a moment. Zod continued: "When I launched that offensive back then, it was to make the Council mobilize all their forces to protect themselves. That way, Jor-El, who is Kal-El's father, would have the chance to steal the Codex."

Zod's tone was filled with helplessness as he said: "We had all discovered that the Council was beyond saving. The Kryptonian civilization led by the Council was also beyond saving. Destruction was only a matter of time."

"However, Kryptonians cannot go extinct just like that. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, we must strive for it."

"Fortunately, we don't have to reproduce through primitive mating like humans. As long as we have the equipment and the data, Kryptonians can reproduce again."

"I deliberately let them sentence me to exile. That way, I could secretly transport two embryo incubation devices using my warship. And El was responsible for preserving the breeding data."

"This way, whether the planet is destroyed or the civilization goes extinct, as long as we find these two things, we can be revived again."

"Unfortunately, we didn't expect the Council to eventually reap what they sowed. The workers they mistreated launched a genetic genocide before the planet disintegrated. El didn't have time to transfer the data, so he could only place this thing inside his son, and then send them both to Earth in a spaceship."

Oliver was silent for a long while again, because he discovered that Zod might be even more courageous and resourceful than he had imagined.

Many people think about what the hardest step of a revolution is. Some say it's finding the right guiding ideology, some say it's seizing the opportunity, and others say it's holding the gun first.

But Oliver, having experienced it himself, understood that the hardest step of a revolution is "abandoning illusions."

Sentient beings all have a kind of inertia. If life can go on, they just muddle through; if it can't go on, as long as they can survive, that's fine; if they truly can't survive, as long as they can cling to life and have a breath left, perhaps they won't choose to resist.

In such a situation, abandoning illusions about the oppressors is truly too difficult. Those who awaken are, in the end, the minority.

However, Zod and El, these two people abandoned their illusions very thoroughly. They were even prepared to abandon their entire civilization and planet.

Of course, it is also possible that they had been tortured by the Council for too long, and it was entirely a "I'm tired, let it all be destroyed" mentality.

Having figured this out, Oliver had new doubts. He looked at Zod and said: "I have a question. Does Clark have to pay any price to obtain this Codex?"

"Pay what price?"

"I mean, will he die?"

"If taking out the Codex would cause him to die, why would his father place it inside his body?" Zod asked in return.

Oliver was speechless, and then he immediately asked: "Since there is no price to pay, why don't you just ask him for it?"

"Do I have to be able to find him?" Zod said. "Malafak told me that Clark is Superman, and Superman is in the Justice League—so I ask you, is he in the Justice League?"

Oliver opened his mouth, somewhat unable to answer.

Theoretically speaking, Clark is definitely in the Justice League, but in reality, he indeed doesn't come to the Justice League very often.

"Then... then..." Oliver gestured with his hands for a long time, only managing to squeeze out, "Then you could have asked us."

"What would I use to ask?"

"You, don't you have a cell phone?"

"No, but I have communication equipment far more advanced than a cell phone. Guess where that equipment is now?"

"You aren't talking about the spaceship, are you?" Oliver still held a glimmer of hope, but looking at Zod's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot, he could only look away guiltily.

"Then what's going on with Malafak?" Hal asked relentlessly.

"I'd like to ask you all that," Zod said. "He said he found an artifact here with you, then entered some mysterious space, explained Kryptonian history clearly, and even sent me all the data on Clark and the Justice League."

"He said I am a mortal enemy of the Justice League, and they would never allow me to operate on Earth. To find Clark, I must first eliminate the Justice League..."

Now Hal felt a bit guilty too, because he had already learned from Schiller that Malafak had taken J'onn's invitation, entered the Battleworld, and only then learned so much intelligence.

Although most of his intelligence was wrong, what he threw out was enough to be intimidating. For Zod, who had come to Earth for the first time and didn't understand the situation at all, it indeed had great reference value.

"This is all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding," Oliver rubbed his hands and said, "Regardless of your purpose, you did try to resist, and we admire your actions very much; we never intended to be your enemy."

"Then give me back my spaceship."

"As for that... due to the lack of human technological level, your spaceship suffered damage during transport, and repairing it might take just a little bit of time."

Oliver held two fingers together, leaving only a tiny space between them.

But Zod had already seen the entire universe from that space.

?? Universe at Fingertips. jpg

? (End of chapter)