At this very moment,
General Zod already had a spacecraft landed on Earth.
It was parked deep within a remote mountain forest, where a temporary base had been established.
General Zod himself, along with several of his most trusted subordinates—including the female warrior Faora, who had brutally overwhelmed Superman in the original film—were all present.
If Alex wished, he could head over right now and wipe all of them out in one go.
However, after some thought, Alex decided not to do that—for now.
The reason was simple.
Alex didn't think the timing was right.
After all, Alex wasn't Superman.
He wasn't some saintly figure who protected the world out of pure kindness, expecting nothing in return.
Alex wasn't that noble.
He had his own goals.
Doing good deeds silently and without recognition had never been his style.
If Alex was going to save the world, then the world would know about it.
So when would it be the right moment to take down Zod?
Naturally—
when the world felt truly threatened, and Alex could make a dramatic entrance.
As for now?
Sit back and enjoy the show.
This was basically a live-action broadcast of Man of Steel.
How could he not grab some cola and popcorn and savor it properly?
Alex spread his super perception and calmly began observing how things unfolded.
---
The developments that followed were exactly the same as in the movie.
Superman voluntarily went to a military base to "surrender," even allowing himself to be handcuffed.
He surrendered to humanity.
Zod's lieutenant, Faora, personally went to the base and took both Superman and Lois Lane away.
What no one expected, however, was that Lois had secretly brought Jor-El's command key aboard the ship.
She successfully allowed Jor-El to seize control of the vessel.
With Jor-El's help, Superman and Lois Lane managed to escape and return to Earth.
---
"They escaped?"
"How did they escape?!"
Upon hearing the report, General Zod's voice dropped low, like a growling lion.
"It was Jor-El. We were careless—the woman brought Jor-El with her."
Faora lowered her head deeply.
"General… I'm sorry."
Zod was angry, but he restrained himself.
He knew this wasn't the time to lose his temper.
Besides, Faora's mistake was understandable.
Who would've thought a human woman would secretly carry Jor-El with her?
"Enough excuses," Zod snapped coldly.
"Find Kal-El immediately!"
"Yes, General."
Faora responded at once.
"Kal-El has a home on Earth. He has a mother. His ship is also there."
Zod nodded slightly.
He understood exactly what Faora meant.
Earth was vast—finding one person would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
But they could force Kal-El to reveal himself.
And if they found his ship, they might also locate the Codex of Life.
"Begin the operation," Zod ordered.
---
Whoosh!
A Kryptonian warship descended onto Earth with overwhelming force.
It flew straight to Smallville.
Straight to the Kent farm.
---
"A spaceship! An alien spaceship!"
"It must be General Zod's ship!"
"They're invading Earth!"
Panic erupted throughout Smallville.
---
"General, an alien ship has landed on Earth."
"Earlier, another ship exploded, and Superman has returned to the planet."
"Whatever Zod's objective is, negotiations have clearly failed."
"General, we must prepare for war reaching Earth!"
Inside the military command center, equally grim reports echoed.
---
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
After careful consideration, the top commander ordered several fighter jets to head toward Smallville immediately.
Of course, they would still take some time to arrive.
And before that…
---
"Looks like it's time for me to step in."
Alex made his decision.
He drained the drink in his cup, brushed the snack crumbs from his hands, and stood up.
Boom!
His figure vanished from the spot.
---
Kent Farm
"What's that?"
Hearing the noise, Martha Kent walked out of her house.
When she looked up and saw the massive object slowly descending onto the farm, she froze for just a second—
Then her face changed completely.
It was them.
Clark's people.
That man who called himself General Zod.
They had come to take Clark away from her.
Martha understood instantly what was happening.
But then—
A look of unshakable resolve appeared on her face.
No matter what, she would never allow that to happen.
Under her gaze, Zod's ship slowly landed in front of her.
Hiss!
The hatch opened, and several fully armed Kryptonian soldiers stepped out.
Zod and Faora were among them.
The group of Kryptonians marched toward Martha with overwhelming presence.
---
"Where is the ship that brought him here?"
Zod demanded coldly, looking down at her.
"Go to hell!"
That was Martha's only response.
To be fair, Martha was no ordinary woman.
To face General Zod head-on with such courage was something few people could manage.
Zod had no interest in wasting words on a human ant.
He merely glanced at Faora.
Understanding immediately, Faora stepped forward and reached for Martha—
Intending to force the answer out of her.
---
Boom!
Suddenly, a sonic boom echoed.
Faora—and all the Kryptonians present, including Zod—felt their vision blur.
An Eastern-looking man appeared beside Martha, right in front of Faora.
He reached out and grabbed Faora's hand.
Her arm froze in place, mere inches from Martha.
No matter how hard Faora struggled, she couldn't move it even a fraction.
---
"Treating an elderly lady like this,"
Alex said with a faintly mocking smile, glancing at Faora,
"Don't you think that's a little rude?"
---
"Homeland!"
Martha cried out in shock, staring at Alex in disbelief.
Of course she knew who Homeland was.
Years ago, after appearing in Smallville, he became one of the few friends Clark had.
Later, he moved away, disappearing for several years—only returning a few days ago.
Clark had been genuinely happy about that.
Martha had always believed Homeland was just an ordinary man.
She never imagined—
That he was someone just like Clark.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 60 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~