hotmtlnovel Chapter 4327 Body of Steel (32)
Chapter 4327 Body of Steel (32)
Chapter 4327 Body of Steel (Thirty-Two)
Clark walked into the Los Angeles airport, looked around in the waiting area, and soon spotted that familiar face.
"Diana, Diana, over here!" he waved and called out.
Diana, carrying her suitcase, came over and hugged him. The expert and his several assistants followed behind.
“I heard you’ve made quite a name for yourself,” Diana said. “But it’s timely; at least we don’t have to stay in that godforsaken place in the Arctic to do our research anymore.”
Clark smiled and said, "That makes me feel that all my efforts have been worthwhile."
He walked over and shook hands with the expert, then said, “Don’t worry, Doctor. I’ve reached an agreement with the military. They won’t control you or force you to dissect aliens anymore. You can continue your research as you wish. The labs in Los Angeles have the most advanced equipment, which should be helpful to your research.”
“You’ve been a great help, Mr. Kent. I didn’t expect you to step forward.”
Clark sighed inwardly. It wasn't entirely his choice to step forward; he had no other option.
However, the return of the experts and Diana did indeed improve his mood considerably. He had finally accomplished something through his own efforts.
Having become a trusted intermediary for all parties, Clark decided to do something. After much thought, he realized there weren't many things he could do or even accomplish. Ultimately, he decided to talk to the military and tell them to stop focusing solely on dissecting aliens. Their experts are conducting such valuable research; is it really fair that they're wasting their time hiding in the Arctic just to avoid them?
Clark knew from his previous visit to the research station that the natural environment was harsh and the specialized equipment was limited. Keeping experts there was a complete waste of talent. Now that he had a certain influence, he naturally had to bring them back as soon as possible; it would be good for all of humanity.
The military initially disagreed. Fortunately, the mysterious black officer reappeared, and after some back-and-forth negotiations, the military finally compromised. The black officer also helped Clark find a professional laboratory in Los Angeles so that the expert research team could set up shop there.
In fact, this expert is a top figure in the field and has no shortage of laboratories and research resources. However, the topic is somewhat sensitive, given that aliens are still overhead. Even for the sake of secrecy, he has to go to a secret laboratory. But no matter what, Los Angeles is much better than the Arctic.
As soon as Clark stepped out of the airport, he saw the black officer. He walked up and shook hands with him, and the officer smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
Diana stared at the black officer for a while, as if she had noticed something, but she wisely said nothing.
The three traveled in one car, while the experts and research team rode in the official vehicle behind. The Black officer drove, and Clark eagerly shared his recent observations with him.
He talked on and on for a while, then suddenly realized with some embarrassment that he didn't seem to know the officer's name, so he asked, "Excuse me, sir, what's your name?"
“John Jones. You can call me Colonel Jones.”
“Yes, Colonel. You… um, I mean, why did everyone say… they all said they'd never seen you before when I mentioned you at the military base that day?”
This question had been weighing on Clark's mind for a long time. He didn't think the officer was fake, because the man moved freely between various military bases and his words carried weight. However, the others before didn't seem to be acting either; they genuinely didn't appear to have seen a Black officer before.
"Then I have a question for you too, why can you fly?"
“Because I have superpowers,” Clark replied. This was in accordance with his agreement with the federal government and the military not to reveal his alien identity, but only to say that he was a superhuman.
“Me too,” the Black officer replied with a smile.
"You're a superpowered person too? My god, aren't there too many people with superpowers?" Clark said with a sigh. "I have them, you have them, Diana had them..."
“It’s much more than you think,” Diana said. “Have you heard of Atlantis?”
"You mean that mysterious underwater city?"
"That's right, it really exists. Sea creatures live there. If you have time, you can fly out to sea and take a look; you might even see them."
"Really?" Clark asked, somewhat surprised. "They really live in the water?"
“That’s right. They can also control the seawater, that’s amazing,” Diana said after thinking for a moment. “Besides, I’ve also seen other demigods on land…”
"Other demigods? Excuse me, let me interrupt. What is a demigod?"
"They are the children born from the union of humans and gods. I am a demigod."
"God? God?"
"No, it's Zeus. My father is Zeus."
Clark's jaw nearly dropped. He exclaimed, "Zeus?! You mean the Zeus from mythology? The one who goes around striking everything with lightning???"
"It is indeed Zeus from mythology, but he doesn't randomly strike with lightning. Wait, I thought you were going to say he had a chaotic private life..."
“That’s a bit presumptuous,” Clark said cautiously. “I’d rather call it a strong reproductive drive.”
“It’s not much better,” Diana said. “You’d better remember that there are always people more capable than you. Even though you’re already very strong, there’s always someone stronger out there. You should keep a low profile when you’re out and about.”
Clark listened, nodding thoughtfully. He too had realized that this earth was indeed a place where hidden talents abounded.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. Krypton is so far from Earth, yet they managed to send a spaceship carrying a baby over. It's not surprising that closer alien civilizations would send things over too, right? Over the years, they must have accumulated quite a bit. I've only lived on Earth for a few years; looking back, I might have had ancestors from the dinosaur era.
Then again, the story of ancient Egyptian civilization battling aliens might not actually be true. Perhaps, during that period, some alien civilization actually sent a spaceship there?
Thinking about it this way, Clark felt quite safe. As an Earthling, he wasn't alone here. He knew Bruce, and he got along well with Louise; he wasn't without friends. As a superhuman, he also knew Diana and this officer named Jones; he wasn't an isolated case. And as an alien, although he didn't know any other aliens yet, he felt there must be other aliens on Earth, and he would encounter them eventually.
So no matter what his identity is, he is never alone, never has been.
The car arrived at the base, and the Black officer led them on a tour. Clark donated some of his hair and blood for the experts to study. Of course, he had been wearing the green gem the entire time, and although he felt occasionally uncomfortable, he was much better now.
He also discovered a benefit of the green gem: he no longer needed to control his power. This thing almost completely diminished his superpowers, leaving him only slightly stronger than an average person. This meant he could live like a normal person without worrying about accidentally knocking down a building with a single punch.
In fact, controlling his superpowers is ingrained in his instincts, and his super brain provides the necessary support, but this also consumes computing power. If the emerald is used to weaken it, this computing power can be freed up, allowing his super brain to think about more things.
After spending the day with the gem, Clark found himself starting to like the feeling. The dizziness brought on by the gem became somewhat like the slight intoxication after drinking alcohol, and the heaviness brought on by the weakened power made him feel closer to reality, rather than constantly detached.
In the evening, Diana asked him out for drinks. The two chose a beach bar; the temperature in Los Angeles wasn't too low, so they sat outside, watching the sunset and drinking.
Clark marveled at the cocktail that was served. It was a liquid that changed from yellow to green, resembling a meadow in early spring. The top was a rich orange, while the bottom was a fluorescent green. The rim of the glass was decorated with small kumquats and lemon slices, making it look very pretty.
"Didn't I order Sunset Boulevard?" Diana asked the bartender. "Is this what I ordered?"
"Yes. Our Sunset Boulevard has been redesigned; don't you think it looks more like a Los Angeles sunset?"
Diana looked at the very pretty cocktail, nodded, and said, "Indeed, it looks like a meadow at dusk. It's quite nice."
"Thank you, please enjoy your meal."
Clark hesitated. He picked up his glass, took a sip, and then clicked his tongue.
He used to not drink alcohol, or rather, because alcohol was metabolized so quickly that it tasted like a soft drink, but without the rich flavor of a soft drink. So he preferred to drink soft drinks rather than alcohol.
This time, however, after tasting that familiar alcoholic flavor, he actually felt a warm sensation. He took another sip and realized it wasn't his imagination; when he swallowed the liquor, his throat and chest felt warm, followed by a swelling in his eyes, a slight dizziness, and a ticklish feeling all over his body.
Diana quickly stopped him from drinking and said, "My God, is this your first time drinking?"
"You said it yourself, I'm just a baby, is it strange that it's my first time drinking alcohol?"
“Okay, my bad. I thought you wouldn’t get drunk,” Diana sighed. “Logically, our metabolism is very fast, and the alcohol should be metabolized before it even has a chance to work.”
“Yeah, that should be it,” Clark said, dazed, “but I brought that gem, and I think…”
Before he could finish speaking, he collapsed onto the table. He woke up the next day.
"Oh God, my head!" Clark screamed. He swayed as he sat up in bed, clutching his throbbing head, feeling dizzy and disoriented.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Clark went to open it, and Diana stood outside, handing him a glass of warm water and saying, "Have some water; you were too drunk last night."
"Why am I feeling so bad?" Clark couldn't help but ask.
“This is called a hangover,” Diana explained patiently. “The alcohol residue that can’t be metabolized stays in your body, causing headaches and a series of other adverse reactions. It can be very uncomfortable. You shouldn’t have drunk so much yesterday.”
"But...but I only drank three sips yesterday."
“This is your first time drinking alcohol, and three sips is already quite a lot,” Diana said, shaking her head helplessly. “Drink your water and go take a nap. You have to go for a blood test this afternoon.”
(End of this chapter)