Chapter 107: The Record

"Krypton is destroyed?"

Upon hearing this news, the crowd fell into a state of confusion, exchanging bewildered looks and murmuring in hushed tones. Discussions broke out among the 300,000 people.

"How is that even possible?"

"Everything was fine, how could it be destroyed?"

"But we're still here, aren't we?"

"I don't believe it."

"If Krypton is destroyed, then where are we right now?"

"I can still breathe, the sky looks the same except for that extra cloud."

"Rao's light is still shining upon us."

The people were reluctant to believe that Krypton had been destroyed. They might have witnessed distant volcanic eruptions and felt intense tremors before Krypton's destruction, but they subconsciously avoided thinking about it.

The citizens of Kandor were fortunate. At the beginning of the explosion, they were shrunk down by Brainiac-7, who had chosen them. They were placed in a state of suspended animation.

The explosion's scene was considered by them to be a mere dream.

With a snap of his fingers, the sound of his command resonated throughout the entire square. The clear sound waves entered everyone's ears, and the skeptical discussions gradually subsided as everyone raised their heads to look at H'el.

"After you witness all of this, you will understand the reasons behind these events," H'el commanded.

"Zero, play the recorded footage."

Naturally, H'el wasn't going to explain the cause of Krypton's destruction to these people directly. Instead, he extracted images from his own memories and accessed a large amount of footage of Krypton's explosion from the central crystal that stored information in Kandor. This included Zod's arrest, Jor-El stealing the Codex, and H'el releasing himself into space.

Based on the chronological sequence of events, a concise documentary was created for them to watch.

In the darkened sky of Krypton, a projection of recorded footage suddenly appeared, displaying images and sounds.

First, there was a subtitle: "Krypton's explosion five years ago. Jor-El and his son H'el-El detected unusual activity in the planet's core, indicating that Krypton was likely to be destroyed."

"The two made drastically different choices."

"Jor-El reported to the Science Council, requesting strengthened exploration of the planet's core. However, the Science Council deemed it an exaggeration, as Krypton had been stable for millions of years. His request was rejected outright, and he was ordered not to waste resources on core exploration."

"H'el, on the other hand, began secretly assembling personnel for Krypton's self-rescue plan."

The scene then shifted to two and a half years later.

"I've been discovered."

"My father will surely have me killed."

"Clone the Kryptonian elite, replace the high-ranking officials, open the Science Academy, and dedicate all efforts to researching Krypton's core. I may have lost all hope."

"I'm leaving all the information for Zod. If there comes a day when I can't be here, support Zod behind the scenes to confront my father, Jor-El."

The scene began with H'el in the underground biological chamber in Kandor. On the screen were 56 individuals who stood beside him, sharing ideals and the desire to reform Krypton. Behind them were various nutrient tanks containing cloned Kryptonian elites.

A commotion erupted among the people in the square.

Could this be true?

H'el planning to create unforgivable clones or replace high-ranking officials in Krypton, all to confront his own father, Jor-El. It was an utterly shocking and morally reprehensible act, even for people accustomed to the fringes of criminality in the slums.

H'el's few words and the sight of the nutrient tanks containing cloned Kryptonian elites were too horrifying.

The scene changed, and the Kryptonian spaceship Dawn lifted off into space, accompanied by subtitles.

"Two and a half years before Krypton's explosion, Jor-El uploaded his consciousness into the Dawn while H'el was in suspended animation aboard the same ship. Jor-El piloted the ship toward the desolate regions of space, intending to exile his son to die in the void."

The crowd in the square watched with bated breath, their hearts pounding.

H'el was exiled like this???

The scene then transitioned to a year and a half before Krypton's explosion.

The sky was filled with combat vehicles, and heavily armed soldiers initiated a riot, storming the Kryptonian High Council.

General Zod led the soldiers in the uprising.

Jor-El took the opportunity to alter the crystal probe records, seize the Codex, and join forces with the high-ranking members of the Science Council and the Military Guild to suppress the rebellion.

After quelling the rebellion, Jor-El never mentioned the disappearance of the Codex of Life. Instead, it was assumed by the higher-ups to be in General Zod's possession, especially since Zod had been near the Kryptonian Genesis Chamber during the uprising.

"In an incomplete and altered record, General Zod was sentenced by the Council as a heinous criminal and banished to the Phantom Zone until death."

"The footage of the high-level trial of General Zod was stored in the central crystal in Kandor. So, the public watched as General Zod angrily condemned the corruption and nepotism of the high council, claiming that all of this was for the sake of saving Krypton. He was met with a counterargument full of pity from Jor-El, who stated that chaos and tyranny couldn't save Krypton."

The people in the square stared with wide eyes, feeling a burning sense of frustration.

They were all denizens of the slums, hoping for a strong and capable leader to change their circumstances. First, there was H'el, who was exiled to certain death when discovered and now General Zod, attempting to overthrow the Kryptonian high council. Unable to match the combined forces of the Kryptonian high council, subjected to capture, false accusations of stealing the Codex, it was beyond frustrating. The crowd could hardly contain their anger; some wanted to throw their shoes at Jor-El.

The scene continued to shift gradually, and subtitles provided further information.

"One and a half years before Krypton's explosion, Jor-El and his wife Lara engaged in natural reproduction."

This time, the people in the square couldn't hold back their anger.

Natural reproduction was strictly forbidden on Krypton. As a high-ranking member of the Kryptonian Science Council, Jor-El had banished his son to certain death in space, showing no concern for Krypton's salvation. He spent his days seeking the approval of the Kryptonian high council, contradicting actions taken by others, and eventually resorting to theft and wrongful accusations against Zod. And now, he had engaged in natural reproduction, an act deemed heinous and forbidden by Kryptonian law.

Seeing Jor-El's actions, the people in the square erupted in a torrent of vulgar words, denouncing Jor-El and his ancestors for generations.

"One year and four months before Krypton's explosion, Jor-El's wife, Lara, became pregnant."

"Jor-El began covertly incorporating the Codex into the developing fetus inside his wife. The Codex grew with the baby."

"Six months before Krypton's explosion, Jor-El's wife, Lara, gave birth to a healthy male infant. The Codex had fully integrated into his son's body."

"On the eve of Krypton's explosion, Jor-El placed his son into a spacecraft, watching expectantly as the craft disappeared from Krypton's atmosphere, saying, 'Krypton has no hope left. Kal-El will rebuild Krypton and become the new hope.'"

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