Solomon didn't allow himself to rest too long while working—ten minutes was already more than enough. He had no interest in Jimmy's "Feather Show" or interrogating the madwoman, nor in any lobster-filled outer dimension. This wasn't some "Squirrel Girl Universe" or "West Coast Avengers Universe" kind of wholesome parallel universe—this was a chaotic world where universe-threatening events happened regularly. To fulfill his mission, there were more important things to attend to—well, he did have a slight interest in the shrimp dimension; perhaps it could solve the food crisis. Even so, it wasn't worth his time. The universe was vast and always produced something new and strange—maybe there was a Bikini Bottom under the sea, but only the Eternal Gods would know that.
Right now, his focus wasn't on such absurdities.
Figuring out the Inhumans' social structure and other key details was the urgent matter. He wanted to know whether the Inhumans on Earth—the "Afterlife" community—had ever communicated with the "Akktilan" on the Moon. He wanted to know the location of the Pioneer Race's farms so he could analyze the genetic ties between the Kree and the Inhumans, and what role the Celestials' genetic engineering had played in all of this. To reverse-engineer the Celestials' history, Solomon needed enough samples—what he had learned from the Earth Mother Gaia told him that the Celestials' experiments had caused many species originally born on the same planet to spread across the galaxy. These petri-dish species shared the same genes but developed their own separate civilizations. For instance, the Skrulls were originally a Celestial experiment born on Earth; because of this, their mythology had always retained a longing for Earth.
Humanity was among the scattered species as well.
Take the planet Galado in the Golden Star System, sixty thousand light-years away—they had even delved deeply into the outer dimensions, but in doing so, faced hardships. They had developed armies that replaced their flesh with machinery, retaining only their brains, and with this, built a magnificent civilization on that dreadful planet. The resilience and purity of humanity were fully demonstrated in this cruel universe, which further convinced Solomon that humanity had the chance to enter the next wave of evolution and become the most perfect species.
To uncover the greatest experiment in the universe, he had to grasp knowledge that could drive any organism insane.
As much as he disliked admitting it, Solomon couldn't rule out the possibility that Skrulls and humans shared the same genetic modification template. "I need samples, Agent Hand," Solomon said slowly. He was calculating how to obtain what he needed from the S.W.O.R.D. station built by Nick Fury atop the orbital spire.
"The Sisterhood broke one of the teleporter's legs," said Agent Victoria Hand, hands clasped behind her back. Her black coat, armored with bulletproof plating and a powered exoskeleton, still showed signs of folding. Her expression resembled that of a stern Junker noble, which wasn't far from the truth—she had, after all, been granted land. "But we didn't capture him. He used the last of his strength to escape. We clashed with Coulson's team, but there were no casualties," she said. "The rebellion aboard S.H.I.E.L.D.'s only helicarrier has been suppressed by the Sisterhood. We captured several Inhumans, and their data has been uploaded to the server. They weren't born Inhumans; they had their own lives before. For some reason, they were collected…"
"Activate the teleport chamber and send the samples back to the Immortal City." Although Solomon's expression didn't change much, Stephanie keenly noticed the shift in her superior's mood. She took the initiative to take over the conversation with Agent Hand, knowing that Agent Coulson had shown mercy toward the Inhumans, and Agent Hand had tacitly approved—under the long-standing cooperation agreement, this wasn't unexpected. But Stephanie believed that no one should mention this in front of Solomon when he was in a bad mood. It seemed like every extra second the Inhumans lived was a torment to him.
In truth, Victoria Hand didn't like that agreement either. It felt too weak, too conciliatory toward terrorists.
"No need for that, Stephanie. I recruited Victoria because she's direct enough." The sorcerer waved his hand, interrupting the conversation between Stephanie and Agent Hand. "Tell me the cause of Gonzalez's death. I hope you already have the result."
"According to the accompanying scientists' analysis… actually, no analysis was needed. Gonzalez was petrified. From bone marrow to skin, without exception—he looked like a carbonized product soaked in tar."
"Was it a petrification ability or petrification magic? The planetary defense system of Kamar-Taj can't be online all the time—we need to solve problems ourselves."
"Spectral analysis points to the former. We didn't detect any magical spectrum in Afterlife, nor did we find any Inhuman with a petrification ability." This technology originated from S.H.I.E.L.D., and its roots could be traced back to the remnants left by the Bifrost when Thor returned to Asgard. Through this, S.H.I.E.L.D. came to understand the nature of magical auras. Nick Fury, thanks to his conversations with Solomon, further grasped the meanings behind various magical spectra. Among some scientists, this phenomenon was better referred to as a magical spectrum—such as the scientific team under Coulson.
"Could be Terrigen," Solomon muttered as he transmitted a string of keys to Agent Hand. "Folder A-616-In—you now have clearance to access this classified information. This file contains samples I extracted from the Kree. Have the tech department with you start a preliminary analysis. More samples will be transferred via the teleport chamber. Get the intel I want out of Jiaying—how all the Terrigen on Earth originated, and how they obtained the technology to extract it. I trust you know how to interrogate. We don't show leniency to the Inhumans. If necessary, repeat what Whitehall did to Jiaying."
Victoria Hand wrinkled her nose and blew a strand of dyed red hair from her forehead.
To the Inhumans, Solomon was no different from Hitler, an enactor of genocide—but she didn't dislike the approach. She had seen with her own eyes the arrogance the Inhumans showed toward humanity. The words "you" and "we" said it all. Even Skye, so emotionally close to Agent Coulson, had sided with the Inhumans, proving just how slim the chances of coexistence truly were.
What she did dislike was the teleport chamber, that unholy fusion of science and magic. The acrid ozone smell after each teleport always irritated her lungs, like a moldy cake stuffed into her chest, making her constantly nauseous. Orders from the Immortal City had been issued, and she could only instruct the staff to place the sedated Inhumans into the narrow pods of the teleport chamber—one Inhuman woman who could replicate herself, a man who could discharge electricity from his palms, and a severed limb from the eyeless teleporter. Then she personally pressed the teleport switch. The high-voltage crackle tore through the air, and the smell of ozone filled the room. Agent Hand shook her head and returned to the comms room to report to Solomon.
She was Solomon's eyes and voice, working 24/7, 365 days a year, and willingly so—just as she had once joined S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Good. What about the other task?"
"You mean the global genetic screening through the Vaccine Alliance?"
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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