By the time Robert flew up into the sky, he could clearly see that General Zod's injuries were severe, so severe that even if Clark didn't intervene, Zod wouldn't be able to recover. Clark wasn't exactly attacking either; he was merely suppressing General Zod with his bio-field, completely restraining him without any apparent intention of finishing him off.
"Clark, what's going on?" Robert asked, puzzled as he noticed that Clark wasn't looking at him or General Zod but was instead scanning the ground, as if searching for something. Robert followed Clark's gaze but saw nothing, prompting him to inquire further.
"The Kryptonian body that the Martian Manhunter killed earlier is missing," Clark explained without even glancing at Robert. "After the Martian Manhunter killed him, he went to the battlefield in New York. Although the body was blasted apart, it wasn't completely destroyed. But when I looked again, the remains had disappeared..."
Hearing this, Robert's expression instantly darkened. With his experience from the Dragon Ball world and the androids, he was always careful to eliminate his enemies completely, rarely leaving behind a corpse. After all, while it wasn't clear if this world had android technology, cloning technology definitely existed. The last thing Robert wanted was to see someone identical to him or Clark appear before him.
Dealing with Skrulls, who could mimic others, was already annoying enough; fighting clones would be even worse. Even though Robert enjoyed battle, the idea of fighting such enemies disgusted him.
Now, hearing Clark's explanation, Robert quickly connected it to the possibility of cloning or androids. He also recalled the mysterious device that took the Space Stone, leading him to suspect that someone might be secretly watching their actions and waiting for the right moment to strike.
This mysterious figure seemed somewhat similar to Dr. Grodd, but Robert had no idea who this person could be. Without having met or located the target's energy, Robert couldn't find them. He thought Clark might be better suited for this task, given that Kryptonians had superior vision compared to the enhanced sight Robert possessed. If Clark wanted to, there was almost nothing on Earth he couldn't see.
"So, did you find anything? I tracked the Space Stone earlier, and it was taken by some mechanical device. Do you think there's a connection between the two?" Robert asked, offering Clark a new clue.
"The Space Stone is missing too? I could see the base where the Space Stone was kept, but it's no longer there..." Clark replied, shaking his head as he glanced in the direction of the former Space Stone base.
"Could it be S.H.I.E.L.D.? Then again, they might have realized the Space Stone's location was compromised and moved it elsewhere after stealing it back," Robert mused, rubbing his chin. He couldn't come up with any useful intelligence, as there were too few clues. In Robert's mind, all official organizations were suspects, and it was possible that different groups were responsible for taking the Space Stone and the Kryptonian remains.
"I checked S.H.I.E.L.D., but I didn't find any Kryptonian remains or the Space Stone. I've swept through America several times, but nothing unusual has shown up..." Clark sighed after a while, sounding somewhat frustrated.
"You didn't find anything?" Robert's expression grew serious as he hesitantly looked at Clark. "Not a single clue? That doesn't make sense. Even if someone used the Space Stone to move it, I should have sensed some spatial fluctuations. The closure of the space portal earlier disrupted the surrounding spatial forces, which prevented me from locating the Space Stone's new position..."
"If I can't sense anything now, then they probably didn't use the Space Stone. But if they didn't, could they really have left America so quickly?"
"They might not have left America at all; maybe they're still here, but I just can't see them..." Clark finally shifted his gaze, his expression turning serious.
"You can't see them? How is that possible?" Robert asked in disbelief. "Are you saying someone with abilities beyond our understanding is involved, like that bar Lucifer mentioned or the sanctums of Kamar-Taj?"
"No, I'm saying that my eyes can't see through everything. For example, I can't see through materials containing lead," Clark explained with a shrug. "And it's not just me; Kara is the same way. Probably all Kryptonians have this limitation."
"What causes that?" Robert asked, surprised to discover this limitation of Clark's X-ray vision, something Kara hadn't mentioned before.
"The reason is simple: I use X-ray vision, and lead is highly absorbent of X-rays, so I can't see through it," Clark explained.
"So you're saying someone might have hidden the Space Stone and the Kryptonian remains in lead?" Robert's expression turned serious again. "Do you know what that means?"
"If someone did that intentionally, it means they're targeting me and might even know about some of my weaknesses..." Clark nodded, speaking in a calm tone.
"Hahaha!" At that moment, General Zod, who was still restrained by Clark, suddenly burst into laughter. "Kal-El, this is the world you want to protect? You claim to be its guardian, but do they really see you that way? Someone's already plotting against you, trying to steal our Kryptonian genes and powers. Sooner or later, this world will turn against you!"
"As long as there are people on this planet I care about, I'll continue to protect it. A few with ill intentions won't change that. Didn't Krypton have villains like you?" Clark retorted, unfazed by Zod's words.
"I'm not a villain!" Zod roared, his anger flaring. "I just wanted to find a better path for Krypton! Everything I did was for the future of our civilization!"
"Maybe the ones targeting me think they're doing it for Earth's future. It's not uncommon for villains to have grand ideals," Clark said with a chuckle.
"Indeed. You must know about Thanos, right? Are you and he working together to invade Earth? Isn't he another villain with a grand ideal?" Robert agreed, deliberately testing Zod.
"You know about Thanos? Did you capture his people?" Zod asked, momentarily surprised before regaining his composure. Given Robert's displayed power, Zod believed that the Black Order wouldn't stand a chance against him or his team after basking in the sun.
"Three escaped, but I caught two. It's a shame that Thanos, with his grand ideals, didn't lead from the front. If he had, we could have taken care of him once and for all..." Robert sighed regretfully, then turned to Clark.
"It's time to deal with this guy. He's just an appetizer. The ultimate danger lies in Thanos and his grand ideals. We need to share information about him."
"As for your fellow Kryptonian enemy, should we cut him up and use him as bait, or give him a quick death to avoid having him cloned as another enemy?"
"You!" Zod's pupils shrank slightly. Although he was prepared for death, Robert's casual discussion of how to kill him still made him uncomfortable.
"Forget it. It's probably not worth using him as bait. Whoever took the Kryptonian remains is likely very cautious, especially if they managed to take them so precisely. They might have been monitoring the battlefield closely. Cloning an ordinary Kryptonian isn't a big deal, but Zod's genes are more dangerous, so we should be careful..." Clark pondered for a moment before looking at Zod. "So, any last words?"
"Can I see Jor-El one last time?" Zod asked with a self-deprecating smile. "I wanted to find a suitable path for Krypton, but it seems I've failed..."
"But Jor-El's path has failed too. You've survived with Kryptonian genes, but you're just an individual. Even if Earthlings accept you, you can't rebuild a civilization on your own. I want to know what Jor-El was thinking..."
"You sure have a lot of requests!" Robert grumbled impatiently. With the pressing matters of Thanos, the Space Stone, and the missing Kryptonian remains, he wanted to deal with Zod quickly.
"Actually, it makes sense. At least if I take him there, his body won't be exploited by others. That place is absolutely safe..." Clark smiled and explained to Robert.
"Just make sure you dispose of his body properly afterward. We don't want it messing up Kong's ecosystem or creating any monsters!" Robert agreed but reminded Clark, not wanting any Kryptonian dinosaurs appearing on their last safe haven.
"I know. Go take care of your business, and let me know what you find." Clark nodded, then disappeared with General Zod.
"Nothing unusual..." Robert muttered as he swept the area with his telekinesis but found no suspicious traces. Given Earth's current technological level, it was possible to hide and observe the battlefield from the ground, but it would be much harder to do so from the air, especially when Clark and Zod were fighting at such high speeds.
Soon, Robert also disappeared, returning to the Avengers' base to see if the Martian Manhunter had extracted any more information about the Infinity Stones or Thanos from Black Dwarf.
Meanwhile, Clark took General Zod back to the remote island. Zod finally met his old nemesis, Jor-El, or rather, the artificial intelligence created from Jor-El's consciousness.
To Zod, this AI was essentially Jor-El, just without a physical body.
"What were you thinking? My path failed, and you didn't support me, but your path hasn't succeeded either. I admit your son has become powerful, perhaps the most powerful individual in Kryptonian history, but he still can't carry on our civilization..." Zod asked directly, not bothering with pleasantries.
"You're about to die, and you still don't understand?" Jor-El sighed, looking at Zod. "I just wanted my son to survive. If
Krypton's civilization is doomed to extinction, then let it end naturally. Why struggle and force our descendants to repeat our mistakes? This is the fate we deserve, the result of our own choices..."
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