The Duel on Everest
On a less snow-covered slope of Mount Everest.
Lois Lane hugged her arms, shivering uncontrollably, her eyebrows twitching. She had been waiting here for forty minutes, and that jerk Clark still hadn't returned.
"He didn't forget me, did he?"
Lois muttered under her breath, stomping her feet to generate heat.
Suddenly, a massive roaring sound erupted in her ears.
The clouds above exploded open, revealing a clear sky. A fierce wind descended, nearly knocking her to the ground.
Two beams of red light chased each other across the sky. Boulders cracked and ice and snow melted wherever they passed. The terrifying scene was like the end of the world.
"Clark!"
Lois was terrified. The red beams were the unique power of Kryptonians. This meant the mystery girl was very likely Clark's relative. They had talked for so long; why were they fighting?
Lois couldn't figure out the reason. Seeing the red beams sweeping back and forth, she quickly found a rock crevice to hide in.
BOOM!
A distant mountain peak exploded. Two figures shot out of the dust—it was Clark and the mystery girl. They chased each other in the sky. Every collision released a visible shockwave.
The ripples spread everywhere, furiously destroying the surrounding landscape.
The mountain peaks were sheared into rounded arches, and shattered rocks shot out like shrapnel. A black fissure appeared on the white snow mountain at the edge of the horizon, and the snow began to roll down, quickly escalating into a white torrent that spanned half the sky.
The snow mountain had collapsed!
The battle between the two did not cease. They fought from the easternmost point to the westernmost, and then both plunged into the white torrent.
BOOM!
A terrible air explosion occurred. A vacuum zone appeared in the middle of the white torrent. Clark and Linda Danvers fiercely traded blows, and the resulting shockwaves from their colliding fists literally turned the avalanche into a snow waterfall.
The scene was utterly horrifying.
White snowflakes flew everywhere in the shockwaves, sometimes swirling into a tornado that shot into the sky, and sometimes turning into a fearsome blizzard that stung the skin.
Lois trembled while hiding in the rock crevice. At this moment, she regretted coming immensely. Not only was she unable to help, but she might also become a burden to Clark.
This was not a battle she could interfere with. She could only pray to God to protect Clark.
Time passed agonizingly slowly. After an unknown period, the roaring stopped. Lois peered out, made sure there was no danger, and slowly emerged.
Looking up, she was completely stunned.
The huge mountain was covered with large and small pits. Some peaks were completely pierced through, allowing her to see the landscape on the other side. The white snow mountains were gone, leaving only bare rock walls.
Even more terrifying, some areas were actually burning. The rock had been scorched into a lava-like color by the heat vision, slowly flowing at an altitude of several thousand meters.
Lois took a deep breath, fighting her inner terror, and shouted,
"Clark! Clark, where are you? Answer me! Answer me!"
"I'm here."
Clark Kent, wearing his red cape, ascended from below, a look of undeniable despondency on his face. "I'm sorry, I never thought things would turn out like this."
Seeing her boyfriend, Lois's nervous tension finally eased.
"Are... are you okay?"
"Just a few minor injuries. They've already healed."
"That girl... what happened?"
Clark said bitterly, "Lois, let's not talk about it, okay?"
Lois froze for a moment, then grabbed his hand and said softly,
"Okay, I won't ask."
A Drinking Problem
The sky above Mount Everest was still sunny, but night was deepening over Metropolis.
In a villa in the western district, Luke could only shrug as Linda Danvers descended from the sky.
"Look, the next time you drop by, could you please use the front door? Or at least call ahead so I can prepare myself."
The girl didn't speak. She walked directly to the table, picked up a wine bottle, and began chugging it down.
Luke looked her over. When he saw her nearly shredded clothes and bare feet, he asked in surprise,
"Did you fight someone? Who? Your cousin?"
After emptying a bottle of red wine, Linda's face flushed, but her eyes remained cold.
"Do you have any clothes?"
Luke pointed upstairs. "Second floor, leftmost room. Underwear, coats, everything."
Linda leaped up to the second floor, quickly changed, and returned, carrying several unopened bottles of red wine.
She sat in a chair, still silent, just drinking heavily.
It was obvious she was in a terrible mood and had likely had an unpleasant encounter with Clark Kent. Luke took a few sandwiches from the refrigerator and placed them on the table.
"Don't just drink. Eat something."
"Thanks."
Linda ate and drank, and soon, three bottles of red wine were empty.
Luke kicked the empty bottles aside and asked curiously, "What happened? Did your cousin piss you off? Want me to help you beat him up?"
"Can you kill him?"
Luke: "..."
This girl's head is definitely messed up. She's talking nonsense.
"I remember what happened that night. I know your abilities. You could kill me, and you can kill that hypocritical bastard. If you kill him, I'll promise you anything—secretary, sex, whatever you want."
Luke waved his hand in front of her face.
"Tell me, how many fingers is this?"
The girl pushed his hand away. "I'm not drunk. I'm serious."
"We'll talk about that later. For tonight, just stay here. Food is in the fridge. Get it yourself if you're hungry."
Luke yawned and returned to his bedroom to sleep. He had work tomorrow and didn't have time to deal with her drunken frenzy.
He slept for about three or four hours.
A sudden sound woke him up. He saw Linda Danvers standing by his window.
"What exactly do you want? Trespassing is one thing, but why come into my bedroom? I'm a man, a hot-blooded young guy. Sneaking in like this makes me very uncomfortable."
"I lost."
"What?"
Linda clenched her fist, gritting her teeth with hatred. "Kal has changed. He's become a self-serving hypocrite, and I tried to teach him a lesson, but I wasn't strong enough to beat him."
"That's normal. Your cousin is older and muscled up. You're only eighteen. It's fine if you can't win now. That doesn't mean you won't be able to later. There will always be another chance."
The girl turned around. "Will you help me?"
"Your family matters are not for outsiders to interfere with. Of course, if you don't mind, we can talk. Provided you let me put on some clothes."
The girl scoffed. "Whether you wear clothes or not makes no difference under my sight."
Despite her words, she left the bedroom.
Luke put on his pajamas, went down to the living room, poured a glass of cold water, and said while drinking,
"Can you tell me what happened?"
Linda confirmed, and briefly recounted the whole story.
"So, the reason you sought out Kal-El was for that spaceship called the Fortress of Solitude."
"Yes."
Luke shook his head, speechless. "Your approach was wrong. Forget him; I wouldn't agree either."
"Why?"
"The reason is simple. Your cousin, Kal-El, is no longer a Kryptonian; he's an Earthling. Earth is his home. Krypton is just where he was born. Maybe when he's old and about to die, he might think about going back for a look, but definitely not now."
"Your demand for him to abandon everything on Earth and return to Krypton with you is fundamentally flawed."
Linda's face was grim. "I don't think I'm wrong. He is Kryptonian. The blood of the House of El flows in his veins. Our parents and elders died fighting to save our planet. As the last remaining Kryptonians, he should rightfully bear the responsibility of rebuilding our civilization, not working as an intern reporter on Earth."
"Moreover, he carries the Codex inside him. The Codex is the cornerstone of Kryptonian heritage, recording the genetic information of all Kryptonians. My uncle entrusted the Codex to him, hoping he would rebuild Krypton and restore our civilization."
"But what has he done? Has he ever thought about restoring our civilization?"
"I am not wrong. He is the one who is wrong. That traitor!"
Luke: "..."
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