Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1408 (Part 1) - Space Station Spy (Two Chapters Combined)

Regardless, the ceramic shards destined to hit someone's face were bound to happen sooner or later; a table that couldn't be kept wouldn't be kept no matter what. Fortunately, Bayonetta only loaded Milia's M1911A1 with one bullet each time, and they were always reduced-charge bullets, preventing Milia from fracturing her wrist while simultaneously piercing the oak table. The flying ceramic shards struck an invisible barrier, where tiny lightning bolts at approximately 20,000 degrees Celsius instantly vaporized the ceramic fragments, leaving behind a gust of hot air and white smoke. To prevent anyone from inhaling carbon dioxide crystals, Salomon could only command the scorching smoke, encased in silica particles, to escape through the window.

It's clear that Bayonetta is still resentful of Salomon's behavior.

However, the policy of unifying all schools of magic will absolutely not be changed, nor will the established order to eliminate all threats from other dimensions. Rodan may survive, but he certainly won't live as freely as he did in the past. The Sorcerer Supreme's decision to keep power in the ivory tower had certain limitations and necessities of its time, but Salomon's current situation is completely different from that of the Sorcerer Supreme. Now that he holds supreme power in Kamar-Taj, he must make the most historically appropriate decisions.

This is a rational decision that cannot be influenced by any personal feelings.

Sometimes Bayonetta and Joan of Arc felt he was excessively ruthless in making decisions, but thankfully, after work he would revert to the same witty and reliable sorcerer he always was, which convinced the witches he wasn't blinded by power. Bayonetta and Joan of Arc weren't interested in Salomon's work because they knew he was doing righteous deeds incomprehensible to ordinary people, but they always worried he would be corrupted by power and various desires, either becoming a complacent, unambitious wastrel or a monster who would stop at nothing to maintain power. Even the greatest idealists change with time, but fortunately Salomon is very clear-headed and will remain so; he will live on in a state of perpetual clarity until heat death arrives.

The sudden gunshots jolted Hammurabi into a state of high alert, even triggering the subconscious mental response training he had instilled during the modification process. He moved like a hurricane into the dining hall, his Guard Spear already powered on, his explosive pistol loaded, and the muzzle pointed at the dining hall. Only after confirming that no shooting had occurred inside did this royal guard, responsible for the emperor's personal protection, shut off the power and disengage the safety. However, he did not leave completely but chose to stand outside the dining hall with the androids, while the girls handed the documents he was carrying to the emperor.

Whether the Emperor visits the capital city of Latvia or the Immortal City today, no task will be spared. Fortunately, the Emperor is not the kind of troublesome superior who would send a subordinate's report back for revision simply because the first line is not indented. However, working under someone like him, the workload of every civil servant is not light, especially when the Regent demands the establishment of local governments to strip away the ruling power of clan elders, a common practice in Balkan villages. Every application receives a quick response and guidance, which means there is almost no free time to relax while waiting for a reply.

"I think today is a good day to work, and I think it's necessary to install a war engine on the estate."

"Aren't tanks, armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery, and terminal air defense systems enough?" Bayonetta frowned. Compared to the situations faced by her familiar weapons suppliers, this proposal truly displeased her. "This is a manor, not a fortress. Are you planning to let Milia live in a military fortress? Every time the Sorority conducts training, it takes up half the manor!"

Standing to the side, Diana clearly hadn't expected to be called upon. "Indoor counter-terrorism operations, my lord. We must practice how to rescue hostages; this is a situation we are very likely to encounter." She looked at Milia, the implication being that the indoor counter-terrorism operations and hostage rescue training were all for Milia's benefit. "The combat experience of all the special forces in the world cannot be directly applied to us, and the venue for this operation is the manor, so we can only conduct the exercises after our daily work has ended."

"Then I can only be thankful that you haven't broken too many vases yet." Salomon waved his hand to prevent Diana from blaming herself too much for the incident. "Buy a venue nearby and build an indoor set to recreate it one-to-one. I've approved a lot of funding for the sorority; create a project file and submit an application. You can do it yourself without Tita's approval, because you are the one in charge of the sorority."

"I haven't seen Tita in ages. Where's that tanned, bombshell girl?"

"She's on another mission; the Sky Sword Space Station and the Sky Battleship will keep her busy for a while. I just hope that during this time she can tone down some of her overly fanatical ideas and not corrupt the new recruits."

"Sky Sword 0032. Cargo 1101, reporting for command."

"Freight 1101, intent confirmed."

"Requesting a decommissioning of the rail transit line, Tianjian 0032."

"Request received, engine signature verified, transferred to Airport 0140... Airport 0140 received. Radar data received, orbital data received. Orbital rendezvous permitted, intelligence broadcast valid for Foxtrot."

"Information broadcast to Foxtrot has been received. Airport 0140. Track plan has been sent. Estimated arrival time is 10 hours. Approval request submitted."

"Cargo 1101, estimated arrival time is 10 hours, approach is permitted."

Natasha Romanov gazed out the curved porthole. The morning sun, illuminated by starlight, lay directly below the space station, but for the crew, the time they could see sunlight inside was far shorter than on Earth. The dark, silent universe was illuminated by the crash lights of small, multi-person, and autopilot-equipped spacecraft of varying sizes. A cube-shaped spacecraft painted red with the number F (freight) 0990 was adjusting its attitude by spraying fine jets of air, and guided by automated programs, it docked at the spaceport about two hundred meters away from her.

Although she couldn't hear the docking sounds, Natasha Romanov could still hear the hissing of depressurized gas in her ears. The SkySword space station represented the most advanced space technology on Earth today, because no other organization in the world could launch rows of cargo ships laden with high-tech products from Mars to Earth, drastically reducing logistics costs within the solar system. In her eyes, the ever-burning white fluorescent lights on the space station's windows and the crash lights on the cargo ships had replaced the stars. The Emperor had once told her a magnificent story of humanity illuminating the galaxy with technology and wisdom; now it seemed that story was becoming a reality.

However, such a beautiful view is bound to face challenges.

Sometimes challenges come from outside, and sometimes they come from inside.

"Every time I see a cargo spacecraft dock with the space station, I'm awestruck. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would hardly imagine that you've solved some of the most difficult problems in aerospace with automation." She knew what the cargo on that spacecraft was carrying—the Tianjian space station already had a circulating water and air system, so under normal circumstances it didn't need to rely on Earth for water and oxygen—it could only be weapons and certain mechanical maintenance parts from Mars. This cargo spacecraft traveled from Mars to the Tianjian space station at a speed that greatly reduced transportation costs. The cargo, after being processed at the space station, would be transferred to a landing craft by massive engineering machinery and then transported to the landing site on Earth. "Have you increased the number of cargo spacecraft flights recently?" she asked casually. "Is the space station in need of maintenance?"

“Those are all ammunition.” Tita closed her eyes, confirming Natasha Romanoff’s guess. Spies might be interested in the cargo on the freighters, but she was more concerned about the Sky Carriers in the maintenance port on the other side of the space station. One of the Sky Carriers was on a routine patrol, providing a training ground for Void Fighter pilots; if the space station were rotated, they could see a dense cluster of glowing dots in the distance. As for the genetically modified warriors created by the Emperor, they were training in the asteroid belt near Mars, wearing power armor. “We will face alien enemies, so we must be prepared.”

"What other alien enemies are there?" Although she was dressed in a women's suit instead of a tight-fitting leather suit for action, Natasha Romanoff had no shortage of questions. "Could it be the Chitauri, the alien fleet that your masters have been claiming will come to Earth?"

"All aliens." Tita frowned.

She wore headphones at all times. The Sorority and First Class, who controlled the space station, would compile all necessary information to her on her data panel, and she had just heard the notification sound for a new message. This happened two or three times a day, either requiring some special medical equipment to be transported from Earth or due to a shortage of supplies. She guessed that this time it might be that the space station had run out of toilet paper. She hoped that the Immortal City could send some civilian staff over, so she wouldn't have to spend time checking the supply lists.

"I've noticed you haven't heeded my Lord's warnings, Natasha Romanov. My Lord granted you high authority so you would understand what we're about to face, not so you could spy." Facing the android who was even taller than herself, Natasha Romanov could only nod in agreement. "The alien fleet will come, but we certainly can't face a large army with such small boats. Just as medieval armies were always accompanied by bandits, the Dark Order's alien fleet is accompanied by greedy vultures. The bandits have figured out the fleet's objective and want to take advantage of the chaos to plunder Earth's resources, because the fleet only wants to slaughter and doesn't care about resources."

"This is the first time I've heard this claim. The Dark Order doesn't want Earth's resources?"

“There’s no need for that. The Dark Order can only gather industrial raw materials on Earth. Their purpose is to fulfill their ambitions of dominance, and they care about nothing but slaughtering those disgusting aliens. As for those alien bandits… they’re nothing but maggots clinging to the decaying corpses of a once-glorious empire. They don’t even dare to show their faces before the Emperor, relying solely on lies to obtain resources.” Tita sighed. She desperately wanted to use the holy sword forged by the Emperor to cut off the alien’s head; the bloodlust almost made her bones itch. But now was not the time. She had to obediently follow orders; she knew her chance would come sooner or later. “Your next stop is to accompany me to the space station to meet with the Emperor’s delegation of Earth allies… The war against the alien enemy cannot be fought by us alone; it is a war for all of humanity.”

All the staff at the Sky Sword Space Station came from the Immortal City and Latveria, but the Emperor's Earth allies still sent some personnel and supplies as a first step in participating in the space station project. These people were all scientists from other countries, responsible for participating in "low-risk experiments" on the space station—including microgravity fundamental physics experiments, space materials science experiments, space life science experiments, space astronomical exploration, and so on. The activities of the visiting scientists and the press corps were limited to the research layer E of the Sky Sword Space Station, equipped with relatively luxurious bedrooms and entertainment facilities, surrounded by layers of close-in laser cannons and directly connected to the spaceport—the visiting scientists had no way of accessing the actual scientific research projects of the Sky Sword Space Station. Even so, the very idea of ​​conducting experiments in space was enough to excite many people, as most people could not yet freely look down at Earth from outer space.

“Your master wants to express goodwill.” Natasha Romanoff wasn’t intimidated by Tita’s serious tone; instead, she flashed a charming smile. She wouldn’t be intimidated by an android no more than ten years old, even if this android possessed far greater knowledge and physical abilities than her. Some wisdom couldn’t be learned through subconscious indoctrination. “He knows you’re not up to the task, which is why I’m with you, Tita.” She blinked, watching Tita’s cheeks gradually flush and her breathing become heavy, as if she was about to throw a tantrum. “Don’t rush to argue, girl. Everyone has their strengths, and I happen to be very good at finding spies.”

"spy?"

"You don't think all those people from the EU are researchers, do you?" Natasha Romanov pulled out her data panel and retrieved information on several scientists who were about to arrive at the space station. Dividing them by region and language, Natasha Romanov clicked on the Indo-European language category and scrolled down. "Not everyone is a researcher. Some were selected through a diversity program… For example, this man who identifies as female is actually an agent recruited by the CIA's European site. Langley (short for the CIA) really wants to find out about this space station. Once he arrives, he'll definitely make demands regarding the toilets and use that opportunity to figure out the structure and systems here."

"Then the best way is to throw him out of the airlock. Without a spacesuit."

"Please don't do that, Tita."

“I’ve already restrained myself considerably, Natasha,” Tita shook her head. The Emperor had criticized her emotional control before, and she was trying to correct it, directing her anger at the Emperor’s enemies. “If we let the First Company Commander of the Knights handle this, we’d only get a pile of minced meat. In contrast, my approach yielded a perfectly preserved ice sculpture, as long as it’s retrieved in time. Aparishia is currently waiting for the exercise team to return at the space station. Are you planning to tell him your thoughts?”

"My suggestion is not to create too much space debris, which would cause problems for space station operations?"

"Then how about installing a small rocket and designing a trajectory to fly into the atmosphere?"

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(End of this chapter)