The crew members of the Svir transport ship talked constantly among themselves, intensely curious about the mysterious allies they'd begun working with.
However, most of them had only recently transferred down from the Svir to the planet's surface. None of them had actually seen Marcus and his people in person yet. Even the information they discussed with such enthusiasm was secondhand—things they'd heard from members of the tactical teams or senior leadership.
"They're way more powerful than those ghosts everyone talks about," one engineer said, approaching two of his colleagues with a conspiratorial expression on his face. "When they first arrived, it literally rained fire from the sky. Those disgusting alien insects were completely incinerated by their flames."
This particular engineer had managed to get his hands on some genuinely important information. After all, his close buddy was a member of the First Tactical Team—one of the soldiers who'd been there on the ground when it happened.
The combat recorders worn by the tactical team had clearly captured the heat vision beams from Zod and the other Kryptonians, as well as the apocalyptic rain of fire and meteors when Marcus had made his entrance.
The recorded scene looked like the literal end of the world. Even just watching through a monitor screen, you could feel the terrifying power—force sufficient to destroy absolutely everything in its path.
He'd been watching this recording obsessively since he'd obtained it. It could be said that except for senior leadership and the tactical teams themselves, no one understood the overwhelming power of their new collaborators better than him.
"Wait, you mean..." one of the other engineers started to say, eyes widening.
"Yeah. I'll share it with you for... hmm, half a bottle... no, make that a full bottle of rum!" the first engineer said with a grin.
"Deal!" both engineers agreed immediately.
As they negotiated, the engineer with the footage began transmitting the recorded images of Marcus and the Kryptonians to his colleagues' personal devices.
Within a short time, nearly everyone aboard the transport ship had received copies of the combat footage showing their collaborators' capabilities.
"My God," someone breathed after watching the entire sequence. "This is exponentially more powerful than those ghost operatives. I'm afraid even the legendary Golden Fleet couldn't stop these people."
This particular crew member knew more than most others. For many people, the psionic ghosts were just rumors and whispered stories. But he'd actually seen them with his own eyes operating in the field.
Moreover, he had knowledge of a particular alien race that supposedly possessed a golden-colored fleet. Although he'd never seen them in person, he'd heard credible reports that everyone in this race could use psionic abilities at will, and that their fleet—which appeared to be made of actual gold—had combat capabilities countless times superior to human military forces.
However, after watching the footage of Marcus's arrival on this planet, he found himself genuinely shocked by the mirror image of world-ending devastation.
It was difficult to comprehend that this apocalyptic scene had been brought about by a single individual. This was far more overwhelming than even the golden fleet race he'd heard about.
Marcus remained completely unaware of what the people aboard the Svir transport ship knew or thought about him. At this particular moment, he was still deeply focused on using various types of Kryptonite to extract Aya Essence.
There were numerous different types of Kryptonite in his collection, so Marcus couldn't possibly extract all the Aya Essence in a short period of time—it was painstaking, meticulous work.
But even so, he already had twenty-eight complete Aya Essence samples in his possession.
In other words, just by crafting new Warframes alone, he could already create seven completely different armor suits with the materials he had on hand.
"There are more than ten distinct varieties of Kryptonite here," Marcus said to himself with satisfaction, looking at the organized collection of different-colored crystals around him, then glancing at the glowing Aya Essence orbs floating up and down in a gentle orbit. "This really is an incredible windfall."
If he successfully extracted Aya Essence from all these different Kryptonite types, he might be able to craft most of the Warframes he'd been planning—potentially even enough to upgrade existing frames to Prime variants.
"Krypton's remains really are a treasure trove," Marcus mused. "At this rate, forget just creating new Warframes—I'll have enough materials to upgrade my entire arsenal."
Thinking along these lines, Marcus suddenly realized there were other things in this universe that could potentially be used to extract additional Aya Essence.
Beyond resources like high-energy crystals, this universe also contained highly advanced technology from humans and the Protoss. There were even the legendary artifacts left behind by the Xel'Naga—the ancient progenitor race—as well as the hybrid creatures they'd engineered that combined Zerg and Protoss genetics.
These were all potentially excellent energy sources for his purposes. As for the Xel'Naga themselves—well, Marcus had absolutely no intention of making an enemy of beings that were essentially the creators and shapers of this entire universe.
After all, he was only here to collect Aya Essence and upgrade his capabilities, not to destroy or save entire universes. That kind of cosmic responsibility was absolutely not his job.
"There should be significantly more advanced energy sources on the Protoss side of things," Marcus reasoned aloud. "It seems I'll need to carefully search for traces of their presence. But for now, I'd better finish extracting Aya from what I already have!"
With that self-directed comment, Marcus continued immersing himself completely in the painstaking work of Aya Essence extraction.
On the other side of the growing base, General Zod and the Kryptonian scientist were meticulously analyzing the energy contained within the high-energy crystal fragments. They wanted to understand exactly how this energy strengthened their superhuman abilities in a manner similar to Earth's yellow sunlight.
"I believe I've found the key," the scientist said, pointing to holographic displays of genetic sequences. "Our genes are fundamentally different from the genetic structure of other life forms at the most basic level. Specific forms of energy radiation can activate dormant sequences in our genes and make us progressively stronger over time."
As members of a Kryptonian civilization that had mastered genetic engineering to the point of being able to compile and edit genes at will, checking and analyzing genetic fragments was remarkably easy for them—almost trivially simple.
However, the scientist had also discovered a significant problem during his research. Although their genes could be activated by appropriate energy sources, that didn't mean those activated gene sequences couldn't be forcibly shut down again.
If they got too close to Kryptonite, or made direct physical contact with it, those activated genes would be immediately suppressed and shut down, causing them to lose all the enhanced power they'd already gained.
Of course, besides Kryptonite, there was another method that could limit their abilities: environmental sealing.
As long as they were imprisoned in a location completely devoid of activating energy radiation, their enhanced genes would gradually weaken over time and eventually regress until they became no stronger than ordinary baseline humans.
"In other words, we can only maintain our current power levels through continuous exposure to these crystals, correct?" Zod asked, wanting absolute clarity.
"Precisely," the scientist confirmed. "The energy contained within these crystals functions identically to Earth's sun from our physiological perspective. Although the rate of power increase may not be quite as rapid as it was on Earth, consistent exposure can help us gradually adapt to increasing power levels in a sustainable way."
The scientist's answer made General Zod nod with satisfaction. As long as they understood how to maintain their current enhanced abilities, that knowledge would form the foundation of their future survival as a species.
"According to what those humans have told us, although high-energy crystals are relatively rare throughout the universe, ordinary energy crystals are actually very common," Zod noted thoughtfully. "Perhaps this represents Krypton's true future—not dependence on a specific yellow sun, but adaptation to various energy sources."
As long as they completed their transaction with Marcus and reclaimed the Codex that belonged to Krypton, they could immediately begin preparations to rebuild their civilization.
They firmly believed it wouldn't be long before a new Krypton rose from the ashes, and the reputation and glory of their people would spread widely throughout this universe.
"General, there's something I think requires your decision," the Kryptonian scientist said hesitantly.
It was obvious from his body language that he felt very conflicted about whatever he was about to say next.
"Speak freely," Zod encouraged him. "As for my decisions... as long as you're not suggesting we give up on rebuilding Krypton entirely, you can say whatever you're thinking without fear of reprisal."
After receiving the general's explicit approval and protection, the Kryptonian scientist visibly relaxed.
"Rebuilding Krypton will require us to reconstruct a functional World Engine," he began. "You understand better than anyone how incredibly difficult building a World Engine actually is. So I believe we should seriously consider establishing a genuine friendship with these humans. Their modular construction technology and automated systems would be an excellent asset for us to learn from and potentially integrate."
The sheer difficulty of constructing a World Engine from scratch represented a monumental challenge for the handful of surviving Kryptonians.
After all, there was only one trained scientist and two engineers among their entire group.
Relying on just these few people to build something as complex as a World Engine was frankly approaching the realm of pure fantasy—it would take decades at minimum.
This suggestion made General Zod fall into thoughtful silence. After considering the proposition carefully for several long moments, he found himself agreeing with the scientist's assessment.
It would genuinely take them more than ten years—possibly twenty or more—to rebuild a functional World Engine using only their own limited manpower and resources. They'd finally found hope for their species' survival; they absolutely didn't want to drag things out unnecessarily.
Besides, after successfully rebuilding Krypton, they would inevitably need to establish diplomatic and trade relations with other civilizations anyway. They had no fundamental conflict of interest with these humans, so why not cooperate and learn from each other?
The Kryptonians became completely determined to genuinely cooperate with the humans. They would study human modular construction technology seriously and use those efficient methods to build all their Kryptonian technological equipment much more rapidly.
Several months passed.
The construction of the human colony base was nearing full completion. Many people now walked freely through this forest of steel and machinery, and they genuinely appeared to be enjoying their current life on the planet's surface.
On the defensive perimeter positions surrounding the base, the original melta cannons had been replaced and upgraded with more sophisticated models.
Massive reinforced bunkers now surrounded the entire base in overlapping fields of fire. Automated turret systems operated continuously atop these bunkers, maintaining constant vigilance and alertness regarding the surrounding environment.
Zod and his adjutant Fiora walked together through the bustling base. As for the other Kryptonians under their command, they'd been assigned to full-time combat duty on the defensive positions, working alongside human marines to guard against potential Zerg attacks.
That's right—these human warriors wearing power armor had their own specific designation and unit name.
Although Zod's group had only encountered this one specific military unit, all soldiers equipped with powered combat armor were universally called "marines" in human military parlance.
The Kryptonians who specialized in technical or scientific fields rather than combat had also been distributed by General Zod to various construction projects, actively participating in human building operations and learning their methods.
"General, the high-energy crystal amplification device is nearly completed," Fiora reported as they walked.
"Good, I understand," Zod acknowledged. "But the most critical priority for us right now is stockpiling sufficient quantities of high-energy crystals to ensure we have adequate capital and resources when we begin rebuilding Krypton. And..."
Zod paused, looking toward the massive starport facility where new spacecraft were currently under construction. He sighed quietly.
"We still need a ship—a spacecraft that belongs exclusively to us Kryptonians."
The sheer speed of human construction capabilities had genuinely shocked him when he'd first witnessed it.
He absolutely hadn't expected that in just a few short months, the humans from the transport ship—relying purely on the various modular systems stored aboard their vessel—could build this colony to its current impressive level.
Yes, in merely a few months, the humans had used their modular mechanical equipment to construct a completely self-sufficient base capable of supporting their entire population indefinitely.
Watching this happen, even Zod—a Kryptonian who'd personally witnessed far more advanced technology than this—couldn't help but feel impressed. Although human technology could only be described as mediocre in absolute terms, their construction speed was genuinely remarkable.
"If we can successfully integrate human modular equipment principles into Kryptonian engineering, we'll be significantly closer to rebuilding our civilization," Zod mused.
Fiora nodded gently in agreement. She'd also observed the speed of human construction firsthand, and it was exactly what the Kryptonians desperately needed.
After all, they were critically short on manpower, which would dramatically slow their pace of rebuilding Krypton without assistance or efficiency improvements.
Of course, like General Zod, Fiora privately looked down on most aspects of human technology from a purely technical standpoint.
Setting aside everything else, even human power armor couldn't remotely compare to standard Kryptonian protective suits in terms of capabilities.
Kryptonian environmental suits were designed as standard exploration equipment to protect Kryptonians from environmental hazards and hostile conditions when exploring unknown alien planets. Even that basic protective gear could completely outclass human military power armor in every measurable category.
They were simply very interested in human modular construction methodology and automated systems. As for other aspects of human technology—weapons, propulsion, energy generation—they frankly didn't care about it at all.
The two Kryptonians walked together toward the defensive positions. They needed to personally patrol all defensive emplacements to ensure the base's security remained uncompromised.
As they were walking, a terrifying surge of high temperature suddenly erupted somewhere within the base. Immediately afterward, the entire colony—including everyone on the defensive positions—turned to look toward the location where the heat had exploded outward.
Although the humans who were farther away from the source couldn't actually see that specific location clearly, they could all definitely feel the ambient temperature around them rising as heat gathered and concentrated somewhere.
While everyone watched with varying degrees of alarm, Marcus stood at the epicenter holding what appeared to be a mechanical hound, laughing with obvious satisfaction.
"Ha! It actually works perfectly!" he exclaimed.
This mechanical hound had been developed and constructed by Marcus after he'd successfully extracted enough Aya Essence to experiment with new designs.
Although the hound wasn't particularly aesthetically pleasing—it looked brutal and utilitarian rather than elegant—it possessed genuinely formidable combat capabilities. Most importantly, Marcus had specially installed an advanced macro-device system within the mechanical hound's core.
This macro-device was the absolute heart of the mechanical hound's combat effectiveness. It could allow the hound to enter a state called "macro-protection"—a defensive enhancement that would make it significantly more durable.
Not only would macro-protection grant the mechanical hound dramatically stronger defensive capabilities, but it would also enable the construct to unleash certain abilities exclusive to that enhanced state.
Of course, Marcus had only programmed one specific macro-ability into the device for now—he could always add more later.
This ability was called "Immolation," and it allowed the mechanical hound to release a devastating flame shock wave with a radius of twenty-five meters and a height of ten meters. Everything within range of that flame burst would be completely incinerated to ash within seconds.
This single ability alone would be sufficient for the hound to fight effectively against most enemies it might encounter.
After affectionately patting the mechanical hound beside him, Marcus gently raised one hand. A vortex of energy quickly condensed and formed above his palm. Then a powerful wind swept across the entire base, and all the oppressive heat that had been building was rapidly drawn away by Marcus's manipulation, gathering into his outstretched hand before dissipating harmlessly.
This casual display of reality-warping power shocked every human who witnessed it. Although they'd all seen recorded images and footage of Marcus and his capabilities, this was the first time most of them had personally watched him naturally alter environmental conditions with nothing but a wave of his hand.
When the wind finally stopped, Captain Locke came hurrying over, clearly concerned.
"Mr. Marcus, what was that just now...?" he asked somewhat breathlessly.
"Ha~ Nothing particularly important—just cooling down the base a bit after my experiment ran hot," Marcus explained casually. "And actually, your timing is perfect. Let me introduce you to this mechanical hound I just finished constructing. You can call it 'Flame.'"
Marcus laughed warmly and gestured to the mechanical construct. This was his masterpiece—his first successful creation using Aya Essence. Although it wasn't his absolute best work, it would definitely serve as a devastatingly effective weapon against the Zerg.
After hearing Marcus's explanation, Captain Locke found himself somewhat skeptical. This mechanical hound looked extremely basic and utilitarian in design. Could it really eliminate Zerg as easily as Marcus was suggesting?
Just as Locke was thinking this, an urgent alarm suddenly sounded from the defensive positions surrounding the base.
"Oh, what perfect timing!" Marcus said with an amused grin, looking at Captain Locke. "Why don't we go see how it performs in actual combat?"
The alarm from the defensive perimeter meant Zerg were attacking again, and judging by the alert level, the number of hostile contacts was substantial.
"Agreed!" Locke responded without hesitation.
Even if Marcus hadn't invited him along, Locke would have immediately gone to assess the situation at the defensive positions anyway—that was his responsibility as commander.
The moment Locke agreed, both he and Marcus were suddenly shrouded in thick fog. They vanished from their current location along with the mechanical hound, teleporting instantly.
At the fortified bunker positions on the defensive perimeter, tactical team members were already firing continuously at the approaching swarm. Even the high-energy flamethrower emplacements had been activated, spewing dragons of fire to keep the Zerg at bay.
Marcus and Captain Locke materialized in a burst of thick fog, appearing directly on the defensive line. They could immediately see the massive black tide of Zerg rushing into the walls of flame without hesitation.
They both instantly understood: the Zerg tide had erupted again, and this time the assault was significantly more powerful than the last incursion.