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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Fifty-Four: Silent Ridge
In a sense, Coulson's words were close to the truth; it was just that Bai Luo had not disappeared for twenty years due to serious injuries, but rather because he had become trapped in Sadako's memories.
It wasn't difficult for S.H.I.E.L.D. to guess this, after all, it was a vast organization. They had even arranged Bai Luo's flight for him. Perhaps because of the previous incident, they were no longer willing to let Bai Luo board a regular commercial flight; instead, they provided him with a private aircraft to take him to Afghanistan.
Bai Luo said, "That speculation is pretty much on point."
Coulson merely smiled at this and did not delve deeper into the topic. He simply stated, "Regardless, it's certainly a good thing that you are here. The world has not been peaceful lately—mutants and other entities from beyond the stars are emerging. This world needs you."
Bai Luo rubbed his nose and replied, "When did I become so important? Are you buttering me up now only to slap me on the back when trouble comes knocking, sending me off to my doom?"
Coulson chuckled lightly but refrained from responding to Bai Luo's comment. Instead, he said, "By the way, the Director asked me to inform you that we've found Steve Rogers—he thinks you might be interested in him."
Bai Luo responded, "Actually, I'm more interested in the Cosmic Cube that was found alongside him."
Coulson could only manage a dry laugh in response.
Bai Luo didn't push further with any aggressive remarks; Coulson was a good guy. If it were anyone else, his sharp tongue would have shown no mercy.
Moreover, at that moment, Bai Luo's mind was entirely focused on the documents before him.
Coulson understood this and led Bai Luo into a private office where the documents lay on the only table in the stark room.
"Mr. Bai," Coulson said, "you can only look at these here. I'm sorry—our enemies are everywhere."
The enemies he referred to were naturally Hydra. In fact, Nick Fury had been aware of the numerous Hydra spies within S.H.I.E.L.D. long before the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier unfolded. However, investigating S.H.I.E.L.D. was too complicated for him to take action against them directly.
Bai Luo could certainly understand, and with a slight nod, he sat down at the table and opened the file.
The information from S.H.I.E.L.D. was limited, and what was recorded here was not about Bai Chu, but rather the Kansas Incident. The Kansas Incident was distinct from the Kansas City Battle, occurring eleven years after Bai Luo's encounter with Kill and the Reincarnator. Witnesses reported seeing a spacecraft descend in a town called Silent Ridge in Kansas, where many mutants were involved for various reasons.
Upon seeing the name Silent Ridge, Bai Luo couldn't help but curse inwardly, realizing how serious this matter was.
In the file, Bai Chu was listed as one of the many mutants. Her reason for going to Silent Ridge was straightforward; it was a mysterious town that emerged after the Kansas City battle. According to local rumors, that place was linked to ghosts, and since Bai Chu had experienced Mizumura Memeko's Ghost Call alongside Bai Luo, it was likely that her visit was related to the haunting situation there.
The investigation into each individual's motive for going to Silent Ridge was thorough, with one diligent agent providing detailed analyses of their motivations. However, details about the Kansas battle were vague. The file only mentioned that the battle erupted near Silent Ridge amidst heavy fog, where farmers close to cornfields reported seeing something resembling a spacecraft descending through the mist. Then came explosions and tremors accompanied by deafening sounds.
Afterward, Silent Ridge and those mutants vanished, leaving behind a massive crater. The U.S. government spent nearly six months filling it in. Data from satellites above Kansas indicated that before Silent Ridge disappeared, a large invisible object ascended into space, likely the same spacecraft that had landed earlier.
Additionally, there were several blurry images taken from a distance. Bai Luo scrutinized them but found no useful information. At the end of the file, the summarizing agent wrote down their analysis.
According to this agent's speculation, something within Silent Ridge must have attracted that spacecraft from space. The giant crater was left as evidence of a battle between them. As for the mutants, they likely played a crucial role and were probably taken off Earth by the spacecraft after the battle since no human remains or even fragments were found in the crater—indicating that all humans from Silent Ridge were most likely taken away.
Bai Luo had hoped to glean some useful information from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files because in the 1990s of the Marvel Universe, he could always connect with those who fell from space. However, he never expected that after reading the file, he would feel even more confused than before.
Silent Ridge had come up; how could he not be bewildered?
Moreover, what was crucial was that Silent Ridge was tied to a spaceship!
Once again, Bai Luo felt a deep sense of malice from this world.
He let out a long breath, placed the file back on the table, and stood up.
The guilt in his heart weighed heavily on him.
He at least had heard of Silent Ridge and what kind of place it was, but Bai Chu—she knew nothing about it and had plunged in headfirst, simply because he, Bai Luo, might be there.
That was his family.
In this strange world he had traversed to, she was his only true relative.
At that moment, Sadako seemed to sense something unusual in Bai Luoxin and couldn't help but say, "Trust me, she will be fine, Bai Luo."
Sadako's tone this time was surprisingly gentle. It seemed she was using her own abilities, and the anxious feelings in Bai Luo were gradually soothed by a soft and warm mental energy.
He let out a long breath and smiled wryly. "Is this what you call being a burden to my sister?"
Although Sadako didn't understand what "being a burden" meant, she grasped the essence of Bai Luo's words. After thinking for a moment, she replied, "If she didn't truly care about you, you wouldn't have sent her to Charles' School for Gifted Youngsters first, would you? Caring for each other... perhaps that's how it is... You should feel happy about this. Your sister sees you as something more important than herself... No one has ever cared for me like that."
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