High above the quiet frontier town, a Kryptonian reconnaissance ship had been hovering unseen for hours. Its cloaking systems kept it hidden from the eyes of every satellite and radar system on Earth.
Inside the vessel, several Kryptonian scientists stood ready at their stations. Rows of advanced instruments surrounded a sleek operating platform at the center of the room. The atmosphere was calm and professional, as if the operation they were about to perform were simply another routine task.
Soon the hatch opened.
A Kryptonian soldier carried Clark Kent inside.
Clark was completely unconscious, his powerful body limp after the devastating battle in the tavern. The soldier carefully placed him onto the advanced operating table.
Around the room, several floating intelligent sentries hovered in silence.
They looked like silver cocoons suspended in midair, their smooth metallic shells reflecting the pale light of the laboratory. These floating guardians were standard equipment aboard Kryptonian vessels. Although they were primarily designed to defend against unknown intruders, they could also assist with delicate medical or scientific procedures.
One of the Kryptonian scientists stepped forward and activated the medical interface.
"Jor-El completely disassembled the Central Codex and integrated it into every cell of his son's body," the scientist explained calmly. "Our task is to reverse that process."
Another scientist began adjusting the scanning equipment.
"We will extract the genetic factors from all of his cells and reconstruct the Codex itself."
The procedure was not unfamiliar to Kryptonian science. In fact, a similar process had once been mentioned in ancient Kryptonian research archives.
According to their calculations, the operation would not threaten Clark's life.
With everything prepared, the operation began immediately.
At first glance it appeared to be an extremely complex procedure, something that might require hours or even days to complete. However, Kryptonian biotechnology had long surpassed such limitations.
The machines hummed softly as beams of scanning light passed across Clark's body.
Data flowed rapidly across the displays.
Soon the process was complete.
"Your Majesty," one of the scientists reported respectfully. "The Central Codex is intact. It has been successfully extracted from Clark's body."
"Very good."
Yun Chen's eyes lit up with satisfaction.
Compared to Clark's life, he had always cared far more about whether the Codex could be retrieved intact. The success of the operation meant that Krypton's most valuable treasure had finally returned.
As for Clark Kent himself, Yun Chen felt nothing in particular.
Whether Clark was considered a fellow Kryptonian or not made little difference to him.
A scientist carefully approached, holding a small object in both hands.
"Your Majesty," he said respectfully, "this is the Central Codex."
Yun Chen accepted it.
The object looked surprisingly simple.
It was a black skull.
Despite its unassuming appearance, the skull held immense significance for the entire Kryptonian civilization.
Yun Chen held it in his hands and examined it closely. As his senses touched the artifact, he could faintly feel a cold and ancient presence emanating from it.
"Excellent," he said again with satisfaction.
The Central Codex was not a weapon, nor was it a device meant for combat. It possessed no destructive abilities whatsoever.
But it remained the most important treasure Krypton had ever created.
The Codex was Krypton's complete genetic archive. It contained the DNA of every Kryptonian ever designed. Through advanced genetic synthesis, new Kryptonians could be created without natural reproduction.
Each new life could be engineered according to the needs of society.
In other words, Krypton had mastered genetic manipulation to an astonishing degree. By controlling chromosomes and genetic sequences, they could determine the precise talents and professional capabilities of each individual before birth.
That was why the old saying existed.
A soldier would remain a soldier forever.
A worker would remain a worker forever.
From one perspective, the system sounded cruel.
But what was the current reality of Krypton?
Only a few months earlier, fewer than a dozen Kryptonians had survived the destruction of their civilization.
If anyone had attempted to classify them scientifically, they would have been labeled something like "interstellar protected species."
Their numbers were simply too small.
Everything was in ruins.
If Krypton truly wished to rise again, the genetic library contained within the Codex was absolutely essential. With it, they could once again produce large numbers of specialized individuals designed to rebuild their civilization.
Krypton desperately needed talent.
"The Codex has returned to its rightful place," Yun Chen said calmly.
As soon as the words left his mouth, his figure vanished.
Inside the reconnaissance ship, the remaining Kryptonians stared in disbelief.
For a moment none of them could understand what had just happened.
Their emperor had disappeared without leaving the slightest trace.
Everyone knew that Yun Chen possessed extraordinary teleportation abilities. But even the legendary Bifrost of Asgard created tremendous light and energy when it transported someone across space.
Yun Chen's movement had been completely silent.
"His Majesty has become even stronger," one of the scientists whispered.
Far away, outside the royal palace on Neptune Star, the air remained perfectly still.
There was no ripple.
No flash of light.
Then, suddenly, Yun Chen's tall figure quietly emerged from empty space.
In the blink of an eye, he had traveled from the reconnaissance ship above Earth to Neptune Star, a distance spanning countless light-years.
This was the true power of the Space Stone.
In Yun Chen's perception, space itself was like a sheet of paper. By simply folding it, he could bring distant points together and cross unimaginable distances instantly.
"The Bifrost is meaningless to me now," Yun Chen said with a faint smile.
He remembered how, not long ago, he had once coveted Asgard's divine weapon, Stormbreaker, simply because it could open the Bifrost and allow long-distance travel.
Now the weapon had become completely unnecessary.
In fact, Yun Chen had already assigned it a far more mundane purpose.
It could serve as a tool for clearing wasteland.
If Odin ever learned that his legendary weapon had been reduced to such a use, the old god would likely be furious.
Inside a massive biological incubation chamber, engineers had already installed the Central Codex into the system.
The black skull floated at the center of the apparatus, glowing faintly with a golden light.
"Roar—"
A low vibration passed through the machinery as the system activated.
The scientists nearby all breathed a sigh of relief.
The Codex was functioning perfectly.
Yun Chen felt even more excited as he watched the process begin. With the genetic archive restored, he could finally begin producing Kryptonians with increasingly optimized genetic structures.
In simpler terms, he could begin creating higher-level forces.
Until now, the Kryptonian military forces under his control had been relatively limited.
Most of them were basic soldiers.
Above them were generals.
And above those were high-ranking commanders and specialized combat units.
"That's right," Yun Chen said thoughtfully. "We'll begin with the general-level genetic template. I want the highest possible combat potential."
Lilith, dressed in black, was working at the control console beside the incubation chamber.
"Are we continuing the accelerated cell incubation process?" she asked.
"Of course," Yun Chen replied.
Accelerated incubation was essentially a method of forcing rapid growth. The process could produce fully grown individuals in a short period of time, but the results were never perfect.
These artificially accelerated Kryptonians often had flaws.
Most of them would struggle to live beyond a hundred years.
They also required frequent physical examinations and maintenance.
Lilith had warned about these issues many times.
From a human perspective, living a hundred years would already seem extraordinary. But for Kryptonians, whose medical technology could extend life for centuries, such a lifespan was considered defective.
"There is still one month before the next batch of soldiers leaves the incubation chambers," Lilith reported.
After expanding the capacity of the facility, their total population would soon exceed one thousand individuals.
"And it will take at least four months for the next twenty generals to complete incubation."
Yun Chen frowned slightly.
"Only twenty?"
Lilith nodded.
"Your Majesty, creating a complete high-level genetic sequence requires enormous genetic engineering resources. Producing a single general consumes the same resources as hundreds of soldiers."
She paused before continuing.
"The genetic nutrient solution is the biggest problem. Our reserves are almost depleted, and it will be difficult to replenish them quickly."
Her meaning was clear.
Without new resources, the incubation chambers might eventually stop functioning.
Despite the impressive appearance of their growing empire, Krypton still faced a harsh reality.
They lacked resources.
Every civilization required massive amounts of raw materials to develop and expand. Compared to other advanced civilizations, the Kryptonians currently possessed very little.
But Yun Chen already had a solution.
"Plunder," he said calmly.
A cold light flashed in his eyes.
....
Join my P@treon get free advanced chapters.
Paid members can get upto 60+ chapters ahead of the public release.
Link : [email protected]/KittyLovesMilk