DC: Rise of the Kryptonian Tyrant

Universe Biotechnology Co., Ltd.

Second Floor

Sunlight streamed in through the white, pristine corridor and open glass windows.

The golden rays illuminated tiny dust particles floating in the air. The environment was quiet, and the sunlight was warm and tranquil.

Bardi stood in silence, gazing up at the sun.

He rarely looked up to anything but the sun was an exception. He longed for the sun.

It granted him the power to see thousands of miles, to pierce through objects with his vision, to unleash high-temperature rays, to hear across vast distances, to wield unmatched strength, the power to shatter worlds.

Sunlight was his lifeblood. His source of power.

It was nearly ten o'clock, and the sun shone warmly in a golden hue, radiating beauty and comfort.

To his eyes, the sun refracted colors more magnificent than any rainbow, wavelengths beyond the perception of ordinary human sight.

The human eye can only detect a narrow range of light, from approximately 380 to 780 nanometers, known as the visible spectrum. But there exist far higher and lower frequencies beyond human perception. Bardi could see them all. His vision far surpassed that of an average person, he could see more, perceive more.

In his eyes, sunlight fragmented into intricate points and lines, transmitting in waves before being absorbed into his body.

Bathed in the sun's radiance, his white silhouette shimmered with a divine glow.

Then, suddenly—

It was as if he had fallen from an altar.

The sunlight stalled for a moment, lingering around him but refusing to enter his body.

He felt it instantly—his cells, once brimming with life, suddenly dulled. They became sluggish, reluctant to move, unwilling to absorb even a trace of sunlight.

His right finger trembled. His expression, once serene, subtly shifted.

A strange weakness bloomed at his fingertip, creeping up his arm like a slow-moving poison. He could not suppress it.

His neural transmission slowed, his five senses began to dull. His ears could no longer hear voices from kilometers away. His eyes could no longer penetrate obstacles, could no longer see for miles, could no longer generate heat vision.

His body was deteriorating.

Fifteen meters away, Mike emerged from the elevator.

The man was still a towering, bear-like figure, an imposing Russian with a serious expression and a rugged face. His very presence could frighten a crying child into silence. In his hand, he carried a black suitcase.

Turning the corner, he saw Bardi standing motionless under the sun. His white figure remained tall and imposing, yet something was different. His presence was no longer the same, there was an unfamiliar trace of mortality.

For the first time, Mike felt something unusual.

Bardi seemed… human.

Not a god.

He kept his doubts to himself and strode forward.

In the pristine corridor, the sunlight cast bright reflections against the walls, its warmth gentle and inviting. Each step he took echoed on the polished floor as he approached Bardi.

The closer he got, the more ordinary Bardi seemed.

And yet, despite the change, Bardi's posture remained unyielding, his expression unreadable. He stood tall, unmoved.

His body was gradually breaking down, his vision narrowing, his hearing diminishing. It was as if time was rewinding, stripping him of his power.

At a cellular level, the solar energy he had absorbed was being corrupted. A foreign, acidic green substance had seeped into his genes, eroding his muscle tissue and blood platelets. The once-rushing rivers of blood coursing through his veins were now sluggish and murky.

His heartbeat weakened. His bones, once indestructible, were slowly deteriorating under the corrosion of the toxic green energy.

At two meters, Mike came to a stop.

Bardi had completely transformed, he was now as weak as an ordinary human.

And yet, he remained still, basking in the sun, his expression unchanged.

"I will crush you sooner or later."

His voice was quiet, almost a murmur. Yet his words carried boundless ambition, an unwavering will to one day seize control of the stars themselves.

A shiver ran down Mike's spine. A fiery sensation ignited in his chest—a restless, burning excitement. His blood boiled.

He had been puzzled moments ago.

The closer he got to Bardi, the more human he seemed.

Where had the divine radiance gone?

Where was the all-powerful tyrant who once looked down upon the world?

The god he had once pledged himself to?

But then—Bardi spoke.

"I will crush you sooner or later."

And suddenly, all his doubts vanished.

The tyrant had not changed.

Even without his brilliance, he was still awe-inspiring. His presence alone demanded belief.

Mike felt a near-uncontrollable urge to kneel.

He didn't know why.

But when Bardi said he would crush the sun, Mike believed him.

One day, Bardi would extinguish the sun itself.

And he—he would bear witness to that moment.

His vision blurred with emotion. His lacrimal glands stung, on the verge of tears. A hint of fanaticism surged in his chest. He sighed deeply, then stood beside Bardi.

Bardi said nothing.

So he, too, remained silent.

One meter away—

Bardi's body had deteriorated to that of a mere human. The toxic green energy continued its silent corruption, eating away at his strength. At this rate, within half an hour, green veins would begin surfacing on his skin.

And this was without even touching kryptonite.

Expressionless, Bardi finally tore his gaze away from the sun.

For the first time, his eyes stung from looking at it directly.

Like an ordinary person, the brightness made his tear glands ache.

At this moment, the absence of the sun, his source of strength left him uneasy.

It felt like betrayal.

The very force that had always empowered him, that had always watched over him, had suddenly abandoned him in the presence of kryptonite. Why had the light forsaken him? Why did it no longer shine upon him?

If you were always the source of my strength…

Even if I drained my blood and my body withered away, I would still protect you!

The influence of kryptonite extended beyond his body, creeping into his mind not as weakness, but as something far more insidious. Fragments of memory and thought surfaced, giving rise to something disturbing.

Something terrifying. Something mad.

Dark thoughts clawed at the edges of his mind.

The urge to crush the sun was born.

One day, if I reign over the universe…

I will devour the sun, just to know what it tastes like. I will crush it between my fingers, like a marble.

At this moment, the sun made his eyes sting and in return, it made him want to destroy it.

There was something wrong with his genes.

And now, in the presence of kryptonite, that flaw had worsened.

Bardi could feel it, something inside him screaming, teetering on the edge of madness, desperate to lash out.

But outwardly, his expression remained unchanged, his emotions buried deep beneath an iron will.

His mind was his own. His control was absolute.

His willpower was unshakable.

He would not be consumed by this unstable mental state.

"Report."

When Bardi spoke, his voice was steady. Unshaken. His indifferent expression did not waver, and there was no trace of the internal chaos affecting his body and mind.

Mike stepped forward and handed him a photograph.

In the image, a cornfield stretched into the distance. Green stalks stood tall, swaying in the wind, their long leaves fluttering. Above, the sky was a clear blue, with a few wisps of white clouds.

The Kent couple stood in the sunlight, smiling warmly.

Bardi had seen them before.

The woman cradled an infant in her arms, a baby with bright blue eyes, gazing curiously at the camera. At their feet, a white, wolf-like dog grinned, a husky-like expression, comically exaggerated, as if it were laughing at the child in the woman's arms. There was something almost thoughtful in its eyes, a look of contentment.

Bardi's gaze lingered on the photo.

Not on the child.

On the dog.

Mike spoke.

"This happened over a week ago. A meteor seemed to fall from the sky but there were no impact traces."

"We posed as reporters. The Kents took in an abandoned baby… and a dog… one week ago."

***

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