Luckily, there's the green gemstone, the adjutant thought. If this thing can give them superpowers, then there's a glimmer of hope. But, can those two who just acquired superpowers really obtain the gemstone?
Clearly, the General's orders can't be changed. The adjutant walked through the corridors of the spacecraft, reaching the training room, and said, "New mission. You two immediately pass through the atmosphere, parachute into the Metropolitan Museum, and make sure to bring back the gemstone from the Snake Tail of the Frenes Snake."
"Yes, we guarantee the completion of the mission!"
When the small escort ship appeared over Metropolis again, although it caused some commotion, seeing that red-and-blue figure appearing almost simultaneously in the sky made them feel reassured and they quickly retreated into their homes.
Clark didn't need to guess to know that surely it's those smart ones from the near-Earth orbit here to snatch the gemstone.
Though he didn't really think these guys could beat him, he didn't want to be too arrogant and take the gemstone into battle with them. Instead, he deposited the gemstone with Diana before coming over.
As soon as he approached, he found those two unluckily lying on the rooftop of the Metropolitan Museum. With a sprint, he flew down and grabbed one of them, throwing him far away.
Avoiding hitting the buildings, he threw upwards. Unexpectedly, this guy spun a few circles in the air and then stabilized his form, just floating there. From the expressions of both sides, they were obviously surprised.
Clark squinted his eyes, seemingly the gemstone's enhancement effect is stronger than he thought. In just a few days, they've learned to fly. If given a few more days, wouldn't they be stronger than him?
Clark immediately felt a sense of crisis. He's the only one, but there are at least a dozen of them. If all of them reach his level, Earth might indeed be conquered by them.
"No, I'll bring the gemstone back and train harder," Clark thought furiously to himself, "I've lived on Earth for so many years, how could I lose to these newly arrived country bumpkins?"
Then, he immediately apologized for his somewhat rude thought: "Sorry, Krypton can't be considered a countryside... perhaps suburbs."
With this in mind, he didn't hold back. First, he punched the one on the rooftop, and then grabbed the ankle of the one flying back, swinging him fiercely to the ground.
Their physical fitness didn't seem that strong yet; the one punched was dizzy, and the one smashed was spitting blood. Seeing the situation was bad, they both started to run.
Superman wanted to chase, but as he turned around, he saw someone taking advantage of the chaos to pry open a car. Thinking they'd probably run back embarrassed, he turned to stop other crimes.
In reality, these two didn't dare to return. They knew very well that Zod was already furious. Since coming to Earth, they've accomplished nothing. If they dared to return empty-handed, even though they've mutated, Zod would definitely implement martial law.
"What should we do?" one of them looked towards the other and asked.
"What can we do? We can't beat the big guy," the other sighed, "Besides, the place he stays is surely not far from the gemstone, he guards it tightly, how can we snatch it?"
"You've reminded me. If we can't grab the ones in the city, we can snatch from elsewhere."
"Elsewhere? Where else has gemstones?... You're not talking about those that have already been made into guns, right?"
"That's easier to grab than the entire gemstone. Those people may have guns made from gemstones, but their physical fitness is nowhere near that big guy, we now have superpowers, grabbing from them should be easier."
The other had no choice but to sigh, "Then let's give it a try. First, find their helicopter."
These two had previously attacked the American Military Base, so they had some understanding of human military facilities. Plus, having learned to fly, they're quite fast, circling Metropolis a few times, and indeed they found it.
In truth, humans didn't intend to hide. There's a Special Forces training base in the suburbs of Metropolis, where a few soldiers were rehearsing with new weapons. The military apparently was still dreaming of capturing aliens alive, using a net to practice capture and making considerable noise, which was easily detected.
The two Kryptonians watched for quite a while, not daring to snatch aggressively, waiting until nightfall and seeing them store the weapons in the warehouse, they quietly used their superpowers to steal one and took it back.
When Zod got the weapon, he was speechless, coldly staring at the two for several seconds, but ultimately said nothing.
He knew very well that newly mutated Kryptonians couldn't compare to Superman. Besides, the gemstone in the museum wasn't authentic; the weapons that truly injure them might be more useful.
Holding the weapon, Zod studied it but couldn't unravel anything. They were a group of exiled soldiers, not professional scientists. The weapon could be taken apart, but they feared ruining it or triggering some powder-reactive mechanism, rendering it unusable.
Feeling more irritated the more he studied it, all the setbacks since arriving on Earth turned into rage. He decided not to wait any longer and employ the simplest method, each one shoots quickly to create super warriors, showcasing their power to those Earthlings.
Krypton's medical system was highly advanced; even a hole in the head could be treated and survived if transported to medical chambers in time. Though fearful, under Zod's pressure, everyone queued up obediently to take the shots.
The issue is, the weapon was specifically developed by humans. People had no other trait but loving to invent things to kill each other, rapidly advancing weapons technology. Big is beautiful, more is good, caliber is the truth, range is justice, embodying recklessness.
Moreover, peeling off a layer from another gemstone, the ammunition was plentiful, and the propulsion system improved. A handgun's size, a shotgun's power, and a sniper rifle's range. The initial version pierced holes in Krypton's advanced armor effortlessly, indicating its ferocity.
These Kryptonians on the spacecraft weren't armored. Though Zod did not directly aim at the head, he didn't anticipate that one shot could blow a hole in someone's chest.
With a "bang," a Kryptonian slowly fell. He looked incredulously at his commander, blood flooding from the chest cavity.
Zod was stunned as well. He hurriedly tried to help the person up and shouted, "Quick, quickly get him to the medical chamber!!!"
But it was already too late. The green powder spread, and everyone weakened and fell, Zod included. The Kryptonian hit by the shot closed his eyes in despair.