Zod reached out and shattered the door; the thick barrier crumbled like paper before a Kryptonian.
Inside the stone chamber, the Orb floated above its original pedestal, encased in several layers of high-density energy curtains that isolated it completely from the outside world.
"So how do we get it out now?" Tifa eyed those energy screens—they looked extremely dangerous.
"There aren't many things in this universe that can actually hurt a Kryptonian, Tifa." As Zod spoke, he extended his left hand. His arm completely ignored the damage from the energy net and calmly retrieved the Orb. Then he crushed it with a sharp squeeze. Instantly, the deep violet Power Stone blazed with a fierce radiance.
"So beautiful… this is the Power Stone…"
Purple symbolized elegance, nobility, mystery—a color with an oppressive visual weight. But what captured Yan Lingji and Tifa's attention wasn't its power; it was the sheer beauty of the stone itself. Esdeath, on the other hand, seemed utterly indifferent to such dazzling splendor.
Zod gripped the Infinity Stone between his right fingers and pried it free from the Orb's casing. Violet light traced vertical lines up his arm, spreading as its violent energy incinerated his sleeve and stained half of his body a deep purple. Zod frowned slightly. The blood in his arm burned, his veins searing as if his very blood had caught fire.
The Power Stone was indeed far more volatile than the Space Stone. But that was fine—he possessed a body that was practically a bug in the system. No matter how furiously the Power Stone rampaged, it couldn't truly hurt him. The formidable adaptive evolution of his Doomsday-Superman physique forced the cosmic energy back step by step. Soon, his arm returned to normal, and the Power Stone was embedded firmly into the palm of his hand.
Now he had two Infinity Stones in his palm.
"If luck holds, next I'll get the Mind Stone that Thanos so kindly delivers to Earth."
Zod felt quite pleased. The Mind Stone was practically a free gift; he had no idea why Thanos had so much faith in Loki that he'd entrusted the Mind Stone to him. As for the Reality Stone—the Aether—he still needed to keep an eye on Jane. Although at this point, Jane probably didn't yet have the capacity to attract the Aether. There was still a long wait ahead.
"Let's go, ladies. We're going home." Zod addressed the three of them, and then they returned to the Mars base.
…
By now, the Mars base was essentially staffed only with the core members of the Burning Legion. The data from Zod's earlier Cannon Fodder–class mecha had been transmitted back to the Black Queen, and she had already manufactured several units. After inspecting the finished products, Zod had someone put one on to test it. He found it decent and was quite satisfied. After all, this was a creation that combined Kryptonian weapons technology with the scientific knowledge of the Marvel universe. It operated via brainwave control and could autonomously handle weapon targeting and firing.
Zod made some modifications, adding more weaponry to the Cannon Fodder–class mecha, whose firepower had initially looked rather thin. For example, in addition to the palm-mounted energy cannons on both hands, he added two shoulder cannons, each roughly as thick as a forearm. With an output of six hundred power units per cannon, these portable energy weapons, in terms of raw output alone, already rivaled conventional missiles on Earth—though their area of effect was still nowhere near as wide as a missile's. The two shoulder cannons had an even higher output of seven hundred units. For melee, the mecha carried two high-frequency blades on its back that could be drawn and used directly, capable of cutting through virtually any substance.
Originally, Zod had considered making individual laser rifles. A personal laser rifle was a variable-type light weapon that could adjust and switch between positive and negative attack energies depending on battlefield requirements. The working principle was identical to the changes particles undergo under different states. Simply put, high-speed motion caused particles to generate thermal energy, while particles at low speeds or near-stasis could absorb all heat energy within a small area. These two opposite-natured particles, driven by traction energy, could be converted into an extremely lethal weapon.
But after absorbing energy technology from the Marvel universe, Zod realized energy cannons were actually better. Energy cannons fire energy particles that form beams; to the average observer, they look like rays of light. Their speed isn't quite that of true light, but it's infinitely close—most targets simply can't react in time to dodge. The main point was that going into battle like Master Chief, just carrying a rifle to conquer the universe, was basically unrealistic. Space battlefields were dominated by energy weapons.
Even in landing operations like the ones Master Chief fought, energy cannons were just more satisfying. Others used guns; you used cannons. One blast and who had the more ferocious firepower? It was important to note that Zod's energy cannons weren't the same concept as Tony's repulsor blasts. These could fire an energy beam forty centimeters in diameter, a super-high-temperature strike capable of instantly evaporating, vaporizing, or even sublimating most materials.
And so, the Burning Legion officially registered as a mercenary outfit in the cosmos. Zod, still annoyed about not having the money to buy Kree scientists earlier, selected fifty enhanced super-soldiers from Earth, suited them up in Cannon Fodder–class mecha, and sent them out to grind missions. He also roped in a dozen or so Tank-class Kryptonians.
The Black Queen didn't say much. She'd always thought Zod was an oddball, constantly acting on whims, doing things purely on personal preference, never following any predictable logic. She could extrapolate behavioral logic from analyzing other people, but Zod's logic was that he had no logic. What baffled her even more—and even struck her as eerie—was that Zod seemed to perceive past and future from a god's-eye view, silently nudging the world toward the direction he desired.
Especially the research projects he had her initiate and record: there were an enormous number. Zod alone handled hundreds, even thousands of research projects. Within the Burning Legion, no scientific personnel could keep up with Zod's speed of thought or research ability. Over time, these researchers fell out of favor and were simply tossed aside by Zod. True, they could still try bringing in a mind like Doom, but God Emperor Doom's sheer menace was too great. After hesitating repeatedly, Zod added another layer—an alloy of atomic metal, vibranium, true adamantium, and raw kryptonite—to Doom's coffin, making him even more securely sealed and frozen in slumber. After all, his own super-brain was growing more and more powerful, and with a fresh influx of cosmic scientific knowledge, he could handle everything himself.
The Burning Legion's forces were quite eclectic now. There were super-soldiers created with the Superman serum, Tank-class Kryptonians, and Warship-class Kryptonians. There was the bio-armor unit formed using symbiotes. War Machine, Iron Monger, and now the Cannon Fodder–class mecha that had suddenly jumped straight into space-level deployment. And then there were those Zoanoid soldiers still somewhere in Africa looking for Antarctic bears.
/-\
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