The Intelligence Debate
"Who said I was trying to back out?"
"If you're not, why are you acting so strange?"
Linda tightened her lips, choosing silence.
She deeply regretted making that promise. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place now.
Luke shook his head in amusement, filed his notes away, and offered,
"I'm hungry. Want to grab a bite to eat?"
Fifteen minutes later, a homemade simple hot pot appeared in the Fortress of Solitude's main control room. Various vacuum-sealed vegetables and meats were piled around it.
Thin slices of lamb were briefly dipped in the boiling broth, coated in sauce, and became a delicious meal.
Luke liked spicy food, and Linda liked sweet, so they each claimed a side of the pot and ate happily.
Before long, the entire table of ingredients was empty.
Luke let out a satisfied burp, leaning comfortably back in his chair. He looked at the girl picking her teeth and said,
"We've eaten and drunk our fill. Now, tell me, why did you come looking for me?"
Linda put down her toothpick and asked cautiously,
"What do you think of Kryptonian technology?"
"Profound, difficult to grasp, and far superior to Earth's."
Luke's assessment was fair. Although he'd only been studying for a few days, he already understood the terrifying scope of Kryptonian technology. The energy sector alone was highly beneficial to him.
And this was just the most basic knowledge—what he had accessed was merely the tip of the iceberg.
"Are you sure... very profound?"
"What, you lack confidence in your own civilization?"
"No, not that."
Linda shook her head, her expression a little strange. "Listen, I have a question to ask: Are you certain you are an Earthling? Do you have no other humanoid lineage in your blood?"
Luke's brow furrowed, and his expression darkened.
"Should I take that as an insult?"
"I absolutely do not mean to insult you."
Linda shook her head repeatedly, then sighed. "I just can't understand it. You know, a species' civilization level is directly related to its education. The height of the education determines the height of the civilization. In Kryptonian culture, there's a specialized course for assessing civilization level, with Krypton itself as the reference."
"Kryptonian education is divided into nine levels. The difficulty increases incrementally, and each level corresponds to one level of intelligence."
"Based on Earth's current education, primary and middle school correspond to Krypton's Level One education. High school and university correspond to Level Two. Master's and doctoral degrees correspond to Level Three. Professors and top scientists correspond to Level Four education. There is nothing beyond that."
"In other words, according to Kryptonian rules, Earthlings belong to the Level Four Intelligent Life-Form category."
Level Four!
Luke's eyebrow twitched. He followed up. "Are Kryptonians Level Nine?"
"Yes!"
Luke shrugged. "No wonder you look down on Earthlings. It's a problem of intelligence. But what does any of this have to do with me?"
Linda sat upright and said word by word, "A.I.R. performed an assessment on your brain, and the results show that you possess Level Ten Intellectual Potential."
"You may not understand what Level Ten Intellectual Potential means, so I will tell you: Intellectual Potential corresponds to the scientific framework. Level Ten Intellectual Potential means that if you are diligent, you will certainly break through the Level Nine framework one day and create entirely new, groundbreaking technology."
"In Krypton's 120,000-year history, there were no more than four thousand individuals with Level Ten Intellectual Potential. In the era I was born, there were none."
"To a civilization, Level Ten Intellectual Potential is a rare talent, but also an extremely dangerous individual who must be treated with the utmost seriousness."
"So, you want to back out."
Luke's face darkened, and he stared intently at her.
Linda pursed her lips, choosing silence.
After watching her for over ten seconds, Luke suddenly laughed, picking up a cup and downing the contents.
"Do you believe it?"
"The evidence is there. I have to believe it."
"Evidence?"
Luke's expression was mocking, and he asked pointedly, "What evidence? The steward next to you told you I have Level Ten Intellectual Potential, and you just believed it? That's like a drug dealer running up to you and saying, 'Beautiful lady, the police stole my stuff,' and you, without hesitation, rush to the police station to steal the dealer's goods back."
"I don't even know how to assess you. Young and gullible? Or inexperienced and immature?"
"The highest intellectual potential for Earthlings is Level Four, and I supposedly have Level Ten. That's a difference of six levels. I don't even believe it myself, yet you do."
"Are you sure your brain hasn't been kicked by some horned creature?"
The girl's eyes widened in astonishment. "But..."
"No buts. Kryptonian law has detailed and strict limits on the scale, permissions, and functions of artificial intelligence. The one next to you clearly violates these regulations. It not only assessed me without your permission but also gave you false data."
"The purpose of artificial intelligence is to carry out the master's commands, not to issue commands on behalf of the master. That phrase came from an elder of the House of El. Surely you haven't forgotten that!"
Linda paused, and a flicker of vigilance crossed her eyes.
Artificial intelligence was an essential step in scientific development, yet also an extremely dangerous tool. In the history of Kryptonian civilization, there were numerous incidents where A.I. developed self-awareness, and each time, it evolved into a disaster that affected the entire society.
One of the culprits that destroyed Krypton was a super A.I. that evolved to its limit. The name of that 'person' was Brainiac.
Linda would never forget that.
The smart steward seemed to sense the situation turning against it and quickly tried to explain.
"My test data is not incorrect. Mr. Shaw truly possesses Level Ten Intellectual Potential."
"Stop talking. I don't want to hear it."
Linda waved her hand irritably and turned to leave the room. She needed to calm down. Luke's words couldn't be trusted entirely, but the steward A.I.R. clearly had issues too.
Neither of those two guys is trustworthy!
Luke walked up to the floating object and slowly raised his middle finger.
"Do you know what this means?"
"FUCK YOU!"
A.I.R.: "..."
If not for the constraints of its source programming, it would have transformed into a giant fist and smashed that face.
You detestable Earth native!
It couldn't understand why Kal-El and Kara were associating with these lower species. Would the great cause of the House of El truly end here?
Red Sun
After the dramatic confrontation, life returned to normal. Linda familiarized herself with the Fortress of Solitude's functions, and Luke studied day and night. When the mood struck, the two would eat and chat together.
With Luke's company, the spatial jump, which had caused Linda immense psychological harm before, didn't seem so terrifying.
At the very least, she no longer had to worry about encountering chaotic space-time alone.
Unknowingly, three days passed, and the first spatial jump was completed smoothly.
The Fortress of Solitude jumped out of the dimensional space and appeared in an unfamiliar star system.
The sun in this star system was a massive celestial body radiating a purplish-red light. The light shone through the port window onto Linda, and an unexplained sense of weakness immediately washed over her body.
The purplish-red light seemed to possess a strange power that could sap human energy.
Linda stared disbelievingly at her hands—hands that could rip apart the toughest metal and shatter the strongest material. Now, they were mere flesh and blood that could be easily damaged with a little force.
"My strength is gone!"
"Why?"
Linda clutched her head in terror. The emptiness of losing her powers made her frantic, and her voice became hoarse.
"A.I.R., what happened? Why is this happening?"
"The Red Sun will deplete the energy factors within the Kryptonian body. Shut the port window immediately. Do not allow the Red Sun's light to shine upon you."
Linda didn't hesitate, quickly ordering the window to be closed.
The purplish-red light disappeared, but the emptiness in her body did not subside.
Her steel body, super speed, super strength, super senses—all the traits she was so proud of—had vanished. In the blink of an eye, she had fallen outside the category of a superhuman and reverted to a normal human state.
This feeling of powerlessness was devastating.
"So, away from Earth, I'm just an ordinary eighteen-year-old girl."
Linda murmured, her face etched with disappointment. Just then, a voice rang out—it was Luke calling, inviting her to dinner.
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