Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1388 Questioning (Two Chapters Combined)

Most of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents surrendered one after another, and all weapons and ammunition were confiscated by the First Class Regiment to ensure no one could obtain weapons. Aside from the armed personnel who occupied the rooms and attempted to put up a last stand, the Rangers showed no mercy. The Commander of the Guard had already announced over the radio that everyone must lay down their weapons and surrender, but some still expected to face an extremely cautious special forces unit composed of ordinary civilians, attempting to inflict casualties on the intruders using crossfire of ordinary light weapons and booby traps.

But the Rangers were no ordinary soldiers. Conventional light weapons were utterly ineffective against them, clad in iron armor, covered in mechanical implants, and moving with the precision of industrial machines. Even the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, seasoned veterans of Middle Eastern urban warfare, were no match for the Rangers. The infirmary was now overflowing with wounded soldiers, and rows of black plastic body bags stored within the base were neatly arranged in the corridors as a warning to those who disobeyed orders.

However, the vast majority of the armed men surrendered, which gave Constantine a long sigh of relief.

After all, aside from the loyal agents trained at the S.H.I.E.L.D. academy, other armed personnel are just doing their jobs for a paycheck. There's no reason for them to sacrifice their lives for S.H.I.E.L.D. for money. The fear tactic is best suited against enemies without any convictions. These people, like most who join the U.S. Army, didn't enlist out of any ideals, but rather to earn money or because they lacked other skills. After retiring, they're often only good for killing, and they're highly likely to end up committing suicide due to PTSD and other mental illnesses.

It's unclear where Agent Coulson found these people; perhaps they were former S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel, or recruited from numerous veterans' associations. What's certain is that none of them are from Alexander Charles's faction of Hydra. Those Hydra members who previously controlled most of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s armed forces are now in Africa working as mercenaries and war hyenas, relentlessly pursued and hunted by the Avengers before their disbandment. Steve Rogers is in charge of commanding the assault team, ensuring that no raid or encirclement against radical Hydra will fail. Even Crossbones Rumno, who secretly accepted Stephanie Malik's help, couldn't defeat Steve Rogers, and instead lost a genetically modified cholera virus stolen from a lab.

The base's corridors are very high, allowing Constantine to walk freely with his Guardian Spear in hand without having to bend over.

The First Class Team was responsible for guarding the current S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel. Rooms within the Beacon Base could be converted into cells, and double-layered bulletproof glass with barbed wire allowed guards outside to clearly observe the detainees' every move. Constantine stood before Melinda May's cell, watching the woman continuing her training through the bulletproof glass and barbed wire. Melinda May had long been aware of the Royal Guard's arrival; this giant, clad in dazzlingly ornate power armor, was the center of attention wherever he went. The mortals peering out of the control room had witnessed the Royal Guard Commander's terrifying attack. In Melinda May's eyes, the Royal Guard Commander's abilities were roughly comparable to Thor or the Hulk, but surpassed those of the Asgardians and the Hulk.

What's even more troublesome is that this giant is a super soldier created using a "mass-producible" modification technology. She saw on television that more than one golden-armored giant had appeared beside the Emperor. No one knows what impact the appearance of a genetically modified soldier even more powerful than Steve Rogers on the battlefield would have. Perhaps, without the use of air force or long-range artillery, such a genetically modified soldier could occupy the urban battlefield in a very short time.

Constantine pressed the call button in the cell.

"You're curious," he said. "Why do you keep insisting that you're right, Melinda May?"

Melinda May, who had just finished a training session, wiped her sweat and rolled her eyes at Constantine.

"I've followed the Emperor to many battlefields, on Earth and on other planets. But the one that impressed me most was a little girl being interviewed on television. She experienced war; she spent her birthday in a basement; she saw fighter planes streak across the sky while on her way to school." Constantine's tone was calm, but his topic still caught Melinda May's attention. "She was only nine years old, but she witnessed the death of her loved ones. Melinda May, I've seen your resume. Although you're a soldier, you were a pilot. Your only impression of war is the bombs you dropped. Now you still can't forgive yourself for killing that girl on Bahrain. Now I want to ask you a question: why do you hate my master when he prevented this tragedy from happening?"

Melinda May took a deep breath.

"That's also S.H.I.E.L.D.'s goal," she said. "We're maintaining world peace."

"For example, helping the CIA find opposition in the Middle East?" Constantine remained calm as always. "I remember that the chemist found by S.H.I.E.L.D. was killed by SEAL Team Six a week later, along with a pregnant woman, a minor, and several innocent people living in the same building."

"What right do you have to say that to me?" Melinda May suddenly erupted, slamming her fist into the bulletproof glass. But the commander of the guards looked at her like she was a helpless little animal struggling desperately. "I saw what you did in Albania. You tore down churches and mosques, burying believers under concrete and brick, and you claimed it was for their own good! You fitted that girl who experienced the Afghan war with a prosthetic leg, but that can't hide your aggressive nature!"

"From now on, even the most remote Albanian villages will be free of superstition. A large number of educated STEM talents will build their homes there. A generation later, a life far superior to the past will make them despise their superstitious ancestors, despise the divisions and wars created by meaningless religious beliefs. Everyone will forget that bloody history and unfounded hatred, and reunite to fight for their future. We have indeed brought them a better life. We encourage science, reason, and pragmatism. We suppress crime and genocide. We encourage humanity to venture beyond Earth to explore the galaxy. We believe humanity can overcome fate and adversity, but we are not proud of it. Have you ever done anything like that, Melinda May? Do you think you've saved the world just because you participated in S.H.I.E.L.D. missions, and therefore possess a sense of superiority that no one else has?"

"You haven't seen what I have seen."

"In fact, I do." Constantine nodded. "You're limiting your understanding of me and the Emperor through the lens of an ordinary person. What do you think an immortal would see, Melinda May?"

"So you came here specifically to mock me?"

“No, I already said. I’m just curious why, after witnessing so much tragedy, you can still believe in neoliberal ideals and war?” Constantine tilted his head. “Or are you proud of your Asian immigrant family background?” Melinda May was furious. She was certain the Commander of the Guard had come to provoke her, and he had specifically mentioned the mission on Bahrain Island that she would never forget. But what she didn’t know was that Constantine had simply calmly raised all the possibilities after reviewing the psychological profile her ex-husband had created for her. The Commander of the Guard genuinely wanted to know why Melinda May would continue to believe in neoliberal ideals after experiencing war.

However, he was destined never to get the answer.

The other SHIELD agents imprisoned did not exhibit the same level of resistance as Melinda May, which is why Constantine came here to conduct the interrogation. Otherwise, interrogators from the First Class would normally conduct the interrogation. Melinda May will then face a test of pain and willpower until she reveals the information the Commander of the Guard wants to know.

The other two S.H.I.E.L.D. physicists and biologists were personally interrogated by Epsilon-Rodney-Radium 223—or rather, questioned. Epsilon-Rodney-Radium 223 attempted to ascertain the list of items and research papers compiled by Agent Coulson's team through questioning Leopold Fitz and Gemma Simmons.

For example, the Berserker's Staff of Asgard was initially stored at the "Frozen Box" base. Later, the base was breached by Hydra infiltrator Grant Ward, and the staff fell into the hands of the radical Hydra agent John Gatler. It was from this Hydra infiltrator that Agent Coulson learned of Victoria Hand's death, which explains his surprise upon seeing her again after the Hydra rebellion. When Agent Coulson successfully eliminated the Hydra group, the Berserker's Staff was naturally retrieved and made available to Leopold Fitz and Gemma Simmons as research material to test the effects of the "magical spectrum" on the human body.

There were many similar items, such as a battery storing the energy of the Cosmic Cube, mechanical and biological remains left behind after the Chitauri invasion, mechanical and biological remains left behind during the Dark Elf invasion, and several white robots, torn apart by an explosion and with long, slender, knife-like limbs, also found in London. Constantine took the white robots with him, as they were the Emperor's early Omnic creations, which had not been recovered due to the intensity of the war.

"The Magic Spectrum Theory. A very interesting theory, quite similar to the Aura Theory of Wizardry I've learned, but it lacks many details. Perhaps it's because the sample size is too small; otherwise, you should be able to fill in the gaps in this area." Epsilon-Rodney-Ray 223 explained his views on the paper to Leopold Fitz in a very gentle tone while flipping through the data panel. However, Gemma Simmons, standing nearby, perceived this as a threat, because Epsilon-Rodney-Ray 223 had invited them to Mars, which they had refused, arguing that "going to another planet only needs to be experienced once."

Although Epsilon-Rodney-Radium 223 appeared calm after being rejected, the S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists sensed her unhappiness. Even the most academically inclined could easily discern her emotions through the modified flesh and blood on her face. As a Martian non-natural being, Epsilon-Rodney-Radium 223's emotional expression was simpler and more direct. She hadn't yet experienced the power struggles at the Martian level; to her, the world was as clear and straightforward as an electrical circuit. Leopold Fitz and Gemma Simmons shouldn't have rejected the scientific sanctuary of the solar system.

"My research team will correct and supplement the errors caused by your outdated knowledge system." Epsilon-Rodney-Radium 223 was less polite this time. "You are very talented, but you shouldn't reject me. Don't you want to spend your entire lives on this planet instead of exploring the greater mysteries of the universe?"

"Yes," Gemma Simmons nodded. "As long as the people I love are on Earth, I will stay on Earth."

This can be seen as a confession of her past. After Gemma Simmons was sucked into a liquefiable boulder, she was transported to a planet later known as "Tatooine" by Agent Coulson. There, she met an Earthling astronaut and developed feelings for him. This incident remained a thorn in their side, and this time, Gemma Simmons is essentially confessing her feelings directly, though it's uncertain whether Leopold Fitz will understand.

"I understand that feeling. I've reviewed your files; you both have a desire to mate and reproduce. Your superior genes are highly likely to be passed on to your offspring naturally. However, I suggest you use genetic modification to achieve this, which would increase the chances of creating a highly intelligent offspring to 92.5%." Epsilon-Rodney-Ray223 adopted a more formal tone, but the other two didn't notice her switch to a synthesized voice, as her words were far too direct and blunt. "This is research data from Mars. We obtained these results by collecting genetic samples from over a billion people through the World Vaccine Alliance. If you're willing, Mars is where you should go..."

Leopold Fitz didn't listen to a word Epsilon-Rodney-Ray223 said. He blushed immediately after the Martian Sage uttered his first sentence. Only Gemma Simmons listened to Epsilon-Rodney-Ray223 with a red face, then opened her mouth, unsure how to refute him.

"We're doing fine on Earth," Gemma Simmons said, looking down. "Really, we don't want to go to Mars."

"Without your help, my research team's project on Howard Stark would be thirty percent slower," Epsilon-Rodney-Ray223 said earnestly for the last time. "You will help me uncover Howard Stark's secrets. This is very important."

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)