The General

The living room of General Simon Gilson's villa was quite pleasant. Sunlight spilled across the red velvet carpet, warming the entire room with a natural coziness. Various potted plants were arranged around the living room, each soaking up the sunlight and comfortably stretching its branches, making the air in the entire space feel even fresher.

"I'm sorry, I only have tea here," the old man handed a cup of tea to Jay. "The doctor said my condition is best if I don't drink other beverages. This Eastern drink is good for my body. But they are all excellent teas, you can try them."

If it were any other time, Jay might have been grateful for the old man's kindness. But now, he wasn't in the mood to savor tea. His mind was filled with questions, so much so that he hardly knew where to begin.

General Gilson poured himself a cup of tea and sat down leisurely. "Space Dimension Explorer Project, or S.D.E. for short, that's the project you want to ask about. It was initiated by the military with full assistance from NASA. When it started, it was a scientific research project with the main objective of exploring unknown territories."

"So what does that have to do with me?"

"Patience, child," General Gilson took a sip of his tea, sinking deeper into the sun-drenched sofa. "In the beginning, this project was no different from many other exploration plans. Similar attempts have never stopped since humanity began to understand its place in the universe. But the difference lies in the results this project yielded, which fundamentally changed it.

Ever since Superman appeared in the public eye, we truly realized for the first time that we were not alone in the universe. Our exploration of space and extraterrestrial life reached an unprecedented pace. Every year, governments worldwide allocated much larger sums of money to space exploration projects than ever before. The S.D.E. Project was born in this context. They invested heavily to build a non-manned spacecraft – but it wasn't just any spacecraft; it was a navigational rocket. It would record its entire flight path and journey, continuously sending out radio waves in all directions, intending to attract the attention of extraterrestrial beings, express friendliness, and convey an eager invitation for them to visit Earth."

Jay raised an eyebrow. "That's quite a bold attempt. Weren't they afraid of invaders like the Apocalypse army finding them through the message?"

General Gilson gave a wry smile. "That was before the Apocalypse Invasion. Our understanding of the universe was very limited then. The only aliens we knew of were Superman, and he was very friendly. If this were after the Apocalypse Invasion, people would be terrified of unknown alien visitors, treating them like monsters. Such a proposal would naturally not have been approved."

"What happened after that?" Jay asked. "Did the project succeed?"

"In terms of results, yes, but there were some minor complications along the way," General Gilson said. "About a dozen hours after our rocket was completed and launched, it seemed to have encountered an unknown black hole in space. Its immense gravity pulled it in, cutting off all signals between it and us. We all thought the plan had failed then, and everyone was very discouraged, until..."

He paused, looking at Jay with a complex gaze. "Until three months later, you arrived on Earth."

Although he had vaguely anticipated it, Jay couldn't help but be surprised when he heard this.

The old man changed the subject abruptly and asked, "I assume you already know that you are a Kryptonian, just like Superman, right?"

"I do."

"Then, General Sam Lane, do you remember him?" he asked again.

Jay frowned. "I don't remember, but I know him. I heard he's a staunch opponent of Superman, insisting that Superman would one day become an enemy of humanity."

"Yes, Lane didn't just say it; he acted on it early on. After Superman revealed his existence to the world, Lane began establishing a specialized department to study Superman's data, analyze his weaknesses, and prepare various methods to defeat him if he lost control," General Gilson said. "He was very paranoid, but this made him undoubtedly the person in the military who understood Superman the best. That's why when the government learned that a new Kryptonian had arrived on Earth as an echo of the project, they arranged for General Lane to take over as the new head of the S.D.E. Project."

Jay finally understood why Gilson said the project was "initially" an exploration plan, because from the moment he arrived on Earth, the nature of the entire project had fundamentally changed.

"Experts speculate that your Kryptonian spacecraft was stranded and in hibernation in some part of space until our navigational rocket awakened it and led you to Earth."

"So you locked me up in your facilities to study me? Never seeing the light of day?" Jay felt a surge of anger at the thought – although, to be precise, that past experience wasn't his own, as he hadn't yet transmigrated into this body back then.

"Imprisoned? No, no, you had complete freedom, and we ensured you got plenty of sunlight every day. You were very cooperative, and even helped the military solve quite a few problems under General Lane's direction, secretly."

"So, I was basically a Superman working for the government?" Jay raised an eyebrow, not particularly liking the feeling.

"Pretty much. This good cooperative relationship lasted for a long time, until the Apocalypse Invasion arrived."

As General Gilson spoke, his expression instantly darkened, clearly recalling some very unpleasant memories. He said in a low voice, "That black giant – the ruler they called Darkseid, he came directly to our research base. He was clearly after you. None of us had any chance of resisting him. Beams of hellish, blood-red light shot from his eyes. With a single blow, all life in the entire building was instantly wiped out, including you, a Kryptonian who was impervious to weapons."

"Wait a minute," Jay frowned. "Are you saying I was hit by Darkseid's Omega Beams and died?"

"At least that's what we all thought at the time. After that invincible energy blast swept through, all signs of life in the entire facility completely disappeared, including you." General Gilson fell into painful recollection. "Then he left, leaving behind nearly endless Parademons. Everyone was torn to shreds by them, even Lane didn't survive..."

He then showed a look of confusion. "But your life readings should have completely disappeared then too. How are you... still alive?"

Jay shook his head. "I don't know. If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't even remember any of this happening."

Perhaps at the moment he was hit by Darkseid's Omega Beams, the consciousness of this Kryptonian had truly died, and he himself had transmigrated into this body afterward. If that were the case, then in essence, his soul had been completely replaced by a different person.

"But if everything you've said is true," Jay frowned and asked again, "then this should have been a completely abandoned project after the events six years ago. So why today, six years later, would someone want to kill my friend to cover up a secret that has long since expired?"

This question seemed to hit a nerve, and General Gilson's expression changed slightly for a moment. But the old man wasn't simple; he quickly composed himself in a way that was almost imperceptible to normal people. "I don't know about that. As you can see, I've been retired for four years and am now just an old man who grows flowers and plants."

His expression seemed quite believable. Perhaps ninety percent of people would have been fooled by him, and if Jay didn't have his super-senses, he might have been among that ninety percent. General Gilson, having held high positions for many years, was clearly skilled at lying and his concealment techniques were seamless. But the slight acceleration of his heartbeat in that instant was as loud as a drum set to Jay's super-hearing. His momentarily dilated pupils also couldn't escape Jay's eyes.

"If you truly understand Kryptonians that well, you should know that lying is useless, General Gilson," Jay said, looking directly into the old man's weathered eyes. "Tell me the truth."

General Gilson felt an even greater pressure from the young man, causing him to involuntarily swallow. After a long hesitation, as if undergoing a significant internal struggle, he raised his head and said, "South of the Utah desert, you should be able to find a top-secret military base. It's very well hidden, but your words should help you find it. Go there and see, that should answer your questions."

Jay was bewildered. "What do you mean?"

"It means I can only help you this much, child," General Gilson said firmly. "My son was my only family, but he died in the Apocalypse Invasion. My friends and comrades, they all died at the hands of the Apocalypse Parademons. They could threaten me, intimidate me for saying things I shouldn't, but what do I have left to fear? I'm an old man with nothing left to lose."

As he spoke, his wrinkled eyes even became slightly moist. Jay couldn't help but feel some sympathy for the old man. He still had many questions, but his intuition told him that this stubborn old man wouldn't say anything more, so he took his leave.

Jay stood up from the sofa, about to leave, when his ears suddenly and acutely caught a faint "click" sound, inaudible to ordinary people, like someone flipping a switch. The crisp sound, perhaps from within some empty pipe, echoed endlessly.

Jay froze. He instinctively looked towards the kitchen, and his eyes, activated with X-ray vision, immediately saw an electronic bomb lying in the natural gas pipe, which made him gasp in astonishment for a brief moment.

Jay's movements were swift, much faster than bullets. But unfortunately, sometimes that still wasn't fast enough. The bomb exploded almost the instant his X-Sight fell upon it. A demonic roar of flames raged out of the kitchen, and with an unrestrained shockwave, it instantly swept through the entire building. The beautiful little villa instantly turned into an inferno, burning every flower and plant in the garden outside to ashes.