Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1330 Dhaulagiri (Second Update)

The higher you go, the thinner the oxygen content in the air becomes.

The hovercar was equipped with comfortable seats and a constant-temperature air conditioner, completely isolating it from the terrifyingly low temperatures and pressures of the snow-capped mountains and plateau. Through the viewing windows, passengers saw sunlight pouring in from the other side of the mountains, only to be swallowed by shadows after a few heartbeats. Howling winds lashed against the transparent armored glass, clinging to it stubbornly. The pilot, struggling against the sudden gusts of wind, managed to maintain the hovercar's trajectory, keeping it away from the sharp rock walls. Guided by the ever-increasing lights on the ground, they landed on a brightly lit helipad amidst the vast snow-covered landscape.

Supiluliumas gripped his halberd tightly, standing beside the snow-covered black cliff. He looked down as the hovercar rose from the darkness cast down from the valley, its turbines spewing azure flames that melted the thin layer of snow and ice below, sending up plumes of scalding steam mixed with icy vapor. This mountain was an absolute death trap for explorers; even spending $2 to find five Shepas wouldn't guarantee survival on this rock.

The hovercar landed on the carved-out black rock helipad. As the modified civilian facility lowered its gangway and passengers, Supiluliumas went to greet them, accompanied by two cyborgs armed with heavy weapons. However, he never considered this necessary, given the numerous anti-aircraft missiles deployed there; if they planned to retaliate with heavy explosives or meltdown guns, it would be too late.

"Welcome to Dhaulagiri, Ms. Hand." His voice amplified through the communication grille, calm and composed, as seldom emotional as any of the Royal Guards. However, Supiluliumas tried to cheer himself up, having barely seen anyone since his injury. "This is the seventh highest peak in the world. You're dressed too lightly." He gripped Victoria Hand's arm tightly to prevent her from slipping on the re-frozen snow; the winds here were strong enough to blow her off a cliff. The Royal Guard's voice cut through the snow and wind, "The northwest cyclone can lower the temperature here to -60 degrees Celsius. If possible, please allow me to show you the way."

Victoria Hand stuffed her mouth into the collar of her winter coat to prevent the cold air from drying out her lungs.

The goggles protected her eyes from the whistling snowflakes, but also blinded her to what was happening in front of her. Fortunately, Supiluliumas led her through the cleared passage. The moment she escaped from the clutches of the snow-white demon, she felt like a drowning survivor. She had been to many harsh environments, and this was definitely one of the worst.

She stood in a rock passage marked by artificial carving. The rock face was not only remarkably smooth and regular, but it also seemed to be electrified, with the lighting fixtures providing a very stable and bright illumination. She removed her goggles and looked back at two white lights approaching in the darkness. Soon, two armed mechs trudged out of the snow.

Victoria Hand turned her head away in disgust, refusing to look at the horrifying, lobotomized objects. She desperately needed a topic to calm herself down; she didn't believe the Imperial Guard couldn't detect the movement so close at hand, especially given the rumors (particularly in Kosovo) that they could appear anywhere, like ghosts summoned by the Emperor. Even Victoria Hand had to admit that this superstition had been very helpful, particularly when she understood why the Imperial Guard's armor was so ornate.

"I thought this was a weather station! When did you guys open this place up?"

“It’s a secret,” Superuliumas said. As the airtight gate slowly closed, keeping the wind and snow out of the heavy alloy door, the negative pressure gradually dissipated, and Victoria Hand finally breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing another member of the Royal Guard hadn’t been pleasant; she was forcing herself to get used to it. However, she was certain that if these genetically modified warriors didn’t slow down and wait for others to catch up, she would never get used to this speed. “This is indeed a weather station, but observing the weather is only one of its functions.”

“Another secret! Constantine promised me I would be allowed to know any secrets I needed. So I spent five hours crossing the globe just to hear another lie?” Victoria Hand gritted her teeth, her cheeks cold and numb, greatly reducing the efficiency of her speech. “By the authority granted to you by the Emperor, you are obligated to explain everything here to me, aren’t you?”

"You cannot know the answer to this question," Supilulius said calmly. "The access you have does not include this information."

"What could I possibly know?" As the industrial freight elevator started moving, Victoria Hand could even smell the stone dust. The two heavily armed servants hadn't followed, which relieved her greatly, but the Imperial Guard beside her still exerted considerable pressure. The head of the defense intelligence department forced out a voice from his throat, "I am the Emperor's intelligence minister, not a servant of the Imperial Guard. Don't think you can fool me!"

Supilulius glanced down at her and decided not to refute her argument.

The emperor grants power to those who understand his ideas because he has repeatedly stated that the country does not belong to him. Admittedly, without the emperor, there would be no Latvia as we know it today, and the stability of the entire Balkans and even Europe is all related to him. The emperor is unwilling to leave the course of the world to a mob, which is why he chose a dictatorship and personally handled everything until the civil service was ready to take over. However, this does not mean that the emperor regarded Latvia as his private property.

His goal was to guide humanity toward a future of rational science, not to sit on the throne.

Victoria Hand was the kind of person the Emperor was willing to entrust with power. She was acerbic, calm, serious, and possessed extensive experience in intelligence work. More importantly, she shared the Emperor's ideals. Even if not entirely, this was still invaluable in the Emperor's eyes. He believed Victoria Hand was qualified to go further, to understand more about his vision for the future of humanity, and to clearly understand the difficulties and threats that the human race would face.

"Buried within this mountain is a thermonuclear power plant, capable of supplying all necessities, from residential to industrial electricity. You cannot know when this place was built, nor where the people working here came from. Your task is to incorporate 13 deep-space listening satellites into the regular intelligence observation sequence. Only you have the authority to do this, so I need to formally transfer the intelligence acquisition authority over those 13 satellites to you..."

Supiluliumas felt the need to repeat himself, as Victoria Hand was clearly distracted. The vastness and orderliness of the underground space took her by surprise; orderly support pillars stabilized the rock strata, preventing the ordinary workers from being crushed by the rocks. Long strips of light stretched from the freight elevator entrance deeper into the space, culminating in a massive alloy gate. Numerous missile vehicles were parked in the corners, and soldiers, all clad in void combat suits and wielding high-powered laser weapons, moved about. Victoria Hand noticed that the ordinary workers here were of various skin colors; she was certain these people had no connection to the former S.H.I.E.L.D., and their origins remained a mystery.

"...I hope you have already selected the experts to work here. Just give me the list, and the Guardians will bring them here. If you wish, you can give me the list now, and I will proceed with the next step of the review."

"Are we going there?" she asked, pointing to the silver gate in the distance. "Is this the weather station's control panel?"

"That's the satellite control center, our destination," said Supilulius. "Now it's time to show you the work our lord did before the founding of Latvinia."

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(End of this chapter)