chapter 27

Robert's expression was one of mixed emotions. He hadn't expected that, after obtaining Superman's power, he would also inherit Krypton's legacy. But thinking about it, it made sense. Krypton had so many people, and it was hard to believe that only Superman's father had the foresight to preserve their civilization. There were surely others in Krypton who understood the importance of passing down their knowledge.

It was unfortunate, however, that Krypton's civilization, despite being over a hundred thousand years old and highly advanced, had grown corrupt, ancient, and rigid. The Kryptonian who preserved their knowledge had chosen not to save his people, but only to pass down Krypton's technology and culture. Still, this legacy was incredibly useful to Robert. It was the last remaining piece of Krypton's civilization.

Within his system was an advanced Kryptonian research ship—far superior to the small craft that Superman's father used to launch his son into space.

"Kryptonian technology… it's truly impressive," Robert thought, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Although Kryptonian technology didn't rival Superman's incredible power, it was certainly not weak. In a single universe, Krypton's civilization could have dominated entirely. At its peak, the Kryptonian Empire even attempted to conquer the entire universe. Their warships were powerful enough to wipe out entire civilizations. It was ruthless and reckless, making Krypton a public enemy across the galaxy.

However, the DC Universe also boasted powerful beings. Eventually, the Kryptonians were defeated by the Guardians of OA, also known as the Green Lantern Corps. These Guardians placed mental imprints on Kryptonians, ensuring they could only survive on Krypton. Moreover, the Kryptonians themselves had been their own undoing, creating the Life Code, which ultimately led to Krypton's destruction.

Despite this, the power of Kryptonian technology couldn't be denied. They had mastered interstellar navigation, super-space travel, human organ replication, cloning, three-dimensional image transmission, time manipulation, and even the use of crystals to store vast amounts of information. To Earthlings, these might seem impossible feats, but for Kryptonians, they were nothing more than everyday technologies.

Robert believed that, in the Marvel Universe, even the combined might of the three major empires would likely be no match for Krypton. Unfortunately, without a fully developed industrial system, he would not be able to recreate Krypton's unstoppable interstellar fleet. But that didn't mean these technologies were useless. Quite the opposite; they were incredibly valuable to him.

These technologies would allow Robert to better understand the Kryptonian race and help him master his abilities more quickly. Perhaps, he could even create a battle-ready suit for himself. After all, the clothes he wore now could never withstand the intensity of combat with his new powers. There was a reason Thor transformed before every battle. Robert still had vivid memories of his fight with Magneto, where if he hadn't been careful, he might have found himself running around without any clothes at all.

The thought alone made Robert shiver. Now, at least, he had a solution to his problem.

Meanwhile, Nick Fury had been watching Earth's increasingly chaotic events unfold. First, an alien prince had fallen from the sky, nearly destroying an entire town in Mexico. Now, Superman was flying at supersonic speeds, effortlessly defying the laws of physics. To make matters worse, his own weapon research base was turning into a serious headache.

Fury knew that in the face of powerful aliens, reason and justice were meaningless unless they were backed up by the right firepower. He had learned that the hard way. So, he poured enormous resources into restarting research on the Tesseract, hoping to weaponize it. The laboratory had been rebuilt deep underground to keep it secure, far from prying eyes.

However, he hadn't expected the facility to experience problems of its own.

Fury, accompanied by Maria Hill, arrived at the lab and met Dr. Selvig, the scientist in charge of the project.

"What happened here?" Fury asked, his tone sharp with concern.

Dr. Selvig sighed and shook his head. "The Tesseract activated itself."

Fury's brow furrowed. "How could it activate on its own?"

"I'm not sure," Selvig admitted. "The Tesseract has many properties we can't fully understand yet."

As they entered the lab, Selvig led Fury to the S.H.I.E.L.D. monitoring system. The energy readings were off the charts, and the Tesseract was emitting a bright blue light, as though it were about to explode.

Fury's expression darkened. "Cut off the energy source! Now!"

"We can't," Selvig replied urgently. "The Tesseract itself is a powerful energy source. We can't control it."

Selvig desperately tried to adjust the controls, but nothing seemed to work. The blue light from the Tesseract intensified, glowing like a miniature sun. It became clear that something catastrophic was about to happen.

Suddenly, the Tesseract emitted a deep hum, followed by an enormous burst of light. The impact sent Selvig and several agents flying across the room.

When the light faded, a figure appeared in the center of the room—a man with long hair and strange attire. His arrival was sudden and jarring.

"Put down your spear!" Fury barked, immediately trying to assert control.

The man, who was none other than Loki, didn't waste any time. He raised the scepter in his hand, the blue light from it glowing menacingly, and aimed it directly at the agents.

A burst of energy shot from the scepter, hitting one agent squarely in the chest, sending him crashing to the floor. The remaining agents opened fire, but their bullets had no effect on Loki, who was far more durable than any human.

Loki's scepter continued to fire beams of blue energy, and within a minute, the S.H.I.E.L.D. tactical team had been completely incapacitated.

Seeing that the agents were all down, Loki relaxed, his earlier tension fading. Just as he started to calm down, Clint Barton—better known as Hawkeye—rose from the ground and prepared for an attack.

However, Loki, being an Asgardian, was far faster and stronger than any human. In an instant, he appeared beside Hawkeye, grabbing him by the arm and rendering him immobile with his superior strength.

Fury watched in stunned silence as Loki used the Mind Stone embedded in his scepter to control Hawkeye's mind.

Fury realized that this wasn't the time to resist. Quietly, he made his way toward the Tesseract, intending to take it with him. But just as he was about to slip away, Loki's voice, cold and sharp, rang out.

End of Chapter 27