Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1022, Part 1018: Hostility and Annexation (Second Update)

An unprecedented armored onslaught swept across Latvia, with various mechanized armies advancing from the ruins of the royal city towards the northern border. Even the most sluggish neighboring countries were forced to urgently deploy troops to their borders with Latvia. For instance, Hungary used two Antonov An-26 transport planes to evacuate Hungarian armed forces and border guards to the border, and also dispatched five Mi-17 multi-purpose helicopters and two JAS 39 Griffin fighter jets from the Solnok Air Base to Latvia for reconnaissance—unsurprisingly, these aircraft were all shot down by Viktor von Dum's mobile anti-aircraft base and missile vehicles positioned deep in the mountains along the Latvian border.

All communications from Hungary went unanswered. Some radical generals in the Orbán government, a right-wing populist party (the Young Democrats – Hungarian Citizens' Union), even clamored that "this is an act of war," and then urged Budapest to make a resolution to attack and completely occupy the small agricultural country of Latvia. The Hungarian Armed Forces have a full 100,000 active personnel, which should normally be enough to easily defeat the Latvian rebels. However, when intelligence from the front lines arrived, even the most hot-tempered Hungarian generals fell silent.

Latvia makes no secret of its possession of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles. They even allow US spy satellites to image their air defense positions before scrambling fighter jets to shoot them down. While the US's shared nuclear weapons policy would provide nuclear weapons to other NATO members that haven't developed their own, those are still weapons of mass destruction belonging to someone else, and their neighbor is already holding a knife to their throat. They can only hastily transport their air defense missile systems to the border, awaiting Latvia's next move while simultaneously requesting assistance from US bases within their borders.

Compared to Hungary, Serbia's attitude appears somewhat ambiguous.

A Piper PA-34 Seneca helicopter, originally poised to conduct aerial photography into Latvian territory, suddenly changed course, and a Sok Gazelle HI-42 reconnaissance helicopter also halted at the border. Perhaps learning from Hungary's recklessness, the Serbian Air Defense Command in Zemun only deployed two An-26 transport aircraft carrying soldiers to the border, alongside M-84AS main battle tanks and anti-aircraft missiles. Compared to other aggressive neighbors, Silkaria, bordering Latvian territory, was less tense, as the country was simply too preoccupied to attend to Latvian affairs.

Within this country lies a very special armed force called the Wild Battle Group. Originally created to combat the Nazis, this group was led by a man named Sablinova, whose daughter, Silver Sablinova, is the current leader. Currently, the Wild Battle Group is the most powerful military organization in Sikhalia, but after World War II, government funding ceased, and the group gradually transformed into a mercenary force, ceasing its attacks on the Nazis and instead taking in a large number of Soviet veterans.

Six months earlier, when Viktor von Dum decided to launch this rebellion, he had already made contact with Silver Sablinova, the leader of the Wild Chapter, nicknamed Silver Sable. The Immortal City provided the Wild Chapter with weapons, equipment, and financial aid for a military coup, on the sole condition that Sylcaria and Latvinia be united, and the Wild Chapter would no longer need to be mercenaries to support themselves—the Immortal City's goal was to shatter the concept of nationhood and transform it into a community of shared future for mankind. Achieving this goal did not necessarily require force; the US's export of American-style democracy could serve as a cautionary tale, providing technical reference for Viktor von Dum's peaceful evolution strategy.

He was well aware of his role: he was to do the dirty work for his superiors, plot conspiracies that would damage the monarch's reputation, and bear all the responsibility. Transylvania, also a neighboring country, the homeland of Wanda Maximov's mother and the birthplace of the famous vampire Dracula, was also on the agenda for this first phase of the annexation war. Victor von Doom had already arranged some means to peacefully conquer Transylvania, securing enough population and minerals for future war industries, and most importantly, Transylvania's uranium mines.

For the Ministry of the Interior, currently focused on reconstruction in the capital, a stable environment and abundant resources are paramount. The Immortal City is now walking a tightrope; all its war forces have been deployed, and it must rely on resources gained from battle after battle to sustain itself. To stop means certain death.

The assault transport slowly came to a stop, finally landing among the mountains of the border. Constantine stepped forward, waiting for the ramp door to open so his master could disembark. Behind him were the semi-finished bio-genetic laboratories, all equipped with powered armor and armored vehicles tailored to their physiques, manufactured by the Immortal City. Victor von Doom followed Salomon off the plane, inspecting the mass-produced genetically modified soldiers accompanied by the Imperial Guard—he didn't know when Salomon had started preparing these things; these genetically modified soldiers were clearly a byproduct of the Imperial Guard's project, yet the Immortal City could still use them as a viable contingency plan to pave a way out for Latovigny.

In the complex situation of the Balkans, the problem must be solved with the fastest and toughest means, even if it means triggering another Kosovo War.

"Target: Sylcaria."

"This is insane!" Ramesh Diaz stared, speechless, at the void fighters hurtling past the armored glass of the jet bridge. A war correspondent with basic military knowledge wouldn't normally be so out of sorts, but he wasn't the only one unable to comprehend the sight before him—the void fighters hurtling past had designs completely out of place in atmospheric flight; both their engines and fuselages were technologies they had never seen before.

Luis Salvador led his newly dressed corps of war correspondents on a tour of the permitted area, eventually arriving at a semicircular walkway with armored glass. As the corps admired the beauty of the vast universe, Salvador, with a mischievous grin, informed them that they were about to witness a battle between virtual spaceplanes and a U.S. Space Force (USSF) military reconnaissance satellite. They could observe the entire battle live using telescopes provided by the space station.

"You are waging war against the entire world," Ramesh Diaz warned. "Is this your master's ambition—world domination? Have you studied history? Do you know what the consequences of doing this will be?"

“Don’t be so cliché, Ramesh.” Luis Salvador had already removed his mask, revealing a scarred Latino face beneath. “Where did your ancestors come from? Mexico? Honduras? Costa Rica? Your parents escaped from the banana production line at United Fruit Company, and you ended up in the arms of another vampire. Is your current middle-class neighborhood so much better than the ones you used to live in, without rampant guns and drugs, that you think you’re superior to the Latinos trapped in those neighborhoods?”

"How did you know...?"

"Oh, I know, we know everything." Luis Salvador's smile sent chills down one's spine. "In fact, if humanity were capable of resisting the impending threat, our organization wouldn't exist. Come, let me show you, and you, our mission, as you look up at the stars for the first time in your life." He led the press corps into a room marked with the number 131, in the center of which was a huge holographic projection table. Luis Salvador pointed to a remarkably clear image. "This image was taken within the Ursa Major moving star cluster, Ursa Major 37. Although it's still somewhat difficult to discern, we can still identify this fleet as a branch of the Chitauri bio-fleet based on its style."

"The Battle of New York!" a reporter shouted. "Weren't the Chitauri defeated by the Avengers?"

"I think you'd be better suited to be a kindergarten teacher than a war correspondent. That Chitauri fleet was just a reconnaissance unit that arrived on Earth via a portal. A branch of that fleet is approaching the solar system via void travel. They're currently assembling in their local bubble, awaiting reinforcements," Luis Salvador said in a soothing tone. "Note that this is just a branch of a massive fleet. Humanity is about to face a colossal expeditionary fleet of thousands of spaceships, and this fleet is only 80 light-years away from us—about the distance between a thumb and a little finger in space."

"We should warn the United Nations!"

"Our Lord warned the five permanent members of the Security Council, but as you have seen," Luis Salvador sighed. "During the Hydra rebellion, Our Lord warned the Security Council representatives, yet none of them offered a real solution. In fact, everything you have seen is preparation made by Our Lord after 2012 in response to a potential genocide of humanity. He began constructing this grand plan after personally confronting the Chitauri in New York. To possess the power to confront the alien fleet, integrating all of Earth's resources is the only way. For the continuation and independence of the human race, and to win this solar system war, any price is worth paying."

"Your master fought the Chitauri in New York?" Ramesh Diaz blinked, as if realizing something. "That unidentified knight! Your master is King Arthur?"

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(End of this chapter)