Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1689 Boarding the Ship

Chapter 1685 Boarding the Ship

"Are you alright, Dr. Will?" Dr. Peters asked with concern.

The physicist's sudden ramblings caused considerable concern. When he dropped the bombshell about aliens, both Captain Miller and Dr. Peters were startled. Like everyone else, the physicist's face, drained of color due to mild malnutrition, flushed rapidly. His trembling lips were chapped from recent water shortages, and he reeked of a foul odor. His flushed face contrasted sharply with the excitement of the others who had heard good news. Dr. Will was extremely agitated, his eyes almost manic.

He didn't tell anyone else, especially Dr. Peters, because the nightmare that had jolted him awake from his gravity-induced hibernation pod still haunted him. He could still recall his long-dead wife's empty, bloodshot eye sockets, and the emptiness, coldness, and madness that came from her long-dead mouth.

Captain Miller immediately realized that Dr. Will was not joking.

Project Pegasus is a mysterious project jointly organized by NASA and S.H.I.E.L.D. The reason for the hasty launch of Event Horizon, equipped with a hyperspace engine, is certainly not to explore space beyond the solar system, at least not entirely—but now he and Dr. Will share the same concerns, even if the question is somewhat absurd, he still believes it—after all, everything they have encountered since emerging from hibernation has exceeded their imagination, plus the world-renowned alien invasion incidents in New York and London (Captain Miller was in New York at the time and witnessed the opening of the alien portal), now encountering aliens in outer space doesn't seem so impossible.

He looked at the driver, Lieutenant Smith, and waited for an answer.

"It's a human language, and it's English." Lieutenant Smith's face remained hopeful. "Should we make contact with that ship?"

"No!" Dr. Will shouted.

"Why? Look at us now, Will!" Captain Miller asked gravely. "We're about to die here! Send a signal, wait for a reply, and then make a decision."

"Those people are definitely after the Event Horizon. No one comes to the edge of the solar system for no reason. They're after the Hyperspace Engine and Project Pegasus, which is building it," Dr. Will interjected immediately, interrupting Captain Miller's reply. However, compared to his previous panic, his emotions had calmed down somewhat. "Dr. Peters, I'm sorry I lost control of my emotions just now... We must bring the Event Horizon back. We absolutely cannot let the Hyperspace Engine fall into the hands of other countries... We can board the ship immediately and then activate the Hyperspace Engine to jump back to Earth orbit. There must be some supplies on the Event Horizon, and that ship definitely can't keep up with us." He paused slightly, then said in a sincere tone, "We must protect the secrets of Project Pegasus, Miller."

"I'm here to save lives, Dr. Will, not to engage in any arms race." Dr. Peters' expression immediately turned cold. She retorted, "That ship is huge; it might have the medical supplies we need on board. NASA told me they've spent countless resources on this rescue operation, which is why I boarded this ship to participate in an unprecedented rescue in human history. I don't care about hyperspace engines; I only care about the lives of the crew, not inhumane security measures! I'm certain that even if the crew of the Event Horizon enters their hibernation pods in time, such a long period of hibernation will cause their health to decline drastically."

Looking at Captain Miller's expression, Dr. Peters knew that he had almost convinced the person who held the final decision-making power.

"I suggest we make contact with that ship, obtain sufficient medical supplies and personnel, and then attempt to rescue the Event Horizon," she said. "Think about the poor crew members, Will. No matter what your position is in the Pentagon, you cannot turn a blind eye to the lives of the Event Horizon's crew!"

"If we willingly allow other countries to acquire the Event Horizon, what awaits us on Earth will not be cheers, but prison!" Dr. Will said solemnly. Even though he initiated this mission, he still had to obey the captain's orders.

"So what!" Dr. Peters roared, "At least we'll survive! I want to see my son again, not die on this damned edge of the solar system!"

Captain Miller hesitated for a moment, but decided to have Lieutenant Smith send a distress signal.

Dr. Will's idea was not without merit. The hyperspace engine was a scientific achievement of great value. If they accepted help from other countries here and let them take the hyperspace engine away, then even if they were able to return to Earth, they would only face imprisonment. However, the reason they were willing to board this ship and come here was not for the arms race, but to rescue the missing Event Horizon and its crew.

Dr. Peters's courageous words reminded him of his original intentions, and also reminded all the crew members present that their most important mission was to find the crew of the Event Horizon, provide rescue, and return them alive to Earth to reunite with their families. Captain Miller believed that everyone except Dr. Will would support his actions. For the next few minutes, the bridge was almost suffocatingly quiet; the first mate, wearing headphones, listened intently to any news with a furrowed brow.

"That ship is demanding we activate the reverse thrusters. We've received no response to our messages; the ship is just repeating its previous requests." The first mate removed his headset, seemingly angered by the almost insulting news. Captain Miller sighed, Dr. Peters looked somber, and even Dr. Will didn't seem pleased with winning the argument. Everyone knew that the situation they were about to face might be far more perilous than when they had previously traversed the fog.

"What should we do, Captain?" the first mate asked.

Dr. Peters closed his eyes in despair; anyone could tell that the spaceship behind them was not acting out of goodwill.

"Board the Event Horizon as soon as possible, everyone." Captain Miller stared sternly out the window at the Event Horizon, which was so far away it was almost invisible to the naked eye. "We must complete this mission as quickly as possible."

The Lewis and Clark finally arrived at its destination, and surprisingly, its signals were answered. The Event Horizon, seemingly without human intervention, extended its docking arm, exceeding everyone's expectations. The Lewis and Clark was now located in the middle of the Event Horizon—a tiny structure compared to the missing ship. The Event Horizon's forward section housed the cockpit, while the aft section contained the engine room and other research equipment, connected by a long steel corridor—the docking arm for the Lewis and Clark was located in this corridor. Captain Miller, having also received the message, noted the strange coldness of the dead ship, yet a bizarre life signal permeated its entirety, causing him to hesitate about transferring everyone to that vessel.

"Dr. Will, please stay here for now while we figure out what's going on."

After a moment's thought, Captain Miller made his decision. Dr. Will tried to argue, but the captain's orders were irrefutable. Captain Miller instructed Dr. Peters and the marine engineer Justin to prepare; the two of them would don spacesuits and board the Event Horizon with him. This decision also greatly displeased Lieutenant Cooper, the search and rescue technician, as search and rescue operations were his responsibility, and other untrained personnel might not be able to handle emergencies.

"Justin, I need you to check the engines." Captain Miller, Dr. Peters, and the engine engineer, along with Justin, donned their spacesuits with the help of others. Captain Miller then addressed the other two, "Dr. Peters, you come with me to the cockpit. I need you to perform a health check on the crew in the hibernation pods and then execute the awakening procedure. Dr. Will, stay here; we need you and Lieutenant Cooper to provide technical guidance." The signal was answered.

The Event Horizon appeared to have extended its docking arm on its own initiative, without any human intervention, which surprised everyone on board. At this time, the Lewis and Clark was located in the middle of the Event Horizon—a tiny vessel compared to the missing ship. The Event Horizon had its cockpit at the front and its engine room and other research equipment compartments at the rear, connected by a long steel corridor—the docking arm for the Lewis and Clark was located in this corridor in the middle of the ship. Seeing this, everyone agreed to connect the two ships.

Captain Miller also received the news that the dead spaceship was unusually cold, but strange life signals permeated the entire spaceship, which made him hesitate about whether he should transfer everyone to that spaceship.

"Dr. Will, please stay here for now while we figure out what's going on."

After a moment's thought, Captain Miller made his decision. Dr. Will tried to argue, but the captain's orders were irrefutable. Captain Miller instructed Dr. Peters and the marine engineer Justin to prepare; the two of them would don spacesuits and board the Event Horizon with him. This decision also greatly displeased Lieutenant Cooper, the search and rescue technician, as search and rescue operations were his responsibility, and other untrained personnel might not be able to handle emergencies.

"Justin, I need you to check the engine." Captain Miller, Dr. Peters, and the engine engineer Justin, with the help of others, put on his spacesuit. The spacesuit, weighing thirty kilograms, was very heavy, as everything in the suit was designed to withstand cosmic radiation and high-speed collisions. There were also polymer composite armors on the back, chest, and abdomen to protect against unexpected situations, and even the hemispherical helmet used powerful technology from Project Pegasus.

Every crew member underwent a month of land and underwater training while on Earth in their spacesuits; otherwise, they wouldn't even be able to walk in them. Captain Miller said to the other two, "Dr. Peters, you're coming with me to the cockpit. I need you to perform a health check on the crew in the hibernation pods and then execute the awakening procedure. Without them, we simply cannot shake off that ship and return to Earth orbit. Dr. Will, stay here; we need you and Lieutenant Cooper to provide technical guidance. How much time do we have?"

"Based on that ship's speed and distance, we have at least another week," Dr. Will sighed. He wanted to check on the Event Horizon, but Captain Miller's decision was rational and wise; they still had time. "The universe is vast; even if the enemy is fast, it won't be easy for them to catch up."

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The blast door behind the porthole slowly opened, revealing a gloomy planet floating in the dark void.

All the probes that had been reactivated on the Retribution spoke of the malevolent aura emanating from the massive, black steel cross floating in orbit around the frigid planet. Even as they peered through the portholes at the colossal, black behemoth bathed in the pale, dim starlight, a chill still ran down their spines.

Fortunately, aside from suffering from fear, the mortal crew members did not encounter any accidents.

The Punishment sailed through the fog for several days, and the ship's doctor, accompanying psionicists, and officers, as per protocol, organized a meeting for the crew during their off-duty hours. The sailors were told that the nightmares were the effects of the psionic fog's energy diffraction on their brains, and that experiencing fear was perfectly normal given their great distance from Earth.

After the small meeting, each crew member received psychological counseling and treatment during each shift. Following the content of the speech, Master Wang referred to the crew members as sailors of the Age of Exploration. They had reached the ends of the world that humans had never set foot on before (the previous batch was the sky carrier that went to the Kuiper Belt during the Feathered Serpent Incident). In the future, they would go to more unknown worlds.

Master Wang was glad that this matter could be glossed over so easily, because his situation was much worse.

The mind of a psionicist is far more sensitive than others; every night's sleep amidst the mist is torture for him. The thoughts hidden within the mist steal fear and desire from the depths of everyone on board, acquiring nonexistent, illusory bodies. In his dreams, he can hear nonexistent creatures clawing at the ship's shields with malicious intent; he can hear venomous words spitting from their deformed mouths—pleas, commands, or deceptions. Extremely surging energy waves within the mist produce dense lightning bolts of pink, pale blue, and maniacal purple; near-mad howls and ferocity nearly shatter the shields generated by the mysterious machinery. The thoughts of nonexistent life wash over the ship's surface like a torrential rain, attempting to infiltrate the steel and cables with malice, deceiving and manipulating every atom and every cable to change according to their will.

The malice from outside dimensions did not succeed; it was rejected.

The pure fire that permeated the ship burned away every drop of venom that tried to penetrate its hull. Every claw, tentacle, or unnamed organ—a mixture of flesh and blood—that reached into the shields was utterly incinerated by the starlight burning in the mist. Sometimes he would wake up drenched in sweat from nightmares, finding his hair or fingertips filled with the acrid smell of burning, his eyelids clogged with inexplicably appearing ash, but his spirit and soul remained intact; the thoughts he tried to deny had not entered anyone's mind.

Every time he woke up, he would reluctantly recall who was protecting the ship.

The Emperor's psychic power far exceeded what he had displayed before entering the mist, but the Sorcerer King knew this wasn't his dear colleague's true limit. Kamar-Taj, to be precise, no one on Earth besides the Sorcerer Supreme could do something like this—every time the Sorcerer King thought of this, he would unconsciously try to ask his now-esteemed colleague, out of consideration for their past collaboration, to secretly apply for more pay and subsidies so he could enjoy visiting New York's Michelin three-star restaurants during his vacation—a wish he had cherished for so many years—completely ignoring his father's insistence on maintaining proper hierarchy. He knew the Emperor's true nature; if not for the constraints of his current position, the Emperor would have long ago abandoned everything to enjoy his comfortable life. As he strolled along the bridge, about to subtly express his thoughts, Constantine approached, forcing him to shut his mouth.

"We still haven't received a reply from the Lewis and Clark."

Constantine was wearing a helmet, so his expression was obscured. Master Wang assumed the Commander of the Guard would, as always, have a face as hard and cold as a marble sculpture. Constantine didn't offer his own assessment of the situation, but instead stated the facts directly: "Apart from the microwave noise of cosmic radiation, we heard nothing. The probes on the Event Horizon have also yielded results; although the ship's heating system has stopped working, the Technologists' probes still detected signs of life inside."

"Life signals are present throughout the entire ship!" the Martian Sage interjected, and the Commander of the Guard seemed to see fear through the sage's prosthetic eyepiece. "No one can survive in the frigid temperatures of the Void, not even the gravity chamber of the Event Horizon. I've seen the parameters for that gravity chamber and the pressure-resistant fluid; at those temperatures, even the pressure-resistant fluid would freeze!"

"I understand." The emperor nodded, showing no surprise.

"Assault boats and weapons are ready." Constantine made no mention of the Imperial Guard's readiness. The Imperial Guard was always vigilant, always prepared to follow the Emperor into battle; their hands would never leave their weapons, and they would never leave the Emperor's side without orders (this greatly troubled the Emperor, as it meant he lost most of his free time). Just as the Imperial Guard commander spoke, two mortal soldiers pushed a cart covered in thick, deep red velvet onto the bridge. The electric motor whirred silently, carrying the supplies. On the cart were a bomb gun that no ordinary person could use, several full magazines, a massive shield, and a greatsword with ornate decorations.

After inspecting the guns and the precision mechanisms inside the explosives, the commander of the Imperial Guard inserted a fully loaded magazine, released the safety, and handed it to the Emperor. The ammunition carried on this mission far exceeded what was needed, because the Emperor had warned all the Imperial Guards that this mission would not end so easily—they could not resolve this by killing people or things. This was a trial; the true battleground was the soul and the heart.

"Board the ship," the Emperor commanded. "Only by boarding the Event Horizon can we find out what happened to them."

"Your prophetic abilities didn't work?" the sorcerer asked abruptly. In his mind, the Emperor, like the Sorcerer Supreme, possessed powerful prophetic abilities, and Kamar-Taj was a renowned school of prophecy. No non-Karmar-Taj psychic could rival the Kamar-Taj sorcerers in their ability to obtain information.

"The future is shrouded by unseen forces, and I cannot see the details," the Emperor calmly replied. "The real fog lies within the Event Horizon, not in that false intimidation."

(End of this chapter)