Apart from the new energy trade involving the arc reactor, Stark got the answer he wanted, and Solomon obtained the technical support he was after—neither side lost out. Stark's question was actually quite simple: "What kind of weapon could wipe out an entire mountain?" And he finally got the answer that had both haunted and worried him.
At first, he was somewhat relieved to learn that the mountain had been toppled by magic, since that meant Solomon didn't possess any high-destructive weapons. But he quickly grew concerned again over Solomon's growing power. In order to get that answer, Stark also had to agree to participate in an academic symposium and take over some project optimization work.
After leaving the bar, Solomon immediately returned to the Eternal City, summoning Stephanie to discuss over a conference call with Gideon Malick how to seize resources from the current conglomerates.
Due to its past superstitious practices, the Malick family had few descendants and could only be considered an influential noble lineage, still a far cry from being a true financial conglomerate. A portion of the Malick family's funds had previously come from the military-industrial complex, but that wasn't truly theirs. Those were bribes disguised as political donations—under-the-table deals achieved through political maneuvering, with their lifeblood firmly in someone else's hands.
Now that the Malick family was becoming part of the military-industrial complex themselves, Gideon Malick had begun to appreciate Solomon's past intrusion into the Malick estate, when he used force to coerce them into joining him. As the meeting neared its end, Gideon Malick subtly hinted to Stephanie that she should hurry and produce an heir, completely ignoring Solomon's presence, leaving Stephanie blushing furiously. After all, even a conglomerate required direct descendants for inheritance. Gideon Malick believed that all his efforts in this generation were laying the groundwork for the future of the family.
"My Lord, please don't take it personally..." Stephanie forcibly ended the video conference. "My father is old now. All he cares about is whether the family has an heir."
"It's fine." Solomon didn't miss the implication in Stephanie's words, but he chose to set it aside for now. "I need you to send someone to bring Ruby here, but don't inform General Hale of her mission just yet," he said. "We need to start with the military—gain control of Ruby. I'm worried General Hale may have her own agenda. General Hale was a talent nurtured by Dr. Whitehall. I refuse to believe she would submit so easily."
"What do you intend to do with this girl, Ruby?" Stephanie asked cautiously.
"No other plans for now. But if we can use Ruby to uncover General Hale's secrets, that would be ideal."
"To use her just as a tool to control General Hale—turning her into an assassin—would be such a waste," Stephanie said with a smile. She pushed aside the files on the desk, turned around, and spoke to Solomon in a very serious tone. "Ruby's mind and body have never been truly tempered. I believe it's necessary to bring her to live in the Eternal City and reduce General Hale's influence on her. Only then can we move forward with our plan to control General Hale. For any parent, there's nothing more troublesome than a child who not only holds opposing beliefs but also has the power to resist."
"You mean, hand Ruby over to you for cultivation."
"Exactly," Stephanie said. "While General Hale is part of Hydra, she's merely an extension of Red Skull's faction. During World War II, the youthful branch of Hydra consisted of a bunch of insignificant young punks—they knew nothing about Hydra's real methods. The success of that faction was due to the conservative faction's implementation of Operation Paperclip, not their own abilities. No one is more skilled than Hydra at toppling regimes, My Lord. Leave this matter to me."
"Very well." Solomon nodded. "Catherine... Damn it! Aura, reassign a team to support Stephanie's operation. If General Hale is prepared, meeting with her alone would be dangerous. Try to avoid meeting her at the Department of Defense, and conduct a thorough investigation of the military bases under her control. And this document... intelligence from our satellites and rovers about the far side of the moon."
"As a branch of the Inhumans, their expertise in genetic science is unparalleled." Solomon stood up from his seat as the curtains covering the windows slowly parted, revealing a screen projecting pastoral scenery. His face twisted with disgust at the thought of the Inhumans in the lunar base, whose genetic mutations had rendered them completely inhuman. According to intelligence gathered through his Arcane Eye, three of the five Matriarchs of the Inhumans had become utterly unrecognizable, more akin to reptiles or amphibians. More importantly, the general ideology of the Inhumans was anti-human, and some among them even believed that the Inhumans already ruled over humanity. Jiaying had learned of Terrigenesis through messengers from that faction on the moon.
Although Jiaying's memories of that information had since been dulled and erased, anything that once existed always left traces. While Kamar-Taj was not particularly skilled in mental magic, it still far surpassed the crude psychic control methods of the Inhumans. Even the things erased by Inhumans could not escape the detection of a mystic.
"As the price for interfering with Earth's Inhumans, they only have two options—submission or annihilation," Stephanie said, clearly understanding what Solomon was talking about. She possessed evidence and research records of Jiaying's experience with mental reprogramming. Most of the remaining Terrigen on Earth was stored in laboratories within the Eternal City, and many scholars had already begun researching it in an attempt to uncover the true secrets behind Inhuman mutations. "Begin the next phase of training. We must start preparing for the Moon War. I don't want a bunch of half-breed bastards messing up my plans in the future."
"Yes, My Lord." The Daughter of Hydra narrowed her eyes joyfully.
Stephanie had watched with her own eyes as Solomon rebuilt the Eternal City from ruins, turning it into a top-tier warlord stronghold equipped with alien forges and spacecraft. She knew well how ruthless and farsighted Solomon could be. But it was precisely those traits that she admired. Though both claimed to be protecting the world, unlike those wishy-washy superheroes full of pointless talk and hesitation, Solomon would do whatever it took to achieve his goals. That was exactly the kind of person Hydra valued. Even from the perspective of the Malick family, there was no shame in serving someone like him—since Solomon declared war on the Inhumans on the moon, Stephanie believed the war wouldn't be lost and would in fact benefit the Eternal City. She added this plan to the agenda and began organizing the corresponding training and prioritization of weapon upgrade programs.
These included upgrades to spacesuits worn by ordinary soldiers, improvements to the airtightness of tanks and armored vehicles, and experiments on how thin atmospheres affect ammunition performance. With orders given, the Eternal City quickly emerged from the sorrowful post-war atmosphere and returned to a state of intense activity. Engineering teams began constructing anti-gravity training grounds and vacuum environment test facilities within the Eternal City, large enough to accommodate heavy weaponry. Whether it was Sophia's kin, the intelligence department, or even the Sisterhood, all had to participate in this long-term pre-war preparation. At the same time, Stephanie naturally used the excuse of "The Eternal City needs you" to begin implementing her plan to control General Hale.
Thus, Ruby was brought before Solomon, completely unaware of the trap she had just walked into.
(End of Chapter)
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