Clark Kent stood frozen for a moment after hearing Yun Chen's question. The words hung in the air, heavy and unavoidable. He had never imagined that the man in front of him would claim to be the emperor of the Kryptonian Empire.
In a strange way, that made Yun Chen his ruler.
But Clark couldn't ignore what he had just heard about Krypton. The story of its fall echoed the beliefs his father, Jor-El, had once held so firmly. Jor-El believed the central codex had become the very thing that destroyed Kryptonian civilization. The rigid system had strangled its future until collapse became inevitable.
The more Clark thought about it, the more terrifying the system seemed.
If the codex truly dictated every Kryptonian's destiny from birth, then their entire society had been a prison. A soldier would remain a soldier forever. A laborer would spend their entire life performing the same work, with no chance to become anything else.
There would be no opportunity to grow, no freedom to change paths, and no possibility of rising beyond what had been decided in advance. A person's future would be sealed before they even opened their eyes for the first time.
Clark felt a deep chill run through him.
What kind of world was that?
Just imagining millions of lives trapped in that rigid structure made him uneasy. A civilization built on that foundation had no room for hope.
More importantly, Jor-El had opposed it with everything he had.
Clark clenched his fists.
"No," he said firmly. "Even if that codex really is inside my body, I won't give it to you."
Yun Chen didn't react with anger.
Instead, he calmly lifted the bottle in front of him and took a long drink. The liquor flowed down his throat in large gulps until nearly the entire bottle was gone. The powerful alcohol clearly had no effect on his steel-like body.
Finally, he set the empty bottle down.
Then Yun Chen slowly stood up.
"There are some things you don't have the authority to refuse," he said calmly. "This might hurt a little, but it will be over quickly if you endure it."
Clark's expression hardened.
Pain?
Those words made the intention crystal clear.
He was about to make a move.
Clark could already feel the faint but terrifying pressure radiating from Yun Chen. Every instinct in his body told him the truth. If the man attacked first, Clark might not even get the chance to fight back.
So Clark made his decision instantly.
If there was any chance at all, he had to strike first.
With a sudden step forward, Clark lunged across the short distance between them. His right fist clenched tightly as he threw all of his strength into a powerful punch aimed directly at Yun Chen's waist.
Bang!
Clark's fist connected.
For a brief moment, he thought he had succeeded.
Then his eyes widened.
The punch that could collapse an entire building had absolutely no effect. Yun Chen's body didn't move at all. Not even the slightest tremor passed through him.
Clark stared in disbelief.
"How… how is that possible?"
The immense force behind his strike had simply vanished, like a stone sinking into the ocean without leaving a ripple.
"This," Yun Chen said calmly, "is the gap between you and me."
Clark swallowed hard.
The indifferent gaze directed at him made his heart tighten with fear.
Before he could react—
Whoosh!
A violent gust of wind rushed toward him.
Clark didn't even see the attack clearly. Yun Chen's fist had already slammed into his waist with devastating force.
Boom!
Clark coughed up a mouthful of blood instantly.
The impact was enormous, powerful enough to send his body flying across the room. The only reason he didn't crash through the wall was because Yun Chen's other hand had firmly grabbed his shoulder and held him in place.
"Ah!"
Clark cried out as pain exploded through his body.
It felt as if his internal organs had been crushed into pieces. His entire torso burned with agony, leaving him barely able to breathe.
When Yun Chen finally released his shoulder, Clark collapsed forward.
His knees struck the floor as he fell, kneeling directly in front of Yun Chen.
"You're fortunate," Yun Chen said calmly as he looked down at him. "Being born naturally allowed you to absorb the codex in a way no other Kryptonian ever could."
He continued speaking as if giving a lecture.
"More importantly, Earth's yellow sun has been strengthening your body every single day. Its radiation constantly evolves your cells, granting you abilities far beyond those of ordinary Kryptonians."
Clark clenched his teeth as he struggled to stay conscious.
Yun Chen was right.
The sun had given him incredible powers. Over the years Clark had developed extraordinary abilities—heat vision, super breath, and strength capable of moving mountains.
Even General Zod, whose genetic destiny had been that of a warrior, had struggled against Clark's power.
But Yun Chen was different.
"I wasn't born naturally like you," Yun Chen said.
"My genetic sequence was originally designed to produce nothing more than a standard soldier."
He paused for a moment.
"But everything changed when my consciousness awakened with a special gift."
With the help of that mysterious ability, Yun Chen had completely shattered the limitations of his genetic design. The destiny encoded within Kryptonian DNA no longer bound him.
He had broken free from the prison of the codex itself.
"You've grown under Earth's sun for decades," Yun Chen continued. "It gave you many abilities. But you still can't keep up with my pace."
He looked down at Clark with calm certainty.
"Because I'm far more special than you."
Clark roared in anger from the ground.
He refused to accept defeat so easily.
With a furious shout, he forced his battered body upright and launched another attack. His fist shot forward again with desperate strength.
But the result was the same.
Bang!
All the power behind Clark's strike vanished before it could even land. Yun Chen's defensive abilities drained the energy completely, leaving the blow meaningless.
Clark didn't stop.
His eyes suddenly glowed bright red.
Two scorching beams of heat vision shot out and struck Yun Chen directly in the chest. The intense energy burned straight through his clothing, but the skin beneath remained untouched.
It didn't even leave a mark.
Then Yun Chen raised a hand and casually covered Clark's eyes.
The heat vision stopped instantly.
Boom!
Yun Chen's other fist smashed down onto Clark's shoulder.
The tavern floor exploded.
A massive crater appeared beneath them as Clark's body was slammed violently into the ground.
Clark lay in the pit, gasping in pain.
His back felt completely numb. The body that could normally withstand missiles had just suffered a blow unlike anything he had ever experienced.
Yun Chen slowly clenched his fists.
Waves of overwhelming power surged through his body.
Ever since his mysterious ability had stolen energy from the Infinity Stones, his entire body had begun transforming under the influence of that limitless force. The energies of Power, Space, and even the Mind Stone had fused within him.
Each passing moment made him stronger.
By Yun Chen's own estimation, even if he soaked inside the core of the sun itself, he would remain unharmed.
"Now do you understand what makes me different?" Yun Chen asked calmly.
"I have already reformed the Kryptonian Empire. The corrupt council system has been abolished, and the ancient monarchy has been restored."
He glanced toward the door.
"It won't be long before the glory of Krypton rises again. Our banner will spread across the entire universe."
With that, Yun Chen began walking toward the tavern entrance.
Before stepping outside, he spoke one final sentence without looking back.
"Leave some money for the bar owner."
"Yes, sir."
The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents waiting outside exchanged uncertain looks. None of them understood the true purpose behind the strange mission Director Nick Fury had assigned them.
"What about that man?" one agent asked quietly.
"Someone will come to retrieve him," another replied. "At least he's still alive."
The words had barely left his mouth when the agents witnessed something they would never forget.
High above the tavern, a massive spacecraft slowly emerged from invisibility. It hovered silently in the sky as several indistinct figures descended toward the ground.
The agents swallowed nervously.
At that moment, they finally understood why Director Fury had personally warned them to forget everything they saw.
....
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