Marvel Magic Event Book

Chapter 1752

Viktor von Dum spent a few minutes reading the document, picked up his pen to sign it, and his secretary, Ms. Diana Lister, quickly handed him another document. Looking at the expressionless gray steel mask, she could clearly sense the atmosphere in the office freezing.

This was a report on remedial measures for adverse reactions experienced by mortal soldiers on a spaceship during spacewalk training. The military submitted this report because these mortal soldiers were about to participate in a war far beyond the solar system. Viktor von Dum could sense that some within the military were afraid, just as they had feared the United States before the Yugoslav Wars of Unification.

They believed the aliens were invincible, even with the Emperor's promise to personally lead the army. They wanted to discourage the Regent and keep the army in place to defend against a potential NATO attack, including by the Emperor's elite knightly legions. All he could do was remove these men from key positions and choose braver men; nothing more. After all, among them were former Latvian partisan commanders, and Viktor von Dum was heartbroken by the decline and weakness of his old comrades.

Thanks to the Emperor's promise, even the Regent couldn't do anything to them until they broke the law and discipline. The Regent now only hoped that the Emperor's Tatooine Plan would succeed, giving him a list to replace these cowardly old men. The so-called Tatooine Plan involved accepting refugees from regions such as Syria and Lebanon, transferring them through portals to another planet where they would live and work.

The strictest segregation system was implemented there: adults worked in the mines, while minors received education in schools, completely avoiding religious influence. Based on current input-output ratios, Viktor von Doom estimated that the Tatooine Project could, without affecting production, produce approximately 50,000 fully-organized and well-trained professional troops within twenty years.

It's not that adults can't be armed, but the adults who have been illegally brought in are of extremely poor quality. It's very difficult to train them into qualified workers. We have to use electric batons and guns to get them to give up their time-wasting prayers.

The large number of Central Asians that Tatooine is now accepting are people secretly released by the Turkish government to cause trouble for Yugoslavia. They are like modern-day rank-and-file American soldiers who can't even read the instruction manual, riot every day, and demand that the regency provide them with better living conditions. No one dares to give these idiots weapons.

On the contrary, the Central Asian women, after some training, became the main force in maintaining order. They were particularly supportive of the emperor's policies because he allowed their children to attend school. However, the men, due to their religious beliefs, strongly opposed women managing them and protested on many occasions.

So Viktor von Doom found another document, signed it, and authorized the intelligence service to resolve this foolish problem with a single 9mm bullet. This problem wasted the Regent five seconds, which was more than enough.

The expedition to Asgard was a complex undertaking, involving not only coordinating the composition and supplies of the expeditionary force, but also coordinating the defensive forces remaining on Earth, and even preparing for the Greek war that would begin after the expedition ended. The emperor's objective was to attack Constantinople, so he could not linger in the mountainous terrain of Greece; he had to cross the Bosphorus Strait as soon as possible to launch a full-scale attack on Türkiye.

All the necessary conditions for this war have been prepared. Even Turkey's power plants and airports have been infected with the virus, ready to launch large-scale power outages at any time. The regent holds the button to start the war, but the real problem is how to convert the former Ottoman Empire's territory, manpower, and mineral resources into resources that can be used in interstellar warfare before the arrival of the alien fleet, rather than leaving wounds that require a huge investment of administrative resources.

In the former Yugoslav territory alone, Regent Viktor von Doum publicly executed thousands of officials, business owners, members of parliament, former military officers, village elders, and others within two years, which completely reversed the social climate in regions such as Albania and Kosovo. Turkey is much larger than Yugoslavia, and Viktor von Doum felt that his future purges could affect hundreds of thousands of people. Moreover, this execution list had already been delivered to him and the Emperor through the operations of the intelligence agencies and with the help of Hydra.

So when Victor von Doom received the message from the Sisterhood that their master had already left for America with weapons to take over Hydra's work, the Regent sighed with relief, opened a bottle of champagne, and quietly celebrated that his workload had lessened. Even if Gideon Malik was audacious, he wouldn't dare steal the Emperor's share; the Regent only needed to hold onto his bank account and wait for Hydra's profits to arrive.

As for Gideon Malik's offer to buy a vineyard in the south of France for the emperor, he pretended not to see it. After all, it was Wall Street money being spent, and the emperor didn't have time to visit the vineyard anyway. Gideon Malik was simply using the vineyard to express his loyalty.

Upon arriving in America, the Emperor immediately placed all his weapons and equipment in the Malik family's New York villa. His menacing appearance nearly terrified Gideon Malik. It wasn't that Gideon Malik opposed the use of force; American political maneuvering wasn't as civilized. Political and financial battles here often escalated to physical elimination, and even families of Rockefeller and Getty caliber were not immune to assassination attempts.

However, the kind of suicide that involves being shot eight times in the back only happens to ordinary people.

Bourgeois assassinations are usually carried out through car accidents, drug overdoses, kidnappings, or illnesses—none of them involve thousands of bullets like Salomon's, which seemed intent on wiping out the entire company and family of those attempting to target the pharmaceutical company. Gideon Malik quickly pleaded with the Emperor not to do so.

The "white gloves" are pawns who are paid by political brokers to test the company; if they die, so be it—that's the risk they take for their money. But it's different with the families who provide the funding. At most, one or two unimportant drug addicts who only know how to drink and go clubbing will die, and then the conflict will stop.

No one wanted a repeat of the Getty family's fate from the last century. After all, the idea of ​​a family heir being eaten by cannibals during an expedition in Africa was too absurd, and no one believed there wasn't a conspiracy behind it. So when the Emperor adopted a posture of wanting to wage war, Gideon Malik immediately relented, saying he was willing to talk to the other side.

There's no need to be so absolute; they still need to do business with each other!

Moreover, the other Hydra leaders used this incident to invite the Emperor to America simply because they wanted to test whether they could extend their influence into the Emperor's Yugoslavia. The feeling of being far from the center of power made them very uneasy. They had already pledged allegiance to the Emperor, but now, apart from priority access to the Rejuvenation Potion, they saw no benefits and had to go to great lengths to protect the Whitehall Pharmaceuticals.

The Sky Sword Space Station, the legion of genetically modified warriors, the little-known Tatooine Project, and the Immortal City known only to the Malik family—the Emperor's secret plans excluded all of these. They even protected General Hale from the Pentagon for causing trouble (although the Pentagon was unaware of her collusion with aliens, only that an experimental accident had occurred at the base she was in charge of), sending General Hale's daughter to the Emperor, demonstrating their willingness to relinquish Pentagon interests and help the Emperor plant informants within the US military's Pentagon.

All they wanted was a ticket to a spaceship.

If the same opportunity were presented to families like the Morgans, Rockefellers, and Wallenbergs, they wouldn't even have a chance to get a share. They must cling tightly to the Emperor and absolutely cannot be left behind! Gideon Malik must speak carefully and gently to express their demands, and absolutely must not anger the Emperor!
"The Immortal City can provide human modification for your bodyguards and create some super soldiers for you." The Emperor leaned back on the sofa in a very languid posture. "But there is a price to pay."

After realizing that Hydra had no intention of "armed resistance to taxes," he became certain that the weakness of the bourgeoisie had completely corrupted Hydra. Hydra, clearly a religious organization, was now playing financial games like the "bankers of God" in the Vatican. It was unclear whether Hydra had parasitized America, or America had parasitized Hydra.

How come the US and India are both able to assimilate outsiders?
To please him, Gideon Malik specially arranged for him to be picked up by helicopter and taken to Rogers Island in the Long Island Sound of Connecticut. This is a private resort island just a few hours' drive from New York City, with the main house alone occupying 8700 square feet and the island covering a total area of ​​7.65 acres, as well as facilities such as an infinity pool and tennis courts.

The island was valued at $3500 million, and with taxes and maintenance costs added, it was a considerable expense. Gideon Malik told him that the asset was a gift from him to the Emperor as part of the Emperor's private asset allocation, and that the related expenses and reports did not need to be handled by the Emperor's legal team; the Malik family had already taken care of everything.

“I know, my lord.” Gideon Malik stood humbly, never mentioning anything about price.

He had already joined forces with several other families to prepare a vast ranch for the Emperor in Wyoming, larger than the ranches of Silicon Valley tycoons like Bill Gates, covering a total of 380 square kilometers and encompassing various natural landscapes. Stephanie Malik, trusted by the Emperor, was responsible for allocating his assets in North America. The Malik family didn't need to tell the Emperor what he owned during this conversation; that would make the whole deal very ugly. Stephanie—his dearest daughter—would tell the Emperor at the appropriate time.

Gideon Malik was undecided on this matter. He hoped that the Malik family could benefit from the Emperor's policies, but he was also worried that Stephanie might completely side with the Emperor and disregard the family's interests. The items that Hydra was currently giving to the Emperor were purchased with funds from several families. This method had never failed in dealing with politicians, but the Emperor was not a politician. He was a dictator who controlled both the administration and the military.

This made Gideon Malik fearful.

Salomon knew exactly what Gideon Malik was thinking; reading other people's surface thoughts wasn't difficult.

He himself had no idea what fixed assets he owned in the United States. The list of fixed assets Stephanie Malik sent him was a financial investment intended to hedge against risk. Salomon's pockets were only enough to buy a pack of the cheapest Marlboros! Even using the portal was purely to save on fuel costs!
“You know Dr. Erkins? He was with the Brotherhood of the Shield, except back then the Brotherhood of the Shield… Anyway, I remember that guy with congenital baldness who thought super soldiers could end the world war in the fastest way possible,” the Emperor said slowly. “So when Hydra tracked him to America, I didn’t get involved. After Erkins died, I questioned his spirit, and he still believed he was right. I agree with him; super soldiers can indeed be a useful weapon, provided they are powerful and stable enough, something the super soldier serum can’t do.”

Gideon Malik stood ramrod straight, goosebumps rising on his back.

He wasn't even born when World War II ended, and there weren't many people in the world who could tell him this ancient secret. Aside from the old Nazi now known as Dr. Daniel Whitehall, whose real name was Werner Reinhardt, his daughter Stephanie had visited the Immortal City and secretly told him that Dr. Whitehall now only had a brain and a mechanical hand. Because the Emperor considered Dr. Whitehall's genetics very useful, he had to live in this horrific way.

He was certain in his heart that although the Emperor looked very young, he was definitely using a fake identity. How could someone who knew secrets from sixty years ago be a young man born in 1995? S.H.I.E.L.D.'s assessment of the Emperor was correct; He was actually an ancient monster who had lived for countless years!

"But Captain America succeeded, my lord."

“Erkins’ technology was not perfect. The Super Soldier Serum he took away was a small part of a huge genetic modification project, and it couldn’t even be considered a complete technology. Erkins just happened to be in charge of that part of the work. Howard Stark helped him make the Super Soldier Serum work, but Red Skull wasn’t so lucky.”

The emperor raised his glass, which was filled with Romanée-Conti wine from Gideon Malick's collection.

To be honest, he still couldn't get used to dry red wine. In the past, people even used lead cups to pursue the sweetness of wine and added honey to it. Now, people are actually starting to pursue sugar-free wine. To him, this kind of unsweetened wine is just as unpalatable as coffee that hasn't been roasted.

"The Pentagon's numerous super-soldier projects are all based on the super-soldier serum. But the super-soldier serum isn't all science. Do you think anyone present at the site where Captain America was created would survive if a large amount of gamma radiation was generated?" The Emperor shrugged. "Howard Stark has mastered all the technology that researchers must master: fraudulently obtaining funding."

"So... Howard Stark deceived us?" Gideon Malik felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were witnessing a decades-long deception being exposed. "So all the Pentagon's super-soldier experiments could never succeed?"

“Not entirely,” the Emperor said. “Howard Stark is also a member of the Brotherhood of the Shield.”

Gideon Malik swallowed hard.

What truly terrified him wasn't the Emperor's bio-engineered technology, something that could be bought with money and loyalty; what was truly frightening was the legendary Brotherhood of the Shield. This organization, which had once fought against Hydra in mythology, actually existed, and they hadn't detected any trace of it until the Malik family was accepted. Only then, through Stephanie Malik, did he glimpse the mists of history and hear the details of the organization's existence. He wanted to hear more, but the Emperor changed the subject.

"You should start planning the dinner party now, Gideon."

"Would you still like to attend the banquet, my lord?"

"Of course, otherwise who would the bullets hit? Every bullet I bring would have to be charged an aviation fuel surcharge."

“I can prepare more bullets for you,” Gideon Malik said. “American-made bullets.”

“You’re really funny, Gideon.” Salomon praised Gideon Malik’s quick wit with a smile. “Stephanie needs some coordination training. I plan to have her participate in this expedition and the recapture operation afterward.”

“I understand, my lord. Stephanie, as your companion, will arrange everything needed for the dinner.”

Gideon Malik was ecstatic; he had finally heard what he wanted to hear. Everything in the Malik family would belong to Stephanie. The other Hydra families had nothing to do with the Malik family; he maintained Hydra's interests simply because Hydra's resources could profit the Malik family.

This idea has grown stronger ever since the Emperor himself destroyed the Hydra's "gods," and the Malik family only needs to follow the true god. When the god radiates light, the Malik family receives more warmth because they are closest to the god.

“I’ll do it myself.” Salomon blinked. “I need a night off.”

"May the blood please you, my lord."

The dinner was held as scheduled, and with Stephanie by his side, Salomon had far fewer troubles with unnecessary socializing.

Although Gideon Malik has stepped down from the UN Security Council, he remains a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Others, seeing Stephanie Malik's attitude toward Salomon, naturally know how much the Malik family values ​​him, and many speculate that he will be the future spokesperson for the Malik family.

Possessing the rejuvenating potion naturally attracts many covetous eyes. However, with the Malik family's explicit endorsement, certain powerful and near-death old men know that cooperation is a better choice than confrontation. After all, doing business is business, and there's no need to turn down money. Some of these old men also hope for a stable supply of the potion, and even the Pentagon hopes that Whitehall's pharmaceutical companies will participate in human research projects.

Such dinners are not the kind of places to discuss anything significant. Salomon, representing Whitehall Corporation, received many cooperation proposals. The rest will be handled by more professional people: Dr. Daniel Whitehall left behind many professionals. After the Immortal City took control of Dr. Whitehall, it also successfully controlled the Hydra companies within those enterprises—those people had no power to resist the Emperor and could only accept the control of the intelligence department, continue their previous lives, and work and receive their salaries as usual.

After the banquet, Diana, who was already waiting at the manor, had changed into full tactical gear. Stephanie Malik, wearing a backless evening gown, skillfully installed ceramic composite bulletproof plates into the Emperor's bulletproof vest.

“I’ve got the helicopter ready. No one can link their deaths to you.” Stephanie Malik helped put the pistol into its holster. “I think you could just have them have heart attacks in their sleep, my lord. Is it really necessary to waste time on them?”

“This is my vacation activity, Stephanie. For me, shooting is a vacation, but magic isn’t.” Salomon reached out and lifted the hem of Stephanie Malik’s high-slit evening gown, slipping his hand between her thighs to pull a Glock G43 from a holster on her inner thigh.

This was a compact handgun that Glock had just released two years ago, and Stephanie used it as her defensive weapon. She hid it well to avoid it being discovered by the dinner party guests, but Salomon still found it.

"You're not allowed to go; you have things to do."

The touch of the fingers made Stephanie tense; she swore her mind had gone blank when those fingers brushed against her thigh. "Will you come back?" the Malik heiress asked, her voice trembling. "A bedroom has been prepared for you at the manor."

Salomon smiled but didn't say anything.

As planned, Salomon and Dinah boarded the helicopter. However, the destination, the area near their estate in New Jersey, was a no-fly zone, so the Malik family's helicopter could only make a brief stop there, dropping Salomon and Dinah off near the highway. The Malik family had prepared an SUV for him there.

Lorna Dane was parked on her motorcycle by the roadside, looking like she had been waiting for a long time. When Salomon arrived at the designated location, she was stuffing a box of pizza into her mouth. "I've been waiting for you for a long time!" she mumbled, her mouth full of salami and cheese.

“Swallow your words before you speak, Mom taught you that!” Salomon slapped her head irritably, then shoved his modified P226 into her hands. Lorna excitedly tossed aside the pizza box and stuffed the pistol into its holster under her leather jacket. “You promised me you’d help me fix the surveillance equipment. Don’t think you can slack off, or I’ll revoke your concealed carry license.”

"I investigated this a week ago! I even took the cleaning staff's salary!"

Lorna pulled the pistol from its holster and then put it back, like a child receiving a toy. From childhood, Salomon had given her toys related to weapons, from daggers to spears, from knuckle dusters to longswords—all sorts of weapons—but this was the first time he'd given her a firearm. This meant that Salomon agreed to her possessing dangerous items and that she could be responsible for her own and others' safety.

“Those Jews will stay here for one night and then fly to Canada tomorrow. Today is your last chance to act. There are 12 bodyguards, patrolling in pairs on the first and second floors. They can't get into the third floor. There are also two people in the monitoring room, and the rest are scattered at several entrances. If you move too slowly, you will definitely attract everyone's attention.”

Lorna Dane pulled the sleeve, the crisp sound of the mechanical mechanism satisfying her.

"Can I shoot? That family's youngest son always looked at me with a terrible gaze when he was undercover. I saw a model go into their bedroom and never come out again. I can guess what they did with my toes, ugh! And those politicians, I took pictures of all their business dealings!"

“I only have one day.” Salomon lowered his head and attached a silencer to his gun.

This was a swift operation, the entire process taking no more than five minutes, but those five minutes of adrenaline rush would be enough to satisfy him. His physical body couldn't withstand bullets, and he would get injured; it was just that the power from another dimension could sustain his life.

"Looks like the witches didn't give you much time. Are they so sexy that you have to listen to them?" Lorna's face scrunched up in disgust, as if she had a lemon in her mouth. "Don't think I don't know, Mom wants to have a child with you. She's prettier, you don't need to choose a witch."

Salomon shook his head.

He has already given Athena a leading role in a semi-official think tank, which is enough.

As a ruler, he couldn't rely entirely on Athena's power, nor could he allow her authority to expand without limit. His previous assistance to Natasha Romanov in consolidating the Red House's power through Athena's connections had already given her the opportunity to intervene in the government's apparatus. This was something he permitted, as the Red House needed Athena's guidance to provide him with assistance, but she couldn't gain more power. Moreover, the troubles arising from the union of the Olympian pantheon and the Eternals stretched from tens of thousands of years ago to the present day; Circe, who had once collaborated with him, was now a banquet planner in New York—a matter he hadn't yet addressed!
"Alright, kid, shut up!"

“I have a driver’s license!” Lorna said, dissatisfied. “And I want a nephew!”

"Shut up, kid!"

Salomon drove his SUV, carrying Diana and an angry Lorna Dane, toward the manor.

Donning his ski mask, he approached the manor's outer wall with the maid and Lorna, then watched as Lorna's eyes glowed with an aurora-like green light. Finally, an electromagnetic shockwave ripped through the air, shattering even the light bulbs on the outer wall. Salomon was certain that the nearby radio equipment had also malfunctioned.

“They definitely have a backup generator.” Lorna gasped for breath; the widespread electromagnetic shock she’d just experienced was already the limit of her current abilities. She drew her pistol and released the safety. “I can still sense people with guns, and I can still pinpoint their locations!”

“Your job is done, Lorna.” Salomon deactivated the safety, clearly pleased with the upcoming vacation. “Wait for me at the evacuation point, or I’ll throw you through the portal right now.”

"That damn guy!" Lorna said angrily. "The fourth room from the left on the third floor is that family's youngest son's room. I remember after I fired a few shots, that guy kept harassing me. He was really annoying."