Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 556 Nightmare and Mutation (First Update)

This is a journey fraught with pain and terror. The long voyage towards the galactic frontier is a constant torment for every crew member, from the screams of the power lines to the groans of the ship. This is an administrative region inaccessible to many civilizations in the galaxy and even beyond, teeming with bandits, swindlers, smugglers, and a diverse array of villains. As competition intensifies, the crew must remain vigilant every day, prepared for any potential attack.

This was a journey of eating and being eaten. Undoubtedly, even with its battered and exhausted fleet, Salomon, under his leadership, still achieved victory after victory. Whenever the battle reached a stalemate, he would order his first mate to go full speed ahead and ram the enemy ships, followed by the much-anticipated boarding maneuvers. The continuous victories filled the initial group of pirates with confidence, and they firmly believed that Salomon would always be victorious. The fleet continued to expand, Salomon's flagship was constantly being replaced, and one mutiny after another was suppressed by him with extremely bloody methods.

But as they got closer to their objective, mutinies became more frequent, forcing Salomon to tighten control and assign his loyal men to serve as captains on various ships to ensure he would be notified immediately if a mutiny occurred.

"The crew are having nightmares, Captain. Some of them... I believe they didn't intentionally want to mutiny; something's wrong with their minds. Someone's stuffed some inexplicable thing into their brains." There was no starlight here, only the feeling of diving into the pitch-black depths and seeing bizarre sea creatures. The first mate recalled the deep-sea creatures he'd seen at the Hala Aquarium—they had transparent skeletons and deformed bodies, some even emitting colorful light. When he interrogated the mutinous crew, he felt that perhaps those guys had a transparent, constantly swimming deep-sea creature stuffed into their brains, emitting incoherent colorful light through their eyes and muttering obscure names.

First Mate Alex nervously offered his advice to Salomon. He lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the patterned, iron-gray steel floor of the captain's cabin. The former captain's bloodstains had just been wiped away, and traces of circulating water still lingered in some places. This unfortunate fellow had just tasted the tactics the current captain had devised. As the fleet expanded, the first mate also witnessed the captain's art of command.

Through highly precise command of deep penetration and luring the enemy in, followed by a boarding maneuver to seize the flagship, and then using the ship's powerful firepower for the final battle. Magic, and those magical spells that enable ships to perform incredible penetration tactics—the first mate believed every crew member cheered the moment the captain cast his spell. Because he had executed the unfortunate fellow who hadn't cheered, though no one cared, as there had been a lot of new crew members recently.

Thousands of commands were issued one by one through the holographic projection command console, precise down to the thruster power and specific direction of each ship. For the captain, the entire battle was merely a wargame on paper; the ever-changing chessboard transformed into a turn-based game with ample time for deliberation. The captain sliced ​​through the battlefield like slicing meat, displaying unimaginable command power. The first mate was certain that when they finally captured the ship, the ink on the tactical note the captain had just written on the paper was still wet.

The first mate came to report because the captain had asked him to pick up a new logistical supply order.

This includes the new name for this black flagship.

The golden glow emanating from the captain constantly stung the first mate's eyes, bringing tears to his eyes. For some reason, the closer he got to the captain, the harder it was for him to lift his head; he knew he wasn't worthy to look this great captain in the eye. Yet, a gentle voice answered him, dispelling the fear deep within him and enveloping him in warmth. He was so great that sometimes, when he appeared at the scene of a mutiny, the mutineers would drop their weapons and surrender, weeping and confessing—most mutinies occurred among the new crew, with only a very few veterans participating. But whoever it was, would crumble under the captain's pressure. Alex was proud to follow such a captain; he considered this the best voyage of his career, and even if hell lay ahead, he wouldn't regret it.

"It's okay."

The first mate stared intently at his Shi'ar Empire-made clawed boots, his attention fixed on the voice. He hesitated, wondering whether to share more details with the captain, but quickly realized it was unnecessary; the captain knew everything. "Get them moving. Use knives to carve this pattern and symbol into every corner of the ship. There can't be a single mistake." The captain handed the first mate a piece of parchment, covered with intricate, dazzling patterns and distorted symbols he couldn't decipher. "Once they're done, have them carve it again until we reach our target location. If anyone goes mad or mutates, dispose of them secretly immediately; stuff the body into the vents and incinerate it." His deep, obsidian-like eyes were fixed on the first mate. "You can call a few trusted men to do this, but if they also have problems, don't hesitate."

Alex took a deep breath and glanced at the frozen limbs still floating outside the window. "Yes, Captain!"

Salomon turned back to gaze at the boundless starry sky outside the window. The plan for inscribing the runes was provided by Merlin; the hybrid Nightmare seemed to have had enough and was eager to head to the [Dream Veil], but Dave felt the bigger reason was that they couldn't receive Xandar's adult channels here. Salomon readily agreed to Merlin's absurd idea.

The sublight-speed engines restarted, carrying the fleet toward the dark nightmare at the edge of the galaxy.

"I promise he'll come back," Stephanie told Agent Romanoff. "I don't know where he is, but I know he'll definitely come back! This is the most important place to him; he can't just disappear and never return!"

She sighed deeply and hung up the phone.

Salomon's absence this time was rather long, and the pressure from the Immortal City has now shifted entirely to her and her team. Stephanie, gradually taking over the secrets, is only now realizing what secrets Salomon is hiding, and these secrets are merely the tip of the iceberg. She hasn't yet gained access to higher levels of authority and confidential documents, and before the marked time arrives, the artificial intelligence will absolutely not tell her where to dig for secrets. Even if she takes over all the secrets Salomon has given her, those obscure magical secrets will remain forever beyond her knowledge.

She only knew a few names, but didn't understand their meanings; she was the kind of person who always hovered outside the magic gate.

However, Stephanie had no interest in learning about those things; she only wanted to do her job well. She didn't even tell her father about the current situation in the Immortal City. Stephanie knew her father was very restless, and for the sake of the Malik family and to be responsible for Salomon's unconditional trust, she decided to return to the Malik family with the Sisterhood for a negotiation.

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)