Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1442 Indirect Methods (Second Update)

From the moment he became aware of his own creation, the Emperor actively sought out all the Eternals in the world. This was absolutely not out of any so-called kinship; even if the Eternals considered him one of their own, he would not abandon his human identity to have any empathy with these beings who served the Celestials. So far, he had only found one Eternal hiding in human society; the whereabouts of the others remained a mystery—perhaps Athena saw the Eternals as a greater threat, but for the Emperor, who cared about the entire human race and its genes, the vast number of Inhumans was a greater concern. However, he still accepted his foster mother's advice to prioritize the Eternals. If they intended to awaken or summon the Celestials, even if this race had not yet posed a significant threat, he planned to strike first.

The Eternals are immortal, but they are not eternally indestructible.

The target of the surveillance was a party planner for the Stark Industries.

To be precise, he's Tony Stark's go-to party planner, but he's currently on the verge of unemployment.

It's said that after Tony Stark went public with his relationship with Stark Industries CEO Pepper Potts, the monthly lavish parties to welcome Playboy cover models were no longer necessary. Furthermore, Pepper Potts drastically reduced the budget for regular party events. After the Avengers Civil War, Tony Stark seemed to fall into a prolonged depression, leaving the East Coast for a vacation in Los Angeles with Pepper Potts, further reducing the need for Stark Industries to plan parties.

Worse still, with the attacks on the UN headquarters and Wall Street, many wealthy individuals and celebrities are fleeing New York to avoid potential attacks. As a designer who specializes in planning parties for the upper class, she is barely earning any commission. This female eternal woman had previously stated on social media that she planned to move to neighboring New Jersey, but judging from the feedback from New Jersey, the situation there is not much better. In fact, it could be said that celebrities and wealthy people across the United States are fleeing the East Coast and settling in cities like Los Angeles.

The emperor had no intention of making contact with the female immortal; he merely assigned people to monitor and eavesdrop. After all, many projects were underway simultaneously, and the budgets for some activities had to be cut. At most, they would monitor the female immortal's movements and investigate her habits through her computer webcam, without engaging in any investigative activities beyond the scope of a regular private investigator's work. Strangely, the female immortal behaved no differently than an ordinary person, and the agents sent to monitor her found nothing unusual in the surveillance equipment. Even the homeless man hired to rummage through the trash didn't find anything particularly strange.

If it weren't for divination, prophecy, and inquiries with the dead and spirits all indicating that the woman's identity was extraordinary, anyone would have thought she was just an ordinary New Yorker about to lose her job, with little formal education, whose biggest concern was how she would pay next month's rent. What is certain, however, is that Athena had clashed with this female immortal during the war between the Olympian gods and the immortals. Even when face-to-face with Athena, the female immortal couldn't recognize her, as if her memories had been altered. She couldn't even recognize her own immortality. Homeless people employed by her found many of her used skincare product packaging in the trash, and multiple agents noticed her increasingly frequent visits to cosmetic clinics.

"Now we need to know why that female immortal forgot her identity."

The records concerning the Eternals within Kamar-Taj contain significant gaps. The earliest records, even inscriptions carved on stone tablets, are stored on the lowest level of the library, obscured by a mountain of paper documents. At that time, Kamar-Taj was a self-organized school of thought following Agamotto's apprentices, studying extradimensional knowledge while guarding the Himalayan dungeons. It hadn't yet developed into the Kamar-Taj we know today, with its tradition of recording history and missions. This resulted in Kamar-Taj not having a complete understanding of the Eternals, and the Emperor being unable to understand why the female Eternal was in her current state.

"You can infiltrate her soul," Athens said. "If her amnesia was caused by manipulation, then her mental power won't be able to stop you. If she's an imposter, then you must kill her or track her down the moment you're discovered, or rather, deliberately discovered, because she will definitely seek out her own kind. How you do it depends on whether you want to kill all the Eternals at once. Are you planning to do it yourself?"

"No." The emperor shook his head, expressionless. "We've already taken action; it's just that she's still alive."

Genetic analysis of the Eternals began long ago. Under the supervision of the Guardian Order, the Sora Redwood Druid Order led by Ms. Maya Hansen, the Malik Family Biological Research Institute, and the radical Hydra Biological Research Institute, effectively controlled by Dr. Daniel Whitehall, jointly established an anomalous sample analysis organization. This organization collaborated without the knowledge of the US government (meaning it accepted requests from other research institutions to share pathogen samples while providing a large amount of experimental data), specifically responsible for Latvinia's biological warfare defense and offense. The genetic analysis and testing of the Eternals were entrusted to this organization.

Obtaining genetic samples from the female immortal was not difficult. Empty paper cups from street cafes, tissues, cigarette butts, and uneaten food from plastic waste piles could provide informants, private investigators, and agents with genetic samples for research. The research team cloned many epithelial cells from the female immortal to test their resistance to various viruses, bacteria, toxins, and antibiotics. Every winter, the flu claims many lives in the United States, and this year was no exception. However, the female immortal demonstrated extraordinary resistance; even though her roommate was infected, she remained remarkably healthy. This conclusion was reached after the Guardians of the Order obtained her regular medical reports. Agents posing as doctors obtained more detailed data and samples, allowing research institutions to accelerate their development.

Athena raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Indirect methods? No wonder you were administering flu vaccines to orphanages this fall. If I'm not mistaken, that fake vaccine company was your doing?"

"This is just a standard procedure. This year's flu virus is not genetically edited, and a regular vaccine will provide immunity," the Emperor declared solemnly. "The Royal Guard has no intention of taking others down with them when attacking that female Eternal. The vaccine administered at the orphanage is for a virus from another research institute, a genetically edited flu virus from the biological research institute we discovered in Albania, which used to be a US military base. I believe it is necessary to take certain precautions."

"So, she might not be able to die quietly as you intend, because her immune system, like yours, is immune to a large number of common toxins and diseases?" Athena shrugged. "That does explain the blood ties between you, me, and the Eternals. What do you plan to do if indirect methods fail? I don't think a single bullet will solve the problem; it might even trigger an instinctive reaction, or make her realize that someone is watching her."

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(End of this chapter)