Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1412, Chapter 1408: The First Blood Order (Part Two)

Enoch the Immortal recognized the Emperor the moment he met him.

It wasn't solely because Constantine stood beside the Emperor and displayed wariness towards others, thus proving his identity, but also because Enoch had witnessed the existence of supernatural forces more than once during his long career. The Immortals' original database also contained cases of other civilizations using supernatural powers, but these cases were all from the Immortals' perspective, using data and conjecture to understand events they could never comprehend.

To assume that Enoch possesses a human-like perspective simply because of his bionic appearance is a common fallacy of empathy. The humans Enoch observes are vastly different from those humans observe—he appreciates beauty and ugliness, but only by synthesizing and analyzing samples of "beauty" from others' evaluations, identifying commonalities, and then labeling them as traits. Those possessing certain traits are considered "beautiful," while those lacking certain traits and never having received evaluations are considered "ugly" or "ordinary." The more traits a person possesses, the higher their level of "beauty," regardless of factors like harmony.

Although this is just one example, it is enough to illustrate the difference between Enoch's thinking and that of humans.

The thought process of immortals follows a complete program, making it almost impossible for them to deviate from it.

Almost, but not entirely impossible.

Enoch's current decision is quite intriguing, and Constantine astutely sensed something amiss; otherwise, the Emperor wouldn't have come to the Lighthouse base. For Enoch, this is a torment. It cannot detect the normal data that the Emperor, as an entity, should possess within the category of "humanity." For Enoch, the Emperor himself does not exist, because in all its observations, the Emperor should not be referred to as "human," but rather categorized as a "phenomenon."

Lacking the attributes of a "human" collective, such as height, weight, hair color, and skin color, all the surrounding elements and Enoch's own photographic equipment indicated that a "human" rather than a "phenomenon" existed before it, regardless of whether it detected data that should belong to the "human" collective. Like standing beneath the clouds on a mountaintop, gazing up at the leaden-gray clouds in the sky, with lightning piercing through the clouds and air, and thunderous roars shaking the mountains crashing down upon it, the air filled with restless electrical charges, it was unable to use any of its own observational methods to measure the material data of the real universe, such as temperature, chemical composition, and density.

Enoch even had to shut down many observation devices and switch to the simplest camera system to ensure that the delicate components of the bionic eye wouldn't burn out. Just as the human eye cannot look directly at a star, Enoch could not use its visual input system to directly perceive the Emperor's presence; all it could see were the simplest and most superficial appearances.

This logical inconsistency caused some minor issues with its processor.

It even felt... fear. Enoch was certain that it had indeed felt fear.

These are emotions that silicon-based intelligent beings should not possess.

No, silicon-based intelligent beings should not have emotions in the first place.

Enoch realized he had acquired emotions long before the mission, a fact he only now belatedly discovered. Running thousands of self-tests yielded no results; there were no error codes, no redundant code—his system was as clean as if it had just left the factory.

Enoch felt fear.

Fear compelled it to obey the emperor's orders. Only after it urgently reprogrammed itself, reorganizing its emotional center's memory and the "human" class collection, did it find Constantine standing before it, still gripping that terrifying weapon, its mechanical violence already loaded. "You will receive a new mission," Constantine stated bluntly. "You will offer all your memories for research."

"How..."

The emperor vanished before it, leaving no trace.

The control room doors swung open, and with them vanished the sorority of girls who had been standing outside, fully armed and carrying cloaks, bottles, glasses, and battle flags. The girls, armed with explosive pistols and chainswords, clad in black power armor and crimson battle robes, had been striving to remain silent under the Emperor's orders; they couldn't possibly have retreated so quietly. Enoch's repeated audio reception system failed to pick up their usual noisy conversations or the low growls they emitted as they struggled to suppress their excessive belligerence.

"You will undergo minor modifications to adapt to our digital protocols." Constantine's face remained as cold as marble. "I recommend you accept this modification to avoid having to tear off your bionic skin and forcibly access your information terminal. The team led by Epsilon-Rodney-Ray223 has produced a basic anatomy of the immortals through studying your own kind, and we now know where to access your data port."

Why can't I remember what just happened?

“That’s normal,” Constantine replied. “Because he doesn’t want you to remember what he looks like, that’s all.”

"Ten minutes." Bayonetta tilted her head, placing her watch on the small white round table next to a classic martini. As Salomon entered the glass greenhouse, she could feel the air temperature rise slightly. She caught a glimpse of the etheric light still burning in his eyes, a dazzling golden halo like that of a total solar eclipse shimmering around his dark pupils. She didn't want to ask what had happened in those ten minutes that required him to use supernatural powers, but when something involved the manor, she had to ask. "You're very punctual, dear little boy. But why do I still hear so much noise in the manor?" She pointed to the sky outside the glass greenhouse, obscured by rose bushes and vines. A kilometer away, an aircraft was slowly descending. "And that aircraft. What's that, a Pegasus type?"

"There is a group of sorority armed personnel undergoing training, and Dinah is providing them with service training."

Salomon grinned, looking somewhat troubled. He had only instructed Diana to send the Sorority to help Constantine with security at the Lighthouse Base to fill the security gap left by the large-scale evacuation of the First Secret Group. However, after Diana learned that he would be going to the Lighthouse Base, she added some services he didn't really need—carpets, paintings, wine cabinets, and wardrobes were all arranged to be sent to the Lighthouse Base. Now that he had brought the girls back to the manor, the things left behind at the Lighthouse Base could be collected later and transported back along with the dangerous goods in the Lighthouse Base warehouse.

The overly fanatical sorority militants (or "bomb girls") have all attended courses on emotional control.

The Sorority, founded by the homunculus (Homunculus), naturally reveres and is extremely exclusive of him due to the unique nature of its initial members. Without a mandatory order, they will not cooperate with any department other than the Guardian Order. The Sorority's so-called emotional control courses are not the meditation or Zen retreats attended by Silicon Valley elites in the secular world, but rather a combat preparation program that combines asceticism, self-discipline, and introspection, encompassing everything from arena combat to weapon maintenance, from memorizing tactical guidelines to counting ammunition.

The sorority members participating in this mission were all girls who had excelled in the training. They bore no more than five scars from losing in arena duels (first blood rule), and their control over anger was remarkably excellent (by sorority standards). Their eyes never strayed from the enemy's vitals, and the war drums of hatred forged by past suffering did not corrupt their reason. Compared to their initial fanatical worship, the sorority's creed had become much more subdued. Tita's modifications to the doctrine were barely satisfactory; she painted white laurel wreaths around the golden lily emblems on these warriors' power armor shoulder armor to acknowledge their outstanding conduct.

Outstanding warriors, including Tatiana, were on the Emperor's watchlist.

Dita wanted the Emperor to weigh the value of these warriors and judge their abilities. Hardship had not killed their lives, nor had arduous training worn down their will; they remained both angry and calm. Aside from the Royal Guard (the Sorority's homunculus never considered the Royal Guard superior to themselves; although both were creations of the Emperor, the Sorority believed they were purer because they were created from nothing, new humans created by the Emperor from the void), no one was more suitable to serve the Emperor, Dita and Dinah were confident of this.

"Welcome to you and your team, Agent Coulson."

As the supreme military commander of the space station, Tita welcomed the second group of visitors. This group didn't require Natasha Romanoff's screening, as Tita and the Immortal City possessed all the information about them, and as a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Natasha Romanoff had no need to let Agent Coulson know she was there.

"The Emperor has ordered you to train here." Tita, clad in ceremonial power armor, with the longsword gifted to her by the Emperor at her waist, and the black bearskin he had given her draped over the back of the armor like a fluffy black cloak, made her appear a whole size larger. "You will undergo the most rigorous training here. The education S.H.I.E.L.D. provides here will be as sweet as dessert in a coffee shop."

She swept her stern gaze across the team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Melinda May, as if challenged, puffed out her chest and glared back fiercely. Dita ignored Melinda May's reaction, continuing to scrutinize the team. Leopold Fitz and Gemma Simmons were clearly focused on the space station, marveling at the technological advancements they noticed in the details, until they were swept over by Dita's piercing gaze, a feigned pain response that nearly made them jump.

Although they were forcibly crammed into the Pegasus super-heavy assault transport ship, their experiences along the way were astonishing. This included, but was not limited to, the fact that such a massive and heavy aircraft possessed a fantastic payload capacity, could fly at speeds unmatched by any other aircraft after vertical takeoff and landing, and could fly directly beyond the Kármán line without the need for additional rocket thrusters.

Compared to Leopold Fitz and Gemma Simmons's somewhat "embarrassing" performance, Daisy Jensen and Elena Rodriguez were far more nervous. Tita stared at them for a considerable time—at least in their perceived time—these two were the most dangerous, and therefore their explosive collars were kept constantly engaged to prevent them from using their abilities to damage SkySword Space Station. As for the agent team's attempt to invoke Earth law to remove the collars, neither Tita nor the agents of the First Class Secret Service paid them any heed.

"You've received the training schedule and daily schedule." Tita gripped the hilt of her longsword with one hand, the other hanging down, within easy reach of the plasma pistol grip on her thigh. She didn't need to do this, as a golden-armored Royal Guard and a Sorority Tactical Squad stood behind her, but she still conveyed her aggression to Agent Coulson's team. "Do not leave the designated area of ​​operation, do not attempt to escape the space station, do not attempt to attack any personnel, do not attempt to gather intelligence on the space station, and do not attempt to damage the space station. Any of these actions will result in immediate elimination without prior notification. I want you to understand that your lives are now in my hands."

"Do you need to be so harsh?"

Dita turned to look into Amon's eyes, a look that seemed to question why he would ask such a foolish question. "I know these people." She watched Coulson's squad being escorted by soldiers of the First Class Regiment through the airlock and disappear behind the gravity elevator. "They always think they're right, and they'll never learn from their mistakes unless they leave wounds that never heal. Short-sighted, arrogant, and haughty, they need to be whipped."

"Our Lord opposes this punishment being inflicted on the innocent."

“I never considered them innocent, Amon.” Tita tilted her head, and a Sorority android behind her handed her a helmet. Tita expertly put on the helmet, and after the airlock hissed as it equalized, her voice took on a mechanical stiffness. It seemed that Tita was putting on the helmet and speaking to Amon, the Emperor's representative, to demonstrate her firm stance. Although she resented the Royal Guard's high status, Tita accepted the order. “Every action they take involves innocent people, and they never realize it because they are blinded by their own self-righteous sense of justice,” she said. “If you have any questions about my instructions, you are welcome to visit the training grounds.”

"Training ground?"

"The arena, the Commander welcomes you to challenge her," a Sorority android laughed. The girl sized up the Royal Guard; although Amon was far taller than them, these androids showed no fear. They didn't see the Royal Guard as a new version of themselves or a male version; they always considered themselves the superior creation. "First blood, third blood, it doesn't matter. The loser must obey all orders of the winner."

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(End of this chapter)