Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1516 The Lunar War (Twenty-Eight)

Black Bolt was completely unaware of what was happening at the Gene Council.

With the help of Tetanus, he and the Centaur clan warrior were busy starting up the backup generator sets for transportation. These generator sets were located in what might have been soldiers' barracks, ammunition depots, and armories of Attilan. After many years of renovations, the original purpose of those rooms was unrecognizable, but they still used the Kree Empire's information and electromechanical systems. The Inhumans could only make minor modifications, trying their best to prevent the knowledge they had acquired as slaves from fading with time. However, this effort was largely ineffective—although Black Bolt was King of Attilan, the Genetic Council didn't participate much in public affairs—he was incredibly surprised when he saw the rusty touch panel at the entrance to the backup generator sets; he had always thought he had Attilan in perfect order.

The Centaurus clan warrior wasn't as surprised. He skillfully used his claws to grip the edge of the touch panel and removed the entire casing. "They always wait until it breaks before fixing it. Besides, this is a backup generator; it's not usually needed." The Centaurus warrior seemed unfazed by this. After all, his origins within the clan weren't particularly noble, even bordering on lowly; otherwise, he wouldn't have left the clan to join Black Bolt's clan alliance. "Alright, power on. Now all you need to do is enter the password to open it. Oh… a master key?"

Black Bolt nodded and handed a chip to a clan warrior.

The Attilan royal ancestors, as victors of the civil war, gained control of all the electronic systems within Starfortress. This chip is a copy of Starfortress's highest-level authorization, intended for use by other members of the royal family. After the key was inserted, the hydraulic blast door slowly opened with a piercing scream—or rather, halfway open. The lower half of the blast door, due to lack of maintenance, was completely rusted into its tracks. Immediately, the tuning fork atop Black Bolt's head emitted a faint white glow. He slammed his fist into the lower half of the blast-proof airtight door, as if throwing a bomb inside. A cloud of rust and dust instantly erupted, choking the clan warriors and causing them to cough incessantly.

Black Bolt wasn't much better off, but he was trained and didn't inhale the dust; after all, no one wanted to see the consequences of his cough or sneeze. The Centaurus Clan warrior rubbed his swollen eyes and coughed a few more times. He hadn't had time to shut down the nictitating membrane that amphibians possess, and now he could only look around with teary eyes. The control panel and floor in the room were covered in dust, and the electrostatic ventilation and filtration system had long since stopped working due to the loss of external power. "Alright, now it's time to start the equipment." He casually patted Tetanus's large head. "I promise, it'll only take ten minutes."

Derrick first disappeared into the darkness, watching the genetically modified warriors silently pass through the corridor.

He wasn't telling the truth, not at all. Long before the genetically modified warriors arrived, he had already scouted the spire, so he knew his objective perfectly well. While he also needed to carry out a decapitation strike against the Chimeric Clan wizarding order, he wanted more than just the lives of those mutant wizards. He wanted a certain book in the Chimeric Clan wizarding library—an order given to him by the Emperor, second only to shutting down the Chimeric Clan's independent shield system—that book not only recorded the extremely dangerous and corrupting magic of the Kree Empire, but also legends about the Kree Empire's birth ten thousand years ago. He had to ensure that book was added to the Royal Guard Library, preparing for the future confrontation with the Kree Empire.

Perhaps to ordinary people, this would seem completely unnecessary, but Derrick trusted the Emperor's foresight. A long lifespan brings a long-term perspective; what might be a decades-long plan for an ordinary person is still a short-term undertaking for the Emperor and the Royal Guard. The destruction of the Kree Empire wouldn't happen until the future, but preparations needed to begin now—the Royal Guard quietly followed the genetically modified warriors along the terrifying corridor that had once been teeming with Chimerian mutants, now littered with corpses. The mutant wizard they had encountered earlier held a very high position; otherwise, he wouldn't have been chosen for such a horrific mission.

The low-level mutant wizards the genetically modified warriors now encounter can only guide the mutant groups; they are completely unable to dodge the explosive bombs and plasma swarms fired from the shadows, nor can they slow their advance. Derrick leaped off the crossbeam first, landing as lightly as a feline. He walked to a mutant still barely clinging to life, crouched down, and pinched its long jaw with his fingers, gazing into its eyes, which were covered by its own and others' blood. Its tear glands secreted their last fluids, attempting to wash away the blood stained its eyeballs; its eyelids opened and closed in vain, trying to restore its vision, but no matter what it did, it was all in vain.

"Who are you? Please help me."

Derrick first understood what the mutant was saying through the translator. Its limbs were shattered by the bomb, its back was burned by the heat from the bullet, and the massive blood loss was gradually fading its consciousness. Without first aid and hemostasis, it wouldn't live much longer, and Derrick had no intention of saving it. He didn't even respond, simply and mercilessly pinching its jaw, forcing one of its eyes to look at him.

"Video recording number 162: The sample was injured and broke free from mind control, but the threshold for external stimulation could not be determined."

He loosened his grip, abandoning the mutant, ignoring the pleas for help from the Chimilian clan mutants. Derrick moved on to the next sample. This mutant sample was the most severely injured, as it was a wizard, also clad in robes, but not as ornately as the one they had encountered in the hall. Due to the target's danger, Gronov Rutov's team inflicted excessive damage on the wizard immediately. Needing to strictly allocate ammunition, they fired three explosive rounds at the mutant wizard, blasting its bones and internal organs out of its body, the rest being charred by the miniature fusion warheads. Derrick first lifted the mutant wizard's skull, using the power armor's detection system to quickly measure its brain volume.

"Video Record 163: Wizard sample, brain volume is 0.03% larger than that of a civilian, but the possibility of a unique mutation cannot be ruled out." He tossed aside the skull and moved on to the next target. "Video Record 164: Wizard sample, brain volume is 0.01% larger than that of sample 162, but there is no clear relationship between the two, so it cannot be used as a case study for mutant sociology. Rapid genetic testing: genetic standard deviation score 321.3%, complete extermination recommended."

Mutant #162 tapped Derrick's boots lightly with his fingers, which were covered in sticky pus and blood.

"Yes, it's me, I'm not dead yet." It spoke casually, its voice gradually slowing. "If I don't survive, could you let me die faster? I'm cold right now, you could light a fire, friend." Derrick tilted his head, looking curiously at this incredibly brave mutant. Perhaps accepting his inevitable death, the mutant, on the verge of blood loss, began to ramble, "I have absolutely no idea how I got here, I'm still wearing my pajamas. Oh, you can't tell now, these clothes look pretty good on me."

"What do you want?" Derrick asked through the translator.

"Ah, you're not a robot after all." The mutant grinned, his blood-stained, deformed face expressionless. "I'm dying, aren't I? I just want to talk to someone. I'm a doctor, I know there's absolutely no medical assistance in this situation, don't I? Where are you from, a commoner clan?"

Derrick nodded first, then swung his Guard Spear downwards and severed the mutant's head.

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)