Magnolia
"Boom--!!"
Above Antarctica.
The pristine white horizon was shrouded in a blinding flash of fire, then violently ripped open with a drooping gash.
It was a spaceship that was entirely emerald green.
The spaceship was leaving a long, black trail of smoke as it plummeted toward the ice field at extreme acceleration.
"Sizzle--"
The aircraft rubbed violently against the surrounding dense atmosphere, creating a layer of incandescent air waves.
A terrifyingly high pressure surged wildly from above, crashing down.
At this moment.
A tall, imposing figure hovered silently beneath the terrifying "Emerald Meteor".
John was dressed in deep blue, with bold red and white stripes flowing down his back, and the eagle emblems on his shoulders reflected a faint matte gold light in the polar snow.
With his hands behind his back, he indifferently looked down at everything.
The raging wind and snow around him, upon hitting his body, parted to the sides as if striking a smooth, invisible arc.
"Get down."
John didn't even lift his eyelids as he watched the roaring fireball; he simply dodged away—
"Whoosh!"
Only a faint afterimage remained in place.
Its true form had already collapsed into a black line, and went straight to the underground of the crashed spaceship.
"Ha--"
John yawned somewhat boredly, casually pulled his right arm out of his pocket, and then smoothly lifted it forward.
"Buzz--"
A solid, transparent force field spread out in an instant, extending and directly catching the rapidly falling spaceship chassis.
Thump!
The terrifying kinetic energy, enough to flatten a small mountain range, surged within half a second of impacting the force field.
The spaceship was squeezed, and a muffled thud came from the keel being compressed. Then, it was peeled away layer by layer and eliminated by that steady and powerful force until it was completely dissolved.
The violent recoil airflow was suddenly compressed.
A terrifying white explosion suddenly erupted in mid-air, instantly scattering all the surrounding wind and snow.
A near-vacuum enclosure was created by melting it.
The entire wreckage of the spaceship, weighing tens of tons, came to an abrupt stop less than a hundred meters above the ice surface.
At this point, all momentum is reduced to zero.
John slightly flipped his palm, dispersing the force in the force field and letting the remaining gravity take over.
"Clatter."
The spaceship slid diagonally downwards, and with a dull thud, it landed steadily in a deep, sheltered, snow-covered valley.
"Laugh--"
The lingering heat of the wreckage scorched the cold snow, sending up plumes of pungent, foul-smelling steam.
Thump!
The machine completely fell apart.
The already cracked canopy shattered with a clattering sound as the pressure was released, bursting open with several huge gashes.
Immediately afterwards, a figure dressed in a green and black bodysuit tumbled out of the deformed cockpit in a disheveled state.
Then he fell heavily into the snow, which was full of icy shards.
That was clearly not human.
Withered, dark purple skin, a long, narrow head, and no hair.
A deep, bowl-sized charred scar ran across his chest, the flesh completely carbonized, revealing the bone—a horrifying sight.
A dark yellow, unknown fluid continued to ooze from the edges of the wound, wriggling like a living worm, devouring his bloody mouth.
"Cough... cough cough..."
The alien lay on the snow, coughing violently, large slurries of dark purple blood oozing from its mouth.
He struggled to lift his heavy, oddly shaped head, his cloudy eyes straining to focus amidst the swirling snow.
Soon, it landed on the young man who was walking slowly out of the snow.
" The Green Lantern Corps?"
John stopped two meters away on the snow, his expression indifferent.
As he looked at the alien who was about to die, the message that Joe El had given him half an hour earlier automatically came to mind.
Half an hour ago, at the base control console.
Joe El's illusory figure pondered for a moment, then raised his hand and sliced out a light screen on the star map.
The Milky Way in the star map faded away, replaced by a scene of ruins shrouded in dark red smoke.
Soon, one after another, heavily armored black warships, resembling beetles, slowly emerged.
At the front of the ship, holographic particles quickly outlined the image of a middle-aged man wearing exoskeleton armor.
The man's face was gloomy, his jaw was taut, and his gray eyes revealed a coldness and decisiveness.
"Drew Zod, Supreme Commander of the Army of his home planet, Swordholder of the Krypton Military Council."
At this moment, Joe El lowered his voice, and his tone gained a weighty quality as he recalled history:
"Before you understand Zod, child, you must first understand the social structure of late Krypton."
In the final thousands of sunset cycles, Krypton had long since abolished the law of natural reproduction.
Parliament used genetic engineering and breeding chambers to establish an absolutely rational system of class selection.
"Scholars were freed from emotional interference and focused on deducing micro and macro laws."
The laborers were trained to increase their endurance and muscle fiber density, dedicating their lives to planetary mining projects.
From the moment Zod was born, his reflexes, physical abilities, and sense of pain...
Even the most basic logic of thinking is locked into the direction of 'command'.
Joe El pointed to the cold, hard face on the holographic screen:
In his world, there is only one goal—'to preserve the continuation of Krypton '.
"So he's similar to a space-based Nazis version of Hitler?"
"If we understand it according to human history, that's a rough way to put it... but its nature is different."
As he spoke, Joe El's expression turned serious, and the light particles conjured an image of the Earth's core collapsing:
"When the pressure on the mother planet became unbalanced due to thousands of years of over-exploitation."
The Supreme Council, however, chose to keep the news from the public, using a false calm to maintain its last vestiges of privileged rule.
But in Zod's logic, the council's compromise was a betrayal of the continuation of civilization.
So he launched a coup.
He was selfless and did not pursue personal enjoyment.
At this moment, the light particles changed again, displaying the scene after the failed coup.
"He led his guards into the parliament building, executed the speaker, attempted to take over the home planet by force, and even tried to seize control of the Genesis Chamber."
But soldiers are ultimately not good at political maneuvering, and the coup was quickly quelled.
The council sentenced Zod and his core followers to exile in the ' Phantom Zone,' which is the distorted alternate dimension I mentioned to you earlier.
At this point, Joe El sighed deeply:
"But like you said, I miscalculated one thing..."
When the mother planet completely collapsed and exploded, the gravitational tides released by the Earth's core tore apart the stable ring surrounding the Phantom Zone.
Before long, the Black Zero, carrying Zod and the others, will be forcibly pulled back into the physical universe by this gravitational tsunami.
"At that time, he will do everything in his power to rebuild his home planet... The first step is to multiply his people."
"You mean... the Codex of Life?"
John continued the conversation.
"Right."
Joe El nodded.
"Before sending you away from your home planet, I violated the code and shattered the genetic blueprints of all the embryos of the entire civilization in the form of atomic codes."
Then it completely merged into every cell of your body.
Therefore, in Zod's eyes, you are a walking gene pool of creation.
Once he finds you, he will not hesitate to drain your bone marrow and blood to cultivate a new Krypton bloodline.
"Moreover, Black Zero is also equipped with the ' World Engine,' a geological device used by the home planet to terraform barren planets."
If the engine were started on Earth, it would forcibly rewrite the planet's gravitational field, atmospheric composition, and magnetic field.
Let's completely transform this place into a second Krypton.
By then, the billions of humans who originally lived on this planet will have...
They will become completely extinct within weeks due to their inability to withstand tens of times the force of gravity and the extreme toxicity of the atmosphere.
After hearing this, John's expression turned strange.
"No... you knew perfectly well that Zod posed a threat of escaping the Phantom Zone."
Why did you have to give that Black Zero to him and go to jail with him?
"Aren't you guys just bored out of your minds?"
Hearing John's complaints, Joe El could only manage a wry smile:
For millions of years, no accidents had ever occurred in the Phantom Zone.
We never imagined that Krypton would be destroyed due to resource depletion within just a few thousand years...
John silently rubbed his forehead.
He's having a fit of idiocy... Damn it, how can these cheapskates be so stupid?
Let's ask something else...
John then turned his gaze away and looked at the wider black area of the star map:
"So, besides our race, what other races exist in this universe?"
"The universe is never lonely, child."
Joe El waved his hand, and the star map unfolded.
"The known physical universe is extremely vast, and there are over a million civilizations with interstellar travel capabilities."
Some races completely abandon their physical bodies and upload their civilized consciousness to higher-dimensional networks.
Some races revere primitive plunder and slaughter, while others rely on devouring stars and planets for survival...
Among all the universally recognized systems of civilizations, the most extensive maintainer of order is ' Oa, ' which originates from the center of the universe.
As he spoke, Joe El pointed to a vast star field in the center of the star map, shrouded in pure green light.
The rulers there are known as the ' Guardians of the Universe '.
They are an ancient race that emerged in the early stages of the Big Bang, created to quell conflicts and disasters between civilizations.
They divided the known universe into 3,600 sectors, and our Milky Way was designated Sector 2814.
Then, the light particles gradually coalesced into a simple-looking metal ring.
" The Guardians have deciphered the Emotional Spectrum energy at the core of the universe."
In their view, among the seven Emotional Spectrum, the green energy representing 'will' is the most stable and pure.
They are least likely to be distorted by external temptations.
Based on this, they created a weapon called the ' Lantern Ring '.
In various star sectors, the ring's program automatically selects individuals with strong minds and the ability to overcome fear to serve as guards, collectively known as the ' Green Lantern Corps '.
Their duties are to patrol the star sector, mediate conflicts, and quell disasters.
In the eyes of most civilizations, they are recognized as symbols of justice and guardians of order.
Space Police?
I have a fucking feeling like there's something fishy going on...
John was very familiar with this system.
The same was how Vought International packaged the Seven back then; they were in charge of social order and acted as righteous police.
But no matter how noble and righteous Vought portrays his character, in the true underlying logic, power and capital will always be monopolized.
Therefore, John has reservations about this so-called " Green Lantern Corps ".
At this moment, Joe El withdrew his hand and concluded:
" The Green Lantern Corps adheres to the Guardian Code of Oa and, in principle, does not interfere with the natural evolutionary processes within each planet."
As long as you stay on this planet, you generally won't attract their interference.
However, if an energy surge occurs in deep space large enough to affect the entire sector, their patrols will often arrive immediately.
"Oh, by the way, your battle suit is now complete. I've added special light-energy-absorbing particles to your design."
"They can absorb ambient light energy, enhancing your absorption efficiency..."
When they are in operation, they will transform the blue hue on the suit into black.
Upon hearing this, John looked down at his dark blue battle suit.
At this moment, the microscopic honeycomb structure on the surface of the suit began to move autonomously.
Like sponges, they absorbed all the Bioelectric Field naturally emanating from his body.
And naturally, they were condensed, then enlarged and reconstructed on the outer layer of the suit.
The range of the force field is continuously expanded until it is five times the original size.
"Neural synapse connection complete."
Joe El looked at John as he changed clothes, a hint of relief flashing across his unreal eyes before turning into a serious admonition:
" John, this suit can maximize the flow of your bioelectricity; your cells need time to adapt to the environment..."
John stretched his joints as if nothing was wrong, then turned and walked towards the decompression chamber door without looking back.
"Child, where are you going?"
Joe El looked at John with some surprise, his AI seemingly unable to keep up with the thoughts of his biological "son".
At this moment, the heavy alloy gate slowly slid open, and a blizzard from Antarctica, with temperatures tens of degrees below zero and a biting cold current, roared in.
"I'll try on this suit... and test my physical limits."
White mist rises, and snowflakes fall like sand.
John stood at the edge of the gate, his blond hair fluttering slightly in the cold wind.
"Call--"
He took a deep breath of the icy air, glanced slightly to the side at the gray sky above, obscured by the blizzard.
Slightly bend your knees, cross your hands, and then--
"Boom--!!"
Heaven and earth fell silent.
A ring of pure white explosive cloud burst open on the ice field!
Under the terrifying force, the thick ice layer instantly sank into a circular crater several meters in diameter.
John transformed into a dark arrow, heading straight towards the leaden-gray sea of clouds, piercing through the top!
5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, 20,000 meters!
A sharp, hissing sound rang out, and as the outer layer of the battle suit broke through the sound barrier, a pale white stream of air was violently torn out.
As the figure rose ever higher, John's eyes were fixed on the sky, and images from his previous life faintly surfaced in his mind.
Under the spotlight of Vought International, he was the arrogant " Homelander ".
The whole world looks up to him, and ordinary people worship him as a god.
But in the end, no matter how arrogant he is, he has to face one fact.
He was never able to break free from the constraints of humanity.
It also cannot break through the true blue sky, cross that thin layer of air, and look down upon the living beings below.
He needs oxygen, and his eyeballs and capillaries swell and ache violently in the depressurized environment at extremely high altitudes.
The extremely low temperatures and radiation of outer space would pose a deadly threat to him.
He had flown to the edge of the stratosphere countless times in the dead of night, greedily gazing at that mysterious and profound space.
But they never dared to actually rush out.
When the thin air caused his chest to constrict, creating an unbearable feeling of suffocation.
Palpitations and fear would drive him to scream wildly, pushing him away from that rare and beautiful place.
So he could only grit his teeth, return to the ground in a disheveled state, put on his cloak again, and put on a guilty, fake smile.
Then they rely on those empty and cheap forms of worship to fill the void of their existence.
These are nothing but self-deception.
But now--
At 30,000 meters, the stratosphere slowly swept by.
The whistling sound that had been emanating from the air gradually faded and the space became empty.
In the past, this height would have inevitably resulted in suffocation and stinging pain.
At this moment, however, there was not a ripple.
Even the instinctive breathing mechanism of opening and closing the lungs has quietly fallen into slumber under the influence of this subconscious instinct.
It's as if he doesn't need to breathe anymore.
Instead, there is a warm, full, soul-stirring tremor.
The golden rays of sunlight, piercing through the thin clouds, poured down relentlessly onto the skin and the dark battle armor.
"Buzz--"
The cells in the body, however, began to breathe.
As the suit continuously absorbed energy, hundreds of millions of cells transformed into pure containers.
Greedily and quietly absorbing the high-energy photons dissipating from the surroundings.
What follows is a warmth that emanates from the very marrow of one's bones.
The scalding blood flowed through the veins like the Yellow River.
That inner peace allowed John to truly feel a sense of "fulfillment."
60,000 meters, intermediate layer!
90,000 meters, thermosphere!
As the Bioelectric Field faintly emerged, the last wisp of resistance belonging to Earth's atmosphere dissipated into nothingness.
The agonizing feeling that had been building up inside me instantly dissipated.
All resistance and friction vanish in the final instant of breaking through that hidden boundary—
Then, utter silence returned.
This is a perfect vacuum.
Silent, without a sound.
John slowly reduced his upward momentum.
The combat suit clung silently to his body in the weightless void.
He remained suspended steadily above the orbit, hundreds of kilometers above the ground.
He then lowered his head.
Beneath my feet lies a vast, azure, slowly rotating celestial body.
Milky white cyclones swirled across the vast blue ocean, and the edge of the continental shelf appeared exceptionally serene under the outline of the sun's rays.
All memories, people, and events.
In that instant, they all silently shrank into an insignificant speck of dust.
We are but mayflies in the vastness of the universe, a mere grain of millet in the boundless ocean.
John then slowly turned around and looked straight ahead.
There, a giant, blazing sun hangs in the deep, dark abyss.
Without the weakening effect of the atmosphere.
It radiated a near-white glow, with surging flames quietly unfurling at the edge of the star.
Facing the direct sunlight, the stellar radiation transforms into an invisible warm current, silently cleansing his body.
As the radiant light scattered, a layer of restrained dark gold appeared on the surface of the battle suit, floating slowly like a swarm of ants marching.
John hung silently in the void, arms outstretched, head tilted back, letting the radiant sunlight bathe his entire body.
At the same time that John was immersed in thought.
Four hundred and fifty light-years away, deep in the Kuiper Belt.
Deep in the shadow of an icy asteroid hundreds of kilometers in diameter.
A massive, black warship, shaped like a giant eggplant, was slowly gliding in the shadow cast by the meteorite.
Black Zero.
The warship's hull was covered with wounds of varying depths.
Those were gravitational fragments released from the explosion of the mother planet thirty years ago, as well as traces left by collisions during its journey through various star systems over the decades.
Inside the bridge, there was a deathly silence.
Due to the extreme energy shortage, most of the lighting equipment in the bridge had been turned off, with only a few circular control panels flickering with a dim light.
More than ten hibernation pods stood silently below the command center.
Through the frosty observation window, several sleeping bodies could be vaguely seen.
Main control room.
Faora, a young female officer clad in a matte exoskeleton suit, stood before the light screen.
Beneath her neat short hair, her pale and aloof face remained expressionless.
Long, slender fingers slid rapidly across the panel, monitoring potential distortions within dozens of astronomical units around them.
And it was at this moment.
"Beep-beep-beep!!"
Inside the bridge, the sensor radar, which had not been turned on for more than thirty years, suddenly emitted a sharp alarm.
" General Zod!"
At the control panel, Faora straightened up excitedly, her fingers magnifying an energy spectrum spanning several star sectors.
"The gravitational wave detector array has captured an energy response at an ultra-high energy level!"
A Type III planet located in a remote sector... its energy level is now rapidly increasing.
The target is in a near-Earth vacuum orbit and is directly absorbing the Spectrum of a yellow-order star!
At this moment.
On the Iron Throne, a figure clad in heavy armor with a sinister gaze rose to his feet.
His short black hair was streaked with gray from the passage of time, and two jagged old scars were etched on his cheeks.
The moment he stepped out of the shadows.
The terrifying pressure accumulated from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood suddenly filled the entire bridge.
Faora instinctively brought her feet together and straightened her spine.
Zod walked step by step to the light screen.
A glint of light flashed in those deep gray eyes.
He's right there.
Zod spoke, his voice low and unusually hoarse:
"It seems that Joe's child not only survived, but has grown into an adult..."
"General, that planetary belt is illuminated by a yellow-rank star."
Faora quickly retrieved the star's parameters and analyzed:
"According to colonial archives, our physiological mechanisms react after absorbing low-wavelength yellow light radiation."
Unknown changes can occur in the microstructure of cells...
So what?
Zod turned his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over Faora like a knife, then over the hibernation pods covered in white frost below.
He is a descendant of Krypton, with the Codex of Life flowing through his veins.
His bones, blood, and every inch of his flesh belonged to Krypton gave him birth... not that wild, primitive native planet.
Thirty years... Faora.
We eked out a living in the rubble like maggots that couldn't bear the light... As long as the Codex exists, the Genesis Chamber can be restarted.
The Krypton flag will never be Oblivion in an explosion.
As he spoke, Zod suddenly sat up straight, his eyes fixed on the spinning blue planet on the screen:
"Awaken all combat-ready personnel!"
"Strip the deck of all unnecessary power and transfer it entirely to the warp drive."
"Set jump coordinates, remote sector of the Milky Way, target planet—Earth!"