Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1531 The Lunar War (Forty-Three)

The bits of flesh and dried blood clinging to the ceiling were slowly washed away by a high-pressure water gun using precious, double-circulated purified water. However, the bloodstains pressed into the crystal crevices by the sound waves could not be completely washed away, leaving a pink ripple-like mark forever on the white marble ceiling of the circular lounge hall. All the important officials of the Attilan royal family (commoner clan) stood outside the door, their faces grim and silent.

They were unwilling to enter the room, nor to watch the staff clean up the wreckage. Water, reeking of blood and cleaning agents, flowed slowly before them, only to be sucked away by another cleaning tool—not out of fear of Black Bolt's potential relapse, but because they understood it was an accident, and Black Bolt had regained his senses. However, this matter couldn't be easily ignored, for the person Black Bolt had killed in his outburst was a highly respected elder of the Attilan royal family, a key official who had served King Argon and Queen Linda.

This is a humiliation, even if it was just an accident.

This is a political crisis. In the past, Black Bolt would have had time to deal with it. But now war is imminent, and the flames of war have reached the vicinity of the settlement. Whether to let a king who has once gone out of control lead them, all the clans, and the Gene Council is a question worth considering.

“If any of you think you’re qualified, then step forward.” Crystal tied her long blonde hair into a high ponytail. Her eyes, filled with grief and indignation, swept over the royal family members. “Black Bolt has been in contact with the invaders’ leader, and he’s told me everything. Now my sister’s fate is unknown, Black Bolt has lost control, and on the brink of war that could destroy the Inhumans, you’re still thinking about power struggles? Has any of you ever repelled a Kree reconnaissance fleet or reached a peace agreement with any of the clans?”

"Do you think you can do it?"

"I cannot, so I will hand over command back to Black Bolt."

Even though she didn't know who was speaking, Crystal's stubborn face remained expressionless. She was young, but at this critical juncture, she displayed an unusual maturity. She deliberately wore a ceremonial gown instead of her favorite tight-fitting combat suit, using the loose robe to conceal her trembling body. She had never before considered speaking to these respected elders in such a tone—as the conversation continued, her perspective gradually shifted away from her original position, and Crystal's panic subsided—she began to see the repulsive ugliness of these once-admired, wise and powerful Attilan royal elders. It wasn't that no one was unhappy with her temporary assumption of the Attilan King and Queen's right to speak in the Genetic Council, but Medusa and Black Bolt had already determined the order of succession. Crystal, as the second in line, was undisputed at this moment; to deny her would require denying the Attilan royal family's rule.

"None of you have spent a hundred Earth years in isolation like him, and none of you have witnessed the horrors of the invaders like him. If you had seen what he saw and heard that your loved ones were missing and dying, I believe anyone could have a mental breakdown. The Clan Alliance warriors are in the lounge now, and any of you can ask them questions. There are no secrets within the Attilan royal family. Black Bolt will recover soon, and he will once again lead the Attilan royal family and the other four clans, and even another clan that has never been involved in Attilan affairs."

"Can he really recover?" asked an old man who looked very old but was still very strong. "If he can lead the Inhumans to repel the invaders, then I will not make any accusations against my brother for his death."

"Only he can do it. If you have any objections, feel free to raise them with him," Crystal said indignantly. "He will not abandon the people of Attilan, never, because he loves Attilan more than anyone else."

"I don't know if you can do it, I'm sure I'm exaggerating."

A few minutes later, Crystal sat on the curved sofa in the lounge, her face contorted in a grimace, burying her face in the sleeves of her ceremonial robe. She had hastily ordered someone to retrieve it from Medusa's wardrobe after receiving the notification, and hadn't even bothered to check if it fit before pulling it over her head. Countless court etiquette rules had been established over the long course of history, and today, just thinking about it, she had violated at least a hundred. "I don't know what we're facing, I don't know what the situation is like. I lied..."

“You did a good job.” The villainous clan warrior glanced at Black Bolt and translated the sign language. “You helped me. I shouldn’t have let you face those people, but I was worried… about getting hurt… I knew what they would say, and I was worried I would lose control again and hurt them. Even if they don’t have the heart of a king and think they can live alone outside of Attilan.”

"You will defeat the invaders, won't you?" Crystal looked up at Black Bolt expectantly. "I want to fight alongside you."

Black Bolt hesitated for a moment, then nodded emphatically.

This action needed no translation, but all the clan alliance breathed a sigh of relief. They had faced the invaders' leader, the human king, a memory that left an indelible psychological scar and humiliation, as if someone had branded their souls with a red-hot iron. Even knowing that the invaders were the ones who destroyed Attilan, they could never forget the majestic figure of that human king; the fear and soul-deep reverence in the face of a superior were hard to erase. These clan warriors were aware of this, but their reason prevented Black Bolt from having the same thoughts—even if they were unaware of Earth's history, and didn't know what decisions a Frederick the Great worshipper like Peter III would make, their intuition and intelligence understood that Black Bolt absolutely could not afford to show any weakness on a psychological level.

At the same time, they were also worried that the human king's appearance on the front lines, especially on the front lines of the commoner clans, would shake the Inhumans' fighting spirit. No one who returned from the Chimilian clan, including Black Bolt, told anyone about the human king's policy of "exemption through genetic testing." After all, only commoner clans could pass the test; other clans with highly mutated genes couldn't escape it. Therefore, they currently believed it was merely a ploy and psychological tactic by the human king to sow discord.

"Summon the Gene Council representatives from the remaining four clans. I will announce a resolution," Black Bolt gestured. He knew that the clan representatives in the Gene Council had already been killed by the assassins, and the remaining clan members were now without representatives, but this did not hinder his plan. He wrote a line on the data tablet: "The four clans shall immediately select representatives from among the officials remaining in the Gene Council, and these representatives must undergo mental interrogation. The Chimilian clan shall not select wizards as representatives. Immediately arrest all members of the wizarding corps remaining in the Gene Council, and kill them on the spot if they resist. All clan representatives shall immediately participate in the Gene Council's decision-making process without delay."

"Is this an official order?" The rogue clan warrior took the data panel, looking somewhat excited. "Does it need to be stamped?"

"Do not recall the frontline commanders of the various clans. You will become the temporary representatives of your clans." Black Bolt gestured again. "You will hold the reins of your clans until we defeat the invaders. The resolutions you agree to later will also form the basis for the future union of all clans."

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(End of this chapter)