After leaving Kent Farm, Zod did not immediately take him to retrieve the mother box. Instead, he planned to find Wonder Woman Diana first.
After all, there was no animosity between them, and she was considered a friend to both Fiora and himself. It was only proper to inform her before taking the mother box.
Although Zod's current strength meant he could act with impunity, he still didn't want to be that kind of person when dealing with acquaintances.
At this moment, Zod discovered that Diana was not at her usual workplace, but seemed to be in a peculiar place, guarded by layers of magical barriers.
If she hadn't frequently used the Arctic teleportation array to travel between New Krypton and Earth, thereby imbued with the power of the dimensional wall, Zod would have had a hard time locating her.
However, under the scan of his vast divine sense, Zod easily found her.
The next moment, with a thought, he and Hope instantly broke through the magical barriers and appeared beside Diana.
When he clearly saw where they were, a knowing expression appeared on Zod's face. "It's here, as expected!"
This was the Rock of Eternity, where the old wizard Shazam resided. On Earth, there were few others with such magical attainments.
Feeling the Rock of Eternity being forcibly intruded upon, the old wizard Shazam's face was filled with vigilance.
Then, upon seeing Zod and Hope, a deep sense of apprehension appeared on his aged face.
He was no stranger to Zod; the old Shazam had noticed him since he first appeared on Earth.
However, Zod had never shown obvious malice towards Earth, which had kept him relatively at ease.
But as Zod's strength grew, a sense of unease gradually crept into his heart.
Especially now, he felt an oppressive force from Zod that was heavier than that from a god.
Originally, after dealing with the Seven Deadly Sins and Black Adam, his greatest worries, he could have finally rested easy!
This time, he had invited Wonder Woman to entrust the power of Shazam to her, so she could find a suitable successor.
He was too tired; he was even prepared to entrust the important task of finding a successor to someone else, ready to lay down the responsibility he had carried for thousands of years.
But to have such a sudden change occur at this final, dying moment made him feel even more exhausted!
Given Zod's sudden forced entry, he couldn't help but suspect if the other party was after the power of Shazam.
Leaning on his staff, he stood up and asked in a deep voice, "Two distant visitors, may I ask your purpose in forcibly entering the Rock of Eternity?"
Hearing this, Zod showed a gentle smile and said, "My apologies. I have some matters to discuss with Diana, so I intruded without warning. I Hope we haven't disturbed you!"
Compared to the old Shazam's apprehension, Diana was surprised. Hearing that Zod had something to discuss with her, she couldn't help but become nervous.
After all, in her opinion, Zod was too mysterious. He spent most of his time cultivating in the sun and would only emerge if something major happened.
His appearance in this place now might indicate some unforeseen crisis.
Then, she couldn't help but ask with a solemn expression, "Mr. Zod, has something happened?"
"It's nothing major, but it involves the mother box. To show respect, I wanted to inform you, as we are friends."
Although Zod spoke casually, Diana's expression did not relax when she heard it concerned the mother box.
She was about to leave with Zod immediately.
The old Shazam's expression also changed. He naturally knew about the great war that occurred on Earth in ancient times and understood the importance of the mother box.
Therefore, he did not stop Diana, but his face showed even more bitterness.
However, Zod stopped her actions and said, "Don't be so nervous. There's no external invasion. You can continue what you were doing."
Hearing this, Diana felt a little more at ease.
Then she turned and said, "Wizard Shazam, let us continue with the rest of the ritual then!"
To this, the old Shazam also nodded gently.
Although he was still somewhat hesitant about Zod's presence, he understood that he had no power to resist Zod, and thus could only pretend he wasn't there.
Since he wasn't directly passing his power to a successor, the old Shazam needed to transfer all his power into his staff first.
He also needed to set up a small spiritual test within the staff; as long as the successor passed the spiritual test, they could inherit all his power simply by shouting the incantation.
At this moment, the old Shazam placed his staff in a magic circle, continuously chanting ancient magical incantations.
When a bright light bloomed from the staff, he suddenly shouted "Shazam!"
Instantly, a bolt of lightning descended from thin air, striking him.
At the same time, the old Shazam's body began to weather away like dust. He said his final words to Diana, "Everything is up to you," before completely dissipating from the world.
Seeing this scene, Zod suddenly felt a pang of emotion.
In fact, for the old wizard who possessed the power of Shazam, he could have had an almost eternal lifespan, but his heart felt weary and tired.
Zod couldn't help but wonder to himself, "I wonder if I, too, will feel weary after countless years in the future."
After putting away the staff left by the old wizard, Diana said, "Mr. Zod, we can go!"
Hearing this, Zod, with a thought, summoned the dimensional wall and took the three of them away from the Rock of Eternity.
At this point, Diana finally asked, "Mr. Zod, is there something wrong with the mother box?"
Zod didn't beat around the bush and directly stated his purpose: "No, there isn't. However, I want to take the mother box that you keep on Themyscira."
"This... Mr. Zod, I'd like to know what you intend to do with the mother box?"
"Because the mother box is very important to Hope, and the risk of it being taken away is greater if it remains in your hands."
Hearing Zod's blunt words, Diana fell silent.
She naturally knew Hope's identity long ago, and of course, she was amazed by Zod's miraculous methods, capable of turning a mechanical creation into a true living being.
Now that Zod had made such a request, she also guessed the reason behind it.
As for the issue of the mother box's safekeeping, Diana was even more aware that while the Amazon's strength seemed not weak, they had little power to resist truly powerful individuals.
"I want to know, will taking the mother box attract the attention of that dark tyrant?"
Diana was still worried about Darkseid's threat.
"Don't worry. New Krypton now has the confidence to face any cosmic force directly."
After ten years of development, Zod could now say this with confidence!
Note:
Happy Lunar New Year 2026!
First of all, I want to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for always being by my side and supporting me throughout this journey.
To ensure the quality of upcoming stories, I've decided to take a week off during the Lunar New Year (February 15th to 22nd) to rest and spend time with my family.
I will return on February 23rd, 2026. During this break, I will prepare many new chapters to post regularly upon my return. So please look forward to it!
Wishing you a warm, joyful, and wonderful holiday season!