Shadow of the Beautiful World

You have a mission, it's your birthright.

In the main control room of the Kryptonian immigration ship, the artificial intelligence claiming to be Clark's father said to Clark in front of him in a gesture of folding his hands on his abdomen:

When Krypton was destroyed, you were put into the shuttle cabin. Your mother and I watched you as a newborn being sent to the stars. In the echo of the world's destruction, we bless you.

The holographic projection waved its hand, and a recorded picture unfolded in front of Clark and Merlin.

It was a world on the eve of destruction.

The land like a wasteland split open, crimson magma spewed out from the cracks in the earth, and the whole world was shaking. In the unclear picture of looking at the earth from a bird's-eye view, those barren mountains one after another One by one, the black battleships suspended in the sky also fell into the sea of ​​​​destruction flames below in the chaos of gravity.

There was no sound, but the spectacle of destruction needed no sound.

Merlin stared at the picture, he could imagine the groaning of that world at the end, the scene of everything dying.

At the end of the picture, the angle of view of the recording is quickly reversed, and a vast expanse of stars becomes the backdrop and background. Clark’s small spaceship rushes into the stars, and behind him, the whole world is bursting with magma from the center of the earth. fall apart.

This is the last day of Krypton.

My son, this is your hometown, and this is the story before you were born.

The phantom of Kal-El reaches out to the still-continuing recording screen, and his face, which is very similar to Clark, does not have much expression. As an artificial intelligence, although it may indeed have all the memory and personality data of the Kryptonian Jor-El , but his natural data will make him rarely have real visible mood swings.

Clark didn't speak, and neither did Merlin, they watched the end of the picture.

In the final few seconds of the footage, they saw Clark's spacecraft rubbing wildly through the Earth's atmosphere, engulfed in thick flames, and finally crashed into the Kansas wilderness.

Finally, it was opened by a young couple with terrified faces.

In the throbbing smoke and steam, the faces of the couple could be seen faintly, old Kent and Martha in their youth.

They looked in surprise at the baby who was struggling to breathe in the spaceship. Finally, Martha, who was full of tenderness, stretched out her hand and held the baby in her arms. In the swaying starlight of Kansas, the two hugged Clark wrapped in a coat, Soon disappeared into the wilderness.

You've been monitoring Clark?

At the moment when the projection screen dissipated, Merlin said:

You said he had a mission, but why didn't you reveal it until now?

this is an accident.

The holographic projection spread his hands helplessly, and said to the two people in front of him:

When Karl was sent away from Krypton, Joe left a bionic machine on Karl's spaceship, which was supposed to be my 'body'. According to Joe's plan, after Karl arrived on Earth, I will raise Karl aldult.

But there was an accident during the fall. My carrier, that is, the master key in Carl's hand was taken away by the Kent couple. The technology in this world is not developed, and there is no device that can decode the master key.

If you hadn't found this immigrant ship that crashed on the earth 18,000 years ago, I'm afraid Karl would need more time to discover my existence.

He looked at Clark, and he said:

But luckily, it's not too late now.

The Kents are truly kind-hearted people. Although the way they raised Karl was a little blunt and cowardly, Karl's excellent bloodlines still allowed him to survive the challenges from this world and become a healthy Kryptonian. He has enough ability to fulfill their inherent responsibilities.”

You said you want me to rebuild Krypton?

Clark, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said:

How do I do it? Find a planet and rebuild my hometown with my own hands?

No no no no.

Jo-El's holographic projection shook his head, and said:

Rebuilding a world is a long and difficult process, my Carl, but it doesn't require you to move megaliths to build houses. The key to rebuilding Krypton has always been inside you, in every cell of your being, in every drop of your blood .”

The destruction of Krypton is a regrettable thing, but the cause of this destruction was not due to external pressure. It was the Kryptonians who personally triggered the collapse of civilization.

The holographic projection said softly:

The Kryptonian civilization existed for 100,000 years. In the first 70,000 years, our world was in a state of prosperity until a wrong policy was implemented.

Please follow me.

This projected figure disappeared in situ. With the help of the projection equipment in the spaceship, he flashed in the cabin like a ghost. He said to Merlin and Clark who followed him:

I will reveal to you the origin of Krypton's destruction. I believe that this can also bring enough warning to the people on earth.

After a while, the three came to the core control room of the spaceship. Jor-El's phantom waved his hand, and the door of the control room, which was originally closed, burst open, and a weird device appeared in front of the three of them.

It looks like a giant tree composed of metal and flesh, and each branch has a fruit-like tumor, which makes the tree look very strange, with a little bit of horror, but it has already Dried up, like a dead tree.

This is where the Kryptonians were born.

Joe's phantom said to Clark and Merlin with a touch of emotion and nostalgia:

This is the breeding room. Thirty thousand years ago, the rulers of the Kryptonians passed a resolution. In order to make the Kryptonians more perfect, they used genetic technology to plan our world, and the excellent genes were collected. Inferior genes are eliminated, people give up the highly uncertain natural birth process, and use biotechnology to shape 'better' offspring.

Before each Kryptonian is born, his status and responsibilities in society have been planned. Soldiers, rulers, workers, doctors, scientists, etc., have undergone several genetic adjustments to ensure that the newly born Kryptonians able to perform their duties perfectly.”

The holographic projection stood in front of the dry cultivation room with his hands behind his back, his tone became low and desolate:

Can you imagine? A society with a detailed division of labor, a society and civilization like an ant colony. Everyone performs their duties, and the whole society is like a machine connected by gears, which eliminates the selfish desires of each individual to the greatest extent and allows our Civilization continues to move forward.

It sounds uncomfortable.

Clark looked at the dry nurturing tree and said:

I can probably imagine that it must be a boring and boring world.

That was an impossible fantasy.

Merlin also said:

Your genetic modification only obliterates the innate infinite possibilities of every life. It seems to improve the efficiency of civilization operation, but it sacrifices precious free will, and civilization loses the right to choose. A society without fun and possibility It's a harbinger of doom to come, and you've lost your future while you're carrying out this stupid policy.

He said with some emotion:

There are also such lunatics chasing absolute efficiency and order on the earth, but fortunately, there is another group of people who are fighting against them, so as to avoid the same situation as yours in our future.

Yes, you are quite right.

With a long sigh the phantom of Joe said:

A brilliant civilization established in 70,000 years has declined rapidly in just 10,000 years. The homogeneity of genes has obliterated more possibilities, making our social development lack imagination and passion, and the entire civilization has become We are dead, but we feel good about ourselves, we gave up the exploration of the stars, and retreated back to our home planet, but Krypton's natural resources are not rich, and it cannot support the already bloated civilization.

Before the world was destroyed, we woke up, but it was too late.

Krypton collapsed. Before the collapse, Joe and his wife Leila, as the chief scientist, made a final adventure. He stole the Genesis Codex that stored all Kryptonian genes from the large breeding room on Krypton. And then transferred those diverse genes to his newly born son.

The phantom turned, looked at Clark, and said:

Carl, you are the only naturally born child in the centuries before the destruction of Krypton. You are free, and your genes contain all the genetic samples of Kryptonians, which is the cornerstone of rebuilding Kryptonian civilization.

You are one and all.

Your existence is the source of the rebirth of the Kryptonian civilization. That destroyed civilization will eventually multiply through your blood, and finally pass on the torch in this new world, and finally integrate into this world. When those genes are completely liberated At that moment, Krypton completed another kind of rebirth.”

We will continue to exist as a member of the earth's civilization, and you, you have to be a symbol, you have to guide them, guide this world, avoid letting him go on the path of destruction of Krypton, let it and the life it breeds follow Your steps move forward together, eventually

Spreading out its hands, the phantom said to Clark in an emotional voice:

In the end, they will stand with you among the stars.

This remark made both Clark and Merlin fall into silence, and the young Clark couldn't help touching his chest. He never thought that such a secret was hidden in his life experience.

Reviving a civilization may sound like an impossible task.

But compared to Clark's thinking, Merlin was concerned about another matter.

He rubbed his chin, looked at Clark strangely, and then looked at the phantom of Joe in front of him, and said:

I'm more curious about what Clark needs to do to complete the recovery of these civilizations and the liberation of genes you mentioned. The genetic modification of Kryptonians has been proven to be a failure.

So Karl needs to hurry up and reproduce his offspring!

Joe's Phantom said solemnly:

Mate with different females, spread the genes in your body, and release them in the form of original life. This is the release program set by Joe. Only naturally born life can be in the process of life formation. Self-complementing the variety and possibility that Kryptonians have lost.

Wow.

Merlin let out a dry exclamation, he stretched out his hand and patted Clark's shoulder with a confused expression, and said:

Your father is so kind to you. All he expects of you is that you become a peerless scumbag. You have to rely on yourself to reproduce a race. Well, to accomplish this 'great' goal, you have to change your girlfriend every day Probably not enough.

No, this

Clark shook his head, the young man blushed, he gritted his teeth and said:

It's wrong, I wouldn't do it!

You have to!

Joe's phantom came to Clark. He stretched out his hand and put it on Clark's shoulder. He said:

You have to do it. It's your calling. It's your responsibility. And besides, Carl, you're so underdeveloped of your potential.

The holographic projection looked at Clark very dissatisfied, and he said:

You are the best Kryptonian bloodline. Under the younger sun in this world, your body should become stronger, but you have not discovered your own energy. In theory, in this world with lighter gravity Here, you should be able to easily complete the flight, your ability to resist blows and recovery should be more than 10 times what it is now, and your pure strength should be more than 15 times what you are now

Facing the previous Cybertron robot, you should win more easily. Even Megatron, it will not be your opponent, but you are too weak now, Karl.

You need to be a symbol that guides the civilization of the earth, you need to be a hero recognized by all people on the earth, and you need a strong force to accomplish all this.

Your father wanted you to be a bridge between Kryptonians and Earthlings, he wanted you to be a great man

No.

Merlin shook his head, and he said to the holographic projection in front of him:

From your description, Clark's father hopes that he will become the 'god' of the earth and a god on earth. Only in this way can Clark's mission of recovering Krypton be better accomplished.

I can understand Jor-El's expectations for his son as a father, and I can also understand his desire to save his own civilization.

Merlin glanced back at Clark, and he said to Joe's holographic projection:

But unfortunately, I cannot allow you to do this.

Why?

The holographic projection asked in a puzzled tone:

This is not bad for your world, Earthlings. The recovery carried out by Karl can also improve the genes of Earthlings, making you weak and stronger. The combination of Kryptonian genes and Earthlings will make your civilization more advanced. Fast speed into a new stage, into the stars.

It sounds tempting, but we don't need it!

Merlin said softly:

This world has its own rules and order. Our development is benign and healthy. We don't need 'improvement' by external forces. This will only destroy our natural evolution. The destruction of Kryptonians has proved this. A The planned future is hopeless.

certainly.

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief. He stood beside Clark and put his hand on Clark's shoulder. He said:

another reason is

This young lad is my friend and I don't want to see him forced into a future that doesn't belong to him.

A gleam flashed in Merlin's eyes, and he said:

I hate the doomed future, I hate a predetermined destiny.

Clark is free. His strength and will come from the freedom of personality and soul. That is the most precious thing in life. I will not allow you to take it away from Clark!

Even if you are in the name of salvation, even if you are in the name of the father