Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 559 "The Chronicle of the Kijie-Japanese Republic (Second Update)"

Laura sat on the floor, dejectedly clutching the copy of the Civic Chronicle.

This book was one of her father Richard Crawford's many books, who, while collecting the world's many secrets, had paid attention to news of the city of Grande Gezer, known as the "Russian Atlantis." Besides this, there was also Lapkins. Given the oath Salomon had made her swear, she couldn't explain to Jonah the concrete evidence of the existence of mystical forces in this world; otherwise, she would definitely have shown Jonah the power of magic by presenting him with the small gift Salomon had given her.

The manor, now quiet again, was eerily still. Laura didn't turn on the lights. She couldn't quite describe her feelings, but she was certain that neither she nor her father had done anything wrong. If she found the "Divine Source," she was confident she could persuade Salomon to let her reveal its existence.

"Jonah?" The bronze artifacts on the floor reflected a faint light, and the old wooden floor creaked. Laura tentatively called out, but received no response. Her adrenaline surged, her heart pounded, and trembling swept through her body. Laura Crawford, the pinnacle of the Dragon Triangle's fighting force, the demolition expert of the Prophet's Tomb, had accumulated enough experience to transform from an archaeology student into a legendary adventurer. The heavy oak door slowly opened, the unlubricated hinges groaning painfully, and a cold breeze that quietly drifted into the room from the corridor stimulated Laura's nerves. She smelled the scent of the bushes in the manor. It was the smell of sap seeping from broken leaves; the old butler had just trimmed the bushes not long ago—in his words, gardening itself was a reward, and no extra payment was needed for it. Even though they were both English, Laura still couldn't understand the old butler's obsession with gardening and afternoon tea scones.

Her heart was beating so fast that the rushing time seemed to slow down before her eyes.

The instant she sensed something was wrong, Laura reached out and grabbed the emerald green lampshade in front of her.

This was her instinct, her intuition, that allowed her to survive in the hellish Dragon Triangle. She disregarded the preciousness of this rare, one-of-a-kind Emerald Desk Lamp, turning and swinging it horizontally, smashing the lampshade hard into the face of the assassin who had stealthily infiltrated the Croft Manor. The next instant, she used the thick, brass-edged Codex of the Kierkegaard to smash the assassin's pistol, eliminating the most threatening weapon. However, she was immediately grabbed by the neck by the well-trained assassin. The sudden difficulty breathing obscured Laura's vision with a dark veil; her lungs strained, but she couldn't draw in a single breath. Relying on the muscle memory she had developed from training in combat, Laura struck the assassin's temple with her palm, twisted her arm around his neck, and slammed his head against the windowsill, buying herself a moment to catch her breath.

The agents monitoring Croft Manor heard the gunshot and immediately informed their superiors.

This encrypted intelligence, transmitted via a secretly launched spy satellite, traveled across the Earth's atmosphere, its lonely radio waves finally reaching a geostationary satellite over Rome, which then transmitted it to a signal tower erected after the end of the last century's war. Immediately afterwards, the file containing this message was encrypted again and sent to an aircraft carrier patrolling near the Faroe Islands. Victoria Hand, the current head of the Immortal City's intelligence department, received a message from intelligence personnel on the carrier: the target Salomon had instructed her to monitor had been attacked.

She immediately contacted the agent with the temporary code name C-A1 to inquire about the latest developments in the incident.

"The enemy agent has already escaped from Crawford Manor. It's too dark to see if he's injured." This intelligence officer, a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, was highly professional. He told Agent Hand that he had confirmed Laura Crawford's condition by phone—he pretended to be someone who had dialed the wrong number, and his stammering tone convinced Laura. Laura Crawford was unharmed and did not require emergency medical assistance. As for him, let's call him C-A1, he had abandoned the car and followed the assassin on foot into the unique tropical jungle of Surrey County. His nostrils were filled with the fresh air of the summer jungle, but the humid, warm environment bred mud and mosquitoes followed closely behind.

He resisted the urge to slap himself.

Economic globalization seems to have brought mosquitoes to Britain, which is simply unbelievable. While British mosquitoes don't bite, they are enormous, practically heavy bombers in the insect world. And it's already May; only foreign mosquitoes bite at this time of year.

"The direction is towards Woking, south of Abington, and they might relocate again," C-A1 said. "They might have vehicle support and weaponry, and I need to move traffic lights. I know we don't have the authority; perhaps we need to communicate with the authorities..."

"No need." The moment Agent Hand finished speaking, an app appeared on C-A1's phone, its simple traffic light logo explaining its function and purpose. Simultaneously, a spy satellite sent him satellite imagery of his current location, allowing him to mark the fleeing target for further tracking.

"This is something new; S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't have this before," C-A1 muttered. He had received detailed information about the target; he even knew what the assassin had eaten that morning.

English breakfasts are quite substantial; perhaps I should give it a try. With so much money to spare, I might as well make the most of it. C-A1 thought to himself.

"Report back in fifteen minutes. The Quinjet has taken off," Agent Hand said curtly. She gave the order that one Quinjet on the carrier deck would take off within three minutes and arrive at the destination to provide support. "Also, watch your accent. I don't understand London accents."

"Roger that." Agent C-A1 shrugged, making a slight metallic scraping sound. He released the safety on his pistol, activated the powered exoskeleton hidden under his clothing, and quickened his pace to catch up. This technology originated from a Cybertech executive recently captured by Immortal City. The project, called "Death Warrior," allowed Immortal City to lower the cost of powered exoskeletons, making them available to their most elite agents. C-A1 had participated in that operation; he knew the origin of "Death Warrior," or rather, "Centipede Warrior," but he didn't know Agent Coulson's current situation. He only knew that Agent Hand seemed to have fallen out with Agent Coulson and was now working with General Tapot of the military to capture Coulson's team.

He was an agent personally recruited by Agent Victoria Hand. During the rebellion, his file was also presented to Congress, but Agent Hand helped him escape imprisonment, changed his name, and used the same methods she employed at S.H.I.E.L.D., perhaps even more resources.

He might need to make a few phone calls.

Meanwhile, at Croft Manor in Surrey, Laura was not panicked by the attack. She knew who had sent the assassin, and she knew that Trinity would not give up.

But how did they know that Croft Manor possessed the Codex of the Kitjee Chronicle? Laura didn't have time to ponder this question; she immediately decided to set off and find the so-called Divine Source before Trinity discovered any clues. Jonah agreed—whether the Divine Source was in Kitjee or not, they should hurry; nothing could be worse than Trinity obtaining it.

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(End of this chapter)