Chapter 108 - [107] : Superman!

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With past experiences from the Marvel and X-Men worlds, Roger had grown quite adept at gathering information. 

After landing near a small town with Jean, Roger used his super vision to scout around.

Because of his time in the X-Men world, Roger's first move was to check this world's technological level. Upon inspection, he found that it was similar to what he knew of modern society.

There were televisions, computers, mature internet systems, and various network cables already in place.

After casually finding a passerby and having Jean inquire about the current year, Roger confirmed the time and place.

It was 2013 in the United States.

"Did we travel to the future?" Jean asked Roger curiously after learning the year.

Roger pondered for a moment before replying, "Sort of, but not the future of your world. You also looked into that person's memories just now, there don't seem to be mutants in this world."

"Indeed, no mutants… but it seems there are aliens," Jean nodded, then added.

"…?" Roger was stunned. "Aliens?"

Jean replied, "Yes, aliens. I saw it in this person's memory. An alien appeared last night. He called himself... General Zod and demanded that Earth hand over his people."

"Wait, what was that alien's name!?"

"General Zod."

Jean blinked and repeated it.

Hearing this name, Roger's expression shifted rapidly from clear to grim. He then replied to Jean with a hint of resignation, "It's Zod. This Earth might be in trouble."

"You… know this Zod?" Jean asked in confusion, noticing that Roger seemed familiar with the name.

"Don't you know Zod?" Roger questioned, seeing Jean's lack of recognition.

Jean shook her head in puzzlement, she indeed hadn't heard the name before.

Roger continued, "You've never read Superman comics?"

"No, but I've heard of Superman… Why are you bringing him up?"

"Because General Zod is a villain in the Superman series..." Roger explained, sounding a bit melancholic.

Dru-Zod, a well-known antagonist in the DC Universe, comes from the same planet as Superman, Kal-El. They both hail from Krypton.

Now that Zod was here, and since Jean learned that he arrived on Earth just last night and demanded Earth hand over his people, namely, Kal-El, or Superman, Clark Kent, Roger could piece things together. He figured they had likely arrived in the world of the movie Man of Steel.

More precisely, they had entered the DC Cinematic Universe, at the point in the timeline where Superman had just become known to the world.

Jean struggled to process the idea of being in Superman's world. "Isn't Superman a fictional character?"

Strictly speaking... you are too, Roger thought, looking at Jean, but he didn't voice that thought. Instead, he answered her, "In your world, yes. But across countless parallel worlds, the existence of Superman isn't so strange, right?"

"Well, alright..." Jean reluctantly accepted Roger's explanation.

Roger continued, "Anyway, if General Zod is anything like his comic book counterpart, even if he finds Superman, he won't necessarily spare Earth. He might still try to transform Earth into a new Krypton, so..."

"…Are we going to fight aliens now?" Jean asked, a hint of eagerness in her voice.

Roger's lips twitched as he replied, "You know how strong Superman is. Even one Superman is tough to handle, and Zod has many other Kryptonians with him. Do you think the two of us can fend them off?"

Two fists can't take on many. Even more so, Roger currently only had Superman's physical strength, without any combat skills.

Roger's fighting style had always been simple: either flying through the air and using heat vision from a distance to take down foes or charging through enemies with his steel-like body.

This approach worked against opponents who couldn't break through Roger's body or contain him. No matter what Roger did, they couldn't stop him.

But against battle-hardened Kryptonian warriors with similar physical abilities, Roger was like a fitness trainer facing off against a seasoned special forces soldier.

With comparable physical capabilities, Roger would undoubtedly be outmatched in a direct fight.

Of course, this was just speculation, and he couldn't be sure until he fought them. 

But Roger wasn't foolish, winning against one was one thing, but could he take on a whole group? 

The Kryptonians had arrived with a warship, carrying a significant number of their kind, including several combatants. Only an idiot would confront them head-on.

"So, how do we stop Zod?" Jean asked. 

Without direct confrontation, Roger and Jean had no real means of stopping Zod, and truthfully, there were few on Earth who could.

The DC Universe's roster of superheroes hadn't emerged yet. Among the major members of the Justice League, Batman wasn't prepared for such an encounter.

Aquaman, Arthur, was still fishing in his homeland, and Roger wasn't confident he could persuade him to join the fight against Zod.

Wonder Woman, Diana, might be an option, but Roger couldn't find her, and her contribution in the upcoming battle with the Kryptonians would likely be limited.

The Flash might not have appeared yet, and Cyborg was likely still unaltered, so he was out of the question.

The Green Lantern's status was uncertain, and Roger couldn't remember his name or whereabouts.

Martian Manhunter might have been a possibility, but in the movie, even after meeting Superman, he didn't intervene, so he probably wouldn't join this fight either.

Others like Green Arrow, Shazam, and Atom... either hadn't appeared or wouldn't be very effective if they had.

So, it seemed the only ones who could potentially stop Zod were Superman, Roger, and Jean, the two "extra-universal beings" from another parallel world.

If they didn't act, all hope would rest on Superman.

"Let's head to Metropolis," Roger decided after a moment's thought.

He didn't know how far the plot had progressed. If Superman was already on Zod's ship, then Zod would soon activate the world engine, attempting to transform Earth's environment into that of Krypton.

The world engine had two units, one in an uninhabited ocean area on the other side of the Earth, which caused minimal disruption.

But the other one...

Was in Metropolis!

Many might not immediately think of what Metropolis represents, but if you mentioned its inspiration, a lot of people would get it.

New York.

A super-sized city with a population of over 8 million!

And soon, the world engine would be activated in the heart of this metropolis, sending out gravitational waves to gradually reshape Earth's environment. When those waves activated, everyone near the machine... would perish.

Thus, Roger and Jean needed to reach Metropolis, at the very least to evacuate its civilians.

After Roger explained his plan to Jean, she smiled knowingly and said, "Just like when you first came to our world and helped evacuate Cairo, right?"

"Yes, but this time, I need your help," Roger responded earnestly, feeling grateful that Jean was with him.

If he were alone, he wouldn't be able to evacuate so many people from Metropolis. But Jean could.

By controlling the mind of a high-ranking government official, Jean could ensure that those people left the area where the world engine would land, minimizing casualties.

Roger spoke with a hint of apology in his tone, as he had intended to bring Jean on a trip, but now she had to help deal with this crisis right after they arrived. He felt a bit guilty.

However, Jean didn't seem to mind. Without hesitation, she agreed to Roger's request, saying, "It's what I should do. After all, I'm an X-Men… even if I'm just a reserve member for now."

"Then let's…" Roger was about to head to Metropolis with Jean when he suddenly stopped mid-sentence, turning his gaze into the distance.

Boom!!!

A sudden blaze drew the attention of the townspeople, and Jean followed Roger's line of sight to see an explosion at the town's central gas station. Something had crashed into it, triggering the fire.

With his super vision, Roger saw two figures standing near the blazing gas station, one clad in high-tech armor with a transparent oxygen mask over his face.

The other wore a red cape and blue suit with a large "S" symbol on his chest, Superman of this world.

Since Superman was here, the other person who had "flown" in with him must be one of the Kryptonians.

Seeing Superman and the Kryptonian, Roger turned to Jean and said, "Jean, head to Metropolis first."

"Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?" Jean asked, understanding Roger's intent to stop the Kryptonian from causing more damage. 

She was concerned about whether Roger could handle it alone.

"Don't worry."

Roger gave her a reassuring smile before flying toward Superman's location.

Roger might not be able to deal with the incoming Kryptonians alone, but with Superman by his side, the two of them might just stand a chance against the two Kryptonians… right?

...

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