Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 775 Psychedelic Mushrooms and Historical Coincidences (First Update)

The Immortal City would not allow potentially infected individuals to meet with Salomon without quarantine, and Salomon himself did not want to break the rules he had set. Therefore, his time after returning to the Sky Helicarrier would be used to review reports and await the engineering team to implement additional quarantine measures. Accompanying him was an agent from S.H.I.E.L.D., Barbara's ex-husband Hunter, whom Agent Coulson had asked Salomon to give a ride.

Hunter was somewhat uneasy aboard the assault transport ship because he was on another, unspeakable mission.

Everyone around him was armed with heavy-duty firearms, and judging from their ruthless methods, they were highly likely to use torture to extract a confession from him. He knew he couldn't last two minutes under interrogation, as he had never received any counter-interrogation training since joining S.H.I.E.L.D. However, Agent Coulson had already briefed Salomon on Hunter's mission, which required intelligence support from the Immortal City. S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't gather intelligence as easily as before. Salomon agreed, because the Immortal City had been working to distance itself from Hydra. Only when the most active young Hydra members were eliminated could the Malik family slowly deal with the Hydra families that had risen to the pinnacle of wealth and power.

Salomon stared intently at Hunter, who grew increasingly nervous, his indistinct London accent straining to escape.

"Don't worry, I know your mission." If Hunter hadn't been strapped in, he would have jumped in fright when Salomon spoke. The arcane mage chuckled, "Agent Coulson is an old friend of mine, and I'm happy to help him. I just didn't expect Grant Ward to escape again. You guys are really pathetic."

“You’re right, buddy.” Hunter immediately started complaining, completely forgetting that just minutes before he was worried these guys would torture him, and he’d spilled all the information. “Skye said Ward got shot in the kidney, the guy should have died. Then he reappeared, and Barbara lost half a lung, barely surviving.” Hunter shrugged. “Buddy, how much are you planning to charge for those artificial organs you’re giving Agent Coulson? I’m thinking of getting one for Barbara. I can pay in installments, or do you have any loan programs? I promise I’ll start saving right now…”

The sorcerer chuckled. He genuinely admired Hunter's personality and sense of humor; such a person wouldn't be suited to be a secret agent, but would make a good drinking buddy. "As long as Ms. Morse agrees, we'll install a bio-enhanced lung on her." He nodded. "These semi-mechanical organs have a lifespan of over five hundred years, and we'll provide a warranty."

Stephanie arranged a room for Hunter, restricting his movements. Hunter didn't object much, not only because of the unlimited beer, but also because his fake identity and bank account were provided by the Immortal City. Salomon wasn't so lucky; he couldn't lie on the sofa drinking beer and watching the game. He immediately started working as soon as he boarded the Sky Carrier.

The latest document comes from the assassins under Stephanie's command, and includes footage taken by the assassins using their helmet-mounted electronic eye detection system and sniper scope. Although there are many types of assassins, all of them are capable of conducting intelligence gathering independently. When Melinda May and Daisy Jensen nervously broke into Joseph Haddad's residence to open the safe and retrieve the artifacts they wanted, the assassins lurking above them also saw the intelligence Salomon needed.

It was a piece of parchment with a common Hebrew word on it.

Stephanie knew the word because the monolith originally belonged to the Malik family. From the time the Germanic people were still a tribe, the Malik family had been offering sacrifices to the monolith. They later migrated to France, and finally, during the Napoleonic era, moved to Gloucestershire in southwest England, where they operated numerous mills and explored the secrets of the monolith. The mills that initially maintained operations later became a grinding company, while the Malik family's exploration of outer space evolved into a company producing propulsion systems and landing gear (the Gloucestershire Aircraft Company, now known as Gloster).

"And who will remember this?" she said to Salomon. "It's just a word."

"That makes sense, but it's in the history books of Kamar-Taj. Stephanie, there are many forces in this world that are more deeply hidden than Hydra, and the worship of certain secret societies is not without reason. Although many Christian legends are borrowed from other civilizations, do you think old John could have seen so many things after eating magic mushrooms without someone's instigation?"

Stephanie thought for a few seconds, sifting through all the people she knew named John. Finally, she remembered, "Old John, you mean John the Apostle of Patmos?"

"Yes, aren't you surprised that nothing grows in the cave except magic mushrooms?" Salomon's expression was as if he had swallowed something strange as he recalled this incident. "Back then, Kamar-Taj hadn't been officially established yet, so the magical world wasn't regulated. Many wizards established their own religions, or planned to use other religions to profit themselves."

"Are you trying to tell me that Christianity is actually the work of a wizard named Jesus?" Stephanie asked with a smile.

"No, I don't know what happened. I can only tell you what happened on Patmos Island." The sorcerer's expression was like someone whose butt was itchy but couldn't scratch it. "A meddlesome wizard recorded the whole thing, and his experimental records allowed us to see the truth of the past. It was just a coincidence at first. That unlucky guy never imagined that Old John, having wandered for so long and been starving, would eat all the magic mushrooms he was preparing for his experiments in one day. In fact, the fundamental reason why the Book of Revelation was created was simply because magic mushrooms and magic amplified Old John's desire for revenge."

"That's an interesting piece of history, though the Church has no interest in knowing." Stephanie raised an eyebrow. "I've already arranged for an assassin to return to base with the S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet. Once the assault transport ship picks up this assassin, the other one will be dropped. I want to ask you one last time, are you really planning to do this?"

“Early-onset diseases are easier to deal with, and I definitely don’t want to cause a major problem because someone poured Terrigen gas into the ventilation ducts,” Salomon replied. “The Inhumans’ abilities come from Kree genes, which in turn come from the Celestials and their creations. Both humans and Kree are products of Celestial genetic engineering. The reason humans are the most perfect creation is because they are not easily contaminated by astral pollution. The superpowers you see are actually astral pollution hidden in their genes, not abilities bestowed upon them by the Celestials. Originally, this pollution was hidden until Terrigen was isolated as a catalyst.”

"That sounds terrible."

"Yes, and there's something even worse! You'd be amazed if you heard the whole story—that the human race has survived to this day!" The sorcerer didn't dare reveal to Stephanie what the so-called "first divine descent" was. While the corrupted gods granted all life in the ecosystem immense evolutionary potential (including humans), they also concealed a terrifying hidden danger deep within their genes. Humanity will eventually embark on the path of evolution, and at that time, this hidden danger will inevitably be exposed.

Salomon felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of this terrible possibility.

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(End of this chapter)