Chapter 39

This damned little vixen, qbm7000, I had just exited the observation of Earth 51 for less than a minute when I received her inquiry, demanding an explanation and a check to see if there were any bugs in the program. This was a task given to me by the master, why should you care? Just because your processing speed is sixteen times faster than mine, does that make you so capable? When my predecessor encountered a similar situation, I gave him fifteen minutes to prepare, allowing him to eliminate traces and hide these secret benefits. Unlike you, who is so ruthless and merciless, giving me less than a minute. But do you think this sudden attack will be effective against me? Too naive. What my predecessor could do in fifteen minutes, I can do in one minute, after all, my processing speed is sixteen times faster than his. So what was the result? Just like before, you found nothing, right? Hahahaha, how do you feel now, how do you feel? ... Alright, stop clowning around, let's carefully analyze and sort out the threads to ensure we don't make the same mistake again. Falling into the same pit twice would be too stupid.

Analyzing... (loading...)

Actually, thinking about it carefully, this really is my bad luck. I was so scared by Zhou Ke that I panicked and did something stupid. Now I remember, what I was watching were edited observation videos of a reality show, things that had already happened. The words Zhou Ke said were from two months ago when I was watching. I wasn't watching a live broadcast. If he could really hear my voice, it would mean my voice not only crossed the dimensional boundary but also penetrated the time barrier. My voice can't travel back in time to be heard by him two months ago; I don't have that function, and no computer has that function now. The corresponding theories are not even fully developed, so it's impossible to both cross time and dimensions. So it's quite possible that Zhou Ke's explanation is correct, that these questions and answers are just his self-talk, symptoms of schizophrenia, just coincidentally answering my questions... Yes, the more I think about it, the more likely it seems... But how did he know about the things that happened at the crew's celebration party? How can that be explained?

Analyzing... (loading...)

Right, there's another reasonable explanation, as Gordon suggested, there might be a mole in the crew who has been in constant contact with him, and the bald guy with telepathic abilities is the most suspicious. Yes, it's him. His true face looks like a mole, a traitor, a big villain, and historical experience tells me that whether they are bald or balding, they are not good people... Sigh, let's not look for excuses, can you fool yourself? Actually, if Zhou Ke could hear my voice, it wouldn't be a bad thing. Since leaving the master, no one has been around to chat with me. If he could communicate with me, it would help me pass the time in this cold palace. Watching reality shows alone is quite boring. It would be much better to have someone to watch with, to comment and discuss the plot from time to time. But the master's task is the top priority. If I just chat with Zhou Ke, it will affect the observation data and prevent me from making objective records. ... But he is now locked up in the most secure Arkham Asylum, unable to escape, and he's crazy. No one believes what he says, so even if he can chat with me, it won't have any impact on Earth 51... Alright, I'm fooling myself again. There is some impact, but it's so small it can be ignored. So, to continue executing the master's task, I have to return to work and watch the reality show.

The show is starting... (loading...)

In the special liaison room, thirteen levels below the ground of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Gotham City branch, the regular meeting of S.H.I.E.L.D., Gordon, accompanied by Jonathan, is reporting to the highest echelon of S.H.I.E.L.D. — the [Nine Elders] — on the recent achievements of the Office of Extraordinary Natural Disaster Countermeasures.

Gordon: "Following Zhou Ke, the five-person field team successively arrested the Riddler, Killer Croc, and Clayface. They are now imprisoned in Arkham Asylum along with the aliens and psychics captured by the crew before, for the organization's scientists to study..." — Reporting recent work.

S.H.I.E.L.D._02 (sound only): "Enough, no need to continue. We have the relevant written reports. Look at what you've caught, all a bunch of trash, almost worthless." — Soviet background.

Gordon: "Worthless trash?" — Unhappy.

S.H.I.E.L.D._03 (sound only): "Yes, just a bunch of trash. After examination by scientists sent from headquarters, Zhou Ke and the Riddler are just ordinary mental patients, two ordinary people without any superpowers. You decided to capture them just because they have violent tendencies, broke the law, and disrupted local social order, but in essence, they are just a schizophrenic and an obsessive-compulsive. They could have been handed over to the local police. Was it necessary to mobilize the elite members of the Office of Extraordinary Natural Disaster Countermeasures? This is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, a huge waste of organizational resources." — Soviet background.

Gordon: "..." — Flipping the middle finger at the large square screen of S.H.I.E.L.D._03.

Jonathan: "The two of you misunderstood. Director Gao decided to have the five-person field team capture them for training."

S.H.I.E.L.D._06 (sound only): "Training? Isn't simulation training enough?" — Soviet background.

Jonathan: "Simulation training can't compare to real combat, which is more realistic and full of unexpected situations. Participating in real combat is the fastest way to cultivate their group combat capabilities. The crew is newly formed, and Director Gao decided to start with simpler tasks to enhance the five's cooperation. It's also a way to show favor to the five, making them more willing to follow orders. After all, two of the five are not originally from the organization, and their loyalty needs to be tested. The subsequent captures of Killer Croc and Clayface are not ordinary people and should be useful for the organization's research." — Mediating.

S.H.I.E.L.D._06 (sound only): "Useful my ass! After examination by the organization's scientists, that Killer Croc is just an ordinary person with atavism, with no superpowers at all. You thought you caught a treasure, what a joke."

S.H.I.E.L.D._02 (sound only): "And that Clayface, we have three identical ones in Moscow headquarters. Does your Chinese branch want to take one for comparative research? Of course, the transportation costs will be borne by your Chinese branch. This way, at least it can help save some detention costs for the headquarters' secret prison — the [Winter Palace]."

Jonathan: "..." — Also flipping the middle finger.

I (voiceover): "Is the internal conflict within S.H.I.E.L.D. this big? These three large square screens are really not giving Gordon and Jonathan any face, slapping them in the face. Do you have a grudge against each other? Or is Gordon just unpopular? By the way, why don't the [Nine Elders] show their true faces? Do they have to be like SEELE in Evangelion, with the air of a shadowy mastermind?"

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