Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1026 (Second Update)

"I will persuade them to sign the Sokovia Agreement, as long as... give me some time."

After a vote that was hardly surprising, Tony Stark knew that the Avengers had no choice, and neither did Stark Industries. Sitting in his chair, watching the senators leave the Senate chamber, Tony felt a profound sense of powerlessness. If Stark Industries halting its military production line could be considered a legally compliant business practice, then the Avengers' non-participation in military intervention was highly likely to be considered treason. Many provisions of the Patriot Act could be applied to the Avengers—they had no choice, even if it meant facing their former friends at war, they had to sign the Sokovia Accords. Tony Stark had no confidence in defeating Salomon, not at all, but he decided to keep this information hidden for now, first persuading Steve Rogers to sign the agreement. As for the hostility towards Salomon, he planned to deal with that later.

Salomon, located far on the Hungarian border, is also facing a predicament.

The first batch of engineering aid from Wakanda was about to arrive in Latvinia, but the second batch of aid, as stipulated in the agreement, was repeatedly delayed. Stephanie Malik immediately contacted Shuri to demand an explanation from Wakanda, but Shuri stated that it was related to the situation on Wakanda's own soil. The current King T'Chaka believed that the Immortal City's requested aid quantity was too large, and Wakanda would find it difficult to transport the engineering equipment to Latvinia, halfway around the world, in such a short time.

Salomon wasn't too surprised by Stephanie Malik's complaints; he had anticipated Wakanda's attitude and even had contingency plans. The current Wakanda King, T'Chaka, was eager to open Wakanda to the world and therefore highly valued any potential international reputation. Perhaps it was the feedback from Wakanda agents regarding the impact of the Latvinia war on social media that made King T'Chaka suspicious, worried that the war in Latvinia would affect the international community's future perception of Wakanda. Therefore, he made numerous excuses within the scope of the agreement, even attempting to withdraw from the deep cooperation with the Immortal City.

The cooperation between the Immortal City and Wakanda wasn't a losing proposition for either side. Wakanda's science department, led by Shuri, acquired a wealth of advanced alien technology. Wakanda's current attempt to break away from the Immortal City would only be seen as a breach of contract. Faced with this attempt to abandon ship, Erik Killmonger and Helmut Zemo were the Immortal City's sharpest weapon against Wakanda. Salomon demanded that Stephanie transfer another batch of engineering equipment from the Martian foundry from the Immortal City's warehouses to fill the unplanned gap caused by Wakanda's breach of contract. At the same time, he also ordered Victoria Hand's Black Armored Inquisitors to strictly control the Wakanda's activities within the Immortal City, including Princess Shuri.

He had no time to concern himself with the Wakanda's petty self-preservation tactics; everything had to wait until he ended the war in the Balkans. Just ten minutes after the US Congress passed the Emergency Intervention Act and the Humanitarian Aid Act, the Starship Missile pod near SkySword Space Station began its operation, targeting NATO air bases in Europe, awaiting a signal from the Immortal City's strategic command.

With the launch of hundreds of ballistic missiles transported to Latvia, surgical precision strikes began against military facilities in Hungary, including the Keczemét, Solnók, and Papo air bases. Self-propelled artillery clusters and missile launchers behind the border immediately began striking Hungarian National Guard positions detected by drones.

The mechanized infantry groups of genetically modified soldiers also crossed the Hungarian border, heading straight for the Hungarian T-72 tank formation. Some of the Latvian rebels remained inside the country for defense, while others followed the genetically modified soldiers deep into Hungary to provide support. These soldiers, who had distinguished themselves in the civil war, quickly caught up with the genetically modified soldiers after a brief rest.

Hungary was clearly unprepared for Latvian firepower and their determination to attack, and was caught off guard. No one expected Latvian to actually dare to attack a NATO member state, showing no regard for NATO's collective defense provisions.

Initially, the Hungarian Armed Forces hoped to rely on Soviet-era tank and armored groups to attack Latvia. However, with the long-range artillery fire from super-heavy tanks and the precise strikes from anti-tank rockets, within just twenty minutes, artillery and tanks deployed along the border and in the cities were reduced to burning wreckage on the roads and in the wilderness.

Faced with this situation, the Hungarian Armed Forces' mechanized infantry quickly retreated into border cities and laid numerous mines along the roads in an attempt to slow the Latvian advance. Under the cover of heavy artillery and rocket fire, Mammoth-type heavy armored personnel carriers, relying on advanced materials science and powerful engines, advanced along Highway 53, carrying armored vehicles and wounded soldiers abandoned by the Hungarian Armed Forces, from Little Salás and Bolotau Salás all the way into Kiskonháłós, unloading over a hundred genetically modified soldiers clad in dark gold powered armor. Raider-type armored vehicles followed closely behind into the city, providing ample fire support, and together with the continuous bombardment from gunships, they unilaterally crushed the Hungarian army.

The Hungarian National Guard stationed in the city was utterly helpless against the Immortal City's fierce offensive. Their plan to utilize the urban terrain for street fighting quickly failed within twenty minutes, as the genetically modified soldiers returned fire with overwhelming force against the soldiers hiding in the residential buildings. By the time Salomon's assault transport ships landed in the center of Kiskonhálos, Constantine had already led the genetically modified soldiers to surround the surrendered prisoners, and all the fallen genetically modified soldiers had been transported to logistics vehicles. The town's streets were cluttered with tanks billowing black smoke, collapsed buildings, and bodies torn apart by explosives.

The Hungarian civilians in Kiskonhálovs were all gathered together, awaiting his orders.

The most crucial factor in this war is time; the Immortal City cannot afford to waste a single second.

"I'm so sorry for all of this," Salomon said, standing in the burning city to the terrified civilians. His presence soothed their deepest fears, bringing them peace and stability. However, the once beautiful town was now in ruins, the scars of war stark and unsettling. "This will all end soon. No one will harm you. Obey orders, maintain order in your homes, and from now on you will no longer be slaves. I promise you justice and dignity; this is the only thing I can give you."

Without lingering, he turned and boarded the assault transport boat.

Before leaving, he ordered his Latvian soldiers to destroy all Hungarian weapons in the area, from small pistols to large tanks, leaving nothing behind, aiming to completely eliminate the armed capability on the Hungarian border. These Latvian soldiers will remain there, awaiting reinforcements and humanitarian aid. Latvia will maintain military control here until the end of the war.

A similar scene unfolded in the border city of Szeged, Hungary's third-largest city, bordering Serbia. However, the fighting there was far more brutal. The Hungarian National Army engaged in direct combat for forty minutes before being forced to surrender, having successfully stalled the advance of the Immortal City beforehand. The role of the genetically modified soldiers was war; their individual weapons, such as explosive guns and plasma weapons, were designed to maximize combat efficiency, and the numerous individual missile launchers they were issued could easily destroy concrete fortifications and buildings. Manipulated through methods like knowledge indoctrination, the genetically modified soldiers were renowned for their cold, swift movements. They were indifferent to casualties and pleas; their sole objective was victory. Electronic warfare crippled the Hungarian National Army's command system, and two hundred genetically modified soldiers in power armor swiftly eliminated all threatening targets one by one.

Post-war statistics showed that the Hungarian National Army in Szeged suffered 20% casualties due to the loss of communication capabilities. This figure did not include armed gangs or civilians who had been distributed weapons. The Hungarian National Army surrendered because the attacks by the genetically modified soldiers were simply too fierce. From the gas station on the east side of the Tisza River to Seneçe Square, from the Szeged Church of Dedication to the sports center, no fortifications could withstand their advance; no building could last more than five minutes. The defensive strategy of using civilians as a shield was completely ineffective, and the post-war cleanup took longer than the fighting itself.

Latvia cared nothing for international reputation, only for victory or defeat. Upon receiving news of the defeat, the Orbán government in Hungary declared a state of emergency and began appealing to NATO for assistance.

The Immortal City has completely destroyed all military airfields and anti-aircraft missiles in Hungary with missiles loaded with various types of warheads. The information warfare has also severed communication between all military facilities in Hungary, and the air raids by fighter jets have destroyed its command centers. Now, no aircraft can take off in Hungary, and civilian airliners to and from Hungary are in a state of panic, like headless flies.

The Immortal City, having unleashed its full war potential, was terrifying. In an instant, the entire country of Hungary lost its ability to communicate with the outside world. The so-called "state of emergency" declared by the Orbán government was only heard by the residents of Budapest. Civilians in other parts of Hungary did not understand what was happening. They first heard on television that NATO had launched an armed intervention in Latvia. Then, their televisions stopped receiving programs, their mobile phones lost signal, and all networks became unusable. Only residents living near military bases could hear the explosions coming from those areas.

The only information they could obtain was Latvia's announcement. The announcement claimed that Latvia would only attack military bases housing US troops, would not occupy any Hungarian cities, and would not be targeted by missiles if the Hungarian army surrendered.

This is a case of modern warfare employing a devastating attack, with the Immortal City achieving its upgrades through technological superiority rather than sheer numbers. If faced with counterinsurgency warfare in the future, the Immortal City will struggle to survive, as Hungary still possesses significant war potential.

"Only after experiencing it firsthand can you understand how terrible war is. Talking nice things won't help at all." Salomon sighed, his armored hand gripping the hilt of the holy sword tightly. "I'm going to become the main villain in the comics. Soon, superheroes will be coming to fight me."

Constantine could tell his monarch was in a bad mood, but he remained silent. He knew his monarch was merely grumbling and wouldn't change, nor could he, change, his strategic goals, even if he was forcing himself to do something he disliked—this assault transport ship, packed in squads of genetically modified soldiers, was escorted by fighter jets towards Budapest, the capital of Hungary, to carry out a decapitation strike and completely complete Hungary's "de-NATOization." Simultaneously, this was also a strike force specifically tasked with attacking enemy command posts, intended to alleviate Latvian's predicament.

They must achieve this goal; failure would mean the end of everything for Latvia. Only by achieving this strategic objective can Latvia have the right to negotiate on the international stage.

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)