Three-stream detection simulator

[Chapter 1, Section 2: Legacy of the Pharaoh

Quest Status: Completed

Quest Description: Shania Fortanmo was hired by the Court of Owls to approach you for a certain purpose. After the mission failed, her life and death are unknown and her whereabouts are unknown. But at least you found the package she sent: a golden hourglass that is said to stop flowing when it touches a corpse. At the same time, you also heard clues related to the Windtalkers and prophecies. 'This world is no longer safe, and evil forces are surging in the dark', what does the wizard's words mean? What role do you play in it?

Quest Reward: Skill Point x1, New York Area Reputation +500

New York Area Reputation lv.2 (300/800): The media used a small piece of space to promote you]

The description of New York's reputation seems to be a little different from that of Gotham, but Hercule's Gotham reputation jumped directly from level 1 to level 3, while New York's reputation remained at level 2, so there is no way to compare them.

More important than skill points and reputation rewards is the special souvenir 'Legacy of the Pharaoh'.

When it was first received, it had a traditional pyramid shape, and looked very much like the Apocalypse Corporation headquarters building that appeared in the game's side story in Hercule's impression, but the actual size was a little smaller than the golden hourglass, and could be held in one hand in the palm of your hand.

It was platinum in color, very heavy, with a distinct metallic texture on the outer layer, and complex circuits painted on each side. At the bottom of the pyramid was carved an eye of the god Meded that appeared in ancient Egyptian culture.

This eye looked a little dull when viewed alone, but when Hercule raised the pyramid and looked into its cold silver eyeballs, it felt a little sacred and terrifying.

In any case, the pyramid was just a semi-finished product. Hercule tried to put the golden hourglass and the mission reward together. The hourglass remained the same, but the shape of the pyramid changed miraculously. Like mercury at room temperature, its edges suddenly became soft, and then quickly changed shape in Hercule's eyes, and finally settled into...

A straight-handled pipe.

The surface of the pipe is still platinum, and the straight handle and head are wrapped with finely carved patterns. These patterns, which were originally circuits, were straight on a two-dimensional plane, but now they are winding and rugged. The groove in the head for filling tobacco is empty, with only a metal pipe with an unknown purpose, a filter and a compression pump, extending to the rear pipe.

Its description has also changed:

[En Sabah Nur's Legacy: The oldest mutant was forced to leave a legacy - his hatred before death cursed every user. Don't mention his name, the dead will hear it.

Use effect: Intelligence branch has been activated skill level +2, physical strength and agility are slightly increased by +50%, inspiration is greatly increased by +100%, and the number of fatal damage exemptions is obtained x1

Negative effect: Instant death x1

Duration: Permanent, can be turned off at any time, and the negative effect is refreshed synchronously every time it is turned on. 】

Just as Hercule reached out to pick up the pipe, a hallucination suddenly appeared in front of his eyes and ears:

A shrill, inhuman roar came out of his throat, curses filled his eardrums, there was a pale light above his head, the air was filled with the smell of blood, he lay flat on the test bench and couldn't move, surrounded by swaying and blurry figures. They recited various complex technical terms, and unknown liquids were injected into his body through a hose...

A golden light flashed before his eyes, and Hercule suddenly woke up, panting rapidly, with a storm in his heart.

The protagonist of the illusion was not himself, but when he was immersed in the illusion, he could feel the protagonist's emotions: the person lying on the test bench used to be in a high position and looked down on these ants in front of him from the bottom of his heart.

This man's chest was filled with anger, humiliation and resentment of betrayal, coupled with the despair and panic of being desperate, so that his originally indestructible spirit was about to be shattered.

Even so, Hercule in the illusion could still feel the power surging in his limbs, which was the silent roar of the protagonist of the illusion when he struggled:

I am so powerful... I can kill all of you with just one hand... You are blaspheming... Traitors, trash, ants that I failed to step on... I curse you! I, En Sabah Nur, 'Apocalypse', curse you! All humans who dare to use my power will die in the most miserable way!!

If it weren't for the golden hourglass placed next to him, Hercule would almost be swept away by this monstrous resentment and then lose himself.

However, the golden hourglass has another cold and static power. It neutralized the anger of En Sabah Nur, the mutant codenamed 'Apocalypse', and made Hercule sober and regain his sanity.

But he still didn't dare to relax, and he held the cigarette handle with a solemn expression and fell into thought.

Where did the game system get this prop from? In the illusion, which force used and killed En Sabah Nur, the first and most powerful mutant in history? What is the connection between Apocalypse and Apocalypse Corporation?

The simplest guess is that Apocalypse Corporation killed En Sabah Nur, inherited his name, and erased the history of his existence in this world. Therefore, the Batcomputer cannot find any information, and the mutants have lost their ancestor.

The reason is also ready: Apocalypse Corporation needs the power of mutants.

They finally succeeded in using 'Apocalypse' to create the pyramid that the system rewards players with.

But this gave rise to new problems. How did the pyramids and the pipes now come into the hands of Hercule? What about Apocalypse Company in the game plot? The huge pyramid in their headquarters looks so similar to the pyramid props. Are the real Apocalypse Company and the Apocalypse Company in the game really the same one?

Could this be a story about another world (game) invading reality?

Then the mage said, "This world is no longer safe, and evil forces are surging in the dark." There is also an explanation. The Apocalypse Company in the game is the evil party, and the main task of the protagonist (Hercule) is to fight against the villains to save the world. …

Generally speaking, it makes sense, but apart from being a little cliché, Hercule still feels that something is wrong - it is known that the pioneer technology of the Apocalypse Company camp is studying the core of the black apple, and they know almost nothing about it. The steps are all based on guessing, and the answer is all based on guessing.

They even went so far as to steal Stark Industries' arc reactor to power the door. At this level, not only is it not comparable to the Apocalypse Company in the game, which has reached its peak technological level and can almost destroy the world, but it is inferior to the geniuses and rich men of the same era such as Batman and Iron Man.

At present, the enemy has revealed two special methods, one is prophecy, and the other is entropy reversal weapon. The prophecy ability has yet to be investigated. Entropy reversal weapons have excellent effects, but the incendiary flasks and retrograde bullets that have appeared so far can only be regarded as small efforts.

Instead, all items with obvious technical gaps, including the Heart of the Machine and the Legacy of En Saba Nur, are in the player's hands.

If we talk about the invasion from another world, Hercule feels that he is more like the one suffering from natural disasters.

The villain is myself! He murmured in his mind and put the issue aside for the time being. Anyway, he had a hunch that as the main mission progressed, both the game plot and the truth of the world after time travel would be revealed in front of him.

The good news is that Hercule finally got a pipe that he could carry with him this time. After a while, he felt that his No. 1 standby action, which he had not had much presence in the past, was about to start.

Batman walked back into the room and saw the detective sitting on top of the safe with his legs crossed, holding the handle of the pipe in a skillful manner, but not smoking.

Batman is no longer surprised by the strange things that happen to him. He asked calmly: "Where did your pipe come from?"

Hercule shook his head and said sincerely: "It's all fog!"

Robin asked, "So you're going to smoke now?"

Hercule was about to say that he didn't know how to smoke a metal pipe without tobacco, when the hand beside him suddenly moved spontaneously, picked up the gold hourglass next to his thigh, and lightly pressed the gold side of it.

I saw a gap popping up at the top of the hourglass, similar to the one where a straw is inserted into the lid of a Coke cup.

No one had ever seen this scene before, and the three people present were immediately shocked in visible and invisible ways.

“The gold inside can actually be poured out??”

Robin asked the adult for permission and stretched out his hand to fiddle with the place where Hercule pressed, but the entrance and exit at the top did not disappear. Hercule touched the same spot with his thumb, and the top of the hourglass immediately became whole again.

Like the Machine Heart, this is another item that only he can use.

No one spoke for a long time. Hercule was silent because he felt that an hourglass with an opening looked too much like a condiment bottle. No matter how great its origin and past, it was completely lost at this moment...

The other two people haven't thought of this yet. Batman asked, "What's it for?"

Hercule aligned the notch on the golden hourglass with the pipe at the head of the pipe, and tapped the shell with his fingertips like a condiment bottle. A few gold particles, invisible to the naked eye, drifted from the edge of the hourglass and fell into the pipe.

The next moment, the pattern on the surface of the pipe emitted a dazzling light for a moment, then dimmed again. Immediately afterwards, the pipe wall vibrated slightly, and a bright golden liquid that looked like melted gold poured out from the deep filter and compression pump. The water level has been raised to the level with the edge of the pipe head, but not a drop has spilled out. It only ripples gently in the round pipe, giving it a luxurious beauty.

Hercule couldn't help but bring the cigarette holder to his lips, but before taking a puff of the unknown 'liquid tobacco', he tried his best to control the impulse generated by the standby action, so that the pause seemed extremely abrupt and deliberate.

"I don't think it's a good time to smoke."

He looked at Robin: "There are minors here."

Batman cast a suspicious look.

Hercule looked magnanimous, but actually he was a little unsure about the side effects of this item called inheritance. Can the 'number of fatal damage saving throws' be used to offset the 'instant death' effect? If he takes a puff of cigarette here, will he go directly to the ICU?

At that time, he will become a living (or maybe dead) smoking cessation advertisement.

In fact, Hercule guessed that the inheritance's instant death and damage immunity abilities came from the pyramid and the golden hourglass respectively. The golden hourglass has the power to induce stillness and death, and it can basically be concluded to be harmful. What about the pyramids? Someone has gone to great lengths to study the power of 'Apocalypse' En Saba Nur, certainly not just to gain his hatred and curse.

Maybe the pyramid could provide some protection, or maybe it had other uses that Hercule didn't understand yet.

All in all, he felt that he would not die if he took one puff of cigarette. But just in case, it's better not to do such unproven and dangerous things in front of others.

**

Iron Man sent a message saying that because Fordham was employed by Pioneer Technology, he encountered a "small-scale silencing operation."

S.H.I.E.L.D. suspected that Pioneer Technology had used the Void Wind to insinuate Fordham, which allowed him to risk his life to work for the Stark Group. The enemy should also be looking for the lost golden hourglass, but after locking the Aria apartment, they find that the Marshall Fordham here is not the person they are looking for, so they simply make use of the waste and launch a plan to steal the Ark reactor.

Fordham is the only conscious controlled living body that SHIELD has encountered so far. The people rescued in the laboratory before were either dead or unconscious. Therefore, he has high research value. At least Hercule got a piece of information:

Hosts parasitized by the Void Wind can feel each other. They are like separate clones of the main body, commanded by the same consciousness, so as long as they see each other, they can tell whether they are parasites.

No wonder some want to silence Fordham.

It's no wonder that the mutant who died in Aria's apartment before knew the identity of the police undercover. Generally speaking, enemy spies at the level of Deputy Commissioner of Community Affairs are like shady keyboard warriors, best suited to wearing a vest no matter how they deal with superiors or subordinates. But he was obviously forced to be exposed to his colleagues. As long as the dead mutants saw him once, they would find that he was also the host of the Void Wind.

As of now, the arson case, Shania's package, and the Pioneer Technology 'gate' incident can all be regarded as coming to an end. Although there are many mysteries next, they are not that urgent, so Tony proposes to go to the Stark Group headquarters building to have a party to celebrate in the evening.

He invited Hercule, Batman and Robin, Hercule's neighbor Oliver, and even Fordham and the Riddler, except the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Batman originally wanted to refuse - he hadn't been back to Gotham for several days, and now he was as eager to return home as a refreshed Boss. But Hercule said: "I am ready to satisfy Iron Man's curiosity and let him take a look at the mechanical heart."

Countless thoughts immediately surged in Batman's mind. His unspoken refusal turned into: "I'll join, too. But Robin, you're not allowed to drink."

"..."

Hercule hadn't had a proper meal in several days.

Many people think that he is informal in daily life, but in fact, compared to Tony and Bruce, Hercule is the one with the most serious attitude towards life. He hates fast food, and he also doesn't like leftovers. If possible, he must eat hot dishes that have just come out of the pot. Moreover, he is nostalgic and often keeps things given by friends, bought by himself, used but useless things as collections.

Such people usually appear a bit old-fashioned. But Hercule had the advantage of rarely looking back. He never stopped for the joy or pain of the past.

So Hercule, of all people, protested the most when it was revealed that Tony Stark had packed tens of thousands of dollars' worth of liquor for his party.

"I graciously allow you not to prepare the food yourself, Mr. Iron Man." He said firmly, actually using honorifics. Hercule rarely spoke in this tone in front of Tony, "I can order takeout, As the host, you must at least allow the delivery person to come in."

Tony was stunned for a long time before he managed to squeeze out the words: "——I'm sorry, it was my negligence."

He looked for the takeout order dejectedly under Pepper's teasing gaze, and said to himself: "And the little boy over there, what do you want? Juice or Coke? Some low-alcohol beer is not a problem either. Batman. Don't let you drink? God, my dad won't care about me after I turn ten..."

Batman: "I don't drink either."

Tony: "Are you also a minor?"

Batman went to the water dispenser to get himself a glass of boiled water, and when he came back, he said to Tony, "Thank you."

Gotham people are so fucking weird.

"Damn it!" Tony rummaged through the messy pile of documents, "Who saw the takeout phone number I put on the table? Did you pack it away for me on Friday?"

"I would love to, sir, but I didn't do it." The artificial intelligence replied in an elegant London accent, "Why don't you ask Mr. Hugo next to you?"

When Hercule heard the sound, he took out his pipe and stopped mid-air.

Batman stood beside him and whispered, "I thought you quit smoking."

On the way here, Hercule touched his pipe absentmindedly every ten minutes, and not even the little game on the checkerboard could completely divert his attention. What's in the Golden Hourglass that's so addictive? The detective has to forcefully stop himself every time. Does this mean it is causing serious harm?

Hercule prevaricated: "Excuse me, I'm trying my best."

Once again he was victorious against Standby No. 1, and then began to deal with the consequences of Standby No. 2. Everyone has been busy these two days, and no one has come to clean up the residential area of ​​Stark Industries headquarters. It still maintains the magical layout that Pepper Little calls a 'detective masterpiece', which attracts many voices of admiration. Many items that Hercule could find at a glance were not necessarily found by others turning over the sofa cushions.

Ten seconds later, he easily found the takeout order under the base of Iron Man's discarded micro-reactor, even more skillfully than at his own home.

Onlookers: "..."

Tony was about to lose his temper. He wiped his face and asked, "What's the principle?"

Hercule ordered the takeout order: "Only one."

Then he pointed to the scrapped reactor: "There is only one of it. The one on your chest does not count. It is a intact reactor that is in use, and it is a part of you."

"You sort by numbers?"

Hercule sat back on the sofa and said while making a reservation at a nearby restaurant: "Yes, I'm sorry, I have some bad habits that are difficult for ordinary people to understand."

"That makes sense, I like numbers." Tony turned around, "Do you drink? I'll get you a cup."

As soon as he left, Oliver immediately saw the opportunity and sat over, cleared his throat and said, "Hi, detective, we haven't seen each other for a while."

Hercule had never found himself so popular, but he did not resent it: "It's not that long, Oliver. What's the matter?"

"Yes - I stayed up all night to write the first version of the broadcast copy! Do you have time to make corrections?"

This is terrible.

Hercule had a headache when he thought about the broadcast script. He was worried that not reading it would cause the subsequent development to be completely different, and he really didn't want to face the weird look of himself in the eyes of others.

After struggling for a moment, he said cautiously: "Of course, I will definitely read it. But you see, I have been a little busy recently. If I delay the progress, you can ignore me and continue to move at the pace of you and your team."

In short, procrastination takes over.

Oliver geared up and vowed: "You will definitely be satisfied! Everyone who has seen my planning in the past has been amazed by my bold ideas and bizarre plot trends."

To be honest, Hercule was even more worried. With this worried mood, he ordered himself a pan-fried steak with vegetable salad, a plate of cheese seafood pasta and fried squid rings. He also planned what he would eat tomorrow morning. If you don’t need to travel to other cities the next day, lunch is also arranged.

The slightly sweet wine combined with the steaming steak can soothe your empty stomach and cold body. Even Batman, after watching Hercule eat, ruled out the option that the detective was actually a dead man or a zombie.

At the height of the moon, Hercule was nearly half drunk. He rationally rejected Tony's move to continue pouring him wine, patted his friend on the back and said, "Wait a minute, Iron Man, I want to show you my iron will."

"What?" It had been several days since this incident, but Tony didn't react. He was much drunker than Hercule, and his speech was a bit slurred, "What are you going to show me? Steel...I am the Man of Steel!"

"Of course you are."

Hercule went to find his suitcase, a little unsteadily, and found Batman guarding it. The blue eyes of the Gotham vigilante are like glaciers, carrying a sobering power. But Hercule was not afraid of him, so he just smiled and took the box: "Please don't look at me like that, Bruce. I have discovered more than one secret of Iron Man. Now it's just to be fair, use it to make a exchange."

Batman: "If you trust him, why do you keep calling him Iron Man?"

Hercule explained seriously: "Because Iron Man has seven letters, Hercule also has seven letters, so the two of us can be grouped together."

"..." Batman stared for a while and realized that Hercule didn't seem to be joking.

He couldn't help but start making comparisons in his mind: Why would Hercule be willing to team up with Batman? Batan has six letters, Bruce has five letters, and Wayne has five letters.

Is there any pattern here that he hasn't discovered yet?

Hercule: "I know what you're thinking."

Batman: "You don't know."

Hercule: "Well, I don't know."

He then gave up answering Batman's questions, shrugged and returned to Tony with the box in hand. Tony held on to the sofa and raised a glass to him: "Salute to you!"

Hercule clinked glasses with him before lifting the suitcase onto his lap and flattening it: "You only have ten seconds."

"You're looking down on me. I can remember what it looks like in a second."

"That would be perfect, please."

Hercule popped open the buckle of the box, and the box blocked the eyes of others, only revealing a gap of several tens of centimeters in the direction of Tony.

Ten seconds later, he closed the box: "Thank you for your hospitality tonight, Iron Man. And thank you for not minding my discovering all the secrets you have and will have."

These words were simply offensive and arrogant. Tony just held up his cup, stared blankly in the direction of the mechanical heart, and made no sound for a long time.

During the following party, he seemed distracted and often started to lose focus in the middle of a conversation. Pepper was a little worried when she saw it: "Are you okay, Tony?"

"I'm fine, very fine." Tony calmed down and drank the red wine in his hand. "I want to go to the balcony to enjoy the breeze. Do you want to come?"

"Of course." Pepper hurriedly followed him, "What's wrong with you? I noticed something was wrong after you chatted with the detective."

"Yes. Honey, I'm beginning to suspect that there's something wrong with my memory." Tony stood up high, closed his eyes and faced the cold wind to collect his thoughts. When he opened his eyes again, he looked extremely sober, "How likely is it that, without even knowing it, I created a special tool whose principles I have no clue about and whose functions I have only a vague understanding of?"

Pepper didn't understand: "What are you talking about, Tony?"

"I said, I rarely misidentify my own work." Iron Man looked back at her, "Hercule showed me the 'Mechanical Heart' in his hand, or call it the 'Black Apple Core'. Fury pestered me to study it, and I refused many times for various reasons - Fury was too annoying, Hercule was my friend, etc. But until just now, I discovered something that shocked me - that was my technology."

"The Mechanical Heart is probably something I made."