Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 445 The Snake Head (First Update)

"If you're in a hurry, I can spare a culture tank." The arcane mage looked towards the distant gray-blue horizon, trying to escape the awkwardness of the topic. "It's just that the android's size is permanently fixed. Why don't you consider it?"

"You're so funny, you know perfectly well what I'm referring to." The slightly flirtatious atmosphere that had been hanging between the two was broken. Romanoff moved closer to Salomon, and the implication in her words made the sorcerer feel as if a tight leather belt was binding his waist. As the Romanoff agent got closer, this feeling of restraint became more and more intense, until it was almost impossible to breathe.

"Or is it that it's very difficult for you to regenerate my missing organs? If so, then you'll have to break your promise." Agent Romanov blinked, but Salomon still didn't look at her. However, she didn't seem to mind, continuing to hold the sorcerer's arm, "Field agents retire early, and I'll soon be retiring. If you can do it, I can have a child."

"It's a bit difficult, but not impossible." Salomon coughed twice, feigning seriousness. "That's the realm of druidic magic. I need time to study and learn the fundamental principles of such healing spells. It's completely different from killing you and then resurrecting you. If no spell can achieve this effect, I'll need to develop one myself. Give me time, Natasha."

"Very good." Natasha smiled slyly, her beautiful face full of hope. "Also, your height makes me feel very safe. I promise I won't tell anyone it's your child, deal?"

Salomon coughed even louder.

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"Master, both targets have returned home." Diana's voice came through the in-ear headphones, even though they weren't actually being worn and were loosely attached to her collar. Salomon could still hear every word she said. He had immediately begun arranging this operation after sending Agent Romanov to the airport—Agent Romanov's mission was very likely related to Hydra, and the time for Hydra to surface within S.H.I.E.L.D. was not far off. If they didn't act now, they would get nothing.

He peered through the window of his rented black Chevrolet into the distance. It was a private estate, a heavily guarded world of high walls and barbed wire—the norm for the residences of political figures. Especially for certain key figures, security might be provided by the state. Fortunately, this wasn't the case. Although his target wielded considerable influence in American politics, he had retreated to the background as a presidential advisor, and the state apparatus could no longer openly serve him.

But Hydra's armed personnel can.

Artificial intelligence provided false identities for all those involved, but Salomon still managed to obscure his own identity to avoid being caught on surveillance cameras. He wouldn't completely trust artificial intelligence; that was absolutely impossible. Even though the timeline for this operation was predicted by artificial intelligence using big data, he would still harbor the utmost skepticism.

Salomon made a request for this mission: the Sisterhood could not have the leisurely time to carry it out as before. Salomon's requirement was that no alarms be raised when they attacked, because he had many things to discuss with the target and needed time, rather than being besieged by external armed support after the mission was completed.

Covert operations are not the Sisterhood's forte, but once the artificial intelligence is integrated into the powered armor's communication systems, it pinpoints the location of each security personnel. Each android is assigned at least one enemy. They will descend from the sky and strike their target directly, giving them no time to react.

Salomon wasn't idle; he opened the car door, got out, and began waving his wand. Just as he used a looping video feed to cover up surveillance, Salomon used illusions to obscure the view in front of the manor. Upon receiving the message, the sorority members jumped out of their cloaking aircraft, activated their Steel Wings modules, and crashed straight into the manor's rooms.

The illusion concealed the sorority's descending figures and the sound of the steel wings' engines. Salomon heard through his headset the sounds of windows shattering, swords cutting into flesh, screams of agony, and pistol shots firing—nothing else. About three minutes later, he saw the aircraft deactivate its cloaking and land in the manor's garden. Diana reconnected to the communication and reported the mission's success to Salomon.

"Very good." Salomon got back into the car and dispelled the illusion. He started the car. "Open the gate and let me drive in."

Diana's weapon is an extremely large chainsaw sword.

The chainsaw's engine is the heart of a hellish dragon, and its teeth are made of the hardest scales. Even vibranium would wear down under prolonged cutting. Salomon has yet to see anything that this chainsaw sword cannot cut. This weapon was a gift from Bayonetta as a reward for Dinah's long service. It replaced her previous, rather rudimentary greatsword and became Dinah's primary weapon.

The chainsaw sword was also placed on the neck of the most traditional Hydra head, its sharp serrations cutting shallow bloodstains into the aging, loose skin. Gideon Malick's daughter, Stephanie, still had a large patch of blood on her clothes; Diana had sawed a person in half alive right before her eyes.

The study was the only place where no battle had taken place.

Salomon rummaged through the files in Gideon Malik's study, all the locks opening automatically in front of him, even the safe. He couldn't find what he was looking for, so he casually opened the cigar box on the desk, cut off one end, and lit one for himself.

Salomon's trick of lighting a cigar without a match caught Gideon Malik's eye. Even though he was forced to sit in a chair, Gideon Malik wasn't overly flustered. On the contrary, he had already realized Salomon's purpose—since the person capable of raiding Malik Manor didn't kill him, it meant that this person wanted something from him.

"Humans feared the leader of Hydra and used a portal to send him to another world. This is your family's legend," he said. "Alexander Pierce, John Gatler, Dr. Hotwyl, Dr. Lister, I know you are all Hydra, just because of different ideologies."

"You and He are of the same kind." He calmly uttered a riddle no one could understand, wanting to test whether the person before him knew anything. "Why don't you serve Him with us?"

"No, no, no, I have nothing to do with that nanobot. This is the result of my studies; it's magic." Salomon carefully took a puff of his cigar, then choked and coughed incessantly. Even though she was still shaken, Malik's daughter couldn't help but cast a disdainful glance at him. What she disliked was Salomon's insistence on calling his superpowers magic, which was no different from the chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) on the internet.

After catching his breath, Salomon waved his hand, letting the cigar-scented air quickly leave the room. He ignored the surprised looks on the faces of the Malik father and daughter. "I can kindly tell you where the so-called Hydra origin comes from. Don't be surprised, I've said before that it's magic, not some random genetic superpower."

"Is it alright?" Gideon Malik gestured to the liquor cabinet and refrigerator in the study. Salomon nodded, signaling Diana to put down the chainsaw sword and instructing the other androids to prepare. He himself sat in the main seat of the study, looking very relaxed. Gideon Malik smiled and handed Salomon a glass of wine, showing no sign of hostility.

"Now it's story time." Salomon clinked glasses with Gideon Malik and his daughter, as if the previous bloodshed had never happened. He swirled his glass, took a sip, and then smiled at Gideon Malik's daughter. He liked the Malik family's composure and wisdom; he knew there was an alarm in the liquor cabinet, but Malik hadn't pressed it.

"Hydra's origins are not gods, I'm sorry to shatter your illusions. Perhaps you think Thor is a high-tech alien, but I can tell you, the Aesir is a pantheon of gods with ancient god blood. Your worship of that nanobot is really not as good as your worship of the Aesir; it's just a genetically modified creature." The sorcerer said with a gloating tone, "A veritable bastard, a multi-armed humanoid amoeba, which is why Hydra's symbol is an octopus, because Hydra's god is indeed an octopus."

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(End of this chapter)