Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 732 Minor Conflict (Second Update)

Malbus patiently explained to the Royal Guard, via holographic projection, the functions of the armor specially made for him. This was an order from the Sovereign, requiring Zero to understand the powered armor that would accompany him throughout his life. Once the Martian foundry project was completed, a portion of the crew would return to Earth and be fully integrated into the Royal Guard's control, dedicated to producing weapons for them.

Zero knew that the Monarch had not handed over all of his technological reserves to Mars. If he passed the trial, the mechanical scientists returning from Mars would have limited access to some of the forbidden technologies, under the watchful eyes of the Royal Guard, especially him. In fact, Zero had once toured Kamar-Taj prison and examined the forbidden technologies the Monarch had brought back under the Monarch's guidance. He knew that any one of those tightly guarded items could potentially destroy the world, and limited research would help them understand their future enemies.

Even if there are designated personnel responsible for the Imperial Guard's equipment in the future, the Imperial Guard will still have to learn how to maintain their weapons and armor themselves.

How to inspect and maintain components such as the Uru metal energy cables from the dwarven forging planet, the vibranium transmission from Wakanda, and the neural probes and pulsed optical fibers from the Celestials? How to understand the problems through error codes? The data volume of a single Guardian armor is no less than that of a sky carrier. A massive amount of metallurgical data, mechanical models, and servo code cascaded across the screen like a waterfall, and Zero's adjusted brain quickly grasped the content. He could understand the metallurgical achievements embodied in his armor, and the brilliance of human wisdom reflected in the armor's shock absorption system, servo system, transmission system, and other mechanical structures. The exquisite gemstones cut with the painstaking effort of the craftsmen and the artistic beauty displayed by the armor's sculptures were merely the most inconspicuous aspects.

Zero discovered technology from the Brotherhood of the Shield in the design of the neuromanipulation system, and designs from Stark Industries in the life support and fire suppression systems. He was quite certain that the Monarch had not paid Stark Industries any royalties, and as for the Brotherhood of the Shield, the Monarch had already placed the remains of those human sages in the Temple for people to admire, and even if those sages were still alive, they would praise the Immortal City for practicing their ideals.

Malbus's mission was to make Zero fully understand the armor he was wearing, but Zero's enhanced mental abilities detected something amiss with Malbus's image. He then posed several classic Winograd test questions and received an unexpected answer.

"I guarantee this program has not violated any prohibitions." The holographic image suddenly shut down, and then Malbus's projection reappeared. However, this time Malbus's image was much more vivid.

"I know, and I know that Ultron is actually in your hands." Zero nodded. "The monarch has forbidden any improvements or research on Ultron, so the monarch must know this."

"He knows. He knows everything, boy," Malbus said in a highly mechanical, synthesized voice. Zero couldn't see Malbus's face, obscured by numerous detection devices, nor could he guess his thoughts from his flat, electronic voice. "He is my sovereign, I have served him for over a thousand years. Do you think he doesn't know me well enough?"

The previous footage of Marbus was simply a combination of artificial intelligence and models, similar to an instruction manual with intelligence.

Even with Salomon's orders, Malbus was unwilling to waste time on a Royal Guard member who hadn't yet completed all the trials. Instead, he used a procedure that barely violated the prohibitions to complete the mission, until Zero discovered his trickery. Zero wasn't angry. He had met Malbus before and knew he was a pragmatist. He also knew very well that he could only earn the honor of being the Sovereign's Spokesperson after completing the trials.

Before this, he was nothing.

"Even if that program didn't violate any prohibitions, you've made more than one mistake," Zero said fearlessly. He stood up, looking down at the flickering hologram. "First, you used the teaching machine to eavesdrop on systems that weren't yours. Second, you believed that false fame and power could make Guardian candidates bow down. I only obey the monarch's orders, not yours."

He picked up the spare bomb gun that was placed aside and emptied the magazine towards the projector used for teaching.

Zero took a deep breath, intending to don his armor and report the matter to the Monarch. But after a few seconds of thought, he abandoned the idea, returning to his seat and continuing to wipe the parts of his explosive gun, as if nothing had happened, and the pungent smell of gunpowder mixed with vitamins and spirits in the room was merely an illusion. Just as Malbus had said, the Monarch knew everything, especially what had happened in the Immortal City. He trusted the Monarch to make his own judgment, and he didn't intend to offer his opinion until the Monarch inquired.

This terrifying weapon, capable of shattering bones for ordinary users due to its recoil upon firing, possesses an extremely complex mechanical structure, not to mention the data network connected to the neurally controlled armor. Electronic components and chips are protected by multiple layers to prevent damage from rough handling. Zero can only maintain the mechanical part; he must connect the data interface to the engineering computer to repair the other part. He is thinking about the children who have also become candidates for the Royal Guard.

He was once one of them.

But now, he couldn't remember what his parents looked like. The two faces he remembered most clearly were the monarch and Maya Hansen, the head of the biological laboratory and in charge of genetic modification technology. Under the monarch's time magic, the genetic alchemy, which had consumed vast resources, rapidly displayed its powerful effects. Growth that should have lasted for hundreds of years vanished in an instant, turning him from a thin, short child into a strong adult. His body and mind were forcibly matured in a short period, and he mastered a great deal of knowledge in a very short time. While the mortal girls of the Sorority had to wear power armor to wield small-caliber explosive guns and protect themselves from recoil, he could pick up the standard-sized explosive guns used by the Royal Guard with his bare hands and fire them directly without any protection.

He will continue to grow taller and stronger until all subsequent surgeries are completed and he is dressed in armor.

The trials were not just about killing; the monarch's expectations of him were more than just that of a tool for carrying out violence.

He must also undergo the same examinations taken by ordinary people with advanced degrees, read mountains of books, extract his own wisdom, and become an advisor to the monarch, serving as a guide for the future evolution of humanity. A highly developed mind, a strong body, and exceptional intelligence—these are things that the sorority, obsessed with destruction and service, cannot achieve, and this is the fundamental reason why the monarch made him a candidate for the Royal Guard. His master desires not destruction but construction, though few can understand this.

Zero began to extend his thinking.

In the myths and legends of many civilizations, the gods created intelligent species largely to create beings capable of understanding themselves. So, was the monarch's initial motivation for creating the Praetorian Guard simply because artificial humans couldn't do that? However, those superstitious myths merely express humanity's fear of incomprehensible fate and the natural forces that govern life and death. As a member of the Praetorian Guard, he shouldn't have such foolish thoughts.

As the monarch said, the gods have no right to manipulate the fate of humankind. If humanity remains forever fearful, then the day when they rule the galaxy will never come.

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)