Marvel Magic Event Book

Chapter 1760

In space naval warfare, the distance between the two sides is extremely vast; even a photon would need several seconds to travel through the entire process.

The human and Asgardian refugee fleets are currently at the entrance to the Rainbow Bridge near the Asgardian asteroid belt. Due to their complete silence, the Dark Order did not immediately detect them. Most of the Dark Order fleet has joined the ground attack formation, and the command is highly suspicious that few of the Dark Order's ships retain their shields.

According to the staff's predictions, the Dark Order fleet would immediately activate its detection system after being attacked, tracking the high-temperature plasma trails left by the propulsion engines, and would be able to locate the asteroid belt in a short time. Therefore, the time window for photographing the damage and opening the Rainbow Bridge for evacuation is extremely short. Based on existing intelligence, the staff made a maximum estimate that the evacuation time from the Dark Order detecting the target to opening the Rainbow Bridge might be less than 10 minutes.

The virtual projection faithfully reflected Heimdall's agitation. He would walk out of the projection area and then walk back in, tapping his fingers back and forth, wanting to urge the emperor but knowing it was pointless, as he did not have the power to make the decision.

The emperor sat on the captain's throne, saying nothing.

Only someone with a second eye could see that the emperor's mind was extremely active at this moment.

The first to discover this were the Kamar-Taj sorcerers responsible for communications between the fleet and Earth. They detected an outward-extending detection spell and, upon discovering it was the Emperor, immediately chose to avoid "looking directly" at the spell—no one, except perhaps a fool who wanted to burn their brain, would probe His consciousness—the entire asteroid belt, even the trajectories of dust-sized fragments, were within the Emperor's consciousness.

He will not do anything unprepared, not even when he is running away.

"Five minutes until impact, get ready!"

"Increase engine output power!"

The bridge was extremely busy. Operating such a ship required a large number of people, and no one had time to eat a freshly baked sandwich. Crew members who were finishing their shifts and having dinner were pulled up to work overtime and prepare for any emergencies. Of course, they didn't have any hot sandwiches to eat either; those were the previous day's dinner.

On this ship, all supplies are rationed at set times, with little choice in flavor. Even the emperor doesn't get much; his sandwich doesn't have an extra slice of lettuce compared to others. Diana is furious. Even six thousand years ago, she could ensure the emperor's food was delicious and nutritious enough, but now she's not on Earth and can't take up too much storage space.

She would be even angrier if she knew that the emperor would be too busy to eat for the next few hundred hours.

“You know I’m right. We’ll calmly wipe them out, reduce their numbers, and destroy their souls. There are no side effects. It’s gentler and less risky than the previous methods.”

“Your previous actions have already torn a crack in the veil; they can hear it, they can see it, and they are more powerful than before.” The star in the void remained silent. Communication of thought beneath the veil doesn't require language, but rather metaphor and symbolism. However, for beings possessing this level of second vision, accurately understanding thoughts is not difficult.

"I agree with this approach, it's just that our goals are a little different."

The emperor gazed at the points of light outside the bridge porthole.

Asgard is there, the Dark Order's fleet is there, and the Eternals' mutants are there.

The Emperor knew that the thoughts of the Dark Titan Thanos were seeping into the veil of the outer dimension, and that both sides had a large number of spellcasters monitoring the conversation. He saw through Thanos's eyes the deeply furrowed face on the stone throne.

The gray alien, with its shriveled limbs and long, thin fingers, groveled in fear before the throne.

The communication between its master and the emperor filled the bridge of this warship with terrifying magic capable of annihilating mortal thoughts and matter at any moment. Despite being the most powerful psionic mage of its race, it was still no match for this godlike being; even observing their communication would burn its brain.

“I realized my mistake and I have no racial bias.”

The Dark Titan Thanos expressed his thoughts: the Eternals' bodies granted him a long lifespan, and genetic modifications from the Celestials gave him powerful soul energy, enabling him to directly confront the Emperor's inquiries.

Even among the Eternals, Thanos's strength was exceptional. The Eternals, who had defied the Celestials' prohibition and relied on natural reproduction generation after generation, were steadily declining. Individuals as powerful as Icarus were almost extinct, and the Eternals, having lost the Earth Machines and the Rebirth Chamber, had lost their chance at rebirth. Under these circumstances, Thanos still possessed the power of the first generation of Eternals. He had survived the Eternals' sealed prison on Titan, and the Emperor would not underestimate his strength and wisdom.

The Dark Titan Thanos closed his eyes, his second vision fixed on the eternally burning star in the void, the heat emanating from it making his skin feel scorching. Ebony Maw felt the temperature of the bridge rising, its master's head radiating a glow encompassing all colors, making it dare not look directly at him.

Such a terrifying energy vortex could easily tear apart an entire ship and sever every atom.

It had witnessed the corpses of alien gods on its expedition, and even those dead gods did not possess such terrifying power. Ebony Maw dared not even breathe, fearing that even the slightest tremor might anger the Dark Titan and the terrifying being that communicated with it.

The Dark Titan Thanos wore a golden glove on his right hand, inlaid with a radiant purple gem. It was this gem that provided the power to confront the Emperor's consciousness directly. Even so, he still found it difficult; he had to control his mind to prevent matter from annihilating around him.

He had met the Emperor before, but it was only a brief exchange after he had immersed his thoughts behind a veil; he had never had such direct contact with the Emperor. Thanos knew very well that he could not contend with this human without obtaining enough Infinity Stones.

He was puzzled as to why this godlike human didn't intend to kill him here.

“I am more just, while you only see your race. Only I can save the physical universe.”

"You too are from humanity, Thanos. The Eternals were created from human flesh and soul." The Emperor opened his eyes, gazing at the numerous screens on the bridge. Keeping the Eternals hidden from the public eye six thousand years ago was no easy feat, and even now he could still recall some of those events. Some Eternals were still with him, such as Athena or Circe.

He has reconciled with Athena, but has not yet gone to see the daughter of Helios, the sun god.

She was too much of an Eternal being; she still harbored resentment towards the Emperor forcing Icarus to commit suicide.

"It seems we have nothing to talk about."

Like a stone thrown into a tranquil lake shrouded in night, a warship on the outer edge of the Dark Order's fleet struck by an interstellar missile exploded, creating silent, massive ripples of plasma in space. It was a Chitauri-style ground attack ship, carrying a large number of the colossal bio-engineered floating whale-like war beasts that had appeared in the Battle of New York.

Seconds later, the brilliant flashes of the nuclear warhead explosion and the warship's engine detonation were captured by a satellite hidden in the asteroid belt and transmitted back to the Cross Rose. All the data from this attack was fed back to the staff to determine the Black Order's warships' defensive capabilities.

"Activate the Rainbow Bridge," the emperor commanded.

Heimdall received the order and immediately began casting a spell in cooperation with the Emperor. Relying on the Rainbow Bridge equipment left behind by Asgard and the Emperor's power, a point of white light containing all colors took shape in front of the human fleet in the boundless space. This point of light rapidly expanded, and the ships accelerated one after another, disappearing into this point of light.

Traveling at faster-than-light speeds via the Rainbow Bridge is far faster than direct dimensional jumps. Under Heimdall's command, all ships (including unmanned transport vessels carrying supplies) were under the Emperor's control, gradually adjusting their course amidst endless light. The sights within the Rainbow Bridge cannot be intuitively described in words, and even photographic equipment could not accurately capture what they saw.

This waterway was the main highway connecting Asgard and Midgard, but it was later sealed by the Sorcerer Supreme. Therefore, the Emperor's spell was required to activate this road; otherwise, so many ships would have been smashed to pieces by the seal at Kamar-Taj.

Several hours later, when almost every human was on edge, the dazzling light outside the bridge windows disappeared, and the darkness of space returned. The humans saw a pale blue hemisphere, radiating light, resting quietly in the distance. The helmsman, seeing the reports from the radar officer and the instructions received on the radio, could barely contain his excitement.

We're back!

Cheers spread from one cabin to another, and when the fleet broadcast the news, the soldiers who participated in the Asgard landings cheered loudly, unable to contain themselves.

They have never missed Earth so much.

For a race whose few people have ever left their home planet, the Asgardian expedition was far too distant. The soldiers’ fear stemmed from the unknown space travel they had taken, to places humans had never been before, and to stars that humans had previously only been able to observe through telescopes.

Now they can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Although they had to undergo checks at the SkySword Space Station before returning to Earth in batches, that was enough. Every surviving soldier had an experience they could boast about for a lifetime, because they were the first army in human history to leave Earth and embark on an expedition to another planet. This expedition, though short and fraught with unexpected situations, revealed many previously unforeseen problems before they actually set foot on the alien planet.

Basically, all the soldiers who participated in this expedition will be promoted in rank. The emperor intends to use them to build more human expeditionary forces and will not waste their experience and skills on Earth's wars. The emperor doesn't need to do anything else personally; he has already arranged everything.

After several hours, the Sky Carrier docked with the Sky Sword Space Station, and the Emperor immediately boarded the shuttle.

After a brief journey, the emperor returned to Latvia.

The throne room, closed for so long, reopened, and the entire castle was once again bathed in its glow, symbolizing the emperor's return. Many breathed a sigh of relief, even the foreign spies in Latvia. The emperor's presence in the castle was a fundamental condition of many trade treaties—this expedition was known only to high-ranking Yugoslav officials, and the outside world knew nothing of the emperor's whereabouts—everyone was worried about a walking, talking nuclear bomb.

Viktor von Dum wasted almost no time, choosing to immediately shift the pressure onto those who should bear it.

He stormed into the throne room and threw a stack of documents in front of the emperor. "Are you planning to rest for a while, or get to work right away?"

"Plan A," the emperor said.

“Now that you’ve rested enough, let’s get to work,” Victor von Doom said. “Don’t forget, we need to take the Bosphorus before the Dark Order arrives.”

Viktor von Dum, who styled himself the emperor's jester, always managed to interrupt the emperor's arrogance with a mountain of documents and work, bringing him back to practical matters. He constantly reminded the emperor that without this work, his monarchy would crumble and his army would be unable to survive.

The emperor's strongman politics enabled him to maintain many political interests on his own.

Many issues can only be addressed when he is present.

He was almost omnipotent and could solve all problems because he controlled the most powerful military force and maintained the social consensus of Yugoslavia, from Serbia to Albania, from Hungary to Romania—a country forcibly cobbled together.

Without an emperor, those pardoned former officials wouldn't obediently serve as democratic committee members, watching the emperor's promoted newcomers wield the power that once belonged to them—those who engaged in power-for-money transactions are dead, and these fools are relatively clean, but the emperor doesn't intend to keep them, but rather leave them for Viktor von Doom to slowly kill, as props to establish the authority of the new government and to give the newly emerging party and government talents practice.

The parliamentary mechanism established by Victor von Dum ensured that problems could still be solved even in the emperor's absence; one side guaranteed the upper limit, and the other guaranteed the lower limit, and this mechanism functioned very smoothly. Furthermore, since their lifespans were no longer an issue, they could also oversee the operation of this unique mechanism.

This is an unrepeatable miracle, and there is no point in learning from it.

The Greek war is the new problem they will face next.

Greece has little military strength, and NATO would not choose to wage war against the emperor for Greece's sake. Even the Greeks themselves hope to renege on their debt to the EU. They know what happened after the unification of Yugoslavia, and many Greeks are willing to support the emperor as long as he can bring them under his rule.

If the emperor attacks them, the Greek officials might even welcome his arrival.

Because they could flee abroad with the ill-gotten gains, form a government-in-exile to raise funds, issue statements against the emperor in international public opinion, pocket charitable donations, and live out their retirement on a Panamanian beach. However, the emperor had made preparations in advance and did not give them a chance to escape; spies had been monitoring them for some time.

Aside from deploying air defense forces to contain Greek aircraft, Victor von Doom made no further arrangements for these individuals. As he put it, the Bosphorus Strait was the real issue—if they captured the Bosphorus, it would mean they captured Constantinople, then threatened Cyprus, drove Turkish forces back to the Anatolian Plateau, and confined their sphere of influence to Syria and Kurdish territory.

This means NATO can no longer contain the Russian navy in Black Sea ports. At this point, NATO must invoke the mutual defense clause; otherwise, it will become meaningless. Considering military costs and other factors, NATO's most likely action would be an airstrike on the capital, Latvia. However, the US Fifth Fleet has suffered heavy losses, leaving NATO with only the option of threatening through land-based missile launches.

Therefore, the air defense forces are mainly deployed to Germany and France in the north, and Italy in the east. They have everything from land-based missile air defense systems to anti-missile fleets. Thanks to the shipyards supported by the Mars Foundry and the fully automated production process, they can build their fleets at an astonishing speed.

The military forces facing Greece and Turkey in the south consisted primarily of ground troops. The emperor and regent planned to destroy the main Turkish regimes in one fell swoop, driving them back to fight a guerrilla war against the Kurdish forces. As for the social order, economic issues, and cultural problems that would arise after the occupation of Constantinople, these had already been discussed in meetings, and the necessary supplies were prepared and personnel mobilized, ready to be implemented in an orderly manner.

However, it is still necessary to convene officials to confirm the progress of the work, and hopefully there will be no mishaps.

The first to speak was the emperor's student, and he belonged to the most radical faction in the war planning.

He still held the folder, trying to persuade the emperor to accept his proposal.

In this plan, he advised the emperor to eradicate all religion in Constantinople, including the Hagia Sophia, and then re-educate all the local residents—a plan that would last for more than a hundred years—before allocating a large amount of resources to the people's livelihood.

As a pragmatist, he actually led a team to Albania for research, traversing the cleared-out Albanian and Kosovo mountains before devising this plan. His suggestions have merit, but for a country that is about to engage in large-scale conscription and improve education levels within the military, employment rates are not really a problem.

His method was indeed the most efficient, but Viktor von Dum was unwilling to allocate a large sum of money for resettlement and adult education. Stephanie Malik of the Interior Ministry supported the Regency's views, and the two sides argued fiercely in the Throne Room. However, their argument would not change the prepared supplies and personnel, but would only affect the post-war disposal plan.

Then came the post-war economic problems: abolishing the currencies of Greece and Turkey, achieving a soft landing for the local economies, confiscating heavy industry and reorganizing banks, implementing land reforms to win the support of farmers and workers, and so on—all of which fell to Stephanie Malik of the Interior Ministry. This daughter of Hydra had completely sided with the Emperor, a fact unknown even to her father, Gideon Malik.

It must be said that the education of Hydra's elite was very comprehensive. Although she still held onto the conservative Hydra's elitist theories, she could come up with a solution whenever the emperor made a request. It's unknown how many officials she forced to work overtime to accomplish this.

"Next, let's discuss the plan for dealing with the Asgardians."

The emperor sighed.

This is why he hates meetings but has to attend; if these problems aren't resolved, his army will truly be stuck in Yugoslavia and the Skysword space station, unable to move. However, Viktor von Dum didn't bring all bad news. A foolish venture capital bank attempted to short the Yugoslavian currency, resulting in the arrest of its personnel and accounts, and the funds being confiscated in accordance with national security laws.

This saves at least the money needed to build a 100-kilometer-long highway.

"Currently, it is known that the number of Asgardian survivors is extremely small, and they are unassimilable. They will not fulfill any obligations other than paying taxes, nor will they cause any culture shock to the local inhabitants. Furthermore, settling Asgardians will bring Thor's support and some Asgardian technology. The question is, where should we put the Asgardians?"

“Are there any highly skilled technicians among these people?” Stephanie Malik asked.

“No, they’re all low-ranking civilians, with a lifespan of no more than five hundred years.” “Then throw them into the Albanian mountains. The population density there has been drastically reduced after the cleanup, and it’s close to a military base for genetically modified soldiers,” Stephanie said. She knew a lot about what was happening in Albania. Since the complete breakdown of grassroots governance at the end of the last century, Albania had become rife with gangs, even developing into transnational criminal organizations spread throughout Europe and America. She had signed many of the death sentences for these people.

Later, the West imposed an embargo on Yugoslavia, and those people dared not return, leaving Interpol with a headache.

"If the Asgardians violently resist the law, or attempt to overthrow the existing government, genetically modified warriors can be quickly deployed to quell the rebellion. However..."

"At that time, I will kill Thor." The Emperor's tone was unusually calm, and no one doubted his ability to do so. "Does anyone have any objections?"

"Could the Asgardians contaminate the human gene pool?" Maya Hansen asked. "You said that the Asgardians' genes come from humans. If the Asgardians' genes contaminate the local gene pool, it could very well cause an uncontrollable bio-psychic disaster. Who knows how the flu virus will evolve in the Asgardians? I need enough experimental samples."

“I will have the Asgardians undergo medical examinations so that you can obtain enough samples.” The Emperor nodded. “Perhaps the Asgardian samples can help us understand the consequences of long-term exposure to high doses of psionic energy. I believe there must be some price to pay for the Asgardians’ long lifespan.”

“I need to request access to the medical data of the Aesir,” Maya Hansen continued. “Civilians alone are not enough.”

"The genes of the Aesir are different from those of the Asgardians. The powerful psychic energy has completely altered the genetic structure of the Aesir, and with their hybridity with the Vanir, they have no relation to humans. However, I have indeed obtained some Aesir genetic data. You need to cooperate with the Martian Foundry and raise the biohazard protection level of the Immortal City. I don't want dangerous genes to leak out, or for the Asgardians to know what happened in the Immortal City."

“I promise.” Maya Hansen nodded.

"Next topic."

The meeting lasted until midnight, and everyone except the emperor had two rounds of eating and 10-minute short naps.

After tidying up the heavy documents on his desk, Victor von Dum bid farewell to the Emperor.

"Shouldn't you continue working?" the emperor said.

"I'll finish the rest of the work in my office." The Regent waved his hand and walked away without looking back. "You just keep shining here."

"You know I can place a body double here, right?"

“I know where to find you,” Victor von Doom said. “You have nowhere to go but the Witch’s Mansion.”

"You underestimate me."

"That's Athena's residence. What else?"

"Go away, I don't want to see you anymore."

Where to spend the night, that is the question.

Salomon hesitated for a moment, then opened the portal to the witch's mansion. After all, his human side couldn't resist Bayonetta's charm. He only allowed himself a few hours to enjoy being human and feeling the witch's love. After a short rest, he threw himself back into his work.

Bayonetta, Joan of Arc, and Wanda were all at the Oxfordshire estate, where he could rest for a few hours.

But soon, he was forced back to work. Salomon first opened a portal to Eastern Europe to welcome Natasha Romanoff, who had completed her mission, and a group of Black Widows she had rescued who had lost their jobs. These women were now led by Natasha Romanoff's sister, Elena Belova, and Sulir kindly lent them his Houston estate for them to rest. These Black Widows could find work in the Immortal City or a place to retire peacefully without being disturbed.

This was the emperor's way of showing them goodwill.

“You smell like a woman.” Natasha Romanov nestled on Salomon’s shoulder, inhaling his scent deeply, then wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. Compared to Salomon, Natasha was rather petite, so she enjoyed being carried around. “Who were you making love with just now?”

"Beyond the Gloria, Joan of Arc, and Wanda."

"Three people at once?"

"Hey, you know what I'm capable of."

Black Widow laughed. "And what about me?" she asked. "When do you plan to place me?"

"I need to have a meeting with Stark first, if he can answer the phone."

“He’s been ignoring you ever since you arrived at the UN headquarters. Do you need me to make a call for you?” Natasha whispered in Salomon’s ear. “I can hide under the table while you’re on the call… You can’t refuse, because I’m not pregnant yet.”

“I just came back from outer space 24 hours ago, bringing back a bunch of Asgardian refugees and their broken pots. Are you sure you want to talk about this now?”

"What happened?" Although she said that, Natasha had no intention of letting go of Sulir.

"Asgard is destroyed, and the Dark Order has arrived in the Eukrasil sector. Once they have wiped out all life along their route, we will be next."

Upon hearing this, Natasha lost interest.

"Perhaps he can use his network of connections to spread the word that Earth needs to prepare in advance. Of course, this doesn't stop me from shorting US stocks and going long on military companies. Stark Industries' stock surged dramatically after the Battle of New York."

He could kill the Dark Titan Thanos remotely, but there would be no point in doing so.

Humanity has forgotten to look up at the stars. Those who control vast social resources are obsessed with financial games and land grabbing, while education and food, which truly require investment, have become tools for profit. Salomon must make a choice, the Emperor must make a choice. He cannot rule over an ignorant race; he needs a war that mobilizes the entire world to awaken humanity.

He could see a emaciated, ravenous wolf, its eyes fixed on its prey, waiting for the human race to fester, its flesh to become juicy and delicious, its spirit to gradually decay. He could see the increasingly corrupt financial games and financial hegemony declining, but humanity had no time to wait for the tumor to die; it had to accelerate the process.

War is the sharpest scalpel; it uses human lives and hatred to awaken them, to rouse them from their delusions, and to make them realize that the universe is a bloody slaughterhouse where only those wielding weapons can survive. Perhaps this will drive many from their cozy homes to mental breakdowns, perhaps more will turn to religion seeking solace, perhaps many will suffer immense pain, but the emperor has no choice but to do so.

Because humanity is a resilient species, once it witnesses the truth of the universe, more people will stand by its side in the future.

Salomon was reminded of the Kansas plains two hundred years ago.

A woman from Europe, who had never experienced war or murder, always dressed in silk and calfskin shoes, wearing a lace veil and hat, owning a beautiful manor, and looking like a rose in a palace greenhouse in her long red dress. But when her child died, she was forced to kneel in the desert, begging Salomon for revenge, her petals becoming stained with dust, and then the dust being swallowed by blood.

He married this woman and spent twenty peaceful years in a country teeming with murderers and thieves after a massacre. This woman discarded her silk dresses and high heels, learned to kill like a beast, to make love like a goddess, and to bathe in blood and perfume.

Humans will be the same; they must learn to fight for their right to survive.

The Emperor will never tell humanity the truth about the Celestials. He wants humanity to believe they are the result of natural evolution, completely ruling out the influence of gods and godlike advanced civilizations on humanity. Therefore, he not only needs to contact Tony Stark to invite him to participate in the war, but he also needs to contact Steve Rogers, a World War II veteran whose status in the hearts of Americans today is no less than Hemingway's, using Steve Rogers as propaganda to awaken the young people in the capitalist camp.

"You guys... when did this happen?" Steve Rogers was the first to arrive; he stepped through the portal and arrived in Houston. He saw Natasha Romanoff arm in arm with Salomon, looking blissfully happy, and knew the two were already standing together.

“To be precise, it started from the very first time I met him,” Natasha said with a smile.

“Does Nick Fury know?” Steve Rogers asked.

“He can’t control me.” Natasha proudly raised her head. “Let’s not talk about that. Have you looked at the information?”

"So it's true, a space fleet, and the Infinity Stones?"

The document states that the Dark Titan Thanos collected the Infinity Stones for a reason that he could not understand the meaning of wiping out half of all life in the universe. However, Steve Rogers, as an experienced frontline commander, keenly realized the importance of the Infinity Stones.

Are the Infinity Stones safe enough?

“It’s perfectly safe,” Salomon said. “Our space fleet is no match for the Black Order, so Skysaber Station will evacuate to the far side of the moon before the invasion. I plan to use the Infinity Stones as bait to lure the Black Order’s ground forces.”

How can you be sure Thanos will agree?

“Because I’ll force him to agree.” Salomon shrugged. “I can teleport a squad of Imperial Guards to the bridge at any time to carry out a decapitation strike, breaking the Black Order’s command chain. He knows I can do it. He’s a proud man. As long as I agree not to use decapitation tactics and give him a chance to seize the Infinity Stones, he will definitely agree to let the Black Order engage in ground warfare—he certainly won’t agree at first, and we’ll definitely have to have a very brutal space outpost—I’m already prepared for that.”

"Why did you do this?" Captain America asked, somewhat puzzled.

"The Dark Order is a pure pirate group, mainly composed of Chitauri, plus a whole bunch of pirate alliances from various alien races. If Earth loses Thanos as its leader, the situation will be even worse. And what I want is a victory for humanity, not an individual victory. You can understand the difference."

"Where is the battlefield?" Steve Rogers recalled the terrain of Yugoslavia; the only place suitable for a large-scale battle was the Hungarian Plain. But that certainly couldn't be used as a battlefield, because it was an important grain-producing region.

"Australia, or more precisely, the uninhabited area of ​​the Victorian desert."

"How are you going to transport troops there? And the Australian government won't agree to this!"

“I’m not sure if the Australian government will still exist by then,” Salomon said. “The Dark Order is experienced; they know Australia’s strategic value. As an isolated island on Earth, it will definitely become a landing point for the Dark Order.”

“What do you need me to do?” Steve Rogers asked.

“I will provide you with a batch of weapons and medicines to infiltrate Australia after the Dark Order lands and establish an armed force. I will not completely trust the Dark Titan, and if necessary, I will ask you to open a landing point for the Yugoslav army.”

"Like the Normandy landings." The World War II veteran took a deep breath, recalling the devastating casualties of that landing operation.

“If things go badly, yes,” Salomon said. “Humanity is powerless against the Dark Order, who have orbital superiority. They can’t even use navigation satellites, and the internet worldwide may be shut down. Thor will help you if necessary.”

"And what's wrong with Thor?"

The Emperor briefly described the destruction of Asgard and its causes. Captain Rogers knew that the Skysword space station had been active recently, but he hadn't expected them to actually go to Asgard. Now he could only accept the outcome; after all, Salomon had resettled a large number of Asgardian refugees, and no one could have done better than him.

Who will come with me?

"Of course, it's Americans. I'll give you a batch of carefully selected American soldiers. These people come from middle-class backgrounds, have never touched drugs, and have never indiscriminately killed innocent people. Such people are rare, and the ones you'll be taking on are all rejected candidates who cannot accept physical reformation. They are all the most devout Baptists from the Southern states."

Steve Rogers sighed again; he knew the discipline of American soldiers.

He disapproved of it during World War II, and now the discipline of the US military is so bad that he can't bear to look at it.

As a righteous man who could be called "the righteous man of God," Steve Rogers possessed a moral standard that could be recognized by Baptists, Methodists, and even Protestants like the Mormons. He absolutely could not accept the current US military. Therefore, the Emperor gathered a group of US soldiers captured from the Afghan battlefield, selected through a process, and handed them over to him for education as part of a plan for future peaceful evolution. After all, Captain America's moral standards were a political asset that could be recognized by everyone in Western society.

He had heard about the large-scale disappearances of American troops in Afghanistan long ago, and later learned that some survivors had been taken away by the Emperor for modification. As a genetically modified soldier himself, he strongly opposed this practice, which was one of the points of contention between him and the Emperor. However, he held back, because the discipline of the American troops in Afghanistan was absurdly poor, and the Emperor taking them away might have saved their lives; otherwise, they would have died in poverty, discrimination, drug addiction, and gun violence upon returning home.

The Emperor has now placed Steve Rogers in charge of this group to pave the way for his future entry into American politics and prepare for a peaceful evolution over the next century. Furthermore, given that the conservative Hydra organization in the US is now entirely the Emperor's private property, Steve Rogers could never have imagined that his former arch-enemy was already planning to support him and use him to inherit America's military legacy over the next thirty years.

Hydra estimated that once war broke out, the US military-industrial complex, medical complex, and other organizations would definitely tear the country apart. Coupled with Hydra's infiltration, it would be quite good if the entire Union could survive for thirty years.

Planning over several decades is common, but elected politicians can't do that.

Although Steve Rogers felt a little strange, he shook his head and accepted the result.

"When are you getting married, Nat?" Regardless, he was glad the former Red Room agent had found a home; a peaceful retirement was a dream many secret agents dared not even dream of. S.H.I.E.L.D., as a UN agency, still had its pride; retired agents from other US security agencies didn't have it so easy.

“We will not get married,” Salomon said. “In the future, the identity of Salomon will not appear so frequently; you will only see the Emperor.”

As a traditional man, Rogers still couldn't get used to modern relationships. In his view, a man and a woman must get married to be considered truly in love, and then both parties must manage a family and get caught up in the trivialities of domestic life. That was the life he dreamed of.

“I just want one child, and he’s more than qualified as a gene donor and a sex provider,” Natasha said proudly. “To be precise, he’s overqualified.”

Steve Rogers covered his face in embarrassment, feeling he needed to be frozen for another seventy years.

"You said you were going to contact Stark?"

"Yes, I don't think the United States will go to war. But Stark can; he can join in his personal capacity."