amaotonovel Chapter 4351 Body of Steel (56)
Chapter 4351 Body of Steel (56)
Chapter 4351 Body of Steel (Fifty-Six)
When the pain struck, time seemed to slow down. Clark plunged into another abyss. Everything from the past flashed before his eyes. Those hazy, indistinct shadows were like staircases to heaven, but also like invitations to hell.
After the intense, excruciating pain came a long period of torment. Clark gradually regained consciousness, but he had no control over his body. He felt as if he were trapped in some kind of dark prison, only able to feel the pain, but completely powerless to change it.
His heightened supersensory perception made his pain even more acute. He could feel as if several armies were battling inside his body, only the weapons were his bones, the bullets were his cells, and the battlefield was his entire body, especially his chest cavity. Every moment felt like being bombarded.
And that was indeed the case. At this moment, three forces were battling within him: the energy he derived from the sun, the purple magical energy that struck him, and the energy carried by the kryptonite component within his body.
This body had never been touched by magic, and the Kryptonian body was fundamentally incompatible with magical energy. Therefore, the magical energy injected into his body was constantly being rejected by his own energy, resulting in the magical energy preventing his wounds from healing, while his body's own energy continuously repaired the wounds.
Superman's body stores an astonishing amount of energy, while magical energy is limited, with little remaining within his body. If it were simply a battle between these two, the magical energy would quickly be defeated.
However, at the same time, the Kryptonite that Superman carried and the Kryptonite powder injected into his body were constantly suppressing his own energy, preventing Superman from using his full power, so the two ended up in a draw.
Superman's own energy and magical energy are both proactive, one seeking to repair and the other seeking to destroy; while Kryptonite energy is passive, not actively attacking Superman's body, but merely radiating radiation, which can suppress Superman's energy.
In the past, Superman's body and energy did not necessarily need to adapt to radiation. Such desensitization training was merely a passive adaptation, more akin to adapting to the weakened state of being in a radiation environment, rather than trying to overcome that weakness.
But that won't work now. If the radiation limit isn't broken, the power output in this low-output state will only be consumed by magical energy, and once it's depleted, Superman will die.
The Kryptonian body possesses a powerful survival instinct. He didn't want to die, so he had to accelerate his adaptation. This meant he had to find a way to maintain high output while exposed to Kryptonite radiation, in order to overcome the magical energy and complete the body's repair process.
It's not so much an adaptation as an immediate need for immunity, otherwise death will ensue. Therefore, we can no longer slowly build up our immune system as before; we must develop a usable one immediately.
Driven by the pressure of survival, the body's potential was fully unleashed. All the hidden codes written in the genes were unearthed and put to use. The entire immune system mobilized, determined to exhaustively search for the answers, even if it meant using brute force.
The good thing is that Clark grew up on Earth. From the moment he was taken out of the infant pod, the Yellow Sun had been stimulating the potential of his body. His body had undergone comprehensive nourishment and a complete upgrade, rather than being hastily modified halfway through. This gave his body more leeway and more resources to draw upon when facing crises.
As the remaining energy dwindled, the immune system built up at an increasingly rapid pace. However, just as the immune system against kryptonite radiation was nearing completion, a new problem arose: insufficient energy.
Clark was caught completely off guard and therefore hadn't stored up any extra energy. There was no crisis on Earth that required him to store energy in advance, nor was he in the habit of doing so. Therefore, when faced with the drain on magical energy, his stored energy was insufficient.
In other words, there's a high-output environment now, but no power. Therefore, the lack of energy could cause the repairs to fail, leading to Superman's death.
But his powerful body was unwilling to give up so easily. Since he had run out of energy, he decided to find a way to plunder the energy of his opponent. The energy within him began to function in a different way, not by destroying magical energy, but by absorbing and converting it.
This was a last resort. Superman's body didn't have any built-in plugins for magical energy; everything was written on the spot. But it must be said, this race is truly blessed. Even written under such dire circumstances, it was barely usable.
Although the conversion efficiency wasn't great, at least the energy supply was replenished. Moreover, changing from repulsion to conversion could simultaneously weaken the enemy and strengthen oneself. The tide of battle was temporarily turned.
But at this moment, a new problem arose. Because of the fusion with magical energy, the immune system previously effective against kryptonite was no longer working. It was similar to a text document whose file format had been changed, making it unopenable with a reader or similar software; the only options were to either change the file format back or use new software to read it.
It's impossible to change it back now; if we don't absorb magical energy, the flow will be cut off again. So we have to rewrite the immunity code, this time making sure it's compatible with our own energy containing magical energy.
But then another problem arises. Reconstructing the immune system also requires energy, and even the combined energy of one's own body and magic is not enough. So what to do? Now there's only one option left: absorb the kryptonite energy as well.
This sounds utterly absurd. How could someone who's already restraining you possibly absorb that kind of energy?
Actually, there is a way. Magic, to put it simply, is a kind of pure energy. Previously, Superman's body didn't have the "plugin" to absorb energy other than yellow sunlight, so he couldn't absorb this pure energy. But now the plugin has been written, which means that the power Superman can absorb is no longer limited to yellow solar radiation.
Therefore, magical energy is pure energy, and the radiation from kryptonite must also contain pure energy. After all, radiation is one manifestation of energy. In other words, as long as the pure energy from kryptonite is absorbed, the energy supply can be replenished.
Under the pressure of survival, this body had no other choice but to try to absorb the energy from the kryptonite by utilizing the newly written energy type expansion plugin.
This process was extremely painful because radiation itself is a form of energy, essentially like injecting oneself with poison intravenously. Clark felt the same intense pain and discomfort as when he first came into contact with kryptonite. This time it was even worse than before, truly a fate worse than death.
After an unknown amount of time, Clark had become numb from the torment. The pain gradually subsided, and the speed of recovery increased dramatically.
With its immense potential and extraordinary survival instinct, it finally accomplished this almost impossible feat, forcibly absorbing the energy of magic and kryptonite, converting it all into its own energy, and then beginning to heal its wounds at a normal pace.
Several researchers in protective suits reached into and unzipped the body bag. They removed Superman's "body." The lead surgeon stepped forward and first examined the chest wound. But the moment he saw the wound, he froze.
The other doctors seemed to have noticed something amiss as well. They looked at each other and gestured to one another in the space beneath the lab table. Two of them appeared to disagree, but ultimately one convinced the other.
Amanda's voice came over the loudspeaker: "How is it?"
“There’s nothing unusual,” one of the doctors said. “Ms. Waller, I hope you understand that dissecting an alien’s body is extremely dangerous for anyone. I would never have gotten involved in this if you hadn’t insisted on asking me to come.”
"Don't worry, Dr. Niemann. You'll get your share of the benefits."
After Amanda's voice faded, one of the doctors gave the man called Dr. Niemann a meaningful look. The two left the room one after the other, seemingly heading to the preparation room to gather surgical supplies. As they selected their scalpels, the doctor spoke up: "Are you sure you want to do this? That crazy woman isn't so easily fooled. She can get you fired from Metropolitan Hospital. What will happen to your wife and children then?"
Dr. Niemann paused, turned to look at him, and said, “All I know is that if I help Amanda Waller, she will never appreciate it. She will only keep pressuring me. Today she’s threatening me with my family to dissect aliens; tomorrow it might be other dangerous things, or even you and other innocent people. If I don’t do it, I and all my loved ones will suffer. But if I help Superman, at least he can help me once when I might lose my life due to various threats. He will do it, and he can do it.”
After saying that, he pushed the lab door open again, cleared his throat, and said to the others, "Get your tools ready, prepare for the dissection." Then he deliberately raised his voice and said, "The aliens' body tissues are completely different from ours. In order to get the most accurate results possible, don't make any rash incisions. Be careful, careful, and even more careful. Understand?"
"Yes, doctor."
Amanda watched with satisfaction as the doctors bustled about on the monitor, and as she looked at Clark's handsome but lifeless face. Amanda began to assess his worth.
Four hours passed. Amanda went back into the room and asked over the loudspeaker, "Is it still not ready?"
“Madam, I’ll say it again. If you don’t trust my professional competence, you shouldn’t have come to me.” Dr. Niemann was very firm. He said, “Medical anatomy is not child’s play. Every procedure must be carefully verified. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the results, and I cannot be held responsible if anything goes wrong later.”
“I’m just reminding you that you’d better not try anything funny,” Amanda said coldly.
“I’m not the only one here. You’ve brought so many professional doctors; do you think they’d all lie to you like I would?” Nieman glanced around and said coldly, “If you don’t trust our professional judgment, then send us back and find someone else yourself…”
“That’s not what I meant,” Amanda’s tone softened, and she said, “You are the most professional doctors, and of course I respect your judgment.”
The other doctors remained silent, standing around the operating table like rows of white snow-capped mountains, their silence seemingly confirming Dr. Niemann's statement. Amanda, seeing this, felt relieved and stopped urging them on.