Zodhis, the one being watched and schemed over, was currently in outer space. After several years, the World Serpent had already begun establishing a base on the moon.
The lunar base project wasn't just driven by the fact that Earth never gave Zodhis a proper sense of security. It was also about rare minerals.
After all, Earth's reserves of rare minerals were simply too scarce.
The moon, on the other hand, could make up for that deficiency, which neatly aligned with an even greater need for lunar expeditions.
No wonder some people cry out that humanity's birthplace and developmental environment are almost too coincidental, as if some hidden force deliberately arranged a unique stage tailored for human civilization's step by step advancement.
Earth, as a cradle for intelligent life, isn't actually all that outstanding. But precisely because it isn't perfect, it spurs the birth and growth of intelligent civilizations.
Then, as demands increase, the need for rare minerals and fusion energy naturally drives humanity toward the moon.
Once the moon has been sufficiently harvested and the next leap forward requires vast quantities of base ores, well, take a look at Mars. Doesn't it fit the bill perfectly?
And once Mars has temporarily satisfied the mineral needs but even more energy is required, look at that, the solar system has conveniently placed Jupiter, a gas giant, right there for the taking, just waiting for human civilization to reach out and claim it.
As for the issue of the Inhumans on the moon, Zodhis hadn't discovered any Inhumans, nor had he found any trace of Skye on Earth.
Otherwise, he wouldn't mind a grand battle with Black Bolt. After all, Black Bolt's power didn't really pose much of a threat to him. It might even be fair to say that Zod could just stand there, let Black Bolt scream at him, and nothing would happen.
Just as Zodhis was gazing out over the universe with his back to the moon, an intangible fluctuation appeared before him.
Zodhis immediately went on high alert, because this fluctuation gave him an exceedingly terrifying feeling, even the threat of death.
"Uncle Zod!"
A blurred, indistinct voice emerged from the ripple.
"Who?"
Zod found it strange that the other party called him Uncle Zod.
"I... I... need... your help!"
The voice spoke those words.
"Who are you?"
Zod asked.
"Franklin... Uncle Zod, help me!"
The voice uttered a name that stunned Zod.
Franklin???
Franklin Richards, the Psi Lord, is a superhero from Marvel Comics, the son of Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards, and the Invisible Woman, Susan Storm, members of the Fantastic Four.
But that's not the key point. The key point is: he is an Omega level mutant, possessing the superhuman abilities of time travel, manipulation of time, space, causality, and the power to modify or warp reality and even create universes.
Together with his sister Valeria, he once exhausted his power to resurrect the prime universe's Galactus, Devourer of Worlds.
His abilities include, but are not limited to, limitless physical strength, time travel, manipulation of time, space, and causality, reality alteration, and the creation of parallel universes.
Franklin also possesses extensive psionic powers. His abilities are so immense they have been described as equal to that of a Celestial, sufficient to create pocket universes that serve as alternate realities.
When Franklin consciously employs his full power, he wields telepathy, immense psychokinesis, extraordinarily potent energy projection, and the capacity to rearrange the molecular structure of matter, even on a universal scale.
Roma has judged Franklin's power to be on par with an omnipotent Celestial.
"Galaxies... countless stars... the universe... unfurls beneath his feet, and to him they are like a child's playthings."
Like a god capable of creating all things in the cosmos.
When Earth's heroes sacrificed themselves to defeat Onslaught, Franklin subconsciously transported the Avengers and the Fantastic Four to a pocket universe he created, Counter Earth, where they were reborn in a new reality.
He also possesses the ability to rewrite reality on a scale that can encompass an entire universe, capable of altering the molecular structure of matter and energy. Within the pocket universes he creates, he can replicate cosmic entities like Galactus, Eternity, and Infinity.
During his childhood, Franklin sealed away a portion of his power. In adulthood, he was judged by the Celestials to be beyond Omega level, referred to as a Shaper of Universes and a constant galactic level danger.
Franklin can create a universe with his bare hands. He once declared he would accompany Galactus until the end of all things, to witness together the birth of a new universe.
And so, Franklin and Galactus lived on until the end of time before the heat death of the universe, where Galactus claimed his purpose was to use the residual energy within him to create a new universe, a new home for Franklin.
As Franklin matures, he can create multiverses (plural form) and is hailed by Galactus as the most powerful mutant in history. The two of them represent the cosmic balance: one the ultimate creator, the other the ultimate destroyer.
Although, after reading all that, Zodhis always had one question: neither Reed nor Susan are mutants, yet Franklin is a mutant...
And then we all know that Franklin was conceived using the residual energy of the Cosmic Storm within their bodies... The more you think about it, the more terrifying it gets!
The reason Franklin sought out Zod was simple: his own future was threatening his birth, which was why he came to Zod.
"Reed and Susan aren't together? Why? Even though Reed has zero emotional intelligence and zero sense of romance, and he's selfish, petty, mean spirited, vicious, and insidious..."
Zodhis's face was full of shock.
"Uncle Zod, that's enough, alright..."
Franklin didn't refute him. Instead, his tone was filled with embarrassment.
"Fine. But why should I help you? If the two of them don't get together and you're never born, that's the best outcome for me."
Zodhis spoke calmly. Franklin was simply too terrifying, one of the characters he least wanted to encounter. Wasn't it a good thing if he could prevent Franklin's existence entirely?
"Uncle Zod, I know you want the Phoenix Force..."
Franklin wasn't flustered in the slightest, directly playing his trump card.
"Compared to the Phoenix Force, you are a much bigger threat to me."
Zodhis remained unmoved.
"Uncle Zod, I know what you're thinking. But in this universe, there is no Phoenix host named Jean Grey. You won't find the Phoenix Force on Earth."
Franklin sighed.
Zod fell silent. Truth be told, the Phoenix Force was merely a tool for him to counter the mystical side of things, as well as to deal with the effects of the Infinity Stones: specifically the Mind Stone, the Soul Stone, and the Time Stone.
Its importance wasn't such that it couldn't be replaced. The problem was that other things capable of serving as substitutes were exceedingly difficult to obtain.
"Do you know where the Phoenix Force is?"
Zod asked, resigned.
Franklin's mood lifted. That nearly omnipotent, perfect Uncle Zod of the future, whom countless beings looked up to, was now speaking to me so politely!
/-\
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