"Oh my god, such a huge spaceship. Is Clark's hometown this amazing?"
On the Arctic ice field, Diana, wearing a thick research station coat, stood at the entrance of the spaceship, shocked at the sight. Standing next to her was the expert.
"Let's go inside and take a look," the expert said, "There must be secrets inside this spaceship that we don't know yet."
Diana nodded. She took a lasso from her waist and held it in her hand. Although the expert had already been in once and confirmed that there were no enemies or weapons inside, it was still necessary to remain vigilant.
As they walked through the spaceship's door, the structure inside was actually quite simple, just a corridor and a hall. However, there were some items placed around the hall. The expert's purpose this time was to find clues from these items.
Diana looked around and didn't see anything special. She didn't dare to touch anything recklessly, so she came to the central platform and stood there watching the expert research.
The expert's target was something that looked like a cultivation pod. But this cultivation pod was empty. Diana couldn't help but ask, "Did something inside escape?"
"No, what was inside was not an animal or a plant, but air."
"Air?"
"That's right, the atmosphere of Krypton," the expert paused, then said, "For carbon-based lifeforms, visiting an unfamiliar planet is extremely dangerous. Because the environment of this planet may not be suitable for their survival and could have many unknown and deadly viruses."
Diana suddenly understood and then said, "I've heard that there are ancient viruses sealed in the Arctic ice sheets, is that true?"
"Yes and no. It's a bit complicated to explain, you just need to know that what might be contained in an alien atmosphere could be a hundred times more dangerous than any ancient virus. Therefore, if we are to explore the cosmos, we must bring our own air. Until the atmospheric composition of a certain planet is fully tested, we can only continue to use Earth's air."
"I see." Diana nodded, with a look of modest learning, and then asked, "This container has their air, but isn't that too little to do anything?"
"Indeed, this is probably not for use, but likely for observation and testing."
"Observation and testing?"
"Yes. After all, the state of a planet is too complex. Special radiation from certain celestial bodies may affect the air. You can't just let astronauts test as human guinea pigs. So, having a separate sample to observe the state of essential supplies for survival in the current star system and to confirm their usability is necessary."
"Is this the sample? Is it usable?"
The expert shook his head and said, "It's not certain yet. We have to take this back for testing. At the same time, we also need to study the atmospheric composition on Krypton to inversely infer whether they might adapt to our atmosphere."
"Hopefully they can't adapt," Diana said, "although I think that's unlikely, after all, Clark is lively and healthy."
"That's different. Mr. Kent came as a baby, his growth environment isn't much different from an Earthling's, he has likely developed the same antibodies during his growth. But these invaders don't have them."
"If they don't have antibodies, could we use a virus to defeat them?" Diana asked.
"In theory, yes, but we cannot take that risk," the expert shook his head and said, "Their internal environment is different. If a virus transmits to them, mutates, and then spreads back to humans, it could lead to an extinction-level disaster."
Diana gasped and then said, "Better not then."
Then the expert found another machine, there was a machine below with a metal rod on top. Curiously, Diana asked, "What is this?"
"This should be some kind of detector," the expert said, "Besides air, many other things need testing too."
"Food and water?"
"Not really. Just eating what you bring on the spaceship is fine. Mainly it's about the unavoidable things during surface exploration, like air, like sunlight. This thing looks like a light testing device, more accurately, a radiation tester."
"Oh, so it's for testing sunlight."
"That's right. If I'm not mistaken, the spaceship's hull would have a large detection device that gathers data upon entering a star system. These smaller ones should be handheld, for testing surface radiation values when landing on a celestial body."
"Is there a difference between the two?"
"Of course, since the distance to a star differs, so will the radiation index. If exploring a planet is the goal, then measuring the surface radiation value is essential. This is a key standard for habitability."
Diana nodded and said, "But this thing is broken, can you restore it?"
"I can try," the expert replied, "It might not work again, but I should be able to extract the data."
"But they probably used alien script. Can we understand it?"
"Mathematics itself is a language," the expert continued, "In the end, it develops into a universal solution, and deciphering it isn't difficult. But it's limited to mathematics. If it's historical data, it might take decades."
Speaking of historical data, Diana thought about the cursed "Frenes Snake" again. She hoped the North Pole could help her lift the Curse of the Pharaoh; otherwise, she'd have to dump that fraud into the Golden Apple Garden.
Just as these thoughts crossed her mind, Diana heard heavy footsteps outside. She turned quickly and saw several armed figures rushing in. They were dressed in black armor, fully encased, holding weapons clearly not meant for humans.
Diana cursed internally and immediately drew her weapon, shielding the expert behind her.
"Don't clash with them," the expert said, "We've got what we came for. Let's send it back first."
Only then did Diana realize that they were on a scientific expedition, not there to hijack the spaceship. Since they had collected the research samples, there was no need to waste time with these people.
So, she grabbed the expert directly, and in a flash, they flew up into the air, disappearing swiftly.
Diana glanced back and couldn't help but smile. Those aliens were clearly dumbfounded; they didn't seem to expect her to fly.
Fearing a larger force might pursue them, Diana sped back to the base with the expert without stopping. Once she landed, the expert took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, ma'am. But next time, could we slow down a bit? I feel a bit... airsick."
"Sorry," Diana quickly apologized, "I just wanted to be fast. Are you okay?"
The expert gagged a couple of times, waved his hand, and said, "It's not a big problem. I need to quickly test those two items, or else—"
He didn't continue, but Diana understood his meaning. These aliens had already arrived at the North Pole, proving they had found a way to freely operate on Earth. They were bound to take action next.
Watching the expert's departing figure, Diana felt restless internally. After thinking long and hard, she decided to call Clark, best to have him prepared so he wouldn't be caught off guard.
Diana picked up the satellite phone and dialed Clark's number from her mobile. She said to Clark, "Hey? It's me. Yes, I'm at the North Pole now. The PhD has been to the spaceship and found a lot of useful things, but just as we were leaving, those aliens showed up."
"I just wanted to remind you; they seem ready to land on the surface. Since they found their way here, they won't neglect to find you. Be very careful; they have weapons. How's your recovery?"
"That's good. Just be very cautious. The PhD's research should be completed soon. Once there's a result, I'll rush back—I really am part of Earth and can't just watch them cause chaos here. Okay, I'll wait for your news."
Clark hung up and sighed internally. Diana was still so reliable. Remembering the mess he made at her house when he was injured, Clark felt deeply remorseful. It must have caused Diana a lot of trouble, maybe even forcing her to move.
But the more he thought about it, the more motivated Clark became. He had to resolve this matter quickly so he could find a way to compensate Diana for her loss. At the very least, he should buy her a new computer, which was a brand-name one, costing him a few months' salary. If Earth doesn't stabilize soon, how will he earn money working?
Considering this, Clark decided not to sit idle anymore. But he also couldn't be reckless.
Fighting these aliens was easy, but if he fought, the unfortunate ones wouldn't just be the aliens, but Earthlings too. He might also get exposed by the media. Now's not the time to escalate conflicts.
Recalling Louisa's previous plan, Clark immediately had an idea. After some thought, he called Louisa.
"Louisa, you've already reached London? That's great, it's safer there than Metropolis. Here's the thing, I'd like you to contact the officer you've dealt with. Yes, I need to talk to him."
Three hours later, Clark in his Superman suit appeared in the military base again, wearing handcuffs and sitting in front of the interrogation table.
Clark noticed that the guard soldier seemed a bit puzzled because this was his third entry here. The soldier must be wondering if they're caught in a time loop.
Yet Clark sat leisurely, contemplating the theme of his next news article. He too wanted to write a sensational report to escape the chief editor's control and become an independent journalist, just like Louisa.
This wouldn't just allow him to earn more money to compensate Diana and support his mother, but also give him greater influence. Look at Louisa; she negotiated with officers. When he was previously caught, nobody wanted to hear his views.
Clark realized the military perceives superpower users as less threatening than journalists. Some issues truly can't be resolved with super strength—it's time to wield super reports and super public opinion.
As Clark considered this, he keenly heard commotion outside the military base. He smirked slightly, they had indeed arrived.