Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1748

Bruce Banner chatted with Stark for a while behind the glass. He'd never felt time fly by since arriving. Although the researchers here didn't discriminate against him or fear him, and the living environment was good—no one deliberately intruded on his privacy—he still felt safer with his friends. He had very little contact with the city's inhabitants, and everything he knew about Salomon was hearsay, including what happened after the conflict at Harley Airport.

Steve Rogers was effectively exiled and wanted by the United States. The former Avenger was rescued before being imprisoned in the Atlantic underwater prison. Some people even showed him a video for ulterior motives, revealing the truth about Howard Stark's death. He looked at Tony Stark with remorse, but the playboy behind the bulletproof glass didn't realize why the kind scientist had such an expression. Tony Stark simply thought the honest, even somewhat weak, scientist had just been imprisoned there for too long. This is why Bruce Banner felt uneasy. He didn't understand why Salomon was helping him, or even what the researchers were doing about him, let alone why they wanted him to know that secret.

No one told him anything about Kamar-Taj, and he was injected with a tranquilizer every time he underwent an exorcism—the Hulk wouldn't appear as long as Bruce Banner's life wasn't threatened, so the research process was always safe—Dr. Banner knew the Hulk's destructive power, so he always volunteered for the tranquilizer injections. He thought he was just undergoing some kind of examination, but Bruce Banner didn't find any traces of sampling on him, the room wasn't damaged, and no one asked him about the details of his Hulk transformation.

He sadly realized that since becoming the Hulk, his greatest value to a biological research institution was the Hulk, not his knowledge. But unusually, the other party seemed completely uninterested in this byproduct of the super-soldier project.

"What kind of tests do they usually give you, Banner?" Stark asked. "Did they splash holy water on you?"

"The same old thing," Bruce Banner said. "At least they didn't tie me up."

Before coming here, Tony Stark scoffed at the idea that "the Hulk is an extradimensional spiritual parasite." Even after the farce on the tarmac, he didn't immediately believe it completely because he couldn't be sure if the incense he inhaled contained hallucinogenic ingredients. He wasn't a skeptic; he was just making a rational analysis when he couldn't rule out all possibilities, rather than believing in yoga, spirituality, marijuana, gyms, and Scientology like Silicon Valley tech elites and Hollywood stars.

Stark is right.

The incense did contain mild hallucinogenic components, primarily designed to allow the human mind to sink more quickly and deeply into the collective unconscious and access the shallow ether. However, this didn't mean what he was seeing was a hallucination, as the hallucinogenic components in the incense were far less potent than the drugs he had taken at MIT. Now, he could only gather clues and testimonies to uncover the truth, but no one here was interested in playing detective games with him.

Christina, the android who guided Tony Stark back into the room, said, "Your application is approved, Mr. Stark. You may take one Thaddeus E. Ross."

"What do you mean by 'one'?" Stark asked, somewhat bewildered. "You cloned him? Banner, what do you know?"

Bruce Banner shrugged, indicating he knew nothing about it. "Do you think his experience of having three heart bypass surgeries is valuable? Or do you think Red Hulk is valuable? Believe me, in this respect, the green is better than the red." Bruce Banner couldn't help but laugh; Tony Stark always had a good time when he hid his proud playboy side.

"You can choose for yourself."

Christina didn't bother to argue; she was as professional as a saleswoman in a mall, pointing to the airtight door leading to the other side of the research institute. Tony Stark had secretly categorized the security measures of this research institute. For example, the door he was about to enter was valued in his mind as "ten hours"—it would take ten hours to open with a laser cutter—in comparison, Bruce Banner's room door was only at the "five hours" level.

I'll come see you again later.

Tony Stark waved to Dr. Banner, then quietly instructed AI to expedite the toxicological analysis of his blood sample on Friday. If he could contact the outside world, he could send this data to laboratories that collaborated with the Stark Corporation, allowing them to analyze whether he had ingested hallucinogenic substances.

Now, we can only rely on artificial intelligence to learn on Friday.

Stark wasn't sure how many needle marks he had on his thigh now; it was his own fault for placing the injection site for adrenaline and other drugs there, naturally including the blood sampling needle. He regretted that decision terribly. Thanks to the diligent performance of AI Friday, Christina saw Tony Stark walking around winking and making faces, like someone who'd been bitten on the butt by a dog and was about to jump up in pain at any moment.

Stark didn't even have a chance to give Friday the order to reduce the number of samples, because Christina was staring at him with a serious expression like an old nun in a convent, as if she was ready to pick up a cane and beat him up at any moment and then kick him out. He wasn't going to give these androids a chance!

He had to exert himself to suppress the urge to tell jokes or offend anyone. If the atmosphere hadn't been so serious, he would have asked Christina if she was really a nun. He meant, did they marry the "god" they worshipped? He knew he'd be kicked out if he asked that question, so he wisely kept quiet, and he was quite curious about "a Thaddeus E. Ross."

Cloning doesn't replicate knowledge or personality, so would anyone really clone a useless old guy?

Or perhaps some people believe that a body capable of withstanding three heart bypass surgeries possesses some kind of gene that can extend lifespan?

All his questions were answered as he stepped into the dimly lit room. He had to admit that his definition of cloning was far too narrow—lying on the dissection table in the center of the room was Thaddeus E. Ross transformed into the Red Hulk. Readings from nearby equipment confirmed to Tony Stark that the Red Hulk was still alive, fitting his stereotypical image of the Hulk's survivability—except for what lay on the other side, which horrified him: several identical Red Hulk heads, all submerged in jars. As Stark approached, these heads opened their eyes, stared at him, and banged their mouths against the glass jars.

Tony Stark realized he had screamed a bit too much today.

"Thadeus E. Ross," Christina said with a grin. "They all know you."

Stark felt a chill run down his spine. "I don't understand!"

"The self-healing ability of those possessed by extradimensional spiritual entities is incredibly strong. Thaddeus E. Ross's head always grows back after being severed, and he even retains his past memories." The android tilted her head merrily, seemingly enjoying the surprise of others. She pointed to the neatly arranged heads, as if they were merchandise on a shelf, and all she had to do was let customers choose one to take home.

"Are you worried about contamination? These heads have been purified, and in a few hours they will lose their activity and return to their original appearance. Thanks to Thaddeus E. Ross for providing the experimental data, it was with this data that we were able to perform the exorcism on Dr. Bruce Banner and conduct clinical trials on possessed individuals," she added. "You'd better choose quickly; you only have half an hour left. Then we'll send you to New York."

Tony Stark glanced furtively at the location tracking on his phone.

No, GPS still couldn't locate him, nor could the positioning satellites launched by Stark Industries.

"We're in North America? I thought we weren't on Earth anymore!" Stark asked. "Can I go see Dr. Banner later? He'll be heartbroken if he doesn't see me, maybe even more so than when he broke up with Betty. You know what he gets like when he's emotional, right?"

Christina simply smiled and didn't answer.

On the other side of the Immortal City, Salomon immediately got to work.

He went to the excavation site beneath the Immortal City to greet Laura Crawford, checked on the Brotherhood of the Shield members undergoing rehabilitation after being unearthed, and was then summoned to his office by a phone call from Victor von Doom. This wasn't his fault; the Balkans' main resources depended on the Suez Canal and the Strait of Gibraltar. To ensure that ocean shipping wouldn't suffer too much damage after the war began, the war to conquer the Strait of Gibraltar had to be carried out simultaneously with the initiation of the Greek war.

Everything Salomon is doing now is for the resources needed for the war, including negotiating with Tony Stark.

The United States failed to recognize the true value of Stark Industries. Compared to Stark Industries' prospects in the civilian sector, Tony Stark's inventions in the military industry seemed insignificant, with the revenue generated by the two differing by orders of magnitude. Perhaps they did realize it, but due to conflicts of interest, the implementation of Stark Industries' clean energy projects on the East and West Coasts has not been smooth. Apart from the Stark Tower in Manhattan and the Stark plant in California, few companies are currently willing to pay for Stark Industries' clean energy projects.

Due to the special nature of the reactor, even if someone orders the Arc Reactor, it still requires approval from the U.S. Department of Energy. It is said that the Department of Energy recently recruited an assistant who is gender-fluid, suffers from kleptomania and transvestism. It is hard to imagine what kind of difficulties Stark Industries will encounter. Perhaps even environmentalists will launch a protest.

Tony Stark had little solution to this problem. After all, his supporters were all Democrats, and LGBT+ was a Democratic policy. If he wanted to switch to the Republican Party, the military-industrial complex and traditional energy groups would exploit him and then kick him out. So, part of the reason he accepted the mission to find Thaddeus E. Ross was for a deal. Stark had to agree to Salomon's demands, transferring some technology and establishing some production lines.

Salomon also took what he needed without any hesitation.

The Mars Foundry is a military research institute and arsenal. Some technologies may be very practical but are definitely not cheap. Some products cannot even be mass-produced and made profitable. For example, the production technology of a certain turbofan blade. The turbofan blades produced by the Mars Foundry can be used for super-heavy assault transport ships, but once they are installed on large passenger planes, it will cause the cost to skyrocket. After all, large passenger planes do not need turbofans that can withstand the temperature of stars. To solve this problem, the Mars Foundry must use more backward technology to build several civilian production lines, which is undoubtedly a waste of production capacity.

In contrast, the technology transferred by Stark Industries requires no additional R&D costs. Aside from initial experimental costs, establishing production lines, and paying worker salaries, almost everything else is profit. Viktor von Dum might even be able to use this technology to trade high-end industrial products for civilian applications with other countries.

This is a huge pie; he can almost see a massive influx of resources into the war reserves.

Salomon thought this was the best thing about the chaotic day; otherwise, Victor von Doom might have actually gone to Oxfordshire Manor to block the gates. Although the Sorority could stop him, no one knew what he and the witch were doing at that time. If Ceresia really got angry, he couldn't control the witch, and they might even tear the manor down.

A figure reeking of earth slammed into the chair opposite the desk, then slid down, pulled by gravity. Few people in the Immortal City could enter this office without being announced, and Diana made no attempt to warn them.

"Thank you for your help, Laura." Salomon put down his pen, looked up at the tired young woman, and said, "There aren't many archaeologists in the Immortal City who know how to use a brush; they're much better at using excavators."

"I need more people," Laura Crawford said with her eyes closed. "There are over a thousand coffins! I've never excavated a tomb this big before!"

"Please allow me to remind you, that's not a coffin, but a stasis pod. I will provide you with manpower, so I suggest that soldiers who have undergone memory implantation participate in this operation. They possess knowledge of modern technology and good discipline, and can accomplish the archaeological committee's mission."

"You're asking them to dig up their own coffins?" Laura asked, somewhat surprised. "Will that even work?"

"I don't think they'll mind," Salomon said with a laugh. "They might even want to take this opportunity to do some rehabilitation training!"

During this period, Laura Crawford spent her time excavating the stagnant sarcophagus and deciphering the inscriptions, with almost no rest.

The secrets of the Immortal City greatly satisfied her curiosity.

More importantly, through her father Richard Crawford's notes, she discovers that the Crawford family has actually been searching for the relics left by the emperor. Richard Crawford was once criticized by the academic community for his pursuit of mysterious phenomena in history, but Laura discovers that many of the so-called mysterious phenomena were left by the emperor. Through generations of research and pursuit, the Crawford family has developed a mysterious connection with the emperor.

The emperor didn't mind revealing part of the answer to Laura; he knew that for history, the truth was the only thing that mattered.

Archaeologists have never been able to directly ask questions of historical figures; they can only speculate based on artifacts and historical records. Therefore, she hoped to get a satisfactory answer. Of course, not all answers satisfied her. For example, she wanted to know why Joan of Arc could jump from the tower unharmed, but the answer wasn't the miracle or magic she expected. Instead, she learned that she had received an adrenaline injection after landing on a haystack.

Not all answers are so realistic.

By deciphering the Euphrates Pact, the stone tablet depicting the emperor's dragon-slaying feat, Laura completed several archaeological papers. These papers concerned the relationship between the decline of Eridu, one of the earliest human cities, and the flood. Through accounts from those involved—the emperor promising her ample time to answer her questions, especially regarding the dragon-slaying part—Laura was able to vividly depict the details of society at that time, from clothing and food to housing and ideology.

Adhering to confidentiality protocols, she concealed the true reason for Elidu's northward migration, attributing it only to a great flood caused by warmer weather. "So, when will I see a dragon?" Laura Crawford sat bolt upright at the mention of this. "You promised me!"

“That was ten minutes ago,” Salomon shook his head. “Keep digging, and you’ll see what you’re looking for.”