In the northwestern suburbs of the Metropolis, the night wind rustled through the desolate weeds.
A solitary old Gothic church with a pointed spire stands silently in the night.
A faint smell of engine oil and the scent of damp earth lingered in the air.
Sizzle--
A barely perceptible arc of dark red electricity flashed across the steps outside the church.
Chen Mo flicked his wrist, gathering all the remaining Speed Force into his body.
He pushed open the slightly ajar, heavy oak door.
The heavy hinges emitted a low creak that echoed slowly through the empty, deathly silent prayer hall.
The faint candlelight flickered before the altar.
Beneath the mottled stained glass window, a tall, extremely robust figure sat alone on a bench in the first row.
He was wearing a slightly faded red and black plaid shirt, and his broad back looked particularly hunched and lonely at that moment.
Clark Kent was a god among men during a period of confusion.
Beside the altar, a white-haired priest looked at the young farm boy with a complicated expression.
Chen Mo had absolutely no awareness of disturbing someone's private confession.
He walked confidently down the central corridor with his hands in his pockets, his leather shoes making a crisp clattering sound on the floor tiles.
Then, he naturally plopped down on the bench next to Clark, even leaning back comfortably.
Clark tensed up instantly.
His heightened senses went into overdrive the moment Chen Mo sat down.
The seemingly ordinary young man beside him harbored a terrifying vitality and violent energy that even he found chilling.
Clark turned his head, his handsome face, though stubble-covered and weary, was full of wariness.
"Who are you?"
Clark's voice was deep and hoarse, and he instinctively wanted to stand up and create some distance.
"Don't be nervous, big guy. I'm just a kind citizen passing by, and I thought I'd take a rest on this bench."
Chen Mo crossed his legs, took out a pack of cigarettes, twirled it between his fingers, glanced at the cross in front of him and the priest who was trying to stop him with his eyes, shrugged, and put the pack away.
"Judging from all that commotion on the radio, I thought you were going to some secret military base to save the world, but you ended up here chatting with a priest?"
Clark's pupils contracted slightly.
Did he know?
He lowered his head, his hands interlaced in pain, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
"Yes, Zod... was looking for me."
Clark closed his eyes, his voice filled with a deep-seated confusion and self-reproach.
"He's right, I'm not from this world. My existence has brought annihilation to this planet."
"All of humanity fears me. The military wants to dissect me as an anomaly, Zod's fleet wants to grind me to dust."
"If I were to go out and surrender to Zod, perhaps... they would spare Earth."
Looking at Big Super, who was caught up in self-pity and a tendency to sacrifice himself, Chen Mo couldn't help but sneer.
"Hey big guy, your moral standards are so high I'd like to award you a 'Universal Model Youth' certificate."
Chen Mo turned his head, looked him up and down, and made no attempt to hide the sarcasm on his lips.
"Do you think Zod will just pack up and deliver himself to Zod's door, then pack up his ship and fly back home to eat hotpot?"
Chen Mo casually put his hand on Big Super's shoulder.
Tsk tsk tsk, is this the gene of a god among men? It's rather tempting!
"Wake up, they're coming here with a planetary terraforming engine, planning to format Earth directly into Krypton."
Whether you surrender or not, everyone on Earth will become dead shrimp in a septic tank. Your little act of self-sacrifice is worthless except for making yourself feel good.
Clark was startled, staring at Chen Mo in astonishment. "How do you know all this?"
Seeing the tense atmosphere, the priest coughed lightly and gently interjected.
"For lost children, God will guide the lost sheep."
The priest looked into Clark's struggling eyes and spoke slowly.
"Sometimes you have to take the first step of faith; trust is built up afterward."
"Father, your Mind Stone for the soul is perfectly cooked, but unfortunately, you used the wrong ingredients."
Chen Mo interrupted the priest without any politeness and spoke slowly and deliberately.
"Faith and trust are things that depend on whom you entrust them to."
Humanity is a vast population, numbering in the billions.
"This guarantees, statistically speaking, that among this group there will certainly be noble individuals worthy of your trust, but there will also be no shortage of despicable, shameless, selfish, and vile scoundrels."
"If you blindly trust someone, you'll be lucky if you meet a good person, but if you meet a bad one, you'll be swindled out of everything, even your underwear."
Clark sat on the bench, silent for a long time.
He exhaled a long breath, and his once hunched shoulders straightened up like a mountain again.
"My friend, you're right. Zod will never let Earth go."
Clark stood up, his bio-field rippled slightly with determination, and his eyes became incredibly resolute.
"But I still decided to stand up and surrender to the military."
"I am not surrendering to alien invaders; I am surrendering to the human civilization that adopted me and protected me as I grew up."
Even if they doubt me, I will hand over the initiative to them and prove that I am on the side of the earth.
Chen Mo sat on the bench, looking up at the Krypton who had finally emerged from his confusion, a playful smile spreading across his lips.
"Well done, that's quite an achievement."
Chen Mo patted his trouser leg, slowly stood up, and straightened his collar.
"Perfect timing. I am a genuine pure-blooded human, currently serving part-time as the Director of the Secret Service. Your application to surrender has been accepted on behalf of humanity."
Clark was stunned for a moment, not yet realizing what nonsense this man was spouting.
Just then...
Boom!
The church's tightly closed side door was instantly flung open by the violent airflow.
With a piercing screech of brakes and crackling, fiery red arcs of electricity, a scarlet figure tumbled and scrambled inside.
"Cough cough cough! Chen Mo! You ran way too fast!"
Barry rubbed his aching thighs, pulled off his red hood, and shouted breathlessly while leaning against the doorframe.
"I just hung those seven robbers in Times Square upside down from a lamppost, and the moment I turned around, you were gone!"
"And what are you doing at the church in the middle of the night? Are you planning to confess to the priest about cheating me out of my money?!"
Barry muttered to himself as he looked up.
The next second, his gaze met that of Clark Kent, who was dressed in casual clothes and had a towering, imposing figure.
Barry's mouth gaped open, and he froze on the spot.
He glanced at Clark, then at Chen Mo, before instinctively taking a half-step back and pointing at Clark, stammering.
"Holy crap... Chen Mo, didn't you say you were going to find aliens?"
"Where... where did you find this bodybuilding Champion?!"