PFC Chapter 3710 Doomsday (3)
Chapter 3710 Doomsday (3)
Chapter 3710 Doomsday (Part 3)
“That’s possible,” Schiller said, stroking his chin. “Although the space there is larger, it’s still on the edge of the country. And if they can hollow out a mountain range, they might be able to hollow out an entire plateau…”
Seeing that Strange was about to faint, Schiller waved his hand and said, "Alright, back when the demons roamed the earth, weren't they all walking bombs? The earth still survived, didn't it? You can't control what China does on its own territory. Besides, they have an excellent reputation when it comes to security."
“I’m a little curious,” Steve said. “Building these things underground must be very difficult, right? Just digging a hole more than 2000 meters deep and ensuring it doesn’t collapse is already very difficult. Although they are somewhat short of land, there should be many uninhabited areas on the surface. Why go to such lengths to build something so far away?”
“I think it might be because those demons from back then came from underground,” Schiller shrugged. “They’re always vengeful. If that’s the case, it’s not just the Himalayas that are empty boxes; the entire underground world of Asia is probably…”
Strange was genuinely struggling to breathe. Schiller could only pat him back to calm down, then said, "I know that in your eyes, the magical defense network is safe enough, and you, as the Sorcerer Supreme, are quite reliable. But they always have far-reaching plans. If they can't guarantee that the magical defense network will always be safe, and that the Sorcerer Supreme will always be reliable, they will definitely find ways to implement their own insurance measures. I'm afraid what you're seeing is just the tip of the iceberg."
“Something suddenly occurred to me,” Steve said, leaning against the armrest. “When I toured the starship, the chief engineer who built it showed me the warp drive. It was huge, with a very peculiar structure, but it wasn’t the kind of engine humans usually see. If I had to describe it, it was more like a spider web.”
"Spider web?"
"Yes, it's not a single structure, but rather a complex shape composed of many energy nodes and energy transmission channels, somewhat like the magic circles shown in movies. I don't know if my description is accurate, but that's exactly what I saw."
Steve thought for a moment and then said, "If what you say is true, the things inside the Himalayas might just be one example, and there are many such things beneath the surface. They've also built many transmission pipelines, so they've essentially turned the area beneath their land into a complete magic array. Could the structure of this magic array be similar to a warp drive?"
"So they don't want to push the Earth along, they want to directly teleport the Earth to some other place?" Schiller thought for a moment and then said, "That's possible. After all, installing an engine and using physical propulsion to push the Earth along is an idea from a time when technology was underdeveloped. Now we even have starships, so we can use a more convenient method, such as directly performing faster-than-light teleportation."
"Does the Kree Empire have planetary warships?" Steve asked again. "Could the warp technology they use on their planetary warships be a massive magic array buried underground?"
“Very likely,” Schiller nodded. “However, their planetary warships’ warp technology is imperfect. They won’t jump unless it’s a critical moment. If China is confident that it can use their design to transport the entire Earth to another planet, wouldn’t that mean that Earth’s current performance is superior to the Kree Empire’s planetary warships?”
"My God, that's the Kree Empire's signature weapon!" Steve said excitedly. "They've used planetary warships to bully countless surface civilizations. Is it our turn now?"
"I'm afraid it's more than that. Think about it, are the planetary shields on their planetary warships as sturdy as our magical defense network? Even if they are, their instantaneous output and durability certainly can't compare to ours, because we have more energy than them. And planetary warships are the signature weapon of the Kree Empire; the planetary shields of other advanced civilizations are definitely even less effective. In that case, wouldn't we be able to just drive Earth directly into other planets? Few planets could withstand our impact!"
Steve and Schiller's eyes grew brighter. Strange's soul seemed to drift further and further away from his body. Schiller quickly shook him awake and said, "Go ask them if that's what happened!"
Strange walked away in a daze. Schiller thought for a moment and then said, "If Earth really has become a planetary warship and can even travel between dimensions, then we don't need Asgard to station troops here at all. Why don't we just move to the side of Asgard? Where could be safer than Asgard's backyard?"
Schiller and Steve exchanged a glance, their unspoken understanding unspoken.
Ring ring—Steve's phone rang. He answered, "Hello? Nick? Okay, I got it. Send the shuttle to pick me up, but you have to come in person. Schiller and I have something to discuss with you. Also, bring a security phone; we might need to speak with the leaders beforehand."
Nick stormed in, barged in, and immediately yelled, "You fucking better have something important to do! I'm swamped with work lately, I don't have time for you guys..."
Schiller and Steve each grabbed one of his arms and dragged him to the sofa. Schiller poured him a glass of water, and Steve sat down opposite him. The two of them stared intently at Nick.
“Here’s the thing, Strange discovered…” Schiller briefly described the situation to Nick, then said, “Our suspicions are very likely true, and now we just need Strange to confirm them. If that’s the case, we can start thinking about moving.”
Nick was also speechless, initially surprised, then laughing out loud. He left the room and started frantically making phone calls.
Just then, Strange returned. He was still visibly dizzy, but much better. He said, "Their reply to me was that they would never be the first to use..."
“Alright, I understand,” Schiller said. “Navigator, prepare to send a diplomatic note to Asgard. Say that human civilization will pay a visit at a later date. As the old saying goes, there’s no time like the present, so we’ll be there tomorrow.”
That's obviously an exaggeration. Preparing and starting up such large-scale equipment takes at least a month, but it also takes Asgard about the same amount of time from deciding to station troops to their departure. Strange only went to inform Loki to postpone it, and Loki thought that the human side was reacting too strongly and that Strange hadn't been able to handle it, so he didn't want to make things difficult for him and postponed the departure time of the Earth garrison.
Schiller was also very curious. This device hadn't even been tested, so how could the great Eastern power be so sure it would work? He later learned that it wasn't that they didn't trust the magic defense network; they trusted it too much.
With the magical defense network as a backup, even if this thing isn't very effective, as long as it doesn't explode on the spot, whether it doesn't jump out or crashes into something after jumping, the Earth won't disintegrate thanks to the protection of the magical defense network.
They not only trusted the magical defense network, but also had absolute faith in Schiller. Ever since they learned that Schiller could retrieve people from the underworld, they no longer worried about explosions—if someone was killed, they could be brought back; at worst, they would just lose some buildings.
Schiller had also heard that there were mutants over there who could travel through time. He wasn't entirely sure of the specifics, but even if they weren't as powerful as Franklin, the ability to travel from the future to the present would reveal some information. They wouldn't use this information for trivial matters; if someone had this ability, they would undoubtedly concentrate all their resources on researching it and maximizing their profits.
What they were researching sounded incredibly crazy and absurd, but the theory that the Earth revolves around the sun sounded just as crazy. How would we know if we didn't try?
Schiller also felt a long-lost sense of excitement. For no other reason than that he wanted to see Thor and Loki's expressions when Earth and Asgard got up close and personal.
Of course, not everyone agrees on this. But since both China and the US agree, other countries can't really do anything about it, even if they have objections. Right now, whoever has the stronger technological capabilities calls the shots.
The reason the United States agreed was quite simple. They didn't want troops stationed in Asgard because it was unfamiliar to them; but if they were to station troops next to Asgard, they would be returning to territory they were familiar with and proficient in.
In reality, world leaders have their own practical considerations in this regard, and safety isn't their primary concern. This is similar to the thinking of tourists and amusement park officials when riding certain dangerous rides: tourists think that since the park dares to open the gate, they must be confident; the amusement park thinks that since the park dares to go on, there must be no problem. Perhaps this is how humanity works: primarily engaging in intrigue and power struggles in the realm of order, while trusting each other in the realm of chaos.
That's what they say, but of course, safety still needs to be ensured. Magneto is currently on Earth, and Scarlet Witch has just finished her internship and is quite free lately. There are also Omega and Alpha-class mutants protecting them in China; everyone is surprisingly united.
That's why they say people don't get tired when they're doing bad things, right? Schiller didn't believe these guys were so quick to act without any intention of entertaining Asgard. Although Asgard hadn't done anything to wrong them, that's how it is between good buddies.
Finally, on the day before Earth was to set sail, Steve, on behalf of Earth, sent a diplomatic note to Asgard, stating that the matter of stationing troops was of great importance and that they had decided to send a delegation for a face-to-face meeting, and that Asgard should prepare to receive them.
The letter was worded quite plainly. Steve and his crew had used the same language when they visited Asgard before, so Loki didn't suspect anything. However, since they said they would be receiving them, it meant Earth was likely sending a starship—this was the first official visit by a human starship to Asgard, and it certainly deserved a grand reception. So Loki went to make the arrangements.
Asgard sent three capital ships, and the God-King and God-Queen personally attended, along with all the generals and ministers, all fully equipped with armor and formal attire—the level of service was exceptionally high.
Even so, when they stood on the deck of the starship and saw the flash of warp light appear on the blue planet not far away, they were all stunned.
"This..." Thor's mouth hung open in disbelief. He hadn't lost his composure like this in a long time since becoming God-King. He even swore in front of so many ministers and generals: "This...this can't be Earth, can it?!"
Even Loki, who almost never swore, couldn't hold back any longer: "Are humans fucking insane?!"
Just then, the golden shield on the surface of the azure planet flickered, and a line of large characters appeared on the shield: "Good evening, Asgard. You have a moon now too ^_^".