Marvel Magic Event Book

Chapter 1746

“You’re too late. I’m leaving in 12 minutes,” Salomon said rudely. “Whatever you have to say, say it now. I have other things to do.”

Tony Stark cautiously took a few steps forward, then stepped into the ice pit. The water-soaked thrusters vaporized some of the water, producing a pleasant hissing sound. He wasn't at all curious that Salomon knew he was coming. Salomon possessed powers and knowledge that others couldn't comprehend; perhaps from the moment he took off from Stark Tower, Salomon knew this was his destination.

“I have something to ask you. I’m now representing the Pentagon and the White House,” Tony Stark said. “You certainly don’t want to see a military conflict, so you have to answer.”

“Are you sure you want to use diplomatic language, Stark?” Salomon scrutinized Stark. “The news says you’ve now accepted the White House appointment, so you’re speaking for the United States the moment you open your mouth?”

“I’m really not good at this… Okay, tell me, where is Thaddeus E. Ross? And Bruce Banner, he’s my friend.” Tony Stark winked. “Let me tell you, I don’t care about that nasty old man, you can throw him anywhere, as long as I can find him. You at least have to hand over Dr. Banner to me, I can put in a good word for you in Congress, maybe even lift a few economic sanctions.”

Perhaps sensing that these promises were unlikely to be fulfilled, Tony Stark paused for a moment before continuing, "You want Stark Industries to invest, right? I can set up a company completely unrelated to Stark Industries, move the production line into your country, and create over 100,000 jobs for you. Just give me Dr. Banner."

Salomon looked at Tony Stark with pity. Clearly, this newly minted capitalist, with only two generations of history, had naively jumped into his trap. Tony Stark thought that by accepting the White House appointment, he could represent the White House and the Pentagon. But Salomon already knew that this was a trap set for Tony Stark.

The conflict between the Avengers will not end with the complete split between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. The Sokovia Accords, as a surprise and temporary measure, are not recognized by the Security Council, and the US government intends to officially recognize the Avengers before other countries can react.

For the US government, failing to bring the Avengers under its control was a minor matter; the disappearance of Secretary of State Thaddeus E. Ross was the real issue. In official statements, Secretary Thaddeus E. Ross died in the line of duty while caught in the Hulk's attack, and the Pentagon held a state funeral for him, with only his military uniform placed in his coffin.

However, behind the scenes, the FBI, CIA, and Pentagon continued their investigation into the battle that took place outside the airport. According to eyewitness accounts, after the Armored Titan suddenly appeared and severely injured the Secretary of State, Thaddeus E. Ross transformed into a red-skinned Hulk.

General Ross had undergone three heart bypass surgeries before this, and doctors thought the next time they'd see him was in the morgue. It's entirely understandable that people who fear death would use the most advanced genetic modification technology at hand to alter themselves in order to escape it.

That's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that General Ross disappeared after he turned into the Hulk!

Leaving aside the question of whether there have been any cases in American history of Secretaries of State being captured by the enemy—that's a matter for politicians to consider—companies and groups that had made behind-the-scenes deals with General Ross, especially those providing resources for the military's super-soldier program and hoping to extend lifespans through super-soldier serums, all hoped that General Ross was really dead. The super-soldier program was not some gentle experiment; Bruce Banner was only in charge of a part about gamma rays. After all, the data and results of the remaining human experiments were what they cared about, which involved some missing persons cases, medical charities, and so on.

Thaddeus E. Ross, as the project manager, was familiar with the power of each sponsor.

This is terrible!
As we all know, Hulk's transformation cannot last forever. If Thaddeus E. Ross were still alive, would he have revealed some secrets under torture by his enemies? Now, Thaddeus E. Ross has already received a state funeral; "Thunder" Ross is as good as dead!

The Pentagon collected all the wreckage from the convoy that carried General Hulk and General Ross, dispatched a C-17 transport plane to airlift every piece of debris from Germany to Washington, deployed numerous aviation accident investigation experts and forensic scientists to reconstruct the scene, and sent Guantanamo interrogation experts to repeatedly question every soldier present. The Pentagon practically wanted to cram all these soldiers into Guantanamo or a cargo ship prison on the high seas, scrutinizing every word they uttered, while simultaneously expelling every official from the CIA and FBI from Washington.

However, the Pentagon found itself an accomplice.

In order to utilize the resources of the Stark Group for their investigation, they also reinstated Lieutenant Colonel Roddy, who had been demoted, to colonel.

The Pentagon's explanation is that Tony Stark needs to find the other Avenger, the other Hulk who went missing that day. Previously, due to diplomatic issues, Tony Stark couldn't conduct an open investigation. Now, the Pentagon and NATO will endorse his actions, allowing him to mobilize more resources and even conduct indefinite questioning of witnesses. As long as he doesn't violate too many laws, NATO countries (mainly Germany) won't object to Stark's investigation. Even his need to temporarily use a military transport plane to fly to an altitude of 10,000 meters for a parachute jump can be ignored by the Pentagon.

All that's needed is to prove Thaddeus E. Ross's current situation.

It would be best if he were dead. If he were still alive, the factions within the Pentagon that support the super-soldier program and the companies that provide resources for it would offer assistance. The White House also supports this decision. The armored giant that appeared at Harley Airport is clearly a genetically modified soldier under the Yugoslav dictator, and given that former Avengers members like Steve Rogers are receiving political asylum there, Tony Stark's investigation will inevitably encounter obstruction from that dictator, and a conflict between them and Tony Stark is certain.

If a conflict breaks out and one or two former Avengers die, that would be a huge problem solved for the White House. If Tony Stark dies in the process, that would solve two huge problems! Giving Tony Stark a state funeral wouldn't be out of the question!
Tony Stark, who knew nothing of the conspiracy, accepted the appointment without hesitation.

When he took over, the paper documents alone numbered thirty million pages, and the recorded statements and crime scene reconstruction videos filled dozens of hard drive cabinets. Criminal psychologists, special operations team instructors, and forensic experts from the FBI analyzed the crime scene video frame by frame. They even pinpointed the exact location where every drop of blood splattered in the video should have fallen, but they just couldn't figure out why no one at the scene noticed Thaddeus E. Ross, who had transformed into the Red Hulk, suddenly disappear. It was as if they had all turned a blind eye to the red giant lying on the wreckage of the vehicle.

Even Stark Industries' artificial intelligence, after examining all the physical evidence, could not explain why Thaddeus E. Ross had suddenly disappeared. Tony Stark knew very well that there must be some supernatural element involved, and now that he was facing the mastermind behind it all, he was determined to get to the bottom of it, even if it meant drawing swords against each other.

“I bet that old guy doesn’t know what you did to Dr. Banner, does he?” Tony Stark said maliciously. “Steve Rogers would never have agreed to you conducting human experiments on Dr. Banner.”

"Dr. Banner is undergoing a long-term exorcism ritual."

"The exorcism ritual you mentioned... I don't understand. Is this your special name for human experimentation?"

Tony Stark recalled the boring religious movies he had watched.

The man, bound to the bed and soaked in sweat, was screaming wildly. The priest, holding a crucifix, chanted incomprehensible Latin at the man, occasionally splashing holy water on the poor man on the bed. He knew after a moment's thought that the so-called exorcism ritual couldn't be so "gentle." After all, it would be hard to find towels and beds to bind Hulk's limbs, or a priest gesturing with a crucifix in front of Hulk.

Although he couldn't help but chuckle at his own imagination, he quietly ordered Friday to prepare for battle, lest the person opposite him launch an attack: the first step was to use the counter-attack pattern Friday had developed by analyzing all the close-quarters combat styles in the world; the second step was to create distance and use his armored advantage to launch ranged attacks on the target, disrupting his incantation; the third step was to use lethal weapons, he knew he had to make his stance clear. Tony Stark had everything planned out in a matter of seconds.

He became increasingly nervous, even forgetting to breathe.

This wasn't cowardice, but rather because he knew what the person before him was capable of. Even without using strange magic, his speed and strength could easily dismantle his steel armor. Even so, Tony Stark didn't think he would regret it. The dark clouds hadn't yet dispersed, and moonlight couldn't penetrate the leaden clouds to illuminate the sea. The Atlantic Ocean after the blizzard resembled a silent gray behemoth, the thick ice merely spots on its body.

He stood there, the ice beneath his feet trembling slightly, like the breath of a gray sea monster.

Tony Stark was startled when Salomon reached out his hand.

This was literally a scare; he suddenly jumped back, not even managing to jump out of the puddle.

Friday now held control of the armor. Salomon merely saw the armor shake slightly, and then nothing happened. The AI, Friday, determined that Salomon's outstretched hand posed no threat: the hand held an open package, and judging from the brand logo and barcode, it was a pack of dried blueberries produced twenty years ago. Tony Stark couldn't help but recall the pile of snacks beside his computer when he was studying at MIT, pulling all-nighters to finish engineering assignments.

Artificial Friday warned Tony Stark that this snack would quickly raise his blood sugar.

This is something Miss Pepper Potts will not allow, and Fridays are strictly in accordance with the rules.

"An exorcism is an exorcism. You don't think something like the Hulk, which is fueled by anger, has anything to do with science, do you?"

Tony Stark snapped out of his daze, "What did you say?"

“The Hulk is a disease from another dimension, a nascent nightmare and malice that lurks in the bodies of innocents. But Dr. Bruce Banner overcame it with his kindness, which is remarkable,” Salomon said calmly. He tossed a dried blueberry to Stark, who, ignoring Friday’s warning, grabbed one and popped it into his mouth.

That's right, it tastes just like it used to.

"Right now, there's only one soul in his body. If this drags on any longer, things won't be the same. It's like twins competing for nutrients, like a teratoma. Sooner or later, his soul will be drained of all its nutrients by the parasite. Bruce Banner's soul will become a tiny embellishment on Hulk's soul, and even if Hulk himself doesn't have any malicious intent, this process won't be reversed. Now, leave here. In another hour, this area will reopen, and rescue teams from various countries will arrive."

“And you?” Stark looked up at the plane slowly crawling above the thinning clouds. The supernatural phenomena here were disappearing; clearly the work of those arcane mages. “You caused this, and you’re just going to leave?”

Salomon glanced at him, then waved his hand, shoving Tony Stark away as if shooing away a fly.

"If you want to participate in the interstellar war in seven days, board the Quinjet I've prepared for you. I have no reason to indulge your whims. You can choose to launch yourself into space on a commercial flight, but if you approach the air defense zone of SkySword Space Station, I have the right to shoot you down."

“When can he… I mean, be discharged?” Tony Stark thought for a moment, then used a more scientific term. “If you need my help, I can provide some medical equipment. You know, the Stark Group has invested in a lot of medical laboratories. Given that you’re venturing into an unprecedented field, perhaps I can offer some assistance.”

"Dr. Banner's health is being monitored by Kamar-Taj and the Immortal City's biological research department. He's healthier than you right now, Stark, at least he can't drink alcohol. Since he was able to survive in India, his physical condition is clearly better than yours, otherwise he would have died from a bacterial infection long ago."

“I’m not going to beat around the bush anymore, Salomon. I want to see Dr. Banner, that’s my demand.”

Salomon remained expressionless, gesturing for Tony Stark to continue.

Meanwhile, Tony Stark also ordered the AI ​​Friday to prepare for a potential conflict. He glimpsed the arcane mages wandering around in the distance with wooden canes and decided to keep the battlefield away from them—he suspected they might be Salomon's allies.

"If General Ross is dead, you can leave him anywhere. If he's still alive, hand him over to me. You can erase his memory, make him forget the questions you asked him. I don't care what you do to his memory, you've already tampered with the minds of us Avengers... Don't go, let me finish. The White House's tolerance for the Secretary of State's disappearance has reached its limit. As long as you can let me see Dr. Banner, I can cooperate with you to resolve the Secretary of State's matter. I've already been very lenient, otherwise they would definitely be happy to block the Strait of Gibraltar."

Salomon hesitated for a moment, seemingly finding Tony Stark's offer quite generous. Furthermore, since the Red Hulk was no longer of much use, he wouldn't mind having Stark serve as a biological experiment material recycler for a while.

"follow me."

“You know what?” Tony Stark suddenly wanted to joke, “According to official records, you’re barely old enough to drink!”

Then, as if he'd been electrocuted, he jumped up abruptly.

I forgot to revise the previous chapter.