Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 579 Exploring Kit City (Part 1) (Second Update)

Sofia wiped the sweat from her neck. For a girl who had grown up in the icy, snowy landscape of Siberia, the temperature at the landing site was unbearable. She had never experienced such temperatures before; she felt as if her skin was being repeatedly stimulated by hundreds of needles, turning red and stinging. In contrast to Sofia's predicament, Laura simply took off her mountaineering gear and put on her leather jacket again.

Jonah was still doing logistical work and exploration preparations, and had not yet caught up.

"You'd better prepare some thick clothes. They won't help in combat, but freezing to death here would be too stupid." Catherine, the culprit behind the misuse of bunker-buster bombs, not only escaped punishment from the Immortal City but was instead rewarded by Tita. The core principle of the Sisterhood was to complete the mission at all costs; a mere avalanche couldn't frighten them. Catherine cheerfully pressed a button on the assault transport ship. As the gate opened, dry, scorching air rushed in. She jumped off the ship, crushing a piece of charred bone stuck to an unidentified object with her steel high heels. Some molten, shapeless, and unidentifiable black iron scattered at the feet of the landing crew, nearly causing Sophia to twist her ankle.

A large, golden-red bird awaited them there. It watched the girls disembark from the transport ship with an arrogant air, only lowering its head to greet Catherine after she bowed to it, completely ignoring the surprised looks of the other two girls. This was why the landing site was so dry; Phoenix had burned all those who tried to stop it to ashes, evaporating every last drop of moisture. Phoenix was the safety net, the lifeline of this mission; it would ensure the girls could complete their task no matter what.

Phoenix would be more than happy to undertake this task if it weren't for the fact that completely melting all the ice and snow could lead to a complete ecological disaster.

Beyond the landing point, however, this lost city, once used to praise the gods, is now only inhabited by decaying corpses. Decay and melting snow permeate every building, and the stones placed here a thousand years ago constantly radiate a chilling cold. Even today, those who enter the lost city can still see the exquisite reliefs and urban layout of Kitt, as well as the distinctive crosses that are always visible. Completely different from the dense urban planning prevalent in the Middle Ages at the time, it is filled with the artistic beauty of ancient Greece, the entire city resembling a grand temple. Sculptures, murals, and columns are scattered throughout the city, revealing the magnificence of Jacob's original plan—he wanted to transform it into an earthly divine kingdom.

But now there are only dead people here.

Due to Jacob's mishandling, the "divine source" that sustains his life is instead controlled by the soldiers he resurrected.

More than a thousand years later, only the armored dead still roam the city, the clanging of armor plates etched forever into the cracks of the lost city's bricks by the recurring condensation of snowmelt, echoing endlessly among the burned bones and blood. Stepping out of the landing point, the atmosphere of the lost city immediately turned eerie and terrifying. Perhaps it was the resonance caused by the engines of the assault transport ships, but massive ice stalagmites rained down from the sky, crashing down relentlessly, making one's legs go numb. Faced with this sight, Catherine began to regret not bringing a heavy flamethrower—if she had used the newly developed compound fuel flamethrower, along with a few rockets, she was confident she could clear all the obstacles by herself, without having to wait for the slow-moving construction team to carry out safety reinforcement work.

She had the outlandish idea of ​​shooting down the stalagmite with an assault transport ship, but was quickly stopped by the more composed android.

As Catherine waited for the rest of the construction crew to arrive, daydreaming about being rewarded by the monarch, Sophia couldn't help but shiver. She had heard stories of Kitt since childhood, but none of Jacob's tales mentioned the city's current state. Young Sophia hadn't bothered to delve into it then, for nothing was more important to her than playing in the mud and having snowball fights. Only through Jacob's insistence did Sophia avoid becoming an ignorant fool due to her lack of formal education; she could speak Greek fluently and understand the inscriptions Laura couldn't decipher.

She also knows math, a direct result of Jacob's forceful education. The cleanup squad bringing Laura Crawford along was approved by the Immortal City's Internal Affairs Office; although Catherine disliked the troublemaking archaeologist, she still carried out the stamped order.

That's why Laura and Sophia were able to join the team instead of being driven away by Catherine.

"I will try to avoid using artillery to bombard that area, but only if you follow orders and don't wander off. I don't know why the monarch likes you so much, but you must obey me here," Catherine said, pointing to the fortress gates of Kit City in the distance. To allow supply vehicles to pass, Catherine had to order the engineering team to clear the collapsed facilities and rocks. Even though the houses destroyed by the rocks had little archaeological value, it still displeased Laura until Catherine produced her reports on archaeological expeditions in Japan and Syria.

Laura Crawford, whose every move seemed to bring ruin, finally had nothing more to say. Sophia didn't object either, because the scene here was vastly different from the lost city she had heard about as a child; it was completely different from what she had imagined.

"We will wipe out those undead soldiers before the monarch arrives," Catherine said.

"He's coming?" Laura raised an eyebrow in surprise. She was used to the way these girls in high-tech power armor called Salomon, but she was still surprised that Salomon would be coming. She had thought she wouldn't see him for a while, because judging from the way he left, it seemed he was leaving all the work here to the combat and engineering teams.

“The monarch is very interested in that item,” Catherine said, not minding revealing more information to Laura before the operation began. Sophia casually leaned closer, while also listening intently. “The monarch believes that the item he entrusted to the Undead Prophet for safekeeping will be helpful to the current situation of the Immortal City,” Catherine said. “This is a very logical judgment; everything is within the monarch’s plan.”

Laura Claude nodded. She never argued with the girls about Salomon because they simply couldn't tolerate any questioning of him.

Several red flashes rose from behind the assault transport ship, buzzing and shooting vertically downwards towards the dark blue-green Kit City. These were drones equipped with signal repeaters, forming a vast communication network crucial for combat and engineering teams to maintain contact with the outside world. Simultaneously, these devices scanned Kit City's internal structure, collaboratively creating a 3D map of the city, revealing every corner in detail.

This was a victory for high technology; at least Laura felt a sense of satisfaction seeing the endless stream of drones, their LED lights blazing, plunging into the darkness. In her view, it was a testament to Salomon's respect for artifacts and history. She knew this was quite remarkable for Salomon; someone who lived amidst artifacts would find it difficult to grasp the cultural value they held. She suddenly felt a surge of intense envy for Salomon's life; she vividly remembered the vast collection of treasures displayed in Salomon's foster mother's apartment. If archaeologists had seen those things, they might have made invaluable contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Roman history.

As for the book "The Hero's Journey" written by the woman named Minerva, Laura subconsciously ignored it.

No one could change the book's fate of becoming a sluggish seller; it was the power of magic.

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)