"Dr. Hank Pym's letter… what an old-fashioned man, still using handwritten correspondence. He claims this has nothing to do with the dispute between him and his student, and that he's not asking for your help—just seeking an academic discussion. We haven't even responded yet, and the old guy already said… he claimed that if you assume he came to beg for assistance, he'll put a bullet in your skull. According to the intelligence department, Pym would likely use a .45 Colt round with an M1911A1 pistol, muzzle energy around 468 joules. Although I wouldn't rule out a modern hot load at 821 joules, in either case there's no threat to your skull. Still, to avoid the assassins slicing up a valuable scholar, I think you should send someone to communicate with Dr. Pym—just in case he's sitting on something important."
"I doubt anyone else's skull is as thick as mine," the Archmage shrugged. "But I'm not interested in paying him a visit."
"Then do it by phone. Dr. Pym's request is trivial; what we need to deal with now is the matter of Whitehall," Guard Zero said, inhaling sharply. The silver armor outside his crimson robes was engraved with intricate designs. Beneath the armor were precise mechanical structures and electronic components. This was armor from the Brotherhood of the Sacred Shield, modified by the R&D department. Its life-support systems helped him endure the pain of gene modification surgeries and continuously released agents to promote further development. The growth pain was unbearable—he often felt like his leg bones were going to burst through the soles of his feet.
He had the sensation that the armor was slowly draining his body heat.
The temperature in the underground city was low. This man-made cavern, far from sunlight, relied on heat from the massive Silver Lion Furnace, which couldn't adequately warm the administrative sectors. As the seasons shifted, the temperature drop grew more pronounced—though it would eventually stabilize, with the underground temperature exceeding the surface. Even so, heating from the power plant and waterworks remained essential. Temperature had to be precisely controlled to assist engineering teams in maintaining the Eternal City's stone domes—no one wanted a cave-in or underground flood.
"We've eliminated all regular staff who had direct or indirect contact with Whitehall." Guard Zero recalled inspecting the office earlier that morning, confirming no details were missed before continuing, "The Assassins already took out a Wakandan scientist who had tenuous connections to Whitehall. Whitehall had contacted him indirectly, offering knowledge in exchange for building him a body. The Assassins left no trace. Wakanda's autopsy report concluded the scientist died from cardiac arrest due to overwork. As for higher-ups like Stephanie… I believe we can clear her. She's proven her loyalty with action. The Sisterhood's internal review is complete—no one there had links to Whitehall. I believe Whitehall's brain is too dangerous. No matter how valuable the knowledge, it should be sealed off, accessible only to you."
"What's the situation inside the Sisterhood?"
"You know how exclusionary the Sisterhood is, my lord." Guard Zero sighed. "Without your direct order, I doubt I could even enter their headquarters. From what I've gathered, this incident seems to have hit Lady Tita's nerves. She issued a decree of Chastity—any girl who formally joins the Sisterhood can never leave or seek a partner. Don't you think that's a bit extreme?"
"My trust in the artificial beings is the same as my trust in you. Let Tita make the call—don't try to infiltrate with spies or Assassins. She'll file a report anyway. That said, you may notify the intelligence department to assist with background checks on the Sisterhood's service staff. I believe that's a necessary measure. Remember, assist—not investigate. I'll give you a formal order, not just a verbal instruction, so the hot-headed girls don't shoot you."
Zero smiled with confidence. His genetic modifications were progressing smoothly. With countless arcane adjustments and gene-alchemy, his body was adapting to power far beyond the limits of ordinary humans. With the acceleration from the Time Stone and the Silver Key, he was already learning to control this power. Soon, he'd be ready to wear his power armor.
"They won't get the chance, my lord."
Hank Pym's little request was, predictably, ignored by Solomon. Whatever the old man wanted to do, Solomon didn't care. He was heading to Merton Academy to swap out the alchemical simulacrum impersonating him in lectures. Then he'd go to Jane Foster's lab to work on his thesis, and finally prepare to enter a graduate program in mathematics or physics. These were minor concerns—he could still afford to indulge in feeding cats, watching cheesy talk shows on the couch with his girlfriend, or having dinner with two witches.
"You poor boy." Bayonetta gently stroked Solomon's sleek hair before pulling the dazed young man into her arms, cuddling him like an oversized teddy bear. Content, she beckoned Jeanne to sit on the other side of the sofa and quietly took the game controller from Solomon's hands. The old PS3 on the TV stand had long gone untouched. The shiny new PS4 lay nearby—Bayonetta had bought it as a gift, but the Archmage never found time to enjoy it. She had seen just how busy he had been for a month—sometimes working and studying for 24 hours nonstop. He even refused to activate his Stigmata in daily life, claiming it would rob him of the fun of being human. He spoke as if even the fatigue of mundane life was something a mortal longed to experience.
So he fell asleep after barely playing at all. Or rather, the part of him that remained human allowed him to sleep.
As it turns out, no matter how attractive someone is, they still drool in their sleep. Bayonetta didn't need to speak—her thoughts reached Jeanne clearly. Jeanne said nothing, her face cold, but she mirrored Bayonetta's movements and lifted Solomon's arm to slip into his embrace. A maid silently turned off the living room lights and draped a blanket over them.
"Well? Isn't this wonderful?" The TV's standby screen cast flickering light over the black-haired witch's face. Mischievous joy sparkled in her eyes. Jeanne closed her eyes, pretending to sleep, refusing to dignify Bayonetta's question. Bayonetta beckoned the maid over and took Solomon's schedule from her hands. Tomorrow morning, Solomon was supposed to report to Kamar-Taj headquarters, then travel to a haunted house in London to investigate an extradimensional contamination. It wasn't a high-level incident and likely wouldn't require difficult combat. Beyond that, he had to address a cult hidden in the South American rainforest, investigating the Feathered Serpent worship. Those were just the public duties—there were also internal Eternal City matters like the Siberian engineering team and the London Trinity investigation team reports, the intelligence department's assassination plans, the bio-lab's experiment progress, sky carrier patrol quotas, and operations of global bases and special forces teams.
That was just one day's workload.
Bayonetta flipped through a few pages before handing the schedule back—she couldn't bear to keep reading. Her anger quietly ignited. She ordered Dana to delete Solomon's entire schedule for the next day and logged into his personal email to send a leave request to his professor. Then she told the maid to fetch the black leather handcuffs from the bedroom.
She wasn't letting Solomon go to work tomorrow. Her big boy needed a good night's sleep.
Take a guess—who's the one that really wanted to sleep?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get early access to chapters by joining my Patre@n!Find me at: patre@n*com/Mutter
You can read each novel for $5 or get them all for just $15.
I Am Zeus, KING OF GODS (Chapter 79)
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 391)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 471)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 677)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 1059)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1418)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1422)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1452)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1504)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld!(Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 703)
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter][+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]