Why had Yun Chen insisted on establishing a Kryptonian branch base on the Moon?
Was it simply for convenience—perhaps to collect beautiful women in the future and indulge in a personal harem?
That sounded far too crude.
Of course, if someone insisted on thinking that way, it could technically count as one of the reasons.
But it certainly was not the main one.
The true purpose of the lunar base was far more important.
Yun Chen wanted Kryptonians to adapt to the radiation of a yellow sun.
If everything went according to plan, prolonged exposure could allow more Kryptonians to awaken superhuman abilities.
For the Kryptonian Empire to truly rise again, Yun Chen knew one thing with absolute certainty.
He could not carry the entire empire alone.
He needed legions.
Loyal Kryptonian legions who could defend his rule and expand the empire's influence across the cosmos.
As for loyalty?
That problem had already been solved.
Every newly created Kryptonian genetic sample had been embedded with one critical directive.
Always remain loyal to the Emperor of the Empire.
It might seem cruel.
But for a ruler like Yun Chen, it was the most rational choice.
He would never allow a rebel like General Zod to appear during the empire's rebirth.
Zod himself had quickly awakened new abilities after arriving in this universe. Under the radiation of the yellow sun, he had rapidly developed heat vision and flight.
Foola was not far behind him in potential.
After a period of adaptation, her cells had gradually begun absorbing solar radiation as well, placing her firmly on the path toward becoming a true Superwoman.
"Unfortunately," Yun Chen said thoughtfully, "none of the other Kryptonian soldiers have shown even the slightest cellular change."
He spoke while walking slowly down a quiet forest path.
The field was peaceful now.
The battle had ended hours earlier.
Carol walked beside him silently, listening patiently as he discussed Kryptonian matters with Foola.
Even though she didn't interrupt, her curiosity was obvious.
"Maybe the 'soldier' class doesn't have the potential to awaken," Yun Chen guessed.
"Soldier class?"
A trace of confusion appeared on Foola's usually expressionless face.
Yun Chen chuckled softly.
"That's just a term I used before," he explained. "It helped me understand the genetic structure more easily."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"You could think of it like a development strategy in a command simulation. Different Kryptonian genetic samples represent different types of units."
He counted them off casually.
"Soldiers. Engineers. Scientists."
"Those types may simply lack the genetic potential to undergo solar mutation."
Foola nodded slowly as understanding dawned.
"I see."
"In that case," Yun Chen continued, "it's possible that elite warriors might have the potential to mutate."
That single sentence carried the weight of a direct order.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Foola bowed her head slightly.
"I will arrange for the elite warriors to rotate through the lunar base. If their bodies respond to solar radiation, we'll discover it there."
Many of the Kryptonians exiled in the Phantom Zone had once been elite members of Kryptonian society.
If anyone possessed the genetic potential for mutation, it would likely be them.
Yun Chen nodded.
"Also, it's time to retrieve the Central Codex."
The Codex contained the most valuable Kryptonian genetic data.
If Yun Chen wanted to create new high-level Kryptonian classes capable of evolving under the yellow sun, those genetic templates were essential.
Among them, the genetic pattern for a "general" was especially important.
Unfortunately, the Codex had ended up in Clark's possession.
Although Yun Chen didn't know Clark's exact location on Earth, he was confident the search would eventually uncover him.
"Enough about that for now," Yun Chen said.
Foola immediately fell silent and stepped respectfully to the side.
While they had been talking, the group had unknowingly arrived at Carol's hometown.
Carol suddenly tightened her grip on Yun Chen's hand.
Even someone as strong as her couldn't completely hide the nervous excitement in her eyes.
She stood before the old house quietly.
After leaving Earth for nearly thirty years, she had remained physically frozen in the prime of her youth thanks to cosmic energy.
But time had not been kind to those she left behind.
Her parents were most likely gone.
Carol took a deep breath.
"It's time to face it," she murmured softly.
She pushed open the dusty door.
—
Europe.
Inside an unknown underground facility.
Loki paced slowly across the dim chamber.
His expression shifted constantly as his thoughts raced.
"The plan has changed," he muttered.
For the first time in a long while, the God of Mischief felt genuine anxiety.
Everything had been carefully planned.
Yet as the moment of execution approached, too many unpredictable variables had appeared.
"Damn it."
Only moments earlier, Loki had seen several flashes of Bifrost energy in the sky.
He had believed that after Asgard's Bifrost bridge was destroyed, long-distance teleportation would become nearly impossible.
But Loki himself was no longer in a position of power within Asgard.
"Still… why are there so many spatial transmissions happening now?" he muttered uneasily.
Something had clearly gone wrong.
And Loki could not determine where the flaw in his plan had appeared.
One of his controlled subordinates had even reported strange explosions occurring in outer space.
Worse, a fleet suspected to belong to the Kree Empire had been detected nearby.
"Does Thanos still have a grudge against the Kree?" Loki groaned as he scratched his head.
He held the Mind Scepter tightly in frustration.
"Damn it!"
Around him stood several humans whose minds had already been corrupted by the Mind Stone's power.
They remained silent puppets.
None of them answered his complaints.
"Damn the Kree… damn the Bifrost…"
Loki exhaled slowly.
The plan had definitely changed.
Originally, his strategy had been simple.
He would deliberately lose to Earth's heroes and allow himself to be captured aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.
Once inside, the Mind Scepter would corrupt the minds of those around him and cause internal division among the Avengers.
Eventually, he would open the portal above New York in dramatic fashion and summon the Chitauri invasion fleet.
It would be a perfect spectacle.
A glorious invasion witnessed by the entire world.
That had been Loki's script.
The same script that once played out during the Battle of New York.
But thinking about it carefully, Loki suddenly realized something.
Most of those steps were completely unnecessary.
In fact, they were inefficient.
If he already possessed the stabilized energy of the Space Stone, he could open a portal whenever he wanted.
There was no need to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D.
There was no need to manipulate the Avengers.
There was no need to create a theatrical stage in New York.
He could simply open a wormhole in some remote location.
Once the Chitauri army poured through in massive numbers, Earth would have no time to react.
And now, with so many unexpected complications appearing…
Loki finally accepted reality.
"I can't follow the old script anymore," he muttered.
He turned toward a nearby scientist.
"Dr. Erik, prepare the device," Loki ordered. "I'm opening the Space Stone right here."
Dr. Erik Selvig nodded immediately.
"Understood," he said. "We'll begin preparations now."
The equipment required time to deploy.
But before long, Loki sensed a familiar presence approaching.
"Oh," he said with a sly smile. "Right on time."
He could already feel the aura of his foolish brother.
If this were the past, Loki would never dare face Thor directly.
But now things were different.
He held the Mind Scepter.
More importantly, he needed someone to witness the moment his plan succeeded.
"Loki!"
Thor's voice echoed through the facility.
The God of Thunder stood beneath the shadow of a private residence roof, staring coldly at his younger brother.
"Perfect," Loki said with a grin. "I was just missing an audience."
"What are you planning?" Thor demanded.
Before Loki could answer, the machine behind him roared to life.
A brilliant blue beam of energy shot straight upward.
Moments later, a massive space wormhole opened in the sky above Berlin.
....
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