Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1374 (Second Update)

When Constantine arrived, he witnessed five Quinjet fighters bursting from the lake, soaring into the sky at reckless speeds that pushed the limits of human endurance. He paid no heed to this oversight, knowing his mission objective couldn't escape via Quinjet aircraft. Epsilon-Rodney-Ray 223 also paid no attention to the five Quinjet takeoffs, as tracking those aircraft was already handled by former S.H.I.E.L.D. satellites. The Immortal City, having inherited S.H.I.E.L.D.'s legacy, controlled those satellites, knowing exactly where the Quinjet fighters went, even if they were now deployed from orbit as "Eliminators" hypersonic fighters to keep up.

"Sergeant Ronald, report the situation."

"All main passageways are under control." The First Classified Regiment's voice was transmitted to the surface via signal transponders deployed on each level. "The enemy is trying to retake the medical room and elevator shafts; it seems they want to wage a guerrilla war against us."

"I expect you'll be ready to receive me when I arrive." Constantine glanced at Epsilon-Rodney-Radium 223, who was directing the Rangers to move Aida, the AI ​​from the Life-Model Decoy project. The Martian Sage planned to move this Life-Model Decoy product into the Lighthouse Base, where the equipment would undoubtedly contain a more comprehensive database. Meanwhile, Epsilon-Rodney-Radium 223 had also brought Dr. Horton Radcliffe from the Wind One and the Rangers guarding him, intending for this force to follow the Commander of the Royal Guard in occupying the Lighthouse Base. "In a relatively peaceful manner, as planned," the Commander of the Royal Guard reminded him. "My lord does not wish for the prisoners to suffer too much harm."

"Then we need some help, leadership."

Melinda May received some strange feedback from the front lines.

The enemy appeared to have halted their advance, allowing SHIELD agents to retake the medical bay. Unless SHIELD personnel attempted to attack critical facilities such as the controlled elevators or secondary generators, there were no soldiers in full-body armor or mechanized units in sight—this was the longest communication possible between frontline troops and control room after the radio communications were re-encrypted. In a few seconds, all agents would have to switch to another encrypted channel; otherwise, any information received or sent by frontline troops and control room would likely be tampered with or interfered with.

Initially, Melinda May breathed a sigh of relief that the enemy had slowed their advance, but then the cybersecurity department informed her that the enemy had likely hard-wired many of the Beacon Base's secondary control systems. A large number of previously unseen virus programs would soon destroy SHIELD's firewall, paralyzing or controlling the Beacon Base's ancient and rudimentary main control system on a practical level, and the cybersecurity department was completely unable to eliminate the intruders. All signs pointed to the enemy not only failing to slow their advance but also launching a major offensive on another level.

Epsilon-Rodney-Ray 223's face, which was not yet fully cybernetically enhanced, was filled with displeasure.

By Martian standards, the equipment at the Lighthouse Base was quite outdated, with extremely slow data interface transmission speeds. She had to build several new transmission interfaces to accommodate her program and enhance control over all electronic devices before arriving at the Lighthouse Base. This resulted in her having to hard-wire the Lighthouse Base's secondary control system, clinging to the wall like an insect hanging from a spider's web. Although Constantine promised to protect her at all times, Epsilon-Rodney-Ray223 believed the Commander of the Guard simply wanted to see her in her current state.

"I completed over 64.2% of the work for this operation, and now you're still going to laugh at me?" she muttered, sounding a little aggrieved. Although she knew this was a reaction to her still-uncompletely severed emotional center, it didn't mean she wasn't bothered.

“Of course not, Sage.” Constantine wasn’t amused at all; he didn’t find Epsilon-Rodney-Radium 223’s current state funny. “Please complete the control mission as soon as possible,” he said. “I should have brought anesthetic gas.”

"That would exceed the aircraft's payload, and we would have to carry autonomous combat robots to perform air defense missions."

The First Classified Regiment sergeant standing to the side didn't object; he couldn't understand the Martian's thinking. Since being discovered by the US military meant certain death, why waste precious automated combat robots on air defense? A few man-portable anti-terrorist missiles would be far more useful. At that point, whether they hid in the Lighthouse base waiting for supernatural psionics to open a portal for rescue, or launched a desperate attack on Washington, the cumbersome fortress-like automated combat robots wouldn't be necessary. "This mission has been a mess since the Martians joined," he whispered to the Guard Commander. "Martians lack professional military thinking; we should have taken command from the start."

"There's political infighting on Mars too, Ronald. Even nations on the same continent have conflicts, and the distance between Earth and Mars can cause a lot of misunderstandings. Our current inability to communicate frequently with Mars will undoubtedly have extremely serious consequences."

Constantine addressed the sergeant by his first name over the communications channel.

The two sides had a long history of cooperation, and the First Class Secrets Group did not have any so-called "parahuman phobia," often speaking frankly with each other. Although every attempt by the sergeant to use humor to elicit a response from the Imperial Guard failed, Constantine never stopped him; on the contrary, he found it amusing.

Seeing that the sergeant didn't understand, Constantine had to continue explaining in plain language. This was the conclusion reached after Regent Victor von Doom explained the Emperor's orders to him in a voice chat. Epsilon-Rodney-Radium 223 joining this operation was not unexpected; she was a selected target, and there were many others like her in the Martian intermediate layer. The Emperor would have to make a significant effort to fully take over Mars; after all, time was of the essence, and everyone had a responsibility to bear.

"The Great Sage of Mars is loyal to the Emperor, but he has more important tasks to carry out, and the power on Mars will inevitably become vacant in the future. The other Martian sages have their own ideas, and an automated combat robot personally modified by the Emperor can provide us with a lot of help in the future. Epsilon-Rodney-Ray 223 is very smart; she knows the cost of standing on Earth's side. The knowledge contained in that fortress-type automated combat robot is a gift from the Emperor to her, and also a form of indirect compensation."

The Martian Sage mentioned had no time to eavesdrop on the First Secret Regiment and the Imperial Guard's conversations, not only because she lacked the ability, but also because she was preoccupied with the Life-Model Decoy project and the cyber warfare at the Lighthouse base.

"You political charlatans are really..." Sergeant Ronald shook his head, clicked his tongue, and finally gave up on offering an assessment. The sergeant believed he would never understand the intricacies of this situation; comprehending the bloodless battles was difficult for a soldier wielding an weapon. "I need a precise timeline, sir. Once the Rangers switch their weapons to non-lethal mode, I think we can take over the entire Beacon Base in under ten minutes. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents won't be able to play hide-and-seek with us anymore. Most importantly, sir, are you planning to join us?"

Constantine glanced at Epsilon-Rodney-Ray 223, which was tangled in a bunch of cables, and then nodded.

"Very well, then go find a way in." Sergeant Ronald kindly reminded you, "Some of the supports here only use mesh and steel bars; they can't support your weight and the power armor, sir. If you want to make a superhero landing, then disregard what I said."

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(End of this chapter)