A Kryptonian in the Marvel Universe

Though Zod trusted Dr. Otto Octavius, he still felt the need for oversight, ensuring Otto didn't overspend on resources. Zod was wealthy, but wasting money was not something he tolerated.

That's where Uuld came in, serving as Zod's Supreme Assistant Secretary. It was part of her job to keep an eye on the financials.

"Dr. Otto's lab isn't fully operational yet," Uuld reported swiftly. In her competitive career, every action mattered. If she didn't perform well, she knew she could lose her position at any time. Her sharp memory and diligence were what earned her such a high-paying job.

"Let's speed up the process. What equipment and materials does he still need?" Zod asked, his super brain retaining the specifics.

"Everything has been ordered and will be delivered soon," Uuld replied, presenting the purchase orders. She had even visited the lab to inspect the situation, though she brought a university friend for advice since she wasn't an expert herself.

"We already have a palladium reactor. Why the need for a tritium-based one?" Uuld asked, still confused by the need for multiple energy sources.

"As a layman might say, having more options ensures limitless energy. But from a scientist's perspective, relying on a single solution isn't wise. Science needs multiple foundations to progress. If we hit a bottleneck on one path, we'll have others to pursue," Zod explained seriously. The palladium reactor was highly advanced technology, but in the Marvel world, black tech was plentiful. Zod preferred to keep a balance and wanted to see if the tritium reactor would meet his needs.

In fact, Zod had been studying tritium nuclear fusion himself. He'd reviewed Dr. Otto's thesis, finding no logical issues. The accidents that occurred were likely due to instabilities.

Then there was the matter of secondary Kryptonian Gold. Since the creation of the Black Queen AI, Zod had tasked it with conducting simulation experiments. His original armor—made from Kryptonian Gold—had already been synthesized with Vibranium, making his new suit even stronger. Though Zod knew how to create Kryptonian Gold, he was still limited by the materials available in the Marvel universe.

"Sir, an alloy formula has been calculated. Testing shows it's 80% stronger than secondary Kryptonian Gold," the Black Queen reported, projecting data and simulations. Zod sipped an iced Coke as he reviewed the results.

"Excellent. We'll call this new alloy Class A Kryptonian Gold," Zod declared. The new alloy was nearly as strong as Vibranium, thanks to the Black Queen's access to both the data and the actual material.

"There's something else, sir," the Black Queen continued, displaying a video of a man in a black trench coat cutting down a vampire with a sword. Though the footage was grainy and unclear, the AI had done its best to restore it.

The Black Queen then projected more information about the man, including his birth records and current status.

"Blade…" Zod recognized the vampire hunter immediately. The AI gathered more details from the internet, along with some strange symbols and texts scrawled on what appeared to be ancient parchment.

"Runes?" Zod murmured. His memory had been expanding lately, allowing him to recall more of Blade's storyline.

"If those are indeed runes, then this marks the beginning of Blade's first movie plot," Zod noted. Blade's first story was simple—typical for a comic book film—but it had garnered attention for its loyalty to the source material.

Deacon Frost, Blade's antagonist, was a non-pureblood vampire who clashed with the pureblood vampire elders. Frost, a former human turned vampire, believed that humanity wouldn't idly watch as vampires grew in power. He argued that humans would eventually rise against vampires, while the purebloods naively hoped for a truce.

Using modern technology, Frost deciphered ancient texts from the "Book of Erebus," which detailed the summoning of the Blood God, an apocalyptic figure who would transform all humans into vampires. The ritual required twelve purebloods and a Daywalker—like Blade.

While the idea of summoning the Blood God was intriguing, Zod wasn't particularly interested in the plot. In the Marvel universe, there were simply too many powerful entities that would prevent such a catastrophe—Doctor Strange's mentor, the Ancient One, alone would intervene. Unless this was the comic book version of Dracula, it wasn't worth Zod's attention.

And even if Frost succeeded in turning the entire human population into vampires, it would lead to a bigger problem: What happens when there are no humans left to feed on? Without prey, the vampires would eventually turn on each other.

What did intrigue Zod was Blade himself—specifically, the fact that Blade had no records of illness. Apart from his birth certificate, Blade was virtually invisible to the medical world, even listed as deceased.

This was remarkable. Even with access to special medications, most people would see a doctor for serious illnesses, and private healthcare was expensive. Blade, being far from wealthy, couldn't possibly afford it.

Reflecting on Dr. Connors' recent discoveries, Zod pieced together the truth: Blade had become immune to all human viruses and diseases. His vampire transformation had altered his biology, granting him immunity. As a half-human, half-vampire hybrid, Blade possessed the strength, speed, and regeneration abilities of a vampire but without the dependence on blood to survive.

"Black Queen, create a file on Blade. Track his movements through all available surveillance. I need to know where he is," Zod ordered.

If Dr. Connors' panacea theory were to come true, Blade might hold the key. For the sake of humanity, Zod would need Blade's cooperation for further research. Fortunately, no dissection would be necessary—just some sampling.