Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 488 Activation (First Update)

This was really nothing major; it was just an unactivated AI. Catherine, the best swordsman among the sorority's androids, single-handedly took down the organization called "Always Vigilant." She used power armor, a chainsaw sword, and a bolt-action rifle. The gunfight at the bank was a one-sided massacre; even large-caliber bullets couldn't stop Catherine. Mr. Finch and Mr. Reese didn't know Catherine, nor did they know where she came from, but after she sawed a member of "Always Vigilant" in two with her chainsaw sword, everyone except the organization's leader surrendered.

The problem is that this organization was already on the FBI's blacklist and was identified as a terrorist organization. Such organizations often have many undercover agents planted by intelligence agencies. These agents not only provide information to intelligence agencies but also incite members to carry out terrorist activities, making it easier for intelligence agencies to arrest and convict them.

Aside from the organization's leader, no one knew whether the remaining members were ordinary people or undercover agents. The leader was handed over to Mr. Finch by Catherine, and Salomon was no longer involved. He neither directly ordered Catherine to eliminate those people nor explicitly stated that they should be released. He didn't know the outcome of the androids' fate; perhaps it was written in the documents, but those documents were in Tita's possession, and as the commander, she knew all the details of the operation.

Aside from that powerful artificial intelligence, he felt only admiration for what Harold Finch and John Reese had done, but had no intention of joining them—they were filling in the gaps in the judiciary's reach, a thankless and arduous task. He had more important things to do; the intricate philosophical debates between procedural justice and substantive justice are not the topic of today's discussion.

But it seemed Harold Finch had already guessed Catherine's origins; he had seen the design of that bomb gun before. However, Salomon was unwilling to see him now, and the overly polite Mr. Finch did not dare to visit and demand that Salomon cease his cruelty.

Samaritan—that's the name of this yet-to-be-activated artificial intelligence. The AI ​​already placed in the Immortal City relentlessly urged Salomon to destroy the two military-grade hard drives, to annihilate any potential new and powerful AI that might emerge from them. But Salomon hesitated, deciding Samaritan's fate only after he had thoroughly examined the code.

Of course, the main reason was that he wanted to use the Samaritans to glean insights into the code of artificial intelligence. The AI's servers hadn't yet been moved to the Immortal City; this was a delicate balance between him and the machine. But this balance couldn't last forever. Salomon needed powerful AI in many areas, such as the Martian foundry project. Wakanda wasn't a nation with abundant human resources; high-tech talent wasn't readily available, making AI quite necessary.

The project to create the Samaritan was fraught with difficulties. Just as development was nearing completion, Harold Finch's artificial intelligence was already in use. To save costs, the project was abruptly canceled. The person primarily involved in the development was Mr. Finch's college classmate, the brain-damaged patient Salomon had visited in the hospital. When he was lucid, that guy was a really nice fellow, one of the few polite Americans Salomon had ever met.

"What are you thinking about?" Kasirius held the golden arrow in his hand. An arrow imbued with Apollo's power grants a degree of prophetic ability, which is why Kamar-Taj found it troublesome—even Aphrodite's underwear wasn't as objectionable. "I rarely see you so distracted."

“I think we might need to contact professional body recovery services, otherwise we'll always be leaving unsolved cases for the local police.” Salomon shrugged; he didn't intend to let too many people know about his construction of the Immortal City. “It's bad; it's a waste of public resources.”

“We don’t always kill those unfortunate souls, as long as they don’t kill anyone else.” Kasirios pulled Salomon’s arm. “Come on, let’s go have some more. The Allfather always complained that beer was too weak, so he brewed a barrel of strong beer himself. He gave me a few bottles, and we drank those little beauties clean.”

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In this city with its rocky dome, lighting is of paramount importance. It's perpetually dark, never rainy; gloomy days are the only theme, and countless light bulbs illuminate the streets and alleys, meticulously planned by great artists. Salomon watched the streetlights cast their unwavering light on the windowpane, picked up a glass of whiskey with spherical ice cubes, and slowly began to drink.

Lately, his craving for alcohol has increased. Although he used to drink wine, he also has a preference for spirits, with rum, whiskey, brandy, and vodka being his favorites, which he enjoys with the rocks or neat.

He doesn't want to get drunk, so he probably won't drink any more alcohol.

This was also a delightful problem, a combination of the side effects of the Stigmata and his powerful brain. He could barely feel the sensation of being tipsy; only special wines could make him drunk.

After the glass, now only containing ice, was placed back on the table, Stephanie immediately replaced the ice and poured in about two servings. She handed the glass to Salomon, poured one for herself, and made no mention of her earlier foolish actions to Salomon, as if she had transformed back into the shrewd and capable businesswoman she once was.

Diana glared at her, seemingly protesting that Stephanie had taken her job.

"We've started acquiring shares in pharmaceutical companies," Stephanie said. "The investment in the neuroscience institute is underway. Whitehall won't doubt it, because human research is a common Hydra research project, and Baron Strucker and Dr. Lister are also conducting it. He'll just think the Malik family has abandoned mythology for science, and might even laugh at their backwardness."

"Very well, our research capabilities are still too weak." Salomon cleared his throat. "We need external scientists to help us with our research projects, to have experts in all these fields at our service. As for Whitehall..."

“I’ve heard his legend.” Stephanie sat on Salomon’s lap, her tanned face looking perfectly natural. “His rejuvenation is no secret within Hydra, and nobody knows what he’s achieved.”

"He didn't achieve anything. He just performed an organ transplant, and he did that with the risk of rejection," Salomon said. "But his test subjects were very helpful to us, and to your father as well. The Kree genes aren't that strong; they were also Celestials' test subjects. The reason human and Kree genes can combine is because they both originated from the same Celestials genetic engineering project. We can replicate Whitehall's success, more than once, and at a low cost."

"Then we can control all the capitalists and politicians in the world." Stephanie's eyes lit up. In an instant, she envisioned many plans, then picked out a more feasible one and spoke it aloud. "The more people they have, the more afraid they are of death. They are afraid of aging, afraid of mental instability, afraid of being unable to control their bodily functions while lying in bed, forced to endure humiliating and rough scrubbing. Once they know about the life-extending surgery, we will be welcomed by the world's wealthy. We might even be able to reduce the cost of acquiring those shares, as long as we agree to extend their lives! Of course, they won't be that obedient, but we also have armed forces, and we can even use their money to support us."

“A good idea.” Salomon stroked Stephanie’s back, making her smile happily. “But we have a biggest rival, and we must destroy him first.” The arcane mage said casually, “Completely. This time, without the Paperclip Plan, he won’t rise again.”

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(End of this chapter)