Chapter 131: First Encounter with Superman (Second Update)

Short guns and long cannons.

 From the cute little M4 assault rifle to the Humvee-mounted 12.7mm heavy machine gun, to the 20mm autocannon on the armored vehicle, and finally the 105mm main gun of the M1A1 Abrams tank, all were aimed at the man whose cape fluttered in the air.

 To be fair, the massive army below was far less intimidating to Superman than the two hovering iron figures in the air.

 These were **Iron Man** and **Iron Patriot**, two extraordinary beings practically employed by the U.S. military, causing Clark a slight headache.

 Clark had a deep respect for Iron Man, the extraordinary hero who had defended New York. If possible, he didn’t want to fight him.

 With his ‘super vision,’ he could clearly see two other familiar faces, previously seen on television, rapidly approaching in a Quinjet.

 Unfortunately, their presence felt weak compared to himself and other Kryptonians. Only the legendary Thor, the Hulk, Kratos, and the mysterious masked woman could pose a challenge to him.

 But none of that mattered.

 He wasn’t here to fight today.

 “I’m here to surrender to humanity. If you decide to hand me over to General Zod, I will comply.” Superman's clear voice echoed over the entire base.

 General Swanwick’s lips twitched slightly. Either way, this made things easier.

 Honestly, there were so many extraordinary people on Earth, and the target referred to by General Zod was so vague that the higher-ups hadn’t yet figured out exactly who it was.

 Swanwick watched as Superman slowly descended to the ground, gesturing for someone to put handcuffs on him.

 At that moment, Tony’s voice rang out, “General, we really don’t need to humiliate an extraordinary being who could destroy New York with one hand. Those handcuffs couldn’t even hold the oldest model of Iron Man.”

Swanwick’s lips twitched again, and he nodded in agreement.

Superman couldn’t help but feel a slight sense of goodwill toward Tony and nodded in acknowledgment.

 Tony spread his hands in a casual manner, “Hey, man, we know what you’ve done in the past. At least you’re on the whitelist now, so we trust you.”

 In history, Superman had been humiliatingly led into the base in handcuffs by a group of soldiers.

 But this time, Superman was followed by Tony and James, both in Iron Man suits, while soldiers lined the corridors.

 It didn’t feel like an escort—it was more like a grand welcoming ceremony.

 “I want to see Lois Lane,” Superman said.

 “Hey, man, that’s not smart. A real genius hides his girl, or better yet, dates a girl who can really fight—like some bald-headed jerk,” Tony quipped inside his Iron Man helmet. He hadn’t turned on his mic, so technically, no one should have heard him. But thanks to a certain time traveler’s advice, Tony was pretty sure Superman could hear him.

 Sure enough, Superman frowned slightly.

 As the group reached a hall deep within the base, Superman not only saw General Swanwick but also Nick Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

 There was no special interrogation room or confinement area, and no glass partitions—just an ordinary-looking conference room. Superman had thought there might be a bunch of high-ranking officials watching from behind the walls or a squad of Marines standing by.

 But there was none of that.

 Besides the four surveillance cameras in the corners, the room was completely ordinary.

 Nick first saluted the general, “General, I assume you’ve received your orders. From here on, S.H.I.E.L.D. will take full control, right?”

 Swanwick reluctantly nodded and, along with two fully armed soldiers, stood near the doorway. They didn’t leave but simply stood there. 

At that moment, the conference room doors opened, and Captain America, carrying his shield, and Black Widow, dressed in a tight leather suit, entered confidently. 

Superman still didn’t sense any hostility from them.

 “Would you like some coffee, Mr. Superman? The coffee here is pretty good,” someone offered. 

Superman paused for a moment and politely replied, “A latte, please.”

 Unexpectedly, Tony suddenly burst into laughter.

 This time, it was Nick and Superman’s turn to be puzzled.

 Superman wondered to himself—he hadn’t done anything unusual, had he?

 “No, Superman, I didn’t mean to mock you. Some jerk just sent me a ridiculous meme, and I couldn’t help but laugh.” With that, Tony used his suit’s projector to display a meme of Thor holding his hammer, with the word **Latte** written in big letters. 

Superman awkwardly replied, “That’s a pretty cold joke.”

 Nick, however, smiled slightly. “It seems, Mr. Superman, that you’ve adapted well to life on Earth.”

 “Indeed, after thirty-three years, I wake up most days feeling like I’m truly an Earthling.”

 “I’m glad we’re off to a good start.”

 Superman was slightly confused. “Aren’t you supposed to quarantine me? You know, in case of deadly alien viruses or something?”

 Nick tilted his head. “S.H.I.E.L.D. has been aware of you for a long time. If you carried any deadly viruses, Earth’s population would already be wiped out. Besides, we’ve already had close encounters with beings as powerful as you. In ancient times, our ancestors called them **gods**.” 

Tony chimed in, “Hey, man, we’ve already fought alongside gods from Norse mythology and what might be a demigod from ancient Greece. You’re just one more.”

 Superman felt touched but still a little confused. “So, you don’t plan to turn me over?”

 Nick clasped his hands together. “That depends on you—Mr. Superman. We need your cooperation to learn about your alien comrades before making a final decision.”

 “Earth never submits easily. But we also don’t tolerate deception!” Captain America stepped forward.

 His respectful and measured tone made Superman develop a good impression of him. 

Superman sighed and began explaining the origins of Krypton and his own backstory.

 Although he left out some key details, the truth of his story still left Nick and the others amazed.

 The universe was indeed vast. 

Everyone in the room couldn’t help but recall Thor’s words aboard the Helicarrier: “By using the Tesseract, humanity sent a signal to the universe, declaring they’re ready for intergalactic war with higher civilizations.”

 Now, those words seemed to come true faster than anyone expected. How long had it been since the Battle of New York, and now another Kryptonian general was here?

 Captain America was confident, but Superman wasn’t as convinced. “The true strength of Kryptonians lies in their individuals. Each one of them can fly and has an incredibly powerful physique like mine. I don’t think Earth can easily fend them off.”

 Tony muttered, “That’s not a given. We’re pretty strong.”

(End of Chapter)