Shadow of the Beautiful World

Miss Jessica Jones woke up very early today, and rarely put on makeup, straightened her hair that had been neglected recently, and changed into a set of formal clothes.

The same is true of her boyfriend and partner, Luke Cage, the man of power. He is wearing a black suit, with his muscles stretching out his shirt, looking like a thug in a suit.

The two of them arrived at the Trident Building on time at 8:30 in the morning, and Merlin's assistant, Agent Sharon, received them.

But unfortunately, Chief Merlin, who was never late, was unexpectedly late today.

Sorry, I'm a little late.

Merlin walked out of the light of the Displacement Curse. He stood in his office, waved his windbreaker and hung it on the hanger, moved his arm, and said to Jessica and Cage who were sitting in the office:

I came to you two today because I have something to tell you. But before I say it, let's take a look at this.

Merlin took out a stack of newly printed documents from his pocket, and handed it to Jessica, who took it in his hand, looked at the cover, and couldn't help raising his head:

Sir, the Superhero Registration Act?, are you serious?

Do you think I'm joking?

Merlin sat on his office chair, crossed his fingers and said to Jessica:

It's no secret that superhumans emerge in endlessly, and they are very restless. In theory, you and Cage are actually superheroes, and they are the first batch to appear. Listen to what happened in Hell's Kitchen yesterday. Did you say it?

Well, not only have I heard about it, but I've also seen it with my own eyes.

Jessica handed the document in her hand to her boyfriend, then took out a cigarette, and smoked carelessly in Merlin's office, she said to Merlin:

The place where the bomb exploded was not far from my new office. I heard the sound and asked Cage to check it out, but the police had already arrived. I heard that 17 people died, and it was because two young people did not Can you control your abilities?

right.

Merlin nodded and said:

This is not the first time that such a thing has happened. Those newly emerged superhumans lack control and awe of power. If the previous S.H.I.E.L.D. can quickly discover them and absorb them into the system just like absorbing you where they were trained and trained, but now, they are appearing too fast and without trace, and the original monitoring and search model is no longer applicable.

This bill is what I prepared for this situation.

That's normal, sir.

Jessica took a puff of smoke, and this social private detective said to Merlin:

Rookies are always messy and like to show off their power. After they are beaten up by the society, they will learn to restrain themselves. Just like me back then, I thought I was omnipotent, but I met an evil scum I almost lost myself. Oh, yes, speaking of it, sir, why haven't you seen Miss Elsa for a while? Isn't she your girlfriend?

She's busy.

Merlin answered the question casually. He looked at the divine man who was carefully looking at the document, and said:

Cage, do you think the terms of this bill are harsh?

It's okay, apart from carrying a recorder and personal monitoring, there are actually not many things that make people contradict. After all, for newcomers, instead of learning to fight at the risk of death in battle, accept the official Training is clearly better.

The divine man touched his fierce bald head, and he said to Merlin:

And it's way better than S.H.I.E.L.D.'s terms of entry. But I have a question, sir.

Luke Cage put the document on the table, he reached out and tapped the text of the document, he said to Merlin:

It says that superheroes need to be registered, that is, if it is implemented, it means that the identity information of superheroes will be recorded by the large database of S.H.I.E.L.D., in case I mean, in case they are leaked gone?

In this day and age, identity leaks are a serious issue, and superheroes always have enemies, and the consequences of being known to their identities by enemies are dire.

That's a good question, Cage.

Merlin reached out and pushed the mirror frame, and he said to his subordinates:

If someone can break through the database firewall jointly made by the four smartest people in the world, and get a 7-fold encrypted physical lock key, they can still be protected by the 24-hour advanced AI, as well as the world's best If I obtain the data files that record the identity information under the supervision of the data engineer, then I will admit it.

He said to the power man:

We have designed some additional insurance for this list. Once the database storing it is forced to breach, then it will immediately perform a self-deletion procedure. This is a last defense measure controlled by a trustworthy artificial intelligence. In so many layers Under the protection of insurance, if it still leaks, then I can only say that we are very unlucky.

But that creates another problem.

Jessica is worthy of being a private detective. Although her living habits are not very good, her brain is really easy to use. She stubbed out the cigarette and said to Merlin solemnly:

The superhumans participating in the registration will inevitably doubt whether this list will be abused by high-level officials, such as threatening a hero with private information to do some unjust things. After all, compared with the behemoth SHIELD, a single superhuman Too weak.

And, there is another very important question, sir.

Jessica stared at Merlin, she asked:

For those who don't want to sign the papers, who don't want to quit the superhero arena, who don't plan to shut up, who are suffering from persecution paranoia, what are you going to do?

For Jessica's question, Merlin had already planned, and he answered seriously:

First of all, the private information of superheroes is only stored in s.d.o.l.d.'s supernatural affairs database. We are only responsible for keeping it. Its confidentiality level is level 9! The direct management of this list is in the hands of the World Security Council. In other words, as long as you don't talk about your identity to the world, no one will take the initiative to announce it.

And we don't intend to publish this list to the public. We are not that stupid. If there is an extreme situation, if someone's identity is leaked, S.H.I.E.L.D. will immediately provide comprehensive protection. There will be wizards and colleagues from another institution assisting us in erasing leaked memories.

And then the second question.

Merlin flicked his fingers, and he said to the two subordinates in front of him:

For those superhumans who do not cooperate, we will not harm them. Unless their power is dangerous to the entire civilization, they can still continue to live as 'protected'.

When necessary, it is not difficult to reorganize a person's memory.

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief, he spread his hands, and said to Jessica and Cage in front of him:

The bill I let you see is only a preliminary version. I'm not even sure whether it will be passed, but if it must be implemented in the future, then there will definitely be a whole set of more complicated guarantee systems.

I repeat, this is a secret agreement. I also understand the problems that will arise when this agreement is devolved to various government officials.

We used to hurt each other with bullets and knives, but now it's worse

Merlin looked at his fingers and said:

We are weapons ourselves, and some of us are even deadlier than nuclear bombs. I believe this list is also a protection for superhumans. If superheroes are allowed to continue their activities without rules, it will inevitably lead to conflicts between countries. It is not good to have a new round of arms competition, which is actually already in its infancy among countries now.

He said:

As Jessica said, in the face of official power, it is difficult for a single superhero to resist. I don't think you want to be forced to become a super weapon in North America one day, right?

So it's actually pretty simple

Merlin held out two fingers, and he said:

Losing the freedom without rules, and then gaining the freedom to be protected.

Everyone can continue to be a hero, but there are rules to protect them and protect those who may be harmed by them. We will provide training and teaching to let them embark on the path of true guardians, and they don't even need extra Payment.

To be honest, I personally think it's a good deal.

Jessica and Cage glanced at each other, Jessica spread her hands, the private detective who was hurt by another superhuman said to Merlin:

Well, you've convinced me, sir. If it's enacted, I'll sign it.

Where's Cage?

Merlin looked at the supernatural man, but he hesitated with his big muscular bald head. This guy who looked reckless was actually a wise man who had his own thoughts on many things.

After a few seconds, he said to Merlin:

Sir, I very much agree with the benefits that this agreement brings to the chaotic superhero circle and every ordinary person, but to be honest, I think it is still necessary to consider the relevant safeguards. If it is not perfect, if it has loopholes, If it fell into the wrong hands, it would be an unmitigated disaster.

Cage looked at Merlin seriously, and said:

As you said, powerful superhumans are no less dangerous than nuclear bombs. When I think of a large group of nuclear bombs that are about to explode at any time being held in the hands of ambitious people, my scalp tingles.

All right.

Merlin wasn't angry. He took over the preliminary version of the bill agreement from Cage. He clapped his hands and said to the two subordinates in front of him:

You all have good points and your comments are very constructive, which makes me feel that I need to add more to this bill before submitting it. However, let me tell you what I came to you today Let's do business.

Snapped

Merlin snapped his fingers, like a calling sign, a black energy strangely appeared in the office, as if a dark door was opened, and the next moment, Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen appeared in Merlin in the office.

This is Tyrone's ability. He can walk in the shadow dimension and lead people through space, but ordinary people cannot bear the power of the shadow dimension, and Miss Tandy is not an ordinary person. She can manipulate the power of light. Just two extremes.

These two little guys.

Merlin pointed to Tyrone and Tandy wearing masks, and he said to Jessica and the power man:

They are two beginners. They caused a lot of trouble. Now they are trying to atone for their sins. I postponed their trial. I think they still have a chance to be saved. And I need two experienced seniors to guide them, So starting today, Dagger and Cloak will join you two in your 'Defenders' group.

That's why I asked you two to come here. In the field of street heroes, I can't find anyone who is more experienced and trustworthy than you two.

Dagger? Cloak?

Jessica looked at two young people, one black and one white, a man and a woman in amazement. She poked her face with her finger and said to Merlin:

This was not yesterday

Yes, it's them.

Merlin says:

The weight of 17 lives is on their shoulders. This kind of sin can only be washed away through continuous help and salvation. This road is difficult to walk, but I am willing to have confidence in them.

The current chaotic order in Harlem is also repulsive.

Merlin to Jessica and Cage:

I'll give you 3 months to restore the order in that neighborhood to an acceptable level. It will also serve as an attempt for a new model of street heroes. Your experience will serve as a valuable teaching for latecomers. Therefore, I hope When you fight against evil, you can leave some audio-visual materials.

Building a system from nothing is difficult, but it's worth it.

Merlin says:

I believe that 'Defender' will not let me down. In addition, as an observation and information collection project lasting 3 months or even longer, I will approve an additional operation fund that can be freely used by you. The initial amount is about Around $2 million.

Stop it, sir!

Jessica stood up with a serious face, patted her chest, and said to Merlin:

As a self-conscious superhero, it is our duty to protect the neighborhood and the people from being threatened and harmed, and teaching newcomers the experience and skills of fighting is also what we, as heroes of the older generation, should do.

We'll take over this job. Three months later, the few gangsters entrenched in Harlem will definitely not be a problem!

Beside Jessica, the supernatural man Luke Cage covered his eyes in despair. He knew that his girlfriend had jumped into Merlin's trap on his own initiative.

Jessica is a person who is afraid of trouble. She should have said no, but the money Merlin gave was too much.

Very well, you two are indeed excellent role models.

Merlin gave Jessica a thumbs up. He took out a bank card from the drawer and handed it to Jessica. He said:

But remember our code of conduct is not to get bloody, I mean, it's best if it ends peacefully.

If you can't, just be neat.

Uh-huh

Jessica probably didn't hear what Merlin said, her eyes were always on the bank card in her hand, wow, it's a windfall, the debt can be paid off, and there is still a lot of money left.

I can buy a lot of wine again

As for you two.

Merlin looked back at Tandy the Dagger and Tyrone the Cloak, and said:

Everyone deserves a second chance and I hope you don't waste it.

You won't be disappointed.

Tai Long responded in a low voice, while Miss Dagger's eyes were a little evasive. She was afraid of Merlin, not only because Merlin had said very unkind words to her before, but also because she realized her mistake

She is a little simple, but she is not stupid or evil. In fact, she is a kind girl, but she is a little inexperienced and responsible.

Merlin had already decided to give Tyrone a chance to redeem himself, and after the anger in his heart subsided, Merlin also decided to give Miss Tandy the same chance.

By the way, let's use these two guys to try whether my own Registration Act can create the heroes that this world needs.