Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 503 Labor Reform (Second Update)

Passing through the thin, synthetic wooden door, the comfortable temperature enveloped Agent Romanov like a fine, welcoming veil. The perpetually pleasant 25 degrees Celsius made her coat unsuitable, and Salomon, with impeccable manners, removed it for her, hanging it on the head of a strangely shaped little robot, before inviting her out of the teleportation chamber to tour the Immortal City.

A massive gantry crane and robotic arm worked together to dismantle the aircraft carrier's cannons. Lasers cut through the carrier's hull metal plates, which were then removed and set aside by electromagnet-equipped robotic arms. This metal has a yield strength far exceeding that of the steel used in Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, yet is much lighter. As a novel material, it was designed to accommodate more Quinjet fighters and superguns. From its initial construction, the Skycarrier was not designed to withstand attacks, resulting in compromised defensive capabilities and a pitifully small damage control department.

Agent Romanov witnessed the construction of the Immortal City's conversion into a sky carrier, and she was astonished that Salomon possessed such high-tech engineering machinery. She secretly glanced at her satellite phone while Salomon wasn't looking, only to find there was no signal; her communicator and positioning system were completely ineffective. No one except Salomon knew her whereabouts. The rocky dome she caught a glimpse of further shocked her. She knew she could no longer treat Salomon as an unorganized superhuman; unbeknownst to others, Salomon had already developed his own power base.

"Has Stark helped you?" she asked, feigning interest. She wasn't worried at all that Salomon might suddenly turn against her; based on past experience, Salomon had always been a cooperative person, even after he became Hydra in name only.

"Part of it was just a fair trade, a technology exchange," the sorcerer said, pursing his lips. "If you ask me, he got a huge advantage."

Stark's greatest contribution was imitating the force field generator of Asgard, and now all non-chainsaw weapons are equipped with force field generators. However, the androids seem to prefer chainsaw weapons and large-caliber bolt guns, with only a few androids with exceptional swordsmanship showing a preference for force field weapons.

Salomon was very dissatisfied with the Sky Carrier, so he replaced all the metal armor plates.

The supergun at the bottom was removed and replaced with massive cannons on the sides. The rear sides and bottom were converted into entrances and exits for assault transport craft, and the server array was moved to another location. He also planned to install three engines and a new reactor at the stern of the ship to improve its maneuverability. He intended to transform the Sky Carrier into a Sky Battleship, using massive air support as escorts, retaining only one Sky Carrier capable of carrying a large number of Quinjet fighters and assault transport craft, forming a powerful combat system with its carrier-based aircraft.

Therefore, there are also plans to modify the Quinjet, but given Wakanda's small size and sparse population, such a large-scale project cannot be completed immediately. Adding to this the learning costs of artificial intelligence, now is the time to allow AI to learn how to build and maintain it. This project will likely take several months, which is already world-class engineering capability, but Salomon still feels it's a bit slow. These three sky carriers also need to be equipped with artificial gravity, vacuum launch pods, and large one-way electromagnetic shields; otherwise, they cannot be used as outer space vessels.

Once the warships are repaired, Salomon will naturally find a use for them; he will definitely not let these things sit idle.

Plunder is an inevitable path to expansion. Salomon modeled its development on the European war-based capitalism model, using war as a means to plunder resources and technology, thus creating a virtuous cycle of development. There are plenty of unfortunate souls in outer space; he'll find the most resource-rich one on the star map and deliver a brutal blow.

"Where are the people on the aircraft carrier?" Natasha asked deliberately, observing Salomon's reaction. But she already knew the answer, for she was the one who had witnessed Salomon kill Alexander Pierce. Given Salomon's ruthlessness, the Hydra crew was likely doomed. However, the sorcerer simply pointed to the other side of the factory. Natasha walked over and discovered that the crew members, regardless of their status, were all wearing overalls, had buzz cuts, and were working hard, sweating profusely.

Their job was to clean the unmodified SkyCarrier, removing bloodstains and bodies from the deck.

Salomon forbade Natasha from going any further.

"Before their labor reform is complete, they cannot communicate with others," he said. "Every night, someone would explain my ideals to them and make them reflect on their past mistakes. This was very effective. Most of these people were low-level Hydra members, not hardened Hydra agents. Many middle-level members were also brainwashed by the mission given to them by Hydra. So I broke the lie, let them communicate with each other on an equal footing, and then instilled in them a more noble mission—now that they are forming an information cocoon, you shouldn't disturb them."

"Do you know what doing this means?"

"If Captain America ever decides to fight me to the death, I think that's perfectly normal," Salomon said with a wicked grin. "I'll just show him what's going on in private prisons in America first, and then I'll ask him to liberate the innocent civilians inside. Whether he sees it from a purely humanitarian perspective or not, I have a logical way of silencing the Americans. You really don't want to join my plan? Are you going to listen to my first step?"

"Tell me about it?" Agent Romanov raised an eyebrow, his bright red lips pursed. "I'm very curious about who your target is."

"I think I could try being a space pirate for a while." The sorcerer put his hands in his pockets, looking like any ordinary young man you'd see on the street. Only he was so tall that Natasha had to crane her neck to see his face. "Nothing gets any faster than looting, does it? I want you to speak with Nick Fury. We need medical personnel on board, and I know you can contact him."

Salomon knew his forces were far too few, and he was unwilling to let the Wakanda control all the ships. He had already reached an agreement with Tita (one-sided, as Tita would agree to anything he said) to use the Philosopher's Stone to increase the number of androids until a stable source of troops was found. However, these androids would have a longer slumber; they would experience battles and life in their dreams, and would be ready to join the fight immediately upon leaving their incubation chambers.

He was desperately short of manpower, so he was desperately searching for talent.

The young scientists who escaped from S.H.I.E.L.D. were also his targets. Students filled with a sense of mission were easy to incite; give them a goal greater than S.H.I.E.L.D., and demonstrate your capabilities, and those young students would flock to it. However, after Salomon visited S.H.I.E.L.D., he was utterly disappointed—the students there were attacked without even being able to fight back; many were shot in the back, and many bodies were hastily buried. Apart from Commander Gonzalez and the surviving Agent Weaver, no one mourned the students.

"I need manpower, Natasha. Individual heroism won't work; everyone must contribute their strength for the future of humanity."

Please vote for me!

I helped deliver the baby cat that wandered to my doorstep. I'm a little late, sorry.

(End of this chapter)