Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 854 The Caste System (Second Update)

Salomon was remarkably self-aware, and his self-deprecating description of himself as a hypocrite was not without merit. Ultimately, his intention to wage war against the Inhumans stemmed primarily from two reasons.

Firstly, the Inhumans possess highly advanced genetic science and technology, which could fill the gaps in Wakanda's vibranium-based scientific system and accelerate research in biological laboratories. Secondly, there is a deep-seated distrust of the Inhumans, a distrust that is impossible to bridge. Black Bolt may be on humanity's side, but his subjects may not. Many Inhumans in Attilan yearn for Kree rule; Black Bolt's brother, for example, once made a deal with a Kree spy before escaping Attilan.

Having a group of highly mutated mutants, wavering and believing themselves superior to humans, around would make anyone feel unsafe. Therefore, Salomon planned a war of conquest to force the Inhumans to choose sides: remain loyal to humanity and live, or yearn for Kree rule and die. There were no other options. A binary choice—only tyrants and warlords offer such a scenario. Salomon, with his self-awareness, believed both could describe him. Even if the Inhumans submitted, Salomon would not allow them to leave the moon. They would be forced to remain on the dark side, inbreeding and slowly dying out, shedding their last drop of blood for humanity's destiny to conquer the galaxy.

He knew he was being hypocritical and understood he would eventually pay a heavy price for it. But for the future he envisioned, he was willing to risk everything.

Before that, he still needed to persuade Su Rui to cooperate with the Fifth Demon Pillar in developing and improving equipment suitable for low-gravity environments. Current armored units were not suited to the vacuum of low gravity, unless the Immortal City had a way to directly transport them into the Inhumans' Attilan, where the artificial atmosphere and gravity could support their combat. However, Salomon didn't want his only means of siege warfare to be limited; to cope with the environmental differences he would face in the future, the construction of anti-gravity armored units had to be put on the agenda.

It could be called deception, or even concealment; Salomon didn't tell Shuri the whole truth about the Inhumans. What he showed was only one side of them. Attilan was a kingdom ruled by an autocratic monarchy and a caste system. Regardless of the Inhumans' abilities, the caste system would forever bind them to their roles in society—the most prestigious castes were the Genetic Council and scientists, while other professions like workers and farmers were always tied to bloodlines. But it was precisely these high-caste Inhumans who were Salomon's targets. High-caste Inhumans, due to their social status, had access to high concentrations of Terrigen Mist from childhood (even high-caste pet dogs could be exposed to Terrigen Mist, making mutations rare among commoners). Coupled with Attilan's closed society and rampant inbreeding, many genetic mutations were thus passed down.

The genes of the high-caste Inhumans are highly mutated, with most even losing their human form. As Salomon showed Shuri, the appearance of many high-caste Inhumans has exceeded the mutations that Kree genes could cause. But Salomon's information to Shuri was limited to this; he didn't tell Shuri that he had been conducting a slow screening of the Kree genes through the World Vaccine Organization and had begun research to eliminate mutated genes. Now, with only Dr. Whitehall's brain providing technical support, Salomon took over part of the eugenics program and continued the useful parts.

Not everything Hydra does is rotten. If we remove the personal ambitions behind it, the remaining aspects can benefit human society. After all, one of Hydra's goals is to unite all humanity under a single regime, completely ending division and discord. As for who this regime should be, Hydra's conservatives and younger generations are locked in a bitter dispute.

Training, weapon modernization, counter-espionage, and war preparations—these are the main tasks for the Immortal City's future.

As planned, Ruby was brought to Salomon by Stephanie. However, she didn't get to speak to Salomon; Stephanie merely gave her a perfunctory tour of the Interior Ministry building, then showed her face in front of him, claiming that her upcoming job would allow her to see him frequently. The ruby's role in the plan to restrain General Hale was self-evident; Stephanie would strive to turn her into a true Hydra, making her part of the Immortal City.

“Loyalty will be the quality our Lord values ​​most,” Stephanie said to Ruby as she led her out of the office and into a heavily guarded corridor, under the watchful eyes of automatic machine gun turrets and surveillance equipment. “You will become one of us, but unfortunately, your mother does not meet our Lord’s expectations. In his eyes, you are far superior to your mother, possessing far greater potential, a potential he considers even more important than General Hale’s current power.” She continued, “Only the loyal can stand by our Lord’s side, and General Hale’s greatest deficiency is loyalty.”

Ruby, who had been kept in Hydra's youth training camp and trained as an experimental subject, was completely unaware of the wickedness that could exist in people's hearts. Her life consisted only of studying and training, until Salomon took her on several unsafe extreme sports activities, and she truly experienced an unprecedented sense of excitement. This excitement was unbearable, especially for a teenage girl.

"What should I do?" Ruby asked without hesitation.

"My lord often says that you are like the ruby ​​on his armor, and he trusts that you can make the right choice. I also know what you will choose, but my lord doesn't want you to rush to uncover the truth, because..."

"Tell me!" Ruby retorted irritably. "I know what I'm doing!"

"Actually, I'm a little worried. Although you are very talented, you haven't received professional training in this area."

“I am perfect,” Ruby retorted defiantly. “I know how I came to be, Stephanie. I am a Hydra too.”

"In that case, don't disappoint my lord. No one wants to lose his favor, Ruby. He only favors those who are worthy." Stephanie deliberately feigned worry, instilling a sense of panic in Ruby. She used fear to manipulate Ruby into obeying her plan—Ruby would only tell General Hale that Stephanie had merely spoken with her in the White House presidential advisor's office and hadn't discussed anything of great importance. In reality, Stephanie had already used the pretext of giving Ruby work experience to request General Hale to involve Ruby in military projects. General Hale certainly couldn't imagine that her own daughter was a spy; this was General Hale's biggest blind spot—she never knew what her daughter wanted.

"If General Hale betrays us..."

Stephanie answered without hesitation, "Ruby will cut off her head to show her loyalty to you, my lord, she longs to prove herself."

Salomon simply shook his head. "While this reminder may seem redundant, I still hope you have a backup plan. Relying on an uncertain factor will only lead to failure. What if Ruby doesn't obey..."

"Obedience will be rewarded, that's Hydra's teaching. Ruby knows that if she obeys, she will receive the reward she's always dreamed of."

"I think I'd better not find out what you promised her." The sorcerer's expression was somewhat unpleasant. "If she completes her task, I expect her to be paid. We never delay payment, Stephanie. That's the difference between us and Hydra. We even have insurance for our employees!"

"But the beneficiaries are our agents! At least those clerks in the Ministry of the Interior who died from overwork."

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(End of this chapter)