Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 703 Mechanical Glory (First Update)

"You'd never believe it, but we can survive on Mars without wearing spacesuits!"

"That's because you were in the eco-cabin!" the technician yelled impatiently. "James, you idiot! Get back to work! Didn't you get tired of this scenery during the preliminary exploration?"

"Have a sense of humor, man. We're Earthlings who've landed on Mars!" James gazed out the window at the red sand dunes in the distant desert, the orange sunlight streaming down from the sky, making the whole world look like it was about to be engulfed in flames. He had to put on the cheap sunglasses he'd bought on Earth to avoid being blinded by the light. The inspectors found the sunglasses while checking his luggage, and for some reason, the space program, so meticulous about weight limits, gave him a break, allowing him to bring this personal item that wasn't on the declaration list. Now he knew why: the inspectors were Australians, just like him.

"Considering we're at least 55 million kilometers from Earth right now, Mars is perfect for reminiscing about the Australian bushfires, since it's all red." James left the observation window and walked over to the busy technicians. He took off his sunglasses, revealing his own glasses. "How are we going to solve the gravity problem in the foundry? The manual only says 'Press this button once,' 'Press that button twice,' and 'Turn on this switch when the light turns red.' This doesn't sound like an operating manual for astronauts landing on Mars."

The massive eco-pod, adorned with a golden eagle emblem, trembled twice. The short-haired, greyish-white technician knew he had completed the first step: securing it to Mars. He was confident the two enormous tracks would function properly; it was less an eco-pod and more a colossal mobile fortress.

Aside from the crucial landing module carrying the astronauts, the other modular components had already been delivered to their designated locations via repeated rocket launches. Finally, the landing module landed with incredible precision on top of these pre-built components. The landing module, resembling a turret, housed the technicians and their assistants. This mobile fortress on Mars was far more robust than most current spacecraft, eliminating concerns about even tiny pieces of space debris or meteorites penetrating the outer shell and causing leaks. The robust armor plates and continuously operating reactor provided the eco-module with an almost inexhaustible energy source, eliminating worries about the impact of three consecutive months of Martian dust storms on the project's progress.

Only weak spacecraft use solar power; real powerhouses use nuclear power for their landing craft, and there's even a huge plasma cannon installed at the front of the eco-module, which is of unknown origin.

"Because of the easy-to-use manual you saw for future immigrants, it seems they want to speed up the Mars colonization process and won't require all immigrants to have higher education." He checked the operation of the radio relay station that had been launched earlier and then began sending signals to the other landing modules. They weren't the only ones landing on Mars, nor were they the first humans to set foot on the planet. The reason they were able to land on Mars was because their superiors had a very grand plan for Mars, a plan that even Martian monsters couldn't escape the fate of being annihilated by plasma cannons.

If Martian monsters really exist in this world.

"Even if we go to Mars, we can't escape the problem of refugees taking our jobs? Fred, I remember you complaining that your former boss was so obsessed with diversity that he would rather hire a Middle Eastern refugee with a violent criminal record than a highly educated white mechanical engineer."

"Our bosses are total pragmatists. Do you think they care about some damn humanitarianism? We'll open schools and teach everyone science, regardless of their skin color, background, or even age," Fred said nonchalantly. "We'll teach them as we work until they have our skills. But if those refugees think this is Germany, where they can commit crimes without punishment and be fawned over by white politicians, they're sorely mistaken—even though that's what the boss initially used to lure them here. They were kept in a fantasy of a better life in Europe until they were launched to Mars."

Faced with his companion's questioning gaze, Fred had no choice but to stop what he was doing and begin to explain to James.

"Do you remember those cyborgs you saw at the Earth base? Our boss doesn't keep trash people. If they break the law, they become cyborg slaves, working endlessly for the project until their bodies completely decompose."

"No wonder you joined this company, man, that sounds wicked enough!"

"James, I think it's time to tell you the truth." Fred took a deep breath. He suddenly turned around and pulled out a strange-looking handgun. James was startled and quickly raised his hands. Fred said, "This isn't some company at all; it's a government, a government that has no connection to any government on Earth. The real purpose of this project is to protect humanity, to deal with extraterrestrial threats, not to protect politicians or rich people, but people like us. To protect humanity, to preserve civilization. I'm sorry to have kept you in the dark, but your invention is too important; we absolutely cannot lose someone as talented as you."

"That sounds like bastard work! I just met a girl at a science conference, and now you're telling me I can't go back to Earth? That was the first time in my 28 years of life I'd met a girl I could actually talk to! You bastard! The boss is a bastard too! Fuck!"

"None of us are going back, James, unless you want to be mindless slaves on outdoor missions. If you'd like to hear more, I'll tell you something else—Jennifer, the girl you met at the seminar, is here too. We won't give up on any recruitable scientist, including her. If you let me do my job, we'll be docking with her pod in a few hours."

"I want to stay here, Fred, I'll work hard! Please, I don't want to be a science geek anymore!"

"Intelligence says this will work on you." Fred put away the stun gun. He smiled and patted the young man on the shoulder. "Welcome to the Immortal City branch, NERV Mars Base. This will be the forefront of genetic modification and mechanical manufacturing. The entire planet will become a foundry, gathering advanced technologies far surpassing Earth's! Imagine us building spaceships tens of kilometers long; we will be the saviors of humanity!"

James lowered his arm dejectedly, his expression quite strange. "Are we going to have to build humanoid robots that are tens of meters tall?"

"You're right, buddy! That's one of our projects, the Titan robot!" Fred laughed heartily. "Let's get to work and create miracles!"

"I'm now certain that our boss is a NEET too."

Salomon shrugged and continued his stroll across the red Martian desert. He was pleased with his staff's optimism about what was to come. He had received private authorization from His Holiness that Mars would enter a state of accelerated time, shortening the initial work and completing the first phase of the project before the space pirates arrived.

All his visions will be realized on this planet.

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)