Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 965 Family (First Update)

The temperature and radiation readings on the display screen instantly soared to astonishing levels. The tiny drone, struggling to crawl to the gap in the ventilation duct, was now being subjected to the scorching heat. Due to its small size and the fact that its primary function was to probe confined spaces inaccessible to disaster sites, the drone had to carry sufficient detection equipment, thus its camera system was not powerful. Fitz and Mike only saw the arm of the golden-armored giant suddenly move, leaving only a blurry golden afterimage on the screen. Then, flames erupted from above the witch's head, engulfing the laboratory ceiling in the blink of an eye like a volcanic eruption. Before the two ordinary people could react to this phenomenon, the already fragile drone, hidden in the ventilation duct, was instantly burned up by the raging flames, leaving only a "no signal" indicator on the display screen.

Mike immediately peeked out from behind the cover, peering into the corridor of the research facility they had so painstakingly escaped from. The dark passageway was eerily quiet, devoid of anything but the ruins and craters left from the battle between Ghost Rider and the Royal Guard. The windowless facility concealed all movement; Mike heard no explosions, saw no fires or lights, as if the corridor led not to an energy research facility but to a silent midnight graveyard.

"Did you hear that?" Fitz asked nervously.

"There's nothing there." Mike wiped the sweat from his forehead and hid behind the trash can.

While encounters at S.H.I.E.L.D. are often unpredictable, today's experience was the most harrowing he had ever witnessed. He and Fitz were there because of a "ghost" appearing at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base—the same one recently captured by the Flame Skull and the Golden Giant. The unfortunate soul possessed by the "evil spirit" had been isolated, but he and Fitz hadn't obtained much information. However, when Mike saw the Flame Skull, he recalled relevant intelligence—witnesses claimed that the monster with a burning head that killed three people in the East Los Angeles truck robbery was the same creature. S.H.I.E.L.D. was able to obtain this intelligence because it had become the official intelligence agency of the United States, welcoming a new director appointed by Congress. Although it hadn't yet reached the point of being publicly announced, this was one of Agent Coulson's goals, and also the reason he resigned as director.

"We have to prepare for the worst, little monkey. The worst-case scenario is that they all die in there, and we get no intelligence." Although Mike really wanted his shotgun back, all that equipment was still in that lab; he hadn't had time to grab anything during the escape. "An even worse scenario is that some of them want to kill us. You saw what they're capable of; our freeze guns definitely won't work."

The so-called freeze gun was actually just a miniature needleless injector filled with tree snake venom. Leaving aside the armored giants and the skeletal monsters, even Wanda Maximoff, dressed in ordinary clothes and looking like an ordinary person, certainly wouldn't be worried about bullets. How could someone who could crush a Quinjet be afraid of bullets? It's as ridiculous as the enemy attacking Captain America's legs not protected by his shield. Just as Fitz was furrowing his brow in despair, the screech of brakes pulled him back to reality. Mike immediately pulled Fitz, whose body was half-exposed outside the cover, back up, and the two peered out through the gap between the trash cans. Mike was extremely nervous; he didn't want to encounter another superhuman causing trouble.

That being said, he immediately changed his attitude after he saw who it was.

They saw a white van, propelled by its engine's maximum power, hurtle past the smoke-belching Quinjet, veering erratically before leaving a scraggly skid mark on the ground. A young woman wearing a black beanie and a black punk leather jacket jumped out of the driver's seat, looked around, and then dashed into the dark corridor diagonally opposite the trash cans.

"That's not..."

"That's right, it's Daisy." Mike stood up from behind the trash can, shouting the name of the superhuman currently wanted by S.H.I.E.L.D. "Don't go in!" he yelled, waving his hands. His shouts attracted Daisy's attention, and Mike's voice was filled with joy as he saw his friend stop his reckless actions. He cared about Daisy, and he knew the side effects of her abilities; without S.H.I.E.L.D.'s bone-healing medication, she must be in great pain. "Something's wrong in there! Come quick, it's dangerous!"

"Mike, Fitz. How's everyone?" Although she didn't want to see her old comrades after escaping S.H.I.E.L.D., Daisy forced herself to go over, her expression extremely awkward. Moreover, Mike was a kind and considerate man, like a warm teddy bear, always thinking of his companions, which only made Daisy feel more lost. She felt that the greeting wasn't coming from her own mouth, but from a stiff, peeling wooden puppet in a stained glass window, repeating the same phrase endlessly with every coin toss. Before she could speak, Mike told her everything that had happened inside—an Inhuman with a burning head, a giant in golden power armor, and a red-haired witch fighting amongst themselves. He strongly warned Daisy not to get involved; none of the guys inside were easy to mess with, and her body couldn't withstand such intense combat. Daisy Jensen's face was quite grim. Although she had anticipated how things would unfold, now that it had actually happened, she didn't know what to do next. Fitz's attitude was completely opposite to Mike's. He believed that Daisy's departure without saying goodbye was a betrayal of her partner. Therefore, when Mike greeted Daisy, he stood by and watched coldly, seemingly waiting for Daisy to apologize first.

"Are you alright, Daisy?" Mike asked, walking over with concern. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"I'm fine, Mike," Daisy shook her head. Her messy short hair, damp with sweat, clung to her pale cheeks, which were smudged with pain, and her black smoky makeup was smudged. She took a deep breath. "Whatever's happening in there, I have to stop it."

"No, your body can't take it... Is it Yo-Yo?" Mike suddenly choked. He thought of the inexplicable depletion of the bone-healing drugs at S.H.I.E.L.D., and then he understood many things. Yo-Yo was the nickname of an Inhuman recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. in the past, because she could run a certain distance in one heartbeat and then return to her starting point, hence the name Yo-Yo. She and Mike had some emotional entanglement. "You've been in contact with S.H.I.E.L.D.? Why didn't you come back? You... we can get back together and solve all the problems!" Mike was emotional, his eyes welling up with tears, "We're family, Daisy!"

"I know, I...I'm sorry."

Daisy lowered her head and fled from Mike as if escaping a fire, ignoring his calls and plunging into the dark passageway without looking back. Mike emerged from behind the trash can without hesitation. "I told you, we're family, little monkey," Mike said, panting like a bear. Facing Fitz's obstruction, he said, "I won't abandon any family member. I'll bring Daisy back; you stay here and wait for me."

After saying that, he chased after Daisy's retreating figure and ran inside, making Fitz jump up and down in a panic.

"Fuck! Fuck!" Fitz cursed a few times before running inside. Just as Mike said, S.H.I.E.L.D. is a big family, and no one can abandon their family.

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(End of this chapter)