Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 594 Manpower Issues (First Update)

Stephanie was somewhat bewildered by the sudden order. She didn't understand why her monarch was to begin collecting naval warfare case studies and manuals from World War II, inviting veterans to write operational manuals, especially on battleship and dreadnought tactics. Modern naval warfare was largely beyond visual range; the era of massive battleships and heavy guns had been replaced by a wide variety of missiles, and the days of direct gunfire were over. However, as Salomon's most trusted secretary (as she called herself), Stephanie carried out her monarch's orders without hesitation, without asking why.

Her next task was to advance the U.S. Department of Defense's tactical research on future space warfare, and NASA, funded by the Malik family, naturally joined the project. Although U.S. armed satellites are now largely useless, the Cold War-era "Star Wars" program has actually been revived after the Battle of New York. The U.S., China, and Russia have focused on developing aerospace technology in recent years; however, they are still a long way from achieving their goal of protecting the entire solar system and striking exoplanets.

Gideon Malik's family doctor finally declared him fully recovered and able to return to the State Department to lead NASA's Space Naval Tactics Research Program. This program paled in comparison to the grand pronouncements of companies like Lunar Express, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic. Many politicians believed Gideon Malik was considering retirement to secure one last political boost for Stephanie Malik; otherwise, he wouldn't have joined such a distant and seemingly insignificant yet indispensable project.

It's likely that the U.S. State Department will soon welcome the beautiful Malik, and Stephanie Malik's marriage has been put on the agenda. It's clear to everyone that the long-established Malik political family will continue its illustrious history. This is also something Gideon Malik has tacitly agreed to; he needs Stephanie to give birth to the Malik family heir, as she is an only child.

If Stephanie were still the same as before, Gideon wouldn't be worried about this at all. However, now that his only daughter is running around with Salomon and has no intention of dating, he is very anxious.

Stephanie, the person directly involved, had no idea what kind of vortex she had been caught in, and even if she did, she wouldn't have had any time to think about it. When Salomon returned to the Immortal City, the first thing he showed Stephanie were the warships anchored in the inner plane. The sight of massive ships and cannons was incredibly awe-inspiring, especially standing before the towering muzzles of those cannons; a fear from the depths of her genes instantly overwhelmed her reason. Stephanie's mental fortitude wasn't as strong as Salomon's. Salomon helped her sit on the sofa, and with the help of hot tea and cookies, it took her a long time to recover.

"Are all of those ours?" Stephanie's hands and feet were still ice-cold, and her body was trembling. She kept moving closer to Salomon, as if that would help her regain her courage.

"Yes, absolutely. We will have many more warships in the future; this is just the tip of the iceberg."

"My lord, what kind of enemy are we facing?" A question suddenly occurred to her. This question plunged her into an icy abyss, completely waking her up. "What kind of brutal battles await in the future, that would your future self send those things to the present?"

"Our first adversary is the Mad Titan, who has destroyed countless civilizations throughout the universe." Although the enemy is currently outside the solar system, Salomon has already felt the pressure emanating from that Mad Titan. According to bizarre and unfounded rumors among space pirates, the Mad Titan Thanos possesses extremely powerful genetic modification technology and the bio-mechanical technology of the Chitauri, which can be used to create incredibly powerful and fearless war monsters. When the Mad Titan Thanos's warships arrive, endless bio-monsters will overwhelm all armies on the ground.

Under such terrifying power, surrender will inevitably emerge on Earth. This has nothing to do with ideology, political considerations, or even overall national strength; it is an objective fact. Currently, governments around the world are utterly powerless to resist the warlords from space, and even if they do resist, they cannot hold out for long. As for Asgard, Salomon doesn't expect them to have a fully-fledged army after Ragnarok, so he didn't tell anyone about it beforehand. Even the Avengers were unaware of the enemy's arrival—on the brutal battlefield, even the Avengers' strength would be useless.

The first one? Does that mean there are still many enemies in the future?

"I will proceed with the Martian foundry and its follow-up plans immediately." Stephanie took a deep breath. "But is there enough time? When will our enemies arrive? And should the Wakandas know about this? I believe those warships will be enough to deter them and keep the Wakanda king in line."

The sorcerer nodded.

"I've made all the arrangements, and now we're just waiting for advancements in neuroscience. Ordinary people can't operate a warship simply by learning; the amount of data is just too massive," Salomon said. "You can apply for support for brain-computer interfaces and auxiliary thinking circuits. I can't possibly equip everyone with a magical device; that's just too unrealistic."

"The Samaritan and that artificial intelligence!"

"No, that won't work. Those ships don't have artificial intelligence, and we don't have time to modify all the ships." Salomon harbored a deep distrust of artificial intelligence. This wasn't surprising, given that the artificial intelligence he had encountered was of a very high level, almost possessing its own emotions.

"We need to find people now to secretly learn the piloting techniques on those hard drives, and then start the smallest warship. That way, the Mars Foundry project will be completely under our control, and the Wakandas will no longer be able to interfere. Go and select from Sofia's people. Apart from the boys marked in the biological lab, you can assign any Sofia people from the Immortal City and the Lost City. From now on, they will be under your command. Don't worry, I will talk to Sofia about this. They need to join the Immortal City to escape the Trinity's hunt. Complete incorporation into the Immortal City is their wish. All plans must be kept secret from the Wakandas. We cannot let the Wakandas get any information."

"You also told me about the girl who's about to join the Immortal City. Is that girl a sorcerer from Kamar-Taj, one of your subordinates?"

"Karmar-Taj doesn't belong to me yet, Stephanie. That girl is my student; I personally taught her magic. However, she has her own matters to attend to, so she can't come for the time being." The arcane mage ordered his invisible servant to bring a cup of tea. He also needed to relax. Faced with Salomon's invitation, the Maximov siblings readily agreed. In their view, their revenge was a foregone conclusion, and after the revenge was over, they needed to find a place to live. Since their teacher had extended an olive branch, there was no need to think too much; they would simply join.

Moreover, Wanda also wanted to help her teacher and share some of the burden. In her view, Salomon's responsibilities were unbelievably heavy; she couldn't understand what kind of person would inflict such a cruel fate on an individual instead of an entire civilization. But regardless, she hoped to play a role in the battles to come.

"Is this your student, Boya?" The witch first pinched Salomon's cheek, then continued scrolling through his phone's photo album. "Not bad physique," Bayonetta commented, feigning interest. "Aren't you tempted, my little stallion?"

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)