A video was playing in the control room.
In the video, Luke, wearing his Ghost armor, stood beside General Zod, an AK rifle pressed against the latter's forehead, looking as if he could shoot at any moment.
"Kara, should we stop him?"
Linda, her face pale, remained silent, a complex, inexpressible look flashing in her eyes.
Luke, are you really going to shoot?
...Death is a very peculiar event.
People with different experiences have different views on it: a destitute person with nothing to lose and no prospects in life doesn't care about life or death, while someone who fully enjoys material and spiritual life cherishes their life greatly.
The former has too little, the latter has too much.
Dru-Zod was a different kind of person.
He didn't care about pleasure, money, or status; he was a pioneer with an absolute sense of national spirit and a grand mission, determined to give everything for the future of Krypton, even if it cost him his life.
So, he wasn't afraid to die, but he couldn't die.
The task of rebuilding civilization had just begun; if he died, who would shoulder this responsibility? Relying on those weaklings from the House of El was simply impossible.
A mix of emotions intertwined, and thus, a strange scene unfolded.
Zod's face was taut, his eyes wide with fury as if he wanted to devour someone, yet a look of unfulfilled ambition and unwillingness to die prematurely showed through.
Such an expression should be made into an oil painting and displayed in a museum.
Luke pulled back the bolt, his finger on the trigger, his killing intent growing even more intense.
"General, any last words?"
Zod couldn't take it; he could die, but not now.
"What do you want to let me go?!"
His hoarse voice echoed in the room, like a weak tiger begging a fox for mercy. Luke couldn't help but smile, the corners of his mouth turning up, his eyes narrowing in undisguised pleasure.
Linda, witnessing this scene, was dumbfounded.
Dru-Zod, Krypton's highest military commander, known for his authoritarianism and arrogance, was actually begging for mercy!
Why was this happening?
Linda didn't like General Zod, in fact, she could be said to despise him, but as a Kryptonian, she absolutely did not want to see such a scene.
A military commander of a higher civilization bowing to an aboriginal of a lower civilization—this wasn't just a matter between two individuals; it was a clash between civilizations.
Luke smiled faintly, "General, can I take your words as a plea for mercy?"
Zod closed his eyes, trembling violently from shame and indignation.
"It seems the General is not convinced. How about this: you put on your combat suit, and we have another fight. If you can beat me, I'll let you all go. If you lose, I'll kill three of your subordinates. How about that?"
Zod took a deep breath, suppressing the rage in his heart, and said word by word,
"If you want to humiliate me, go ahead."
Luke clapped his hands.
"The General is truly a General. To maintain such composure even at this point, I'm impressed."
"Actually, personally, I don't want to kill anyone. After all, you are some of Linda's few compatriots. If I kill you, she'll definitely be very sad. However, some things must be made clear."
Luke stepped back, put away the AK rifle, and his killing intent dissipated. "I'm a pragmatic person who clearly distinguishes between favors and grievances. Simply put, as long as it doesn't involve matters of principle, everything can be exchanged for benefits."
"General, what are you prepared to exchange for your life and the lives of your subordinates?"
Hearing this, Zod breathed a sigh of relief and said in a deep voice,
"What do you want?"
"Something of equal value, plus a portion for emotional distress."
Cunning Earthling.
Zod cursed inwardly. Something of equal value sounded simple but was very complicated to calculate. What could be more important than life?
"What exactly do you want?"
Luke rubbed his hands, looking a bit embarrassed,
"General,
let me ask you a question: what is the most precious thing to a person?"
Zod frowned slightly, not understanding what the other party was up to, and replied accordingly,
"Honor!"
"Wrong, wrong."
Luke shook his head repeatedly, "Honor is only limited to the military. I'm not a soldier, what would I want with it? Guess again."
Zod snorted coldly, closed his eyes, and said nothing more. He didn't want to play such clumsy and childish games.
Luke sighed, "The General's personality is suited for the battlefield, but not for leadership. If you were someone else's boss, you'd drag a whole group of people down."
"Since the General isn't interested in riddles, I'll just say it directly: for a person, the most precious thing is, of course, life. If life is gone, what else has meaning?"
"So, I don't want anything else, just lives."
"Your subordinates are brave and fearless, strong and decisive, with extremely high overall quality. They are rare good soldiers, and rare bodyguards. I appreciate them very much, especially Faora, Edwin, H'Raka, and Gor. Give them to me, and I'll let you go."
Zod couldn't help but burst into laughter, as if he had heard the most ridiculous joke.
"Earthling, Kryptonian soldiers will never betray their General, much less bow to a lower-level aboriginal. It's impossible for them to ever become your subordinates!"
Luke shook his head, "General, you might not know much about Earth. We have a kind of magic there that can twist people's minds, turning them into puppets who only obey their master. The only drawback is that during the casting process, the target must not have any resistance."
Luke leaned down and whispered in Zod's ear,
"And I happen to know this magic, General. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Never!"
Zod roared in fury, struggling violently, making the hospital bed shake. "Don't even think about enslaving my compatriots with your damned sorcery. I'd rather die than agree."
"Don't say it so harshly. It's just control, not enslavement. Besides, there are nine of you, and I only want four. Four for five, you even gain one, aren't you?"
"Get out!"
Slap!
Luke slapped him across the face, then grabbed his throat with his right hand, pulling him close. Killing intent surged in his eyes, and a terrifying aura pressed down like a tsunami.
"Dru-Zod, who do you think you are? A Kryptonian General? Bah! You're just a cowardly, incompetent waste, an idiot with incomplete genes. On Earth, there are at least eight thousand, if not ten thousand, people like you. I only called you 'General' out of respect for Linda, and you actually think you're somebody."
Slap!
Another slap landed, and half of Zod's face immediately turned purplish-red.
"Let me tell you, I'm taking the people I want. It doesn't matter if you don't agree. I'll try them one by one. If anyone doesn't agree, I'll put a hole in you and see if they dare to resist."
With that, he punched him in the head, making Zod see stars and feel dizzy, then unlocked the buckles on the hospital bed and dragged him out by the neck.
The situation changed too quickly for Linda to react. Seeing Luke's methods becoming increasingly ruthless, she quickly stood up. Just then, the situation changed again.
Zod seemed to realize something, wrapping his arms around the table leg. No matter how Luke slammed him, he wouldn't let go.
Luke said helplessly, "General, why bother? You've already lost. A loser should accept defeat. This dragging on will only make me look down on you."
"Let them go!"
Zod looked up, his eyes filled with despair.
"As long as you let them go, you can take everything of mine."