Time flew by, and the universe quietly passed several years in rare peace.
The wounds of war were gradually healed, replaced by flourishing vitality and exchange.
Thanks to deep cooperation with the Alliance and some future technology brought back by Mark, Earth civilization achieved a leapfrog technological advancement, now ranking among the upper-middle civilizations in the universe and becoming an indispensable part of the resistance forces.
However, Mark Grayson never truly relaxed his guard.
The Great Old Ones were like a sword hanging over his head; their complete, irrational desire for destruction would never vanish due to a temporary setback.
They were merely lurking, sharpening their fangs in the darkness.
This premonition clung to Mark like a persistent parasite.
For this, he invested a large amount of resources, entrusting the Alliance and Earth GDA's top research institutions to combine the technological concepts of the Main Universe and successfully develop several high-concentration solar radiation focusing and absorption devices.
These behemoths were placed on space stations near stellar orbits, capable of efficiently capturing, purifying, and guiding massive amounts of stellar energy.
Mark's life gradually became regular and monotonous.
He spent most of his time immersed in these devices, like an ascetic monk, greedily absorbing the seemingly endless solar power, constantly refining and enhancing his already unfathomable strength.
Only occasionally would he leave the devices to have dinner with his mother, Debbie, chat with old friends like Allen and Cecil about recent events, or, at Ruijia's invitation, take a short tour of a planet with unique scenery.
Under the daily infusion of energy, Mark's power had long surpassed the scope of any measurable instrument.
GDA and Alliance scientists could only stare dumbfounded as monitoring data repeatedly went off the charts, eventually giving up on quantitative evaluation in frustration.
Mark himself could clearly feel that the power within him was as vast as the universe; he even had a vague premonition.
If he wished, perhaps he could even manually shift the trajectories of stars, and dragging a planet out of its orbit might not be impossible.
During a visit to the Alliance headquarters, his mother, Debbie, subtly noticed the female leader Ruijia's feelings for her son from the ambiguous glances and teasing of the crowd.
Looking at the tall, muscular, and wild alien woman, Debbie's emotions were complex.
On one hand, she was happy that her son was admired, but on the other hand… this daughter-in-law's style seemed a bit too hardcore.
She ultimately just patted Mark's hand and said gently.
"Son, your own affairs, just make your own decisions, Mom just wants you to be happy."
Mark remembered their previous agreement and did not explicitly reject Ruijia; they maintained a subtle relationship, occasionally patrolling star systems together or having dinner on a scenic planet, which could be considered a form of cosmic dating.
Ruijia was also very patient, not pressing him, but quietly accompanying him, showing a delicate side completely different from her demeanor on the battlefield.
Sometimes, when Mark gazed at the starry sky alone, images he had seen in the Main Universe would inadvertently flash through his mind.
That Mark, similar in appearance but different in temperament, embracing Eve, holding their child, with a peaceful and contented smile on his face.
That scene, which once felt foreign to him, now occasionally evoked a faint… longing?
Perhaps, after completely ending the Great Old Ones' threat, he could really consider… expanding the Grayson family?
Or even… like in the Main Universe, try to find and unite any Viltrumites who might have survived?
Thinking of Viltrum, a hint of gloom inevitably crossed his mind.
Aside from the fallen Trigg, there had been no news of other Viltrumites since the collapse of the Alliance.
Were they completely assimilated and devoured by the Great Old Ones?
Or were they hidden in some corner of the universe?
These thoughts usually just flashed by, and even he himself felt they seemed a bit absurd and overly sentimental in this peaceful time.
However, tranquility did not seem to favor Mark.
On this day, he was strolling with Ruijia on an ice planet known for its dazzling auroras.
Ruijia had rarely changed out of her battle armor, wearing a thick yet still form-fitting fur hunting suit, her red hair like burning flames under the colorful auroras.
They chatted casually about Alliance affairs and interesting tidbits from across the universe, the atmosphere unusually relaxed.
Just then, the multi-functional communicator on Mark's wrist vibrated with a top-priority alert; it was an encrypted emergency communication from Earth GDA, relayed through Alliance channels.
Mark frowned slightly, gestured to Ruijia, and walked aside to answer.
Director Cecil's slightly tired but still calm face appeared in the holographic projection, with the GDA command center in the background.
"Mark, sorry to disturb you."
"There have been some… unusual situations here on Earth,"
Cecil said directly.
"About six hours ago, powerful superpowered individuals were reported in different regions globally, carrying out destructive activities. The targets seem to be randomly chosen, and the extent of destruction varies, but the methods… are quite brutal."
Mark listened, his brow still furrowed, but he felt this didn't seem to warrant an emergency call to him.
With the current strength of Earth GDA and the Alliance forces permanently stationed on Earth, including White Lion who occasionally vacationed on Earth, handling such sudden incidents should be well within their capabilities.
"Is the situation very tricky? Do you need me to send White Lion or a nearby patrol to assist?"
Mark asked.
At this moment, Allen and Eve's figures also appeared on the screen, clearly indicating they were closely monitoring the situation.
When Eve saw the alien-style aurora in the background and Ruijia's figure not far from Mark, her expression stiffened almost imperceptibly, and she instinctively pursed her lips.
This subtle change in expression was immediately caught by the keen senses of Ruijia, who was also a woman.
Ruijia's eyebrows twitched slightly, and a barely noticeable, knowing curve appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Allen chimed in.
"The difficulty isn't on the power level; while these destroyers are strong, they're not unmanageable."
"What's strange is their behavior pattern: completely random, with no clear objective, like a… malicious carnival."
"And when our people arrive, they often manage to quickly evade pursuit and hide."
Eve added, her voice tinged with worry and confusion.
"We've already dispatched all available personnel for search and surveillance, but… it just feels a bit off."
Mark was about to speak, but Director Cecil's next sentence, like a clap of thunder, instantly froze him in place!
"Mark, the reason we contacted you urgently…"
Cecil's voice became incredibly solemn, even carrying a hint of disbelieving difficulty.
"…is because, according to the consistent testimonies of multiple eyewitnesses and a few survivors of the attacks…"
He paused, as if needing to gather courage to say the next words.
"…they all insist that the powerful superpowered individual, or individuals, carrying out indiscriminate destruction and slaughter…"
"…looks exactly like you, Mark Grayson."
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