Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1363 Troy (First Update)

"Is this identification code genuine?"

In response to Daisy Jensen's question, Melinda May nodded. "Agent Maria Hill, Nick Fury's second-in-command. Even though she had to attend congressional hearings every Friday, she helped us. Then she disappeared for a while, most likely taken away by Nick Fury. I don't understand why she's here right now."

"I thought you'd be surprised she knew where we were."

Melinda May glanced at it. "Don't be so naive, Agent One. We're using a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. base right now. Maria Hill is one of Nick Fury's most trusted people. If anyone in the world knows most of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets, she's one of them."

"I didn't expect you to joke," Daisy Jensen laughed. "But why did she come to us?"

"I don't know," Melinda May answered truthfully. "It could be because of your recent frequent appearances on television, or it could be because of Jeffrey Mays' new S.H.I.E.L.D. There are too many possibilities to judge. The best way is to ask her." After saying that, Melinda May brought up the control panel and opened the outermost layer of camouflage on the base. A downward concrete tunnel slowly appeared in front of the red Ford, extending towards what looked like an underground parking garage. Maria Hill slowly drove the car into this unrelated underground garage along the concrete road. After driving forward for about fifty meters, she turned off the headlights as instructed. Immediately afterwards, she felt the car shake, and the platform under the red Ford began to descend, while rows of white cold lights around the shaft gradually rose.

Maria Hill calmly waited for the elevator to stop.

When Victoria Hand asked her if she knew about the Lighthouse Base, she lied.

The former seemed to know she was talking, yet still brought her over. Maria Hill knew this, so she abandoned the black Dodge Hellcat Victoria Hand had prepared for her and instead bought this Ford under a false identity at the used car market. In the time before the used car dealer reported the information to the authorities, her car was not only completely legal but also untraceable, while the black Dodge Hellcat ended up in front of an old apartment building inhabited only by drug addicts. Those addicts could sell anything they could; they would drive the car away, sell it for contraband, and even if the police wanted to track her down, they could only find the car in some repair shop.

The explosion-proof gate of the elevator opened, revealing a bright concrete passageway.

Maria Hill saw Melinda May standing with her arms crossed under the corridor lights, her expression serious, while the renowned S.H.I.E.L.D. rookie Daisy Jensen stood beside her, her face beaming with excitement. Maria Hill turned off the engine, got out of the car, and walked through a series of automated security checkpoints to stand in front of Melinda May. She merely glanced at the newcomer, who still seemed interested in her career as an agent, without offering any further comment. "Agent Coulson is in trouble," Maria Hill stated directly to Melinda May without any pleasantries or greetings. "The trouble is so big that a dangerous individual has his eye on him. Worse still, this threat isn't fake; it's real."

"Congress?"

"I no longer need to obey U.S. laws."

Melinda May nodded; she understood Maria Hill's unspoken message. Either Agent Hill had made contact with Nick Fury, or Nick Fury had given her a new mission; in any case, her current responsibilities far outweighed any benefits from adhering to U.S. law. "I'll take you to see Agent Coulson. However, Agent Coulson is now the director. In a few days, he plans to step down and make Jeffrey Mays the new director."

Daisy Jensen was still shocked by the news, while Melinda May was secretly observing Maria Hill's expression. As she expected, Agent Hill showed no expression whatsoever. In the hundred-meter-long circular underground passage, Maria Hill reacted indifferently to everything Melinda May mentioned, as if her purpose in coming here was truly because Agent Coulson had gotten himself into trouble he was completely unaware of.

Daisy Jensen initially wanted to introduce the facilities to Maria Hill, but neither Melinda May nor Maria Hill showed any interest, seemingly believing the latter wouldn't stay long. Sure enough, upon arriving at the control room, Maria Hill showed no interest in greeting anyone else, heading straight to the soundproof office for a meeting. She selectively shared her knowledge with Melinda May—she couldn't tell her that Melinda May, Nick Fury, and herself had worked for the Emperor for a time, as that would only complicate matters, increase Coulson's team's skepticism about the intelligence's veracity, and thus delay things. She could only tell Melinda May about the dangers of the Dark Book, its connection to Ghost Rider Robbie Reyes, and the potential impact of Coulson's acquisition of the Dark Book.

However, before she could speak, an agent she didn't recognize knocked on the office door.

The agent glanced at her, and only spoke after Melinda May nodded. "Dr. Horton Radcliffe was attacked," the agent said. "Govanda police received a report of an armed robbery on Highway 62, and at the same time, Dr. Horton Radcliffe was also... uh, robbed."

Describing Dr. Radcliffe's residence as looted is an understatement; when Melinda May and Maria Hill saw the devastation, they knew "destruction" was the more appropriate word. Based on reports received by local police and photos of an attacked police car, the attackers were likely armed with extremely powerful weapons.

After dismissing the low-level agent, Melinda May turned to Maria Hill. "What do you know?"

"Dr. Horton Radcliffe, as someone who has come into contact with the Dark Book, is naturally on the arrest list," Maria Hill replied. "Now I want to find out why Dr. Horton Radcliffe came into contact with the Dark Book, and who opened and read it."

"The android from Project Life-Model Decoy," Melinda May said. "The android has no soul and can safely read the Dark Book. Without that android's help, one of our squads would certainly be trapped in the aberrant dimension."

Do you remember Vision?

"That Avenger?"

"Yes, it was originally Jarvis, an artificial intelligence from Stark Industries. But after it was fitted with a magical artifact called the Mind Stone, it ceased to be Jarvis and became Vision. Do you understand what I mean?"

"You mean, the Life-Model Decoy project has betrayed us?" Melinda May tensed up immediately. Maria Hill felt she was like a cat with its fur standing on end. "It leaked information? To whom?"

"That's the best-case scenario. Worse, it will spread the corruption to the computers we use, and even the internet." Maria Hill nodded. "I need to speak with Phil Coulson. The vibranium box Nick Fury gave him doesn't contain all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets; there are many documents that can only be kept on paper and hidden somewhere on Earth."

"How should we respond?" Melinda May asked. "We don't even know who the attackers are or what their motives are."

"In fact, we know."

A few minutes later, the junior agent knocked on the office door again. This time, he was much more anxious.

"The Wind One is on its way to the base," he said. "They say they've brought Dr. Horton Radcliffe with them."

(End of this chapter)