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Chapter 84: Spaceship
The Miniaturization Device, the key technology for turning a city into a "Bottle City," was practically Brainiac's personal trademark. He would pilot his spaceship over a designated urban area, unleash a shrinking ray from the sky to miniaturize the city, and then suck it straight into his ship via a tractor beam.
As this thought crossed his mind, Orin Vale's armor executed a sharp 180-degree turn in mid-air. During the maneuver, the display in front of him rapidly locked onto a full circle of robots around him.
The ammo bays on his shoulders popped open. Three neat rows of miniature warheads ignited all at once, guided by the AI's auto-aim as they whistled toward every locked target.
A series of booms and continuous explosions followed. The skeleton robots burst apart one after another under the bombardment of the warheads, like a sky full of fireworks.
This was a new technique Orin Vale had just upgraded to last week: an ultra-miniaturized version of the Specium warhead.
He had realized that while the previous Specium warheads were powerful, that level of firepower was often unnecessary against ordinary enemies, resulting in overkill in most situations.
This smaller warhead, however, was designed for fighting groups. It could be loaded with eighteen rounds at once, each infused with Specium matter. By concentrating the maximum firepower into the smallest possible volume, it became an excellent tool for instantly clearing out minions.
"Whoa, that's awesome," Kara's eyes lit up.
"Ammunition is limited. I only have one more round of those left."
Having temporarily cleared out the minions in the area, Orin Vale quickly flew over.
As he spoke, Orin Vale held out his bracelet. A spatial ripple shimmered, and three transparent, cone-shaped crystals materialized from the bracelet's pocket dimension.
"Ah, Kryptonian crystals." As a native Kryptonian, Kara recognized this technology at a glance.
"Yes, I made them using Kryptonian technology," Orin Vale said. "Long story short, I won't explain how they work. Brainiac's ship is already in near-Earth orbit, and he should be heading to Metropolis soon. He's going to release a shrinking ray to shrink and absorb the entire city..."
"Just like he did to Kandor," Kara said bitterly.
Kandor was once the capital of Krypton, its most prosperous city, but now it was just another piece in that maniac's collection.
"Yes, but we're going to stop him."
Orin Vale opened his palm, and the armor projected a map of Metropolis, marking three locations.
"We need to go to these three coordinates and set up these crystals. Once they're placed, they'll grow into 'anti-miniaturization devices' based on Kryptonian crystal technology within seconds. When Brainiac releases his shrinking ray from the sky, the devices will automatically generate a barrier to absorb his beam."
Orin Vale paused, glancing at the two of them.
"Three crystals, three people. What do you think?"
Without a word, Superman took one from his hand and smiled faintly.
"What do I think? I was practically born for this."
Three afterimages shot out from the LexCorp building, streaking toward their respective coordinates through the streets of Metropolis, which were awash in a tide of steel.
The sounds of impacts and explosions rose and fell. Wherever the three afterimages passed, the skeleton robots in their path were blasted apart, disintegrating into fragments in the air.
Energy beams from the powered armor crisscrossed brilliantly, the red-and-blue afterimage of Superman smashed through everything like a cannonball, and the cutting power of his heat vision was unstoppable. Any robot that stood in their way was fated to become scrap metal.
At the same time, a spaceship, propelled by an eerie violet tail flame, was slowly entering the atmosphere.
From a distance, it looked like a giant, floating skeleton head. Its hull was covered in mechanical structures with writhing metal tentacles, countless of which twisted like malevolent snakes.
A figure sat upon the metal throne in the center of the spaceship, slowly opening his eyes.
He had a half-man, half-machine body, with metal components and muscular tendons tightly interwoven. Half of his face was covered by a metallic mask, and both the mask and the top of his head were dotted with circular ports that glowed with a faint purple light.
Brainiac.
Footage from the surface played before his eyes. In three different areas, two Kryptonians and a suit of red-and-silver armor were tearing through his mechanical army as if it were nothing.
But Brainiac was neither flustered nor angry. He simply watched and analyzed as a massive stream of data scrolled past on another interface, recording the information.
"Kryptonian abilities are greatly enhanced when exposed to yellow sun radiation. Preliminary observation indicates both Kryptonian individuals are still in the initial stages, with enormous potential for growth. Recommended course of action: capture the individuals and use red star energy to control them for further research and analysis."
He paused, his gaze shifting to the other suit of armor.
"Codename, 'Ultraman.' Race unknown, origin unknown. No matching race in known galaxies. Known abilities include gigantification, body energization, super strength, super speed, interstellar weapon-grade energy projection, body reconstruction, dream entry, and terrain-altering psychokinesis... It is speculated that he possesses numerous other unknown abilities. His technology system is also incompatible with any known galactic civilization... Recommended course of action: further observation and data collection required before taking action. Await deployment of 'Guntraus' before proceeding."
After this analysis, Brainiac quickly made his crucial strategic decision.
Continue observing from the sidelines.
If there was one thing Old Bu had in abundance, it was cannon fodder. The swarm tactic had always been the cornerstone of his invasions.
The raw materials for his robot army were all sourced from Earth, merely enhanced with Old Bu's technology. The entire army cost him nothing, so he felt no pain no matter how many were destroyed.
Against low-level civilizations, a simple swarm tactic was often enough to secure victory. Against more advanced civilizations, he could use this free cannon fodder to disrupt his opponent's rhythm and bait them into action. This allowed Old Bu to analyze and understand his opponent, enabling him to find the optimal, tailor-made solution from his endless knowledge when he finally made his move.
He sent the minion wave to the front lines while he commanded from the safety of his home base. His strategy was rock-solid.
*It's not like you can trace my internet connection and come destroy my home base, can you?*
Just as he was enjoying his observation, an alarm suddenly blared inside the spaceship.
"System breach! Repeat, system breach..."
"Hmm?"
Brainiac frowned, realizing this was no simple matter.
A Level-Three civilization managed to infiltrate his system?
No, that's impossible. It couldn't be the Earthlings.
Then could it be...
The next second, the control console in front of him suddenly began to glow!
An endless light burst forth from the cold machinery, followed by a fist that coalesced in an instant from countless particles of light!
*Thump.*
Old Bu took the heavy punch square on the bridge of his nose. His head snapped back, and he was sent flying far from his seat.
The light coalesced into a life-sized Ultraman, who landed gracefully. Launched from his seat, Brainiac tumbled a great distance before crashing into a metal wall with a loud boom.
The fractured wall of the ship revealed a faint blue energy structure within, and electric sparks danced across Old Bu's body.
His expression remained blank. He mechanically twisted the joints in his neck, stood up, and added in a perfectly calm tone:
"Record updated. Target codename 'Ultraman.' Ability list updated. The subject of observation can, in fact, trace the signal to attack me..."
(end of chapter)
The Miniaturization Device, the key technology for turning a city into a "Bottle City," was practically Brainiac's personal trademark. He would pilot his spaceship over a designated urban area, unleash a shrinking ray from the sky to miniaturize the city, and then suck it straight into his ship via a tractor beam.
As this thought crossed his mind, Orin Vale's armor executed a sharp 180-degree turn in mid-air. During the maneuver, the display in front of him rapidly locked onto a full circle of robots around him.
The ammo bays on his shoulders popped open. Three neat rows of miniature warheads ignited all at once, guided by the AI's auto-aim as they whistled toward every locked target.
A series of booms and continuous explosions followed. The skeleton robots burst apart one after another under the bombardment of the warheads, like a sky full of fireworks.
This was a new technique Orin Vale had just upgraded to last week: an ultra-miniaturized version of the Specium warhead.
He had realized that while the previous Specium warheads were powerful, that level of firepower was often unnecessary against ordinary enemies, resulting in overkill in most situations.
This smaller warhead, however, was designed for fighting groups. It could be loaded with eighteen rounds at once, each infused with Specium matter. By concentrating the maximum firepower into the smallest possible volume, it became an excellent tool for instantly clearing out minions.
"Whoa, that's awesome," Kara's eyes lit up.
"Ammunition is limited. I only have one more round of those left."
Having temporarily cleared out the minions in the area, Orin Vale quickly flew over.
As he spoke, Orin Vale held out his bracelet. A spatial ripple shimmered, and three transparent, cone-shaped crystals materialized from the bracelet's pocket dimension.
"Ah, Kryptonian crystals." As a native Kryptonian, Kara recognized this technology at a glance.
"Yes, I made them using Kryptonian technology," Orin Vale said. "Long story short, I won't explain how they work. Brainiac's ship is already in near-Earth orbit, and he should be heading to Metropolis soon. He's going to release a shrinking ray to shrink and absorb the entire city..."
"Just like he did to Kandor," Kara said bitterly.
Kandor was once the capital of Krypton, its most prosperous city, but now it was just another piece in that maniac's collection.
"Yes, but we're going to stop him."
Orin Vale opened his palm, and the armor projected a map of Metropolis, marking three locations.
"We need to go to these three coordinates and set up these crystals. Once they're placed, they'll grow into 'anti-miniaturization devices' based on Kryptonian crystal technology within seconds. When Brainiac releases his shrinking ray from the sky, the devices will automatically generate a barrier to absorb his beam."
Orin Vale paused, glancing at the two of them.
"Three crystals, three people. What do you think?"
Without a word, Superman took one from his hand and smiled faintly.
"What do I think? I was practically born for this."
Three afterimages shot out from the LexCorp building, streaking toward their respective coordinates through the streets of Metropolis, which were awash in a tide of steel.
The sounds of impacts and explosions rose and fell. Wherever the three afterimages passed, the skeleton robots in their path were blasted apart, disintegrating into fragments in the air.
Energy beams from the powered armor crisscrossed brilliantly, the red-and-blue afterimage of Superman smashed through everything like a cannonball, and the cutting power of his heat vision was unstoppable. Any robot that stood in their way was fated to become scrap metal.
At the same time, a spaceship, propelled by an eerie violet tail flame, was slowly entering the atmosphere.
From a distance, it looked like a giant, floating skeleton head. Its hull was covered in mechanical structures with writhing metal tentacles, countless of which twisted like malevolent snakes.
A figure sat upon the metal throne in the center of the spaceship, slowly opening his eyes.
He had a half-man, half-machine body, with metal components and muscular tendons tightly interwoven. Half of his face was covered by a metallic mask, and both the mask and the top of his head were dotted with circular ports that glowed with a faint purple light.
Brainiac.
Footage from the surface played before his eyes. In three different areas, two Kryptonians and a suit of red-and-silver armor were tearing through his mechanical army as if it were nothing.
But Brainiac was neither flustered nor angry. He simply watched and analyzed as a massive stream of data scrolled past on another interface, recording the information.
"Kryptonian abilities are greatly enhanced when exposed to yellow sun radiation. Preliminary observation indicates both Kryptonian individuals are still in the initial stages, with enormous potential for growth. Recommended course of action: capture the individuals and use red star energy to control them for further research and analysis."
He paused, his gaze shifting to the other suit of armor.
"Codename, 'Ultraman.' Race unknown, origin unknown. No matching race in known galaxies. Known abilities include gigantification, body energization, super strength, super speed, interstellar weapon-grade energy projection, body reconstruction, dream entry, and terrain-altering psychokinesis... It is speculated that he possesses numerous other unknown abilities. His technology system is also incompatible with any known galactic civilization... Recommended course of action: further observation and data collection required before taking action. Await deployment of 'Guntraus' before proceeding."
After this analysis, Brainiac quickly made his crucial strategic decision.
Continue observing from the sidelines.
If there was one thing Old Bu had in abundance, it was cannon fodder. The swarm tactic had always been the cornerstone of his invasions.
The raw materials for his robot army were all sourced from Earth, merely enhanced with Old Bu's technology. The entire army cost him nothing, so he felt no pain no matter how many were destroyed.
Against low-level civilizations, a simple swarm tactic was often enough to secure victory. Against more advanced civilizations, he could use this free cannon fodder to disrupt his opponent's rhythm and bait them into action. This allowed Old Bu to analyze and understand his opponent, enabling him to find the optimal, tailor-made solution from his endless knowledge when he finally made his move.
He sent the minion wave to the front lines while he commanded from the safety of his home base. His strategy was rock-solid.
*It's not like you can trace my internet connection and come destroy my home base, can you?*
Just as he was enjoying his observation, an alarm suddenly blared inside the spaceship.
"System breach! Repeat, system breach..."
"Hmm?"
Brainiac frowned, realizing this was no simple matter.
A Level-Three civilization managed to infiltrate his system?
No, that's impossible. It couldn't be the Earthlings.
Then could it be...
The next second, the control console in front of him suddenly began to glow!
An endless light burst forth from the cold machinery, followed by a fist that coalesced in an instant from countless particles of light!
*Thump.*
Old Bu took the heavy punch square on the bridge of his nose. His head snapped back, and he was sent flying far from his seat.
The light coalesced into a life-sized Ultraman, who landed gracefully. Launched from his seat, Brainiac tumbled a great distance before crashing into a metal wall with a loud boom.
The fractured wall of the ship revealed a faint blue energy structure within, and electric sparks danced across Old Bu's body.
His expression remained blank. He mechanically twisted the joints in his neck, stood up, and added in a perfectly calm tone:
"Record updated. Target codename 'Ultraman.' Ability list updated. The subject of observation can, in fact, trace the signal to attack me..."
(end of chapter)
