From Krypton

The origins of the universe were unfathomable. All that lay before every living being was endless darkness, so profound it sent chills through the heart.

Those who gazed at the stars in ignorance marveled at their beauty; explorers held them in awe and pursued their secrets tirelessly.

Deep space was empty and desolate, boundless and infinitely vast.

In the depths of that beautiful starry sky, adorned with dazzling stars, a comet trailed a long fiery tail, drawing a streak of light as it pierced into the Solar System.

Destination: Earth.

Kryptonian Separation Pod.

His sleeping eyelids twitched. Beneath his long, thick, slightly curled lashes was a ruggedly handsome face of mixed Eastern and Western heritage. His mixed blood gave him a distinctive beauty: sharply defined, deep-set features; a resolute face carved as though by a blade; a straight, high nose bridge; and broad temples, all lending him an intoxicating sense of rugged security.

Especially the vertical scar on his left cheek. It had been left by Fiora when she had desperately tried to kill him, and it added an unspoken, chilling charm to his appearance.

He slowly opened his eyes. His pupils were like black holes, drawing people in. It was precisely this outstanding appearance and those captivating eyes that had allowed him to ensnare all manner of women on Krypton. Through every conspiracy, deception, betrayal, threat, and murder, he had become Krypton's most wanted criminal and won himself the chance to come to Earth.

Perhaps because he had been reborn from Earth onto Krypton, because his soul had originally belonged to an Earthling, an error had occurred in the Kryptonian embryo incubator. That was why he looked unlike anyone else on Krypton.

For a time, he had been considered a defective, low-class warrior product, something that should have been destroyed. In the end, he displayed abundant vitality, coupled with an appearance unlike anyone else on Krypton, and the genetic technician who had intended to destroy him softened for a moment and spared him. That was how he had survived.

Ba Miu Luo Di Jun Tratrusgu.

The name might have sounded strange. The brutal adopter who had died by his hand had casually pointed at a dictionary, selecting characters in succession to form it. Translated, it became this name; in Kryptonian Language, it was merely a string of meaningless characters.

It was neither a name bearing the glory of those who came before nor one embodying a family's fond hopes. It was simply trash made of scattered characters. That was what his adopter believed.

Those who knew him called him Ba Di.

He had once been one of Krypton's most elite and promising warriors. Through efforts fueled by the mature mind he had possessed since childhood, shedding blood and tears, he had grown into one of Krypton's future twin stars alongside Haier. At the time, every outstanding figure on Krypton held him in high regard.

He had been Krypton's most exceptional warrior and military commander.

And it was precisely because of that that he had been able to approach Krypton's upper ranks and betray them all.

The greater the love, the deeper the hatred.

Fiora had truly wanted to kill him then. She left a deep scar on his face, ensuring he would forever remember the disappointment and grief on her face at that moment.

Ba Di had never regretted his actions.

Krypton was too small-minded.

The future center of the universe, where wars spanning countless infinite multiverses would erupt, would all be centered on Earth. Battles between all manner of deities, Old Gods, and New Gods; divine pantheons of every kind; all sorts of miraculous powers.

Only from Earth could one radiate influence across the universe.

Only on Earth could Kryptonians wield their greatest power—destroy worlds with one hand, crush stars between their fingers, and blow out the sun.

There would be no good outcome on Krypton. On a Krypton about to be destroyed, there was only one path: death.

For that, he had been willing to pay any price to come to Earth.

His pupils focused as his consciousness gradually cleared. Lying inside the Kryptonian Separation Pod, he awakened.

His body felt slightly heavy, an aftereffect of waking from deep sleep. His muscles and blood began to regain their vitality from their lead-and-mercury-like sluggishness.

Through real-time holographic projection technology, he saw the starry sky projected before him. Amid that brilliant expanse were the orange-yellow sun and a tiny azure planet revolving around it.

Virtual imaging technology recorded and reproduced true three-dimensional images of objects through the principles of interference and diffraction, synchronizing with the outside world in real time. In other words, he had indeed arrived in the Solar System.

His body stiffened in an instant. The thunderous beat of his enormous heart echoed in his ears, and his blood surged and roared through him. Even his breathing stopped from excitement before he exhaled a long, heavy breath.

The blood in his body surged like a raging river. Unstoppable excitement flooded his heart. He clenched his fists tightly, suppressing the agitation stirred by his violently contracting heart as he breathed heavily through his surging emotions, almost unable to stop himself from shouting into the void!

Earth!

He had finally arrived on Earth!

His pupils dilated, his excitement beyond measure. His intensified, accelerated heartbeat and heightened metabolism made him want to rise at once and declare his existence.

Declare to this world that he had arrived.

Declare to this world the desire he embodied.

But not yet. He had not reached Earth, had not set foot upon that land, that planet.

He had not yet bathed in sunlight, become powerful enough to shatter planets, and seize everything.

After his excitement subsided, he let out a soft, long breath to calm his heart and the surging blood within him. Silently, he meditated using the Meditation Technique he had learned from the Kryptonian Meditators Guild, controlling his emotions and body until both gradually settled.

After a long while, the Kryptonian Separation Pod was still traveling toward Earth.

He had calmed down. His face was expressionless, his lips pressed tightly together, and his eyes gleamed with sharp light. Reclining within the Kryptonian Separation Pod, he watched the Solar System displayed by the holographic projection.

He reached out into the Solar System. As though touching something real, the Solar System shrank in his palm and slowly revolved.

Like a monarch ruling over a star system, he toyed with the Solar System in his hand at will, capable of destroying a star system with one hand.

"Soon, I will rule the world."

A fanatical ambition flashed in his eyes. A wild, arrogant sneer curled across his lips, and the vertical scar moved with it. Against his cold mixed Eastern and Western features, he exuded the bearing of one who looked down upon the world and roamed freely across the stars.

Suddenly, he clenched his fist, scattering the Solar System in his grasp.

In the darkness, he gradually settled down and fell asleep once more. There was still some distance to Earth.

Nevada.

Speaking of Nevada, one could not help but mention an area in Lincoln County, southern Nevada, renowned around the world both now and in the future: the famous Area 51 Air Force military base.

In 1950, when the military established a nuclear weapons testing ground in Nevada, this place was included as well. Its section number on the map at the time was Area 51. Later, because mysterious and unusual incidents frequently occurred here, the public began calling it the "Forbidden Zone 51."

Whether or not real aliens or UFOs had appeared in Area 51, when it came to Nevada, Area 51 was undoubtedly the most famous.

With the world's attention focused on the renowned Area 51 Military Base, the other military bases in Nevada seemed obscure and received no attention.

A military base for reconnaissance and satellite imaging applications, this place was named Area 18 Military Base.

Today.

In 1980, a satellite detected a small spacecraft arriving from outer space.