The heavy alloy gate slammed shut deep underground in the Laojin Mine.
The massive underground bunker was illuminated as brightly as day by tens of thousands of fluorescent tubes.
Dozens of heavily armed military vehicles slowly drove into the base through the thick blast-proof gate.
Above the ventilation duct, two faint arcs of electricity flashed by.
Chen Mo squatted on the steel beam with his hands in his pockets, looking quite content.
Barry, standing to the side, gripped the edge of the pipe tightly, so tense he held his breath.
"Dude, are we really not going to get caught?"
Barry lowered his voice and used the Speed Force to compress his speech into an extremely narrow frequency range as he complained.
"Wouldn't this be considered illegal infiltration of state secrets? I'm a public official; if I get caught, I'll be dismissed."
Chen Mo glanced at him sideways, "Don't worry, if we get caught, I'll just say you're the mastermind and I'm your hostage."
Barry's lips twitched. "Could you be any more of a scoundrel?"
Clark, who had just stepped off the armored vehicle, twitched his ears slightly.
He looked up and glanced discreetly at the dark ventilation ducts overhead.
With his super hearing, the pointless bickering of those two guys was practically like having a loudspeaker playing in his ear.
Clark reluctantly looked away, but felt a strange sense of peace in his heart.
However, the scene before him completely baffled this young god among mortals.
None of the imagined scenes of cold interrogation, torture, or being locked in a specially made electric cage as if they were alien monsters appeared.
On either side of the heavy gate, dozens of senior Foundation dressed in pure white robes stood in neat rows.
Their expressions were solemn and dignified, their right hands neatly placed on their left chests, as they bowed deeply to Clark as he stepped off the tank.
The posture was extremely humble and respectful, as if welcoming a true deity who had descended to earth.
"Is this... is this some kind of cult's investiture ceremony?"
Barry's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he stared at the ventilation duct.
The leader was an elderly man with gray hair and gold-rimmed glasses, whose face even carried a gentle smile that was almost reverent.
"Quickly, untie this damned toy for our distinguished guest."
The old man strode forward and, before Clark could even speak, sternly reprimanded the soldier beside him, his tone full of self-reproach.
"Who gave you permission to treat our savior like this!"
Click.
The specially made alloy handcuffs, which even a heavy hydraulic press couldn't break, were removed on the spot and thrown to the ground with a crisp sound.
Clark flexed his wrist, his eyes filled with confusion.
"You... aren't you going to interrogate me?"
"Interrogation? Good heavens, that's the most foolish blasphemy against the gods."
The old man bowed deeply to Clark, his tone so humble it was impeccable.
"Let me introduce myself. I am the person in charge of this base. You can call me Dr. Collins."
"Great Son of Krypton, Lord Carl, our Foundation, on behalf of human civilization, pays you the highest tribute."
Clark instinctively took a half step back. "You know my Krypton name?"
"Of course, the ultimatum has spread to every corner of the earth; your name is known to everyone."
Dr. Collins looked up, his eyes gleaming with a fervent and sincere light.
"When General Zod casts the shadow of destruction over all of humanity, can you choose to step forward and shield mortals with your own body?"
The old man took another step forward and grabbed Clark's hand.
"This compassion and divinity that transcends race is enough to inspire awe in every intelligent being."
Clark felt extremely uncomfortable with this long string of exaggerated praise.
"I just did what I thought was right. I grew up on Earth; this is my home."
Barry, sitting above the ventilation duct, rubbed his eyes, looking completely bewildered.
"Wait, did they pick up the wrong script? How come these people are more polite than me?"
Chen Mo sneered, "Come on, it's like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken; the main point is to maximize emotional value."
In the hall below, Dr. Collins waved away the fully armed guards surrounding him.
He led Clark toward the central circular control panel, his tone gradually becoming heavy and sorrowful.
"Your Excellency, we must acknowledge the insignificance and powerlessness of mortals."
"Faced with Starfleet's orbital bombardment, our aircraft and tanks are as vulnerable as children's building blocks."
"Human civilization, in the vast universe, could be easily wiped out at any moment, like a speck of dust."
Clark remained silent, his chest heaving slightly; he had a premonition that what was coming next was definitely not good.
Dr. Collins turned around and, with a thud, knelt down in front of Clark.
"Doctor! Get up!"
Clark was startled and quickly reached out to steady him.
The old man clung tightly to Clark's clothes, tears streaming down his cloudy eyes, his voice trembling as he pleaded.
"Your Excellency, the future of all humanity rests on your mercy at this moment!"
"We do not ask that you single-handedly hold off the entire fleet for us; we only beg you... to grant humanity the spark of self-preservation."
"If you are willing to donate a tiny sample of Krypton genes, the Foundation can decipher a higher-dimensional biological code, enabling humanity to achieve a leap in evolution!"
"By then, we will no longer be lambs to the slaughter; we will fight alongside you to defend this planet!"
These words were spoken with great righteousness, elevating the moral high ground directly to the summit of Mount Everest.
Clark stood frozen in place, caught in a massive ethical vortex.
He was willing to shed blood for humanity, even willing to die.
But he knew all too well the catastrophic consequences that would result if Krypton genes got out of control.
Entrusting extraordinary power to an immature mortal civilization is most likely not salvation, but rather a way for Earthlings to accelerate their own demise.
"I'm sorry... Doctor, power can't solve all problems."
Clark shook his head with difficulty, trying to refuse, "That's too dangerous."
"Dangerous? Don't you think humans are dangerous enough right now?"
Dr. Collins slowly stood up, the pity and humility on his face receding like the tide in an instant, replaced by an enigmatic smile.
"But it's alright, Your Excellency. Human evolution has never needed merciful handouts."
He bowed deeply to Clark once more.
Then, Dr. Collins smiled, raised his hand, and pressed the scarlet button on the center console without hesitation.
Buzz--!
The piercing buzzing sound shattered the tranquility of the hall.
The entire massive one-way explosion-proof glass wall suddenly became electrified and transparent, revealing the heavy water isolation chamber dozens of meters deep behind it.
The glaring green nutrient solution churned violently inside the chamber.
Thick, python-like biochemical tubing pierced through a massive, grotesque, grayish-white body.
The enormous monster's corpse was covered in protruding bone spikes and thick armor, exuding a suffocatingly brutal and oppressive aura.
Right in the center of its torn sternum was a scarlet, twisted bloodstain, resembling a grinning face.
Doomsday!
Chen Mo: "Has this guy been appearing on camera a little too often lately?"