Otherwise, Pendragon would have to find a way to transmigrate again as soon as possible.
When it came to gathering intel, especially the kind of top secret material completely off limits to ordinary civilians, the fastest way was still hacking.
The crappy hotel computer was obviously not up to the task. Pendragon gave it a kick and pushed it aside.
He pulled out his own light brain.
The military, S.H.I.E.L.D., and even the Federal Security Bureau were all on Pendragon's target list.
Technically, the information he wanted was buried deep inside the core internal networks of those violent institutions. Unless you physically infiltrated their buildings, there was no way to break through from the public internet.
That was not a question of skill. It was a problem at the physical layer.
Pendragon's light brain, however, was a piece of black technology at least one era ahead. He personally knew nothing about hacking, but the intrusion program built into the device could handle everything for him.
All it needed to do was take control of three communication satellites. With those broadcasting their powerful signals across the globe, the entire internet of planet Earth became no different from a hard drive on his own computer. He could casually rummage through it and even run keyword searches.
"So it really is the movie universe."
Pendragon let out a quiet breath and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. His eyes took on a "see through everything" glint.
The major events he needed to confirm were not actually classified at the highest levels. They did not require physical keys or offline vaults, which meant he could work very quickly.
So quickly that by the time S.H.I.E.L.D. dispatched agents at record breaking speed and rushed to the hotel, Pendragon was already gone, riding China's number one flying sword, the White Emperor Holy Sword, and streaking through the sky.
Wakanda. In the Marvel universe, it was a hidden high tech nation in Africa, the unluckiest of all unlucky countries.
Pendragon had dropped a marker there on his light brain and simply followed the navigation.
Movies were not like TV dramas. Their pacing was fast. If he went too late, all he could do was stand there and watch fate make its choice.
This time, his light brain had essentially hijacked the entire global network. The reconnaissance satellites in orbit were reduced to decoration. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in charge nearly scratched his scalp off in frustration. Faced with technology a whole era beyond his own, he began to doubt reality.
Pendragon's extraordinary dynamic vision allowed him to see the scenery below clearly even while flying at supersonic speeds. When a massive black panther statue made of who knew what material appeared in his sight, he dismissed the Evil Holy Sword and came to a halt in midair.
Wakanda was still officially cut off from the world. Its layers of protection included, but were not limited to, optical camouflage and electromagnetic shields, like a sect guardian array straight out of a xianxia novel. Pendragon's light brain, however, was a formation breaking artifact. It had already seized control of the "formation core" and turned every one of those defenses into something that simply did not apply to him.
Skipping right over the Black Panther king's authorization, Pendragon slipped through a secure access point and into the most technologically advanced country on Earth.
"Flawless. I really am the strongest Assassin."
Walking on air, approaching the royal palace of the Black Panther without anyone noticing, Pendragon was very satisfied with his own performance.
He had realized that floating by clamping himself around the waist with telekinesis was incredibly dumb. Given this body's insane sense of balance, creating a foothold under his feet out of condensed mana was child's play.
Once he mastered the trick, Pendragon could run, jump, and stroll in midair. He could even sit down or lie back for a nap.
A quick check of the king's call log told him that Captain America and the others were already on their way with Vision in tow. They would arrive in about half a day.
As Wakanda developed its technology, it had also preserved its natural landscape. The city was built in an oasis, surrounded by trees and grassland. Pendragon even spotted herds of wild animals in the distance.
He had not seen any lions yet. If he did, he would definitely want to go pet the big cats for a while.
Pendragon landed under a flat crowned acacia tree. Its umbrella like canopy cast a broad shadow across the grass.
He leaned against the trunk, where the thorns had been shaved off. Out on the horizon, the thread thin clouds met the gray green plains, forming a quiet, tranquil scene.
After watching the giraffes in the distance for a bit, Pendragon used mana to weave a copy of a famous novel from this world and started reading to pass the time.
He was committed to the "literary youth" persona. Finding peace in the pages of a book was only natural. All he needed now was a Chopin piece as background music.
The light brain linked to the translator in his ear.
Maybe a little "Gokuraku Jodo" to complete the vibe?
Thanos's army was already en route in their warships.
"Boom!"
The explosion rolled in as a solid wall of sound. Trees along its path were ripped up by the roots, flung aside along with huge chunks of earth.
One of the invading dropships had slammed into the royal palace's electromagnetic shield and blossomed into a sphere of flame.
Air compressed to the limit carried the terrifying kinetic energy of re entry as it spread outward in all directions. Its force uprooted giant trees and peeled up the turf. The waters of nearby lakes shattered into vapor, like the wrath of a descending god.
Pendragon was not far from the Black Panther's palace, parked right in the zone of maximum shockwave intensity.
A tree that would have needed two people to encircle it was lifted as if by an invisible giant hand and swung straight at him. A nearby giraffe, already stunned by the blast, was brushed by the rough bark and the whole side of its body burst into flying minced meat.
Crack.
Fresh splinters of wood scattered through the air. When the shockwave hit a certain tree, it was as if ocean surf had slammed into a reef, splitting cleanly around it.
The massive trunk hurtling toward Pendragon shattered into two pieces. It was like he had drawn a circle around himself in the earth, a domain that could not be violated. Not even a speck of dust drifted into his face.
"…"
The book in Pendragon's hand dissolved back into mana and vanished into the air. He swallowed down the Black Bean Paste he had been chewing and decided that, given the atmosphere right now, he needed to say something that matched his current aura.
"Today's wind is really quite noisy."
After holding it in for a while, Pendragon pushed his glasses up with a finger and delivered the line in an embarrassed yet poetic tone.
More dropships crashed down one after another. The ones that did not ram the shield like idiots spread out and formed a ring around the Black Panther's palace, vomiting out endless four armed alien orphans.
No blockbuster could compare to this. It was shocking and tragic, a doomsday born of countless bodies.
Pendragon watched for a moment, then began to sneak toward the royal palace.