Ding.
"Frozen Ray LV15."
Several days passed, and the freezing ray that had once erupted uncontrollably from Yun Chen's eyes had now become stable and fully under his command. More than that, the ability had advanced rapidly after continuous training.
"Oracle."
The familiar system interface appeared in his mind.
Host: Yun ChenSupernatural Self-Healing – LV15Supernatural Strength – LV14Supernatural Defense – LV14Eye of Insight – LV10Frozen Ray – LV15Energy Absorption – LV3
Because the freezing ray was a rare offensive ability with extraordinary lethality, nearly all the cosmic radiation Yun Chen had absorbed recently had been converted into fuel for upgrading that single skill.
Frozen Ray LV14: A beam of extreme frost capable of eroding and penetrating nearly any material.
Unlocked Perks:Frost ErosionPowerful Piercing
Both of the new perks were passive enhancements. Frost Erosion strengthened the freezing ray's corrosive freezing effect, allowing the cold energy to spread and break down matter more aggressively. Powerful Piercing increased the beam's penetration force, ensuring it could punch through thick defenses with minimal resistance.
Together, they transformed the ability into a terrifying weapon.
The new entry that had appeared on the template—Energy Absorption—was something that had awakened naturally during the past few days.
However, it was completely different from the passive skill Energy Drain tied to his Supernatural Defense.
Energy Drain only converted damage from incoming attacks into usable energy for Yun Chen's body. It functioned as a defensive mechanism, recycling the force of enemy attacks.
Energy Absorption, on the other hand, was far more fundamental.
It allowed Yun Chen to directly absorb radiation and light emitted by fixed stars.
External energy could be gathered, stored, and converted into power. If Yun Chen's body were compared to a high-performance aerospace engine, then this external cosmic radiation was the fuel.
Most of that fuel normally accumulated silently inside his body. Instead of releasing it immediately, the stored energy was gradually fed into Oracle, becoming nourishment that allowed his abilities to upgrade.
Still, the appearance of an active Energy Absorption ability came with a major advantage.
The speed at which Yun Chen could draw in external cosmic radiation increased dramatically.
Even so, the ability was far harder to upgrade compared with his other skills. Its energy requirements were enormous, far beyond the cost of ordinary abilities.
At this very moment, trillions of cells inside Yun Chen's body were constantly absorbing trace radiation drifting through space. The energy accumulated steadily, building a reserve that could later accelerate the growth of newly awakened powers.
"That's the trouble with good luck," Yun Chen muttered.
New abilities were sprouting endlessly, like mushrooms after spring rain.
Night fell over the silent reconnaissance vessel.
Inside the resting cabin, Yun Chen lay on a couch in light sleep. Without warning, he suddenly woke up.
"Ugh…"
He pressed his hands against his ears.
It didn't help.
A flood of chaotic sound poured into his mind like a relentless storm.
The noises were everywhere.
Mechanical vibrations, electrical pulses, faint echoes of moving machinery—all of it flooded his consciousness.
"This is torture."
Yun Chen grimaced slightly.
He could hear the ship's engine humming with perfect clarity. Even more disturbingly, his hearing was sharp enough to capture the faint metallic creak of screws tightening and loosening within the vessel's structure.
The reinforced aerospace deck around him did nothing to block the sound.
Even more absurdly, subtle electromagnetic signals drifting through the endless star field were being picked up by his ears.
"Jesus… this is insane."
Yun Chen let out a slow breath.
Fortunately, the sudden new ability had already appeared on his Oracle template.
Super Hearing – Not Activated.
Ding.
"Super Hearing LV1."
Without hesitation, Yun Chen rapidly upgraded the ability several times in succession. He pushed the skill directly to Level 5.
The effect was immediate.
The chaotic storm of sound vanished.
Silence returned to his ears as if someone had closed a door.
Only a faint lingering echo remained, reminding him that the overwhelming noise had existed just moments earlier.
"…Wait."
Yun Chen suddenly froze.
Something felt wrong.
He sat upright on the couch instantly.
"No… that's not right."
A faint memory surfaced.
"Just now, I heard an extremely weak engine sound."
He threw aside the blanket and stepped barefoot onto the floor.
Moving toward the massive floor-to-ceiling observation window, Yun Chen activated not only his Super Hearing but also the Eye of Insight.
His perception expanded outward into space.
The moment his vision pushed beyond the normal horizon of the ship's sensors, he discovered the source of the sound.
A group of unidentified spacecraft drifted silently in the distance.
There were more than a dozen of them.
"Interesting."
Yun Chen narrowed his eyes slightly.
At first glance, it was impossible to determine whether the fleet was friendly or hostile.
After all, the star field was enormous. Occasionally encountering another route through interstellar space wasn't completely impossible.
But as Yun Chen carefully observed their formation, his expression slowly hardened.
The fleet had arranged itself in a distant crescent-shaped formation.
Even from this distance, the intent was obvious.
This was not a coincidence.
They were surrounding the reconnaissance vessel.
"Where did these mangy dogs come from?" Yun Chen muttered coldly.
He turned immediately, preparing to head for the cockpit and trigger the shipwide alert. The crew needed to be awakened and moved to combat stations as quickly as possible.
But before he could leave the cabin, the door opened.
Adjutant Lilith appeared outside.
She wore her white officer's uniform, and her expression looked unusually tense.
"Captain, something's wrong," she said quickly.
"We just received a communication signal from another Kryptonian vessel. The sender has requested that you report your identity immediately and return to the fleet."
"Return to the fleet?"
Yun Chen frowned slightly.
"What's going on?"
Lilith stepped inside, her expression clearly uneasy.
"Yes… the sender has a much higher authority than you. The transmission identifies him as the Kryptonian military commander… General Zod."
"Zod?" one of the crew members who had followed Lilith exclaimed in shock.
"The military commander who once dominated entire star systems through sheer force? The man who slaughtered enemies without hesitation? I thought he died with the empire."
"Wait, that's not right," another crew member said.
"He wasn't killed. The council exiled him into the Phantom Zone after he attempted a rebellion. It seems he somehow survived."
Voices filled the corridor.
But every tone shared the same emotion.
Fear.
After all, the crew aboard this reconnaissance vessel were little more than ordinary personnel. Their captain was respected, but compared with someone like General Zod, the difference in rank and reputation was enormous.
Zod had once stood at the top of the Kryptonian military hierarchy.
"Even though General Zod was exiled," one engineer said cautiously, "the collapse of Krypton eventually proved that many of his predictions were correct. In hindsight, it's hard to say he was entirely wrong."
"Exactly," another crew member whispered.
"His fleet carries the World Engine. That machine can reshape atmospheric conditions and rapidly create an environment suitable for Kryptonian survival."
The engineer lowered his head slightly as he spoke.
After all, if Krypton truly had a future leader among the surviving population, it would most likely be General Zod.
Not a captain commanding a small reconnaissance ship.
"But if he really demands we join his fleet," someone said anxiously, "with General Zod's ruthless personality… who knows what might happen to us."
Yun Chen quietly watched the subtle changes in everyone's expressions.
A faint trace of amusement appeared in his eyes.
General Zod.
Of course Yun Chen knew exactly who that was.
Zod was one of the last surviving Kryptonians. His authority and military power far surpassed that of a simple ship captain.
But letting Zod take command might lead them down a very different path.
After all, in another timeline, Zod's ambitions ultimately pushed him into direct conflict with Superman on Earth.
Yun Chen shook his head slightly.
Some people clearly still didn't understand a simple truth.
They had no idea just how powerful his fists had become.
"Anyway," Yun Chen said casually, patting his forehead as if he had just remembered something.
"I forgot to mention something earlier."
"There's an unidentified fleet following us right now. You all stay here. I'll go meet them."
"What?!"
The crew instantly panicked.
Before anyone could ask further questions, Yun Chen had already turned away.
He walked down the corridor with calm steps, leaving only his back visible.
His final words drifted casually through the air.
"Isn't it just Zod?"
His voice carried a hint of quiet disdain.
"It seems some people still don't know how big my fist really is."