Chapter 50: The Last Son of Krypton

Marcus turned and walked toward the object behind him, curious about what such a large device could be.

The couple followed with cautious expressions. As they approached and peered inside the machine, they froze in shock.

Inside lay a baby. The sophisticated craft appeared to be some kind of advanced cradle.

Upon seeing the infant, the woman's maternal instinct immediately took over. She removed her coat and gently lifted the baby from the machine.

"You said you were following this craft. Is this your child?" the man asked, eyeing the baby in his wife's arms.

Marcus was the only other person on their farm, making it difficult not to connect him with the mysterious arrival.

"I have absolutely nothing to do with this little one," Marcus replied. "And though it's hard to believe, he's not exactly human."

The S-shaped emblem on the spacecraft had immediately revealed the infant's identity to Marcus. This seemingly fragile baby would one day become the legendary Superman.

Now he understood which universe he had stumbled into.

"There are too many worlds connected to the void dimension," he marveled silently.

Although he'd prepared himself to arrive in an unfamiliar world, he never expected to encounter the infant version of Superman.

The couple clearly didn't believe Marcus's claim. To their eyes, the baby appeared completely normal.

"I can see you're skeptical," Marcus smiled with a shrug. "In your position, I wouldn't believe it either."

He reached into the spacecraft and extracted a small black rod that resembled a key, also bearing the S-shaped symbol.

"This craft contains many components not produced on Earth. If you don't believe me, take some fragments for testing."

This was unmistakably a spacecraft from Krypton, which would certainly contain elements unknown to Earth science.

Marcus's suggestion gave the couple pause. He was right—they could easily verify his claims through testing. There seemed no reason for him to deceive them.

The man lowered his shotgun but continued studying Marcus intently. "You seem to know a lot about this. Do you know where it came from?"

"I have some ideas," Marcus replied, patting the spacecraft. "The technology here is far beyond anything Earth can currently produce. Even if all the world's scientists worked together, they couldn't create something like this."

"Most importantly, if this were developed by any nation, these technologies would be used for military purposes. Why would they specifically design it to transport a baby?"

The couple nodded in agreement. Though they didn't understand the technology, they recognized that such a sophisticated device wouldn't ordinarily be used as a baby's cradle.

Lowering his shotgun completely, the man introduced himself:

"I'm Jonathan, and this is my wife Martha."

Though still uncertain about Marcus's identity, Jonathan sensed he meant no harm. Judging by Marcus's fearless demeanor, the shotgun likely posed no threat to him anyway.

"Nice to meet you both. Call me Marcus." He gestured toward the spacecraft. "What do you plan to do with this?"

Currently, the darkness concealed the craft, but after daybreak, it would be impossible to miss.

"We could use the pickup truck to transport it to our barn," Jonathan suggested. "It's not far from here."

In the blink of an eye, Marcus had lived at the Kent farm for several months.

Without legal documentation, he remained on the property, helping Jonathan with daily farm work while Martha cared for their adopted son, Clark.

Curiously, since being removed from the spacecraft, the baby's health had been fragile. He fell seriously ill with alarming frequency.

Combined with the test results from the spacecraft fragments, the couple became increasingly certain about Clark's extraterrestrial origins.

Fortunately, despite his alien nature, Clark appeared human in every visible way. This allowed Jonathan and Martha to raise him as their own son, fulfilling their longing for a child.

On this particular day, Marcus and Jonathan were chopping firewood in the yard. Their sharp axes descended upon half-meter thick stumps.

Crack!

The wood split instantly, and the two men continued their conversation between swings.

"I've arranged for someone to provide identification documents for you," Jonathan said. "Are you sure you don't want to stay on the farm longer?"

"I appreciate it, but no," Marcus replied, raising his axe to split another stump. "I'm planning to travel elsewhere. It gets monotonous staying in one place for too long."

He intended to visit several cities known for their superheroes. Beyond simple sightseeing, he also hoped to find items suitable for Aya Stars extraction. He couldn't just remain idle indefinitely.

Recently, he'd heard stories from aging cowboys about their elders who had fought in World War I. They claimed to have encountered a woman who seemed to have stepped straight out of mythology.

While the cowboys dismissed these as mere legends, Marcus recognized the truth. This woman was undoubtedly the daughter of Zeus—the Amazon warrior from Themyscira—the demigod Wonder Woman, Diana.

Marcus's interest wasn't in her identity, however, but in the weapons and equipment she carried.

These "artifacts" could potentially be extracted for Aya Stars, allowing him to create new battle armor.

Like the cowboys, Marcus didn't know Diana's whereabouts. He'd only heard she worked in archaeology.

Seeing Marcus's determination, Jonathan stopped trying to persuade him. Though they had become good friends, he couldn't restrict Marcus's freedom.

"When do you plan to leave?"

"Next month, departing from Metropolis," Marcus answered.

Jonathan's farm was approaching harvest time. After helping with the crops, Marcus would have earned enough to fund his travels.

The conversation drifted to other topics as they continued working until the entire woodpile was chopped and stacked in the barn.

A month passed quickly. After helping Jonathan harvest the farm's crops, Marcus prepared to depart with his wages in hand.

"Goodbye!" Marcus waved to Jonathan and Martha. Noticing the frail Clark in Martha's arms, he smiled and offered, "One suggestion—take him out in the sunlight more often when you can."

The child appeared unusually thin and weak, struggling to adapt to Earth's environment. The best remedy would be increased exposure to solar radiation to strengthen his constitution.

"Don't worry," Jonathan replied. "The next time you see him, he'll be a strong, healthy boy."

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