Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 758 Harsh Remarks (Second Update)

"I bring wisdom and war, Agent Coulson."

"This is just a rescue mission, there's no need for..."

The agent struggled to control his inner turmoil, overwhelmed by the scene unfolding before him, far exceeding his expectations. He quickly reviewed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence analysis of Salomon, along with the operational plans and documents Nick Fury had left him. Agent Coulson arrived at a predictable conclusion. "You already knew I'd come looking for you, didn't you? Or has your spy already infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D."

“Just as you treat me as a friend, I treat you the same way, so I won’t tell you anything too bleak about the future. Because I’m a fucking prophet, understand?” Salomon didn’t rule out the second possibility. He invited Agent Coulson and Daisy Jensen onto the already landed assault transport ship. Given the gunboat’s twin-barreled heavy-duty machine guns, its excessively long barrel, and the visibly thick, black-painted armor, Agent Coulson felt he should avoid a confrontation with Salomon. Salomon’s promise not to reveal Coulson’s base location carried more weight than any U.S. government law.

"Gemma Simmons' disappearance concerns an event that could wipe out humanity." He made no mention of Stephanie's thoughts to avoid drawing Agent Coulson's attention to her. Stephanie's identity wasn't difficult to investigate, but Salomon didn't want the Malik family to make a mistake at this crucial juncture in their exoneration. "That's why I brought this Sky Carrier."

"Why can't we be honest with each other, Salomon?"

"Because some things are too terrifying for ordinary people, Agent Coulson. Ignorance is bliss, and it took me a long time to understand that. If you blindly pursue transparency and a free society, the whole world will descend into extreme madness. I don't know what changes you've undergone, but I've always thought that the old S.H.I.E.L.D. philosophy was pretty good. Some things just shouldn't be known by unnecessary people."

"Are you saying we're unnecessary people?" Daisy Jensen buckled her seatbelt, but she looked like she could stand up and fight Salomon at any moment.

"Yes," Stephanie stated bluntly. "S.H.I.E.L.D. should just play its own game, pretend to uphold your ideal of a 'democratic society,' and diligently clean up the messes for the conglomerates. That's your job."

"You…" The Inhuman girl nearly jumped off her seat in anger, as if Stephanie's words were a chili pepper stuck in her nostril, making her face flush red. It was unclear whether the two were inherently incompatible, but they seemed to be constantly exchanging sarcastic remarks, even the jolting of the assault transport couldn't stop their bickering. Salomon glanced at Agent Coulson and noticed his expression mirrored his own.

The Sky Carrier's speed is comparable to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Zephyr One. Powered by the technology of the Immortal City, the fully enclosed Sky Carrier boasts extremely high flight speeds. If Salomon wanted, the Sky Carrier could easily fly to the moon with sufficient supplies.

The airlock gate on the tarmac slowly closed, and after the bruised and battered pilot (also known as Zero) reported that the outside air pressure had been equalized, the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents disembarked with Salomon.

"I feel like I'm back in S.H.I.E.L.D. You know, like during the Battle of New York, before I died." Agent Coulson looked at the orderly scene in the command center and tried to crack a joke. Although Agent Coulson was eager to see what Salomon had done to the Sky Carrier, he didn't have time. He asked impatiently when they could start working.

"Relax, let the navigator set the course. Establish communication with the Wind One, otherwise we'll have to shoot it down when they retaliate." Salomon stood on the command platform, pretending to fiddle with various buttons. Catherine quietly reached out her armored hand and firmly grasped the arcane mage's fingers to prevent him from carelessly sinking the sky carrier. This was ten thousand feet in the air; if the sky carrier fell, no one would survive—mainly the mortal crew on board. Catherine believed that such a disaster wouldn't be enough to kill the arcane mage himself.

"Your throne is behind you, my lord." She lowered her voice, glancing cautiously at the two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. "You only need to give the orders."

Salomon smiled at Catherine. It was a good thing that the android's emotional intelligence had suddenly increased; perhaps Catherine's usual rudeness was just a facade. "Give the hard drive to my secretary, and we can get to work soon." He waved to the physicist and Agent Coulson who had come aboard the ship. "I promise I'll do it; after all, we made a deal, didn't we?"

"Thank you so much for your help."

"It's nothing, just keep an eye on your little hacker and don't let her cause trouble everywhere."

Do you know where her opinions about you come from?

"I know. I want to thank Jiaying, because she revealed the secret I wanted." Salomon's face turned cold, and he said expressionlessly, "I have something else to tell you. That is, I deliberately drove Jiaying insane because I believed that you shouldn't know that. S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't face an enemy like that; only the Immortal City, only I could do it."

Coulson sighed.

Salomon's methods are nothing compared to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s past practices; a lobotomy is the simplest and quickest way. He himself has performed several ice pick surgeries on rogue agents carrying crucial information. It's fair to say that S.H.I.E.L.D. and Immortal City are heading towards the two extremes of the past, something Agent Coulson is well aware of—a clash between an organization representing emotion and humanity, and an organization representing reason and order. Perhaps this is what Nick Fury wanted; otherwise, he wouldn't have given some of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s assets to Salomon. Perhaps the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. believed both were indispensable, or perhaps he simply wanted one side to win.

Coulson couldn't figure out what his former boss was thinking.

"Don't let her know, Salomon, don't let her know."

Even after Agent Coulson's previous visit to the base, Salomon still knew its location despite the extensive security measures he had taken. After Coulson spoke with the base, the concrete gates on the ground slowly opened, and simultaneously, several assault transport boats carrying armed personnel and researchers rushed out of the airlock. These assault transport boats swooped down towards the ground, then, just before impact, pulled up with incredible maneuverability, coming to a smooth, steady stop on the helipad.

Salomon, Stephanie, Catherine, and two representatives from S.H.I.E.L.D. landed at the base on the last assault transport ship. They were greeted by Melinda May and Barbara, who had long blonde hair. Barbara was probably the tallest woman in the base, but she still appeared quite short next to Salomon.

"The Wind One is still behind us." Stephanie, wearing a helmet, yawned. She stretched, then deliberately turned on the megaphone on her armor and said casually, "If we're going to ride that thing, we might as well bring a French chef. At least that way we can have a proper dinner instead of just sandwiches."

Catherine was still thinking about how to mock the base's rudimentary conditions.

Unfortunately, her literary skills weren't particularly good, and she couldn't utter any harsh words as quickly as Stephanie.

"I like her," Barbara whispered to Melinda May, winking. Melinda May's only response was an eye roll.

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)