“General, are you …”
Zod got back to the ship and got on the bridge.
Jax-Ur, the Thinker, was the first to approach, somewhat alarmed.
He and the rest of the Kryptonian warriors had a panoramic view of the previous battle.
In the confrontation between the two sides, each punch and kick emanated a terrifying aura. It was simply chilling.
Especially at the end, even powerful fighters like General Zod had fallen.
They could imagine how terrifying the uninvited guest was.
“It’s fine; it’s settled.”
Zod waved his hand. He and Luke reached a consensus.
As the latter said, there was no point in fighting with force.
Looking at the other party’s relaxed expression, it was clear that he hadn’t taken out his full strength.
If it took a long time, no one knew who the winner would be.
Besides, Luke was alone. He had the Kryptonian spacecraft and his own people.
If they really wanted to be enemies, it would do more harm than good.
“General, why did you let him in!?”
Jax-Ur caught a glimpse of Luke following him. With a wary look on his face, he almost activated the highest alert inside the ship.
“Be nice, my friend.”
Luke strutted forward with a smile on his face.
“After a heated and tense discussion, the General and I came to an agreement and decided to sit down calmly and talk for a while.”
Jax-Ur didn’t believe it at all.
He had never seen General Zod calmly negotiate with others.
If he encountered any problem, he would just smash it away with his fists.
Only when he encountered a situation that he couldn’t beat would he regain his rational thinking.
This was how the Kryptonian warriors do things!
The main highlight was one word.
Impulsive!
“Isn’t that right, General?”
Luke glanced past the other man to the silent Kryptonian general.
“Jax-Ur, everyone, step down. He is Kryptonian, one of our people.”
Zod hesitated for a long while, then dismissed the men around him.
He considered it clearly. Luke’s strength wasn’t inferior to his own — at least it seemed so on the surface.
He was Kryptonian, and they both were in the leader class.
There was no need to fight for Earth and other issues that could cause a lose-lose situation.
“You said that you could help us rebuild Krypton before … What do you have to offer?”
After taking a few deep breaths; for the greater good, for the sake of their home planet, Zod chose to compromise and gave in.
His tone of voice was slightly less hard and softened.
“Looking for a livable life planet? Not a problem.”
Luke snapped his fingers, looking confident.
He was thinking about how to bring Zod and his Kryptonian warriors into the Marvel Universe.
With this kind of fighters, what Crazy Titan, what Adam Warlock, what the three empires of the galaxy? They would all have to stand aside.
As for rebuilding Krypton?
As long as Zod no longer insisted on destroying Earth, Superman would certainly be willing to cooperate.
Clark’s ears were always soft, just like his heart.
In the end, the reason for the interracial fight was communication problems.
One was stubborn and tough, and the other would never back down.
It would be weird if they didn’t fight.
“It looks like you already have a suitable destination.”
Zod frowned.
Although he thought that a guy of unknown origin like Luke was untrustworthy.
But if the other party could really rebuild Krypton, reaching cooperation wasn’t impossible, or even greater compromises.
‘Everything for the big picture!’
This was Zod’s idea.
“General, those who know me know one thing very well. It’s that I would never use lies to achieve my goals.”
Luke raised an eyebrow. The corners of his lips curled up in a subtle curve.
His eyes were very clear, revealing a force of determination that people couldn’t help but want to believe.
“Then, I will give up the conquest on Earth as long as Kal hands over the Growth Codex!”
After a fierce battle, realising that his situation wasn’t great, Zod finally let go.
When he couldn’t achieve his goal with his fists, sitting down and negotiating was the only way out.
“Clark will agree. He’s actually a nice guy. You’re just using the wrong method.”
Luke pulled out a contract from God knows where, with intricate patterns and odd writing, and handed it to Zod.
“Let’s talk about the price. Rebuilding Krypton and getting Clark to hand over the Growth Codex … are all fine, and in return — you will accept employment from me.”
Zod frowned and looked puzzled.
‘Employment?’
‘What does that mean?’
“Here is an absolutely fair, no-frills contract. Sign it, and you and the rest of your Kryptonian brethren will have to work for me … for a period of time.”
“In the meantime, you need to follow my instructions and complete tasks from me.”
Luke’s eyes twinkled, trying to look sincere.
If Mephisto, the old devil of Hell, were here right now, he would definitely be able to recognise that the words in the contract were just a ruse.
Where the magical effect really was hidden in the surrounding pattern, which was almost difficult to see clearly.
Even if he could see it clearly, a layman without extensive experience and knowledge of magic wouldn’t be able to figure out the meaning.
This was the usual routine of the devil from Hell.
That was why people in the magic community were very careful and cautious when signing contracts.
Doctor Strange had lived on the streets for a period of time without any money, so he wrote the best-selling book ‘One Thousand Points for Attention to Distinguish the Devil’s Contract’.
“For a period of time? How long is that?”
Zod didn’t agree so easily, with a glint of caution in his eyes.
“30 years?”
Luke tentatively asked.
“That’s too long. We still have a lot of things to do.”
Zod decisively shook his head.
He was bent on devoting all his limited time to the great cause of building Krypton. How could he work for Luke for 30 years for nothing?
“15 years?”
Luke asked again.
“10 years! This is my bottom line!”
Zod narrowed his eyes.
After thinking about it, he answered.
He preferred a straightforward style of negotiation without so many twists and turns.
“10 years, then.”
Luke pretended to feel aggrieved about it. Then, he shrugged his shoulders and ‘helplessly’ agreed.
In the end, he also made a point of emphasising, “I, for one, value the spirit of the contract, General.”
“This contract will be notarised by some conceptual being, and if there’s a breach, a huge penalty will be imposed. Do you understand?”
Zod took the contract Luke handed him without changing his expression and coldly said, “As long as you get Kal to hand over the Growth Codex, my men and I don’t mind being mercenaries for a while.”
“Very well. As expected of a General, you go straight to the point.”
Luke clapped his hands in appreciation.
…
…
In Superman’s cell, the metal door was pushed open.
Clark, confined to an operating table, heard the movement and opened his heavy eyelids.
There was a blazing white light overhead, which made him dizzy.
“Clark.”
The familiar voice jolted him awake, and Superman struggled to see the person approaching.
‘Is this my older cousin’s voice?’
The lights dimmed for a moment and seemed to be moved away.
Luke smiled and softly asked, “Are you surprised? Surprised, right?”
Superman froze for a moment and then felt surprised.
“Cousin, why are you here!?”
Luke curled his lips and softly said, “You’re a prisoner. If I didn’t come to rescue you, Zod’s men would have sliced you up.”
Clark couldn’t help but feel ashamed when he heard that.
It was his recklessness and impulsiveness that led to this.
“I talked with Zod, and he decided to abandon his plan to make Earth the new Krypton.”
Luke casually ripped off the shackles that imprisoned Superman. The atmosphere inside the ship didn’t have any effect on him.
“Zod? … How could he agree?”
Clark subconsciously asked.
From previous contacts, it was clear to him that the Kryptonian General was a stubborn and extremely difficult guy to communicate with.
“I explained with love and reason and made Zod aware of his mistakes. He not only gave up his crazy idea but also decided to work for me … for a lifetime, to redeem his sins.”
Luke seriously replied.
There was no time limit in that contract.
Besides, as long as he signed his name, General Zod’s soul belonged to Luke’s underworld.
He was now reborn as a worker, don’t expect to have an easy time after death.
