Bang!
General Zod's body slammed violently into a nearby machine. The impact shattered the device instantly. Sparks burst from the damaged components, and the unfamiliar Kryptonian alloy casing cracked apart before melting into liquid metal.
The molten metal splashed across Zod's armor.
A thin line of blood ran from the corner of his mouth, leaving him looking battered and disheveled.
He tried to stand.
Before he could regain his footing, Adrian seized a Kryptonian soldier and hurled him directly toward Zod.
Bang!
The soldier crashed into the general, and the two tumbled across the floor, sliding several meters before stopping.
"Main control room!"
Fiora struggled to her feet despite the pain surging through her body. Realizing their attacks were failing, she shouted the order to the remaining Kryptonian soldiers.
Several warriors continued attacking Adrian, while others rushed toward the ship's main control systems.
"Hooah!"
Simone charged forward as well, fully playing her role among Zod's forces.
Adrian caught her by the throat mid-charge and tossed her aside.
She crashed into two other soldiers and knocked them down, but Adrian had deliberately held back. Simone was not seriously injured.
Zzzzt!
The Kryptonian soldiers finally brought their weapons into the fight.
Energy rifles discharged brilliant silver beams that crackled through the air like lightning. The blasts raced toward Adrian.
Adrian moved.
Each beam narrowly missed him as he shifted positions with incredible speed.
Seizing the moment while he dodged, Fiora roared and grabbed Adrian's cape. She attempted to throw him backward with all her strength.
But Adrian was far stronger.
He twisted in midair, using the momentum to launch himself straight toward her.
In a blur, he grabbed Fiora by the neck.
Then he pulled her directly in front of him.
The energy blasts fired by the soldiers struck Fiora instead.
The shockwaves slammed into her armor.
"Ugh!"
Pain flashed across her face as a muffled groan escaped her throat.
Although the armor absorbed most of the damage, the violent vibrations still passed through it, sending waves of numbness and burning pain across her body.
Nearby, General Zod struggled back to his feet.
Blood covered his forehead.
"Stop!"
His voice thundered through the chamber.
"Are you trying to destroy the last hope of your people, Adrian Kent?"
He wiped blood from his face but ignored the injury.
"You cannot do this! We are the same race!"
Adrian stared at him coldly while still holding Fiora by the throat.
Then he moved.
Bang!
He slammed Fiora hard against the ship's bulkhead.
Her back struck the metal wall with brutal force. She spat out a mouthful of blood and slowly slid down the surface, barely conscious.
A Kryptonian soldier attempted to ambush Adrian from behind.
Adrian turned without expression and grabbed the soldier's head.
A crimson glow ignited in his eyes.
Heat Vision burst forward.
The blast struck the soldier's helmet and shattered the transparent shield protecting his head.
"No!"
Zod shouted as he rushed forward.
But he was too late.
The force of Adrian's Heat Vision blasted both Zod and the soldier away.
The Kryptonian soldier crashed violently against the ship's transparent observation wall.
With his helmet destroyed, the vacuum pressure and injuries ended his life almost instantly.
Zzzzt!
Adrian's Heat Vision continued firing.
Another soldier aiming a rifle at him was struck directly.
The beam pierced through the Kryptonian armor and hurled the soldier backward.
The energy blast did not stop there.
It burned across the ship's interior wall, carving a long crack into the structure.
Immediately, the internal air pressure shifted.
A powerful wind surged through the chamber as atmosphere began escaping through the damaged section.
Zod dropped to the ground and shouted to his remaining troops.
"Bottom hatch!"
Boom!
The floor beneath Adrian suddenly split open.
At the same moment, Fiora, who had appeared unconscious moments earlier, sprang into action.
She unleashed the full speed of a Kryptonian warrior.
Her body became a blur as she lunged toward Adrian.
She wrapped her arms around him.
At the same time, the armor covering her body liquefied, transforming into a dark metallic fluid that spread across Adrian's torso and limbs.
The living armor locked him in place.
A massive suction force erupted from the open hatch below.
Adrian and Fiora were dragged downward instantly.
The chamber sealed itself around them as the ship activated an emergency isolation pod.
Within seconds, the small containment vessel separated from the mothership and shot out into space.
Inside the main ship, silence slowly returned.
Fiora collapsed onto one knee.
Blood covered her face as she struggled to breathe.
"Hoo... hoo..."
She exhaled heavily.
The armor detached from her body and returned to its solid form. Now dressed in simple Kryptonian clothing, she wiped blood from her face.
Turning to Simone, she spoke through ragged breaths.
"Begin isolation chamber repairs immediately."
Simone snapped out of her daze and nodded.
"Understood."
She quickly moved toward the ship's control systems.
The interior of the vessel was a disaster.
Kryptonian soldiers lay scattered across the floor. Some were dead. Others groaned in pain.
Blood mixed with shattered metal and damaged technology, filling the air with a sharp, metallic smell.
General Zod finally managed to stand.
His gaze swept across the devastation Adrian had caused.
Hatred burned in his eyes.
"Adrian Kent!"
Leaning heavily against the wall, Zod roared in fury.
"The isolation pod will not hold him for long. At most, one day!"
Fiora steadied herself, fighting off dizziness.
"I never expected his strength to reach such a level."
She looked at the wounded and fallen soldiers around her in shock.
"I can see it."
Zod's voice carried deep resentment.
"I can feel the Codex inside his body."
He clenched his fists.
"Jor-El did this."
"He must have embedded part of the Codex within Adrian Kent."
The ancient Kryptonian knowledge, the genetic archive that once preserved their civilization, had been mistaken by Zod as the Codex of Life hidden inside Adrian.
"He has limitless potential."
Zod's expression darkened.
"He may become far more powerful than Kal-El."
He turned toward Fiora.
"Find Kal-El immediately."
"I want the complete Codex located within one day."
Simone stood quietly nearby.
Her eyes drifted toward the stars outside the ship.
During the brief clash with Adrian, she had secretly passed him the master key to the ship's control systems.
With that key, Adrian could access several functions of the Kryptonian vessel.
Because of that, Fiora's prediction was wrong.
Adrian would not need a full day to escape.
If he chose to act, he could break free within minutes.
Metropolis.
Inside a military command center, General Swanwick noticed unusual readings appearing across the monitoring screens.
"What is happening, Major?"
The intelligence officer quickly responded.
"Our tracking systems have detected an unidentified object launched from the alien spacecraft."
"Trajectory?"
"Not toward Earth."
The Major leaned closer to the display.
"It is heading into deep space. It appears to be moving away from the planet."
Swanwick frowned.
"What is going on?"
Suddenly the officer spoke again.
"General, two more unidentified objects have separated from the alien ship. They are moving toward us."
"Zoom in."
Swanwick stared at the large display while reaching for the communications phone.
"Commander, initiate full alert status."
"This operation is now designated Trident."
"We have detected two hostile alien spacecraft approaching. Prepare all forces for engagement."
"General, Satellite Fourteen is now connected."
"What speed are they traveling?"
"Three hundred eighty knots. They are entering Kansas airspace and ignoring all communication attempts."
Swanwick lowered the phone slowly, his expression turning grim.
"Kansas?"
At the same time, in Smallville, Kansas, two unfamiliar ships descended toward the Kent Farm.
The beetle-shaped vessels landed heavily on the open farmland.
The powerful downward airflow flattened nearby cornfields, forcing the tall stalks to bend outward.
The hatches opened.
Several armored Kryptonian soldiers emerged.
Led by Simone, the group began searching the farm.
Even if Kal-El could not be located, they still had to recover the Codex.
That was General Zod's direct order.
Simone searched every room inside the farmhouse but discovered nothing useful.
No sign of Jor-El.
No Codex.
Meanwhile, Zod and Fiora remained aboard their ship receiving treatment.
The advanced Kryptonian medical chambers were capable of rapidly healing injuries sustained in battle.
Simone then searched the barn with two soldiers.
Again, they found nothing.
With no trace of Kal-El, Zod issued a new command.
Attack Smallville.
If Kal-El cared about his human life, he would reveal himself.
If he did not care, that outcome would serve Zod's goals even better.
Simone had just begun returning toward the ship to prepare the assault when she heard a voice behind her.
She turned.
A figure stood in the open field.
His appearance was striking, almost like a statue carved from marble. He wore a dark blue suit with a red cape flowing in the wind.
On his chest was the unmistakable symbol of the House of El.
The symbol that the people of Earth would one day call hope.
Clark Kent.
The man Zod's forces had been searching for.
"Kal-El."
Simone looked at him seriously.
"You finally decided to appear."
Clark ignored the greeting.
His expression was tense.
"Where is Adrian?"
Simone raised an eyebrow.
"You mean your brother?"
She maintained her role as one of Zod's loyal soldiers.
"You should ask him yourself."
Clark stepped forward.
His voice was sharper now.
"I am asking you. Where is Adrian?"
At that moment, the hatch of the Kryptonian ship behind Simone suddenly opened.
A voice echoed from inside.
===
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