Seeing the Kryptonian warriors descending from the sky and landing smoothly behind Marcus, the tactical team leader was visibly stunned, his weapon lowering slightly in shock.
Of course, he wasn't the only one completely taken aback by this display. Every single warrior standing behind him was equally stunned, staring with wide eyes behind their helmet visors. These people could actually fly. Just... fly through the air like it was nothing.
Could humans fly unaided?
Of course not. Even those rare individuals who were rumored to possess psionic abilities—the so-called "ghosts" spoken of in hushed tones—couldn't actually fly through the air without mechanical assistance.
But right now, they'd all witnessed with their own eyes these warriors behind Marcus casually descending from the sky as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Just as the soldiers were still processing this impossible sight, a small landing craft appeared above the defensive perimeter and touched down smoothly. A man with a stern, weathered face and an aura of command stepped out of the craft.
"Greetings. I am Captain Locke of the transport vessel Svir," the man said formally, his posture straight and professional.
Captain Locke carried himself with remarkable composure and dignity. He didn't become obsequious or flattering despite the reports he'd received about Marcus's overwhelming power—he maintained his bearing as a ship's captain.
"Hello, Captain," Marcus replied with equal courtesy. "I'm Captain Marcus of the Dark Aster. These are my crew members. We detected that you were engaged in combat against those insect creatures, so we decided to intervene and help resolve the situation."
"Ah, thank you very much for your assistance," Captain Locke said sincerely. "But if I may ask—where exactly are you from? During my time in the Koprulu Sector, I never heard of individuals as powerful as you and your crew."
Captain Locke's question carried genuine curiosity. His ship and crew had been lost in uncharted space for a considerable time now, unable to find their way back to the Koprulu Sector and familiar territories.
But when Marcus heard those specific words—"Koprulu Sector"—he suddenly understood with complete certainty that he'd indeed arrived in exactly the universe he'd been guessing at. This confirmed everything.
"Actually, we don't know our exact location either," Marcus admitted honestly. "We sailed through the void for an extended period before finally discovering this planet showing signs of active life."
Hearing this answer, Locke's eyes dimmed noticeably with disappointment. So they still couldn't find a way back to known space. The crew of the Svir would have to continue their voyage indefinitely until they either found a planet safe enough and suitable for permanent settlement, or somehow stumbled across other human worlds.
Only by establishing themselves somewhere could they continue developing their capabilities—and maybe, eventually, they could locate other human-controlled planets and return to civilization proper.
"By the way, do you know what's actually going on with those insect creatures?" Marcus asked, genuinely curious.
Although Marcus knew that the insect tide was composed of Zerg—he recognized the species from his meta-knowledge—he honestly didn't know much detail about them. After all, in his memories from before crossing over, he'd only encountered maybe a dozen different Zerg species in games and media.
But reality clearly wasn't like that at all. Looking at the actual Zerg tide, he could only positively identify a few species among the swarm, and even those identifications were tentative guesses based on vague images from his memory.
Facing Marcus's question, Locke nodded seriously.
"Come inside first," he gestured toward the interior of the defensive base. "As for the Zerg... well, that's a long story that starts quite some time ago."
Locke led Marcus and the Kryptonians deeper into the defensive perimeter. After passing through the fortified battle positions, they could see numerous massive machines working constantly—mining equipment, processors, and various industrial apparatus.
"The Zerg are a hive-minded species," Locke began explaining as they walked. "They're extremely aggressive and tyrannical creatures. Back when we were still in the Koprulu Sector, human-controlled territory had been repeatedly attacked by Zerg incursions. But there are some notable differences between those Zerg we encountered in the Sector and the Zerg here on this planet. Perhaps... because the distance is so vast, their evolutionary direction has diverged significantly..."
Locke continued his explanation while simultaneously inspecting all the mechanical devices around them, checking that everything was operating within normal parameters.
"Captain Locke!" a maintenance worker called out, approaching them rapidly.
The worker was piloting a three-meter-tall maintenance exosuit, flames jetting from its back thrusters. The mechanical suit moved with surprising agility despite its bulk.
"Sir, we've discovered a high-energy crystal deposit here. This could be significant—we might be able to remain on this planet for an extended period."
High-energy crystals had numerous applications and uses. They could even potentially help the survivors construct new spacecraft given enough time and resources.
Hearing the worker's report, Locke fell silent for several long moments, clearly weighing the implications. Then he nodded decisively.
"Understood. We'll establish a permanent base here for the time being."
The reality of their situation was stark: they only had one transport ship, and their entire armed forces consisted of just five tactical teams—barely enough to defend a small outpost, let alone fight a sustained campaign.
They desperately needed more power to protect themselves adequately. Even the weapons their tactical teams currently used needed regular maintenance and eventual replacement.
Otherwise, the next time they encountered an alien insect tide of this magnitude, they might not even be able to mount an effective defense at all.
However, even as Locke made this decision, he glanced sideways at Marcus. He genuinely didn't know what Marcus's attitude toward them actually was—whether this stranger would support or oppose their plans.
It just seemed that during their entire conversation so far, Marcus hadn't really cared much about them at all. But when the worker mentioned high-energy crystals, Marcus had shown obvious and immediate interest.
"Mr. Marcus? Do you have any thoughts on this matter?" Locke asked carefully.
Marcus, pulled from his thoughts, nodded gently. He was indeed very interested in these high-energy crystals.
"Ah, yes actually. Could you let me examine the high-energy crystals directly?"
"Of course," Locke agreed immediately. "However, all the high-energy crystal specimens we've extracted so far are quite massive in size, so we'll need to go to an open area."
Locke didn't refuse Marcus's request at all. After leading Marcus and his group to a large open space near the mining operations, a maintenance worker controlling a heavy exosuit carefully retrieved and placed an enormous yellow crystal—easily as tall as a full-grown person—in front of them.
Seeing this crystal formation up close, Marcus nodded slightly in satisfaction. It definitely was a genuine high-energy crystal. He could clearly sense the tremendous energy radiating from within it.
This single high-energy crystal contained enough concentrated power for him to extract one complete Aya Essence. And the high-energy crystal mine deposit here—as long as they maintained production and mining operations for even a short while—would provide more than enough material for him to complete extraction of all the Aya Essences he needed for his Warframe upgrades.
It had to be said, these high-energy crystals were indeed an exceptionally rare and valuable energy source.
However, Marcus suddenly became aware of several intensely burning gazes focused on his back.
"You all..." Marcus began, confused.
Looking back at Zod and the other Kryptonians, Marcus was genuinely puzzled. What was wrong with them? Why were they acting like starving men who'd just spotted a feast?
Following their collective line of sight, Marcus realized they weren't looking at him at all—they were staring at the high-energy crystal with expressions of barely contained excitement and hunger jumping across their faces.
"Is this thing particularly beneficial for you somehow?" Marcus asked.
Hearing the question, General Zod nodded repeatedly, his enthusiasm obvious. Right now, without their Kryptonian protective suits, they could all clearly feel the tangible effect the high-energy crystals were having on their bodies.
The sensation felt remarkably similar to standing under Earth's yellow sun. Although it wasn't quite as comfortable or powerful as direct solar exposure, they still experienced a distinct feeling that their strength was actively increasing just from being near the crystal.
Seeing Zod and the others so eager and excited, Marcus felt his own curiosity rising.
A subtle glow of energy spread from his body. In the blink of an eye, he deactivated his Warframe transformation and returned to his original human appearance. Then Marcus—who'd integrated Kryptonian biological force field capabilities into himself—also immediately sensed the significance of the high-energy crystal.
"That's fascinating," Marcus mused aloud. "Even though this is a completely different universe, the biological force field can still draw power from the energy radiation emitted by high-energy crystals?"
Originally, Marcus had assumed that Zod and the others would be permanently weakened without access to the yellow sun from the DC universe. He'd thought their power would remain static at current levels from this point forward.
But unexpectedly, through sheer coincidence, these crystals containing concentrated energy could serve as a new power source for Kryptonians—perhaps not quite as effective as a yellow sun, but more than adequate.
Captain Locke was visibly startled by Marcus's sudden transformation. He clearly hadn't expected Marcus to reveal his true face so abruptly—the shift from the imposing flaming Warframe to a normal-looking human was jarring.
Just as Locke was about to ask a question about this, he watched in shock as Marcus raised his hand and pressed it directly against the massive high-energy crystal.
Crack—
The enormous crystal instantly shattered under Marcus's palm, fragmenting into countless pieces that scattered across the ground.
"Take this piece with you," Marcus said casually, picking up a fist-sized high-energy crystal fragment. He tossed it to General Zod. "Study it and see what specific changes occur in your abilities."
After delivering that suggestion, Marcus essentially ignored the Kryptonians entirely and turned his attention back to more important matters.
The only real significance of high-energy crystals to Marcus personally was extracting Aya Essence from them. As for what other uses these crystals might have for the Kryptonians—whether they could serve as permanent power sources or whatever else—that held no particular meaning for him.
"Captain Locke," Marcus said, addressing the transport captain directly. "It seems high-energy crystals are also quite useful to my crew and me. How about this—let's cooperate to mine the high-energy crystal deposits on this planet."
Hearing this proposal, Captain Locke couldn't help but feel genuinely pleased and relieved. He absolutely hadn't expected that Marcus—who clearly possessed such overwhelming personal power—would not only refrain from threatening them, but would actually propose cooperation in mining operations.
This was excellent news, at least from their perspective.
Locke was well aware that planets containing high-energy crystal veins were almost always accompanied by high-energy vespene gas deposits as well. And there would definitely be more than just one exploitable vein location.
His original plan had been to mine on this planet briefly and then search for other, potentially safer worlds. But now that Marcus was proposing cooperation, they could actually settle down permanently on this planet and establish a proper colony.
As for whether the alien insect swarms would attack again—well, Locke was confident that with Marcus and his crew's assistance, the Zerg would be completely eliminated from this planet in relatively short order.
"That sounds ideal. We would very much welcome that arrangement," Captain Locke said with a genuine smile.
The current situation was turning out far better than he'd dared hope. Cooperation between their two groups would be mutually beneficial with essentially no downsides.
Locke's people could devote themselves fully to mining crystals and harvesting gas without constantly worrying about defense. Meanwhile, Marcus and his crew could provide a secure enough environment that wouldn't be constantly invaded by alien insects.
"Then it's settled!" Marcus said cheerfully, sealing the agreement with a handshake.
Then he turned to look back at Zod and the other Kryptonians, who were still intensely studying the high-energy crystal fragment he'd given them.
Although the fist-sized crystal didn't contain enormous amounts of energy compared to the massive specimen, after making direct physical contact with it, Zod had discovered that the crystal had a remarkably positive promoting effect on their superhuman abilities.
The high-energy crystal perhaps couldn't increase their strength as dramatically as prolonged exposure to the yellow sun in the DC universe could. But it allowed their power to increase steadily in a very gentle, controlled manner—sustainable growth rather than dramatic spikes.
It could be said that as long as they had sufficient quantities of high-energy crystals available, they could continue improving indefinitely over time.
Of course, after some initial analysis by the only formally trained scientist among their group, he'd concluded that simply wearing high-energy crystals directly on their bodies would cause tremendous waste—the energy would dissipate inefficiently.
Therefore, the scientist was already planning to use advanced Kryptonian technology to stimulate and channel the crystals' energy output into specialized energy shields that would bathe their bodies in optimized radiation.
"So, how's it going? Do you have any concrete ideas?" Marcus asked, walking over to join the discussion.
The Kryptonians had been talking enthusiastically among themselves here, and Marcus wanted to hear what they were planning.
"This place... is very good," Zod said thoughtfully. "After our transaction is complete and we part ways, we plan to find a similar planet with high-energy crystal deposits. We'll transform it into the new Krypton."
The dream of rebuilding Krypton remained deeply rooted in Zod's mind—and in the minds of all these surviving Kryptonians, really. They still planned to reconstruct their homeworld and civilization.
But this time, they weren't going to take the same approach as before. They wouldn't add Kryptonite to the World Engine's planetary transformation process. They wanted to build a stronger, more resilient version of Krypton.
As for Kryptonite itself—they would certainly preserve samples of it, but those rare minerals would become the highest symbols of the new Krypton. They would carry the genetic Codex and represent the memory of their lost world.
Understanding their plan, Marcus nodded approvingly. Zod and his people's choice was sensible and well-reasoned.
After all, Marcus genuinely couldn't guarantee that Kryptonians would encounter similar power-enhancing materials when they eventually entered other universes or dimensions. Finding this kind of alternative energy source was incredibly fortunate.
"Speaking of our deal being over—that won't be much longer!" Marcus noted.
Their agreement had centered on Kryptonian technology. Right now, the Kryptonian equipment aboard the Dark Aster was being rapidly restored and analyzed. Data recording all aspects of Kryptonian technology was being systematically entered into Will's comprehensive database.
It wouldn't be long before their transaction was completely finished, and then they would go their separate ways.
But this inevitable parting didn't particularly bother Marcus. At most, he felt mild regret that the separation was happening so quickly. The crew of the Dark Aster had only been together for a relatively short time, and now they already had to say goodbye.
"Once all the data on Kryptonian technology has been fully entered into my systems, you'll receive the complete Codex as agreed," Marcus confirmed. "Of course, I'd strongly suggest you approach things differently than you did before. Yes, as Kryptonians you have unique advantages and capabilities. But there are far more powerful beings in this universe than you might imagine. Krypton was never the only advanced civilization, and it certainly wasn't the most powerful."
Hearing Marcus's sobering advice, General Zod and his subordinates all nodded seriously in acknowledgment.
They'd genuinely learned that lesson already. Just like back on Earth—they'd clearly possessed enough raw power to completely destroy Earth's entire civilization if they'd wanted to. But in the end, they'd been easily defeated by Marcus and Clark working together.
This time around, they wouldn't be as reckless and arrogant as before. They would remain appropriately cautious and try to avoid unnecessary conflicts with other civilizations whenever possible.
But that caution didn't mean they would fear any civilization they encountered. They were still Kryptonians—members of one of the most powerful races in any universe.
The group of Kryptonians all shared remarkably firm conviction in their hearts. They would make the name and reputation of Krypton resound throughout this universe. They would make Krypton truly great again—greater than it had ever been before.
Compared to the intense discussion happening between Marcus and the Kryptonians, Captain Locke's situation was considerably more relaxed and straightforward.
When the people aboard the transport ship learned that Marcus had proposed cooperation rather than conquest or threats, they were all genuinely surprised and pleased.
Everyone knew about the overwhelming force Marcus had demonstrated earlier. With such powerful capabilities backing their colony, they could actually put down permanent roots on this planet.
As long as they could establish themselves planetside, they could construct all the specialized mechanical buildings and facilities they needed. They could transform their single transport ship into an entire fleet over time, giving them sufficient military power to face whatever hidden threats lurked in this region of space.
Soon after the agreement was finalized, the massive transport vessel descended from orbit and landed near the defensive perimeter. Large numbers of personnel immediately began streaming out of the ship, moving with practiced efficiency.
They rapidly moved in and out of the vessel, and within a remarkably short time, they'd constructed a huge, fortified command center—the foundation of their new colony.
"This will be our first major step forward!" Captain Locke said with satisfaction, looking at the newly completed command center.
For everyone who'd been stranded aboard that ship for so long, this command center represented genuine hope. As long as this base structure existed and remained operational, they could develop additional specialized buildings to produce various weapons, equipment, and supplies to strengthen their defensive capabilities.
It could honestly be said that this command center was everything to the people from the transport ship. Without it, they couldn't possibly guarantee their ability to continue surviving in this hostile universe.
Perhaps because all these structures utilized highly automated modular construction systems, it didn't take long before numerous additional mechanical buildings filled in the defensive perimeter, forming a proper military-industrial base. All the humans from the transport ship began transitioning to permanent life on this planet's surface.
Somewhere deep within the expanding base complex, two engineers were operating sophisticated mechanical assembly arms to manufacture new power armor suits for the tactical teams.
"I heard the reason we're establishing a permanent base on this planet is because we encountered a group of people with incredible power," one engineer said conversationally while monitoring the fabrication process.
"Yeah, that's right," the other confirmed. "I checked with the administrative personnel. Apparently the senior leadership chose to cooperate with those individuals, which is why they authorized constructing the command center here rather than continuing our search."
"How powerful do you think those people actually are?" the first engineer mused. "Compared to those 'ghosts' everyone talks about—the ones supposedly able to use psionic abilities—who would be stronger?"
"I think these newcomers are definitely more powerful," his colleague replied thoughtfully. "After all, it would be completely impossible for even a team of elite ghosts to fight against a full Zerg swarm assault with just a small group of people the way these strangers did."
The two engineers continued their work and speculation, part of a colony that was slowly but surely establishing itself on this dangerous new world.