Chapter 140: Are You Awake?
Outer space, Fort Rozz.
"They don't look so tough."
General Zod stood before the control console, arms folded as he contemptuously watched the A.R.G.U.S. Base on the screen scrambling before the Kryptonian giant beast.
"We mustn't be careless," Non said in a grave voice. "I thought so at first, too. But my elites were defeated at this place one after another. There must be something special about it."
"Hmm." General Zod grunted and fell silent.
The two watched in silence as the giant beast rampaged through the base, flattening everything in its path. The A.R.G.U.S. personnel surrounded it, giving it a missile scrub-down and a photon-rejuvenation treatment, but after a full round of damage output, its Health Points were reduced by a grand total of zero.
General Zod looked at Non without a word, his expression clearly saying, "You know what I'm about to say."
Non's expression turned ugly, but he insisted in a low voice, "Wait a little longer. They must have a secret weapon!"
A few minutes later, the entire base had been razed to the ground by the flame giant beast. After its rampage and having had its fill, the giant beast patted its belly in satisfaction, turned to dig a hole in the ground, and vanished inside moments later.
Zod looked at Non again.
"This... this shouldn't be happening," Non was bewildered.
How could this pathetically weak force have dealt them one setback after another, and even cost him his Wife?
Did these people really have the ability to uncover his plans for the Great Purge and even silently take out several base stations?
"In fact, the flame giant beast Dikarn was merely the first probing step," General Zod said expressionlessly. "If they had handled it well, we would have followed up with a shielding pulse, gravity field distortion, and quantum detonation...
But I didn't expect their combat power to be so fragile that it would crumble before Dikarn. The subsequent deployments weren't needed at all."
It was only because Non kept insisting that something was fishy that General Zod had gotten a little serious, setting up layer after layer of deployments as if for a proper battle.
In the end, it felt like an expert player trying to predict the movements of a novice. All his predictions about their positioning and ability usage came to nothing. How could you possibly predict that your opponent would use no skills and just charge in a straight line to feed them a free kill?
"Something's wrong. There's definitely something wrong!" Non couldn't wrap his head around it.
"Or perhaps, it's simply that you don't fully understand your own subordinates," Zod said coldly. "The same probably goes for your so-called plan."
Non said in a deep voice, "What are you implying?"
"I'm saying you suck."
Non: "..."
"But it doesn't matter." Zod smiled confidently. "I will take over from here. New Krypton will be established here, and the civilization of Krypton will be glorious once more."
After a pause, his voice turned a few shades darker.
"But it will be done my way."
HISHE Coffee Shop, Underground.
A new table had been set up in Orin Vale's laboratory, on which various pieces of experimental equipment were placed. It was specially arranged for Kara, making it convenient for her to study and do research here on a daily basis.
However, the table was now piled high with all sorts of snacks, and the Kryptonian cat, Stryker, was floating nearby, dozing in mid-air. And the beautiful Kryptonian girl, who was supposed to be studying, was currently propping up her long legs, clutching a controller and mashing the buttons with her thumbs as she stared at the fighting game on the screen before her.
On the screen, Kara was controlling Superman, facing off against a Batman controlled by some unknown player online. At this moment, the Superman she was controlling was pinned in the corner by her opponent, trapped by a combo that kept her stuck to the wall.
"K.O.!"
Her health bar emptied. Kara was so mad that the ahoge on her head stood straight up. "This is unfair!"
"According to my calculations, if you were to use your super-brain to compute and react, you should be able to win easily," Pal said in her ear.
"But that would take all the fun out of the game," Kara pouted, tossing the controller aside. "Besides, the design of this game is so illogical. How can Batman fight my cousin? Isn't he just a normal guy in some equipment?"
"I believe most of the populace is unaware that he's a normal person. Besides, it's just a fighting game," Pal said.
"Yeah, I know. But it's still ridiculous. I think they definitely made Batman too strong. He needs a nerf!"
"It's highly likely because this is a fighting game produced by Wayne Enterprises."
Kara tilted her head in thought, and the ahoge on her head went limp again.
"Alright, you have a point... oh right, remember what you promised. You absolutely can't tell Orin Vale that I was secretly playing games when I was supposed to be studying."
She was only halfway through her sentence when her little ears twitched, and her expression suddenly changed.
"Crap! I think I hear him coming back!"
The girl immediately activated her super speed, her afterimage sweeping through the laboratory like a whirlwind. In a single second, her game console, controller, and the table full of snacks all vanished.
When Orin Vale pushed the door open and entered, the girl was already sitting upright in her chair, studying and researching with a serious expression while scribbling and calculating in a small notebook.
Except that her blonde hair was a mess, like a startled cat's.
"Oh, you're back!" Kara turned her head, smoothed down a stray strand of hair, and smiled. "I almost didn't notice, I was so focused... you know, focused on my studies, definitely not on playing games or anything weird like that..."
Just as she said that, a cabinet door next to her clicked open. A mountain of snacks that had been haphazardly stuffed inside came pouring out onto the floor like a flood.
Orin Vale raised an eyebrow, glancing at the pile of snacks on the floor.
"Uh..."
Kara's face flushed red with embarrassment as her super-brain worked at lightning speed.
"Stryker hid them!"
Kara pointed at Stryker, who was floating in the air nearby.
The Kryptonian cat: ???
Stryker, who had been dozing, suddenly snapped its eyes open and let out a "meow," as if to ask, "Are you awake?"
"So, you've been studying diligently this whole time?" Orin Vale asked.
"Of course."
Kara puffed out her chest proudly.
"Then what's the content of the third subsection of chapter one hundred and eighty-two on Astrophysics, under the Straw Hat Galaxy section in Brainiac's database?"
"Huh?"
Kara's expression froze, and her eyes began to shift about evasively.
"I... forgot. I've been reading so much content, and the knowledge points are so numerous and complex..."
Orin Vale squinted at her.
*Why don't you try using that super-brain of yours and rethink what you just said?*
"Alright," Kara hung her head. "I was secretly playing games today."
Orin Vale smiled.
"It's not like you can't play games. I'm not a monster; I never said you weren't allowed to play."
"Really!?" Kara's eyes lit up.
"Of course. And if you can successfully complete the project I gave you, I'll even buy you the latest console from Wayne Electronic Entertainment that's coming out next month. How about it?"
"No problem!"
Kara was instantly filled with motivation and happily went off to get started.
"Sir, there's abnormal activity at Teles Volcano. An uncharacteristic eruption just occurred. The residents of the town at the foot of the mountain are being evacuated as we speak."
"A volcano?"
Orin Vale took the floating screen that Pal projected, zooming in on it. The news was reporting on the event. A reporter was facing the camera, explaining the situation, while black smoke billowed from the volcano crater behind her. On screen, the populace was being evacuated under the arrangement of local authorities.
"Yes. Abnormal magma movement has caused a sudden eruption. Something seems to be drawing the magma to gather at the base of the volcano, accompanied by a powerful negative energy reaction."
Orin Vale frowned, wondering why this situation sounded so familiar.
*Don't tell me there's a Golza buried under this volcano too?*
(end of chapter)