Several days passed.
Universe Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
Tenth floor.
Sunlight slanted in through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
As an office, it received far too much sunlight. Bright rays streamed through the rear glass wall behind the desk, casting light on Bardi's white trench coat and broad back. The sunlight reflected on his face, accentuating his sharp features. Shadows stretched across most of the desk.
A little dust floated in the air.
The room was warm and quiet, a little lazy but comfortable.
Bardi's eyes were contemplative. The sun outlined his profile, bathing him in a soft glow.
His fingers gently tapped the sandalwood desk. The shadow-covered table before him held the foundational plans for the entire Metropolis, a blueprint that outlined construction over the next ten years.
He had completely overturned the previously designed blueprint, since at the time it was created, he hadn't met Raven or learned about magic.
Now that he understood the power of magic, Bardi had no intention of excluding it. Instead, he planned to combine magic with technology, not only to protect his base but also to achieve things that technology alone could not.
This required building a full magical array system throughout the entire Metropolis, constructed using knowledge from Raven's Azarath-based magic system.
Even after completing the Metropolis, this was only the beginning. Eventually, Bardi intended to shape Earth into his personal garden, a foundation that would cultivate talent and power for his fight against the universe.
That meant looking far into the future. Under his rule, he would rapidly establish a hybrid of technology and magic arrays, all under his control.
This would still take some time to complete.
He tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, making a soft sound in the quiet room. His contemplative eyes narrowed slightly in the warm sunlight. For a brief moment, it was as if he could see the future unfolding before him.
Raven sat quietly on the guest sofa beside him. The sunlight didn't reach her. She lifted her cloak and hood, revealing a pale face and shoulder-length hair that fell softly. In that moment, her appearance resembled that of a quiet girl next door. Her dark purple lips gently bit down as she savored the happiness brought by a piece of chocolate. A faint smile lifted the corners of her mouth.
It was a piece of rock chocolate she had saved from her collection, now cut into many small pieces that she tasted occasionally.
Because Bardi didn't use chocolate rays to produce this "Happy Chocolate," as she called it, she cherished it all the more.
Knock knock knock…
There was the sound of knuckles rapping on the door.
The door opened and someone entered.
It was a fair-skinned woman in a professional skirt suit, lean and attractive. Several buttons on her white shirt were undone, revealing the lace edge and the white curves beneath.
"Chairman… your documents."
She was flirtatious, and as she bent over, the sunlight highlighted the shape of her body through the close-fitting suit.
Bardi nodded indifferently and dismissed the Soviet spy.
Ever since Bardi's dramatic ascent into the sky, it had clearly caused a significant stir within the Soviet Union. At this peak of the Cold War, where global hegemony was at stake, someone appearing with such godlike presence and power had understandably triggered alarm.
In just two or three days, the Soviets had already sent three exceptional female spies to infiltrate Bardi's secretary staff.
Bardi, however, welcomed anyone who came. He immediately reprogrammed them into his own people, while also extracting key intelligence and beginning preparations to manipulate several national regimes after the Soviet Union's eventual collapse.
He had also sent Mike back to the Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union dissolved, Bardi would directly control several of its successor states, making them his territory.
The United States had clearly taken notice, but for now, Bardi was able to keep things under control. Aside from some discussion in the tech sector, nothing had appeared publicly.
Even if it did, Bardi was more than capable of suppressing it with force. At his current strength, he could rule the entire world.
Furthermore, with the presence of his magical true form, his Kryptonian physiology, the red sun, magic, and other suppressive forces, it had become increasingly difficult to harm him. Unless someone could first eliminate his magical true body, no one here could stop him.
Still, even with the power to dominate the world through force, Bardi did not act immediately.
The truth was, he didn't yet have enough people to manage global control. Even if he conquered the world through brute force, without infrastructure, it would be like a child playing pretend. Any attempts to control one region would result in rebellion in another. That would only infuriate Bardi, forcing him to destroy everything.
Right now, he had only about a thousand subordinates, which was a pitiful number. To use them to control the world?
Not impossible, but far from the total control Bardi envisioned.
So, for now, he held back.
He temporarily set aside the blueprint in his mind and picked up the documents delivered by the secretary.
Ordinary matters never bothered him. Clearly, this had been sent with Lex's approval for Bardi's final decision.
Bardi opened it, scanned it twice, then turned the page and continued.
Gotham University botanist Jason Woodrue was dead, and Pamela Isley was missing.
This message came from Carmine, Gotham's underworld boss.
Before Bardi had left, he had casually warned Carmine. Now, with Bardi making his presence known in the Metropolis, Carmine couldn't afford to ignore him and had likely arranged for someone to secretly protect Pamela Isley as a show of goodwill.
Bardi had once told Pamela Isley that in the near future, the name of Metropolis would echo everywhere, and all would know it.
Now, at this very moment, every inch of Metropolis carried his name.
He had fulfilled what he told Pamela Isley, but she had yet to come to him.
Was it because she had become Poison Ivy and felt ashamed to appear before him in that body?
Bardi's eyes lingered thoughtfully for a moment, but he didn't plan to search for her himself.
Jor-El's scout ship was still waiting to be retrieved.
Although his body was now repairing its genetic flaws and nearing perfection, the Codex of Life had still not fully integrated into his cells.
With current Earth technology, such widespread genetic integration was incredibly difficult.
Even Jor-El had needed Krypton's advanced tech, and it still took nearly a year to fully integrate it into Clark's body.
What Bardi needed most now was the Kryptonian spaceship and the high-level technology it contained.
Under the slanted sunlight, Bardi's profile was bathed in golden light. His features were sharp, and there was a faint smile on his lips.
He glanced at Raven, who was quietly enjoying her chocolate, and said suddenly,
"Raven, go pick her up from Gotham."
(To be continued.)
***
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