Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1030, Section 1026: Divergence - A Ghostly Opponent (Second Update)

Tony Stark took a deep breath, not telling Pepper what was really going on in Budapest off-camera. Hungary was now under martial law, almost all opposition parties had been thoroughly purged, and many previously unknown secret deals had surfaced. The Orbán government's influence had expanded to unprecedented levels, even to the point of being able to amend the constitution and establish authoritarianism. In fact, many opposition members were executed on the spot without trial, and those attempting to flee Hungary were imprisoned under joint pursuit by Latvian and Hungarian forces.

However, this information was strictly censored and known only to a very few. Tony Stark learned of this through his connections at the Department of Defense, plunging him into a deep abyss of pessimism. He knew Salomon possessed extremely powerful force projection and decapitation strike capabilities, and the only thing he couldn't understand was why Salomon was in such a hurry—the alien fleet was still some distance from Earth, and the world's nations still had time to cooperate. But if NATO launched a military operation, then no one in the world could stop Salomon from striking at the world's leaders and the heads of various financial groups, plunging Europe and even the United States into a terrifying state of disorganization.

"If Congress asks the Avengers to stop him and buy time for NATO to build up its military forces, then I could die," he said. "I know Salomon; anyone who gets in his way will die, even me. I... I've never seen him go to such lengths; this is definitely not a simple matter."

The atmosphere at the Avengers headquarters was incredibly tense. Aside from the hired support staff, the other former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, who had all been involved in intelligence work to varying degrees, unanimously sensed the impending storm. Twenty minutes earlier, the Secretary of State's car had pulled into the Avengers headquarters, and Secret Service agents had taken over security duties from the Avengers' agents. Afterward, some Avengers went into the conference room and hadn't emerged yet. Even Agent Maria Hill, who was in charge of directing their operation, stood with her arms crossed at the doorway, as if a nuclear bomb might explode inside the conference room at any moment.

Any former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who follows international news can pretty much guess why. These agents survived the Hydra rebellion, were wanted by law enforcement across the United States, and were eventually cleared of wrongdoing. The Avengers headquarters is now their only refuge. None of the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents want the organization to disband; that would only land them in jail. They know the interrogation methods of the U.S. intelligence agencies; they've done similar things themselves. They all know their counter-interrogation training is useless.

"Where is Dr. Banner?" Steve Rogers sat in a minimalist black leather chair by the glass conference table. The attendees had varied expressions; each was preoccupied with their own thoughts, and not everyone was concerned with the Secretary of State's purpose in being there.

Natasha Romanoff, who had rushed back from Europe, looked grave, her brows furrowed tightly. She fully understood the purpose of today's meeting, but she was more concerned about what was happening in Europe—she always seemed to fall short just when she had a chance to catch her target. She couldn't understand why her target always managed to escape at the crucial moment; the only certainty was that the intelligence provider (the Immortal City) hadn't leaked anything, because they were busy rebuilding Latvia. Compared to the agreement, Natasha Romanoff believed the target was more damaging to the Avengers; Sam, the retired soldier nicknamed "Falcon," was still confused about what had happened. He had been busy searching for someone who could shrink and didn't intend to let anyone else know about his humiliating experience; Pietro Maximov was still sleepy. He had been bombarded with communications from his sister for the past few days, a blood relative urging him to leave the Avengers base immediately and telling him what would happen today. Although Pietro had some expectations about what happened today, he remained optimistic that the matter would be resolved peacefully. Colonel "War Machine" Rhodes had learned the contents of the Sokovia Accords from the Department of Defense and Tony Stark. With his close ties to the military, he firmly agreed to bring the Avengers under his control because he himself obeyed the Pentagon's orders, not the Avengers'.

"General Ross, we have ample evidence that Dr. Banner's disappearance is related to you."

"I don't understand what you're saying, and besides, this meeting doesn't need a beast. Furthermore, I'm now Secretary of State and Deputy Secretary of Defense, not a general, and more than just a general." Thaddeus E. Ross, dressed in a business suit, had completely abandoned the rude manners he'd developed in the Army; he even wore cologne. "I'm here on behalf of the White House and the Pentagon to negotiate with the Avengers."

"This isn't negotiation, this is coercion." Steve Rogers glanced at the silent Tony Stark and Vision beside him, both equally silent. He crossed his arms and said to Thaddeus E. Ross, "You know our stance."

"Do I need to repeat myself? Sokovia, South Africa... The Avengers are S.H.I.E.L.D.'s contingency plan. In the past, you had Nick Fury's command, so you wouldn't create a disaster you couldn't handle. Now that S.H.I.E.L.D. is gone, you bunch of headless flies going wherever you want, causing more trouble than you can solve. The United Nations won't allow this to happen. The Avengers must be regulated. You can only act when the United Nations unanimously deems the Avengers necessary."

“You’ve got one thing wrong, Ross.” Steve Rogers raised his voice slightly, as if to address everyone. “While I don’t want to serve again, I’m not against the Avengers being under government control. What I’m against is being under the control of an untrustworthy government. I can imagine what will happen after the agreement is signed. Where do you want to send the Avengers? Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, or Palestine? Do you want us to help the US seize oil fields, loot food, burn down the fields of drug dealers who don’t cooperate with the CIA, or capture locals for biological experiments? I joined the military because I wanted to fight for justice, and this isn’t justice. Perhaps you even want to send us to Latvia because of death threats on television?”

"In just 24 hours, a large number of CIA agents were arrested in Hungary, many research institutions with US military investment were attacked, and a large number of people were detained. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security also discovered that many domestic information security companies that had cooperated with the US military had suffered terrible terrorist attacks. You have probably seen the rest on social media. At the same time, large-scale demonstrations broke out in many parts of the country, and many people took to the streets demanding that the US withdraw its troops."

Thaddeus E. Ross came prepared. He used the conference room's projector to show footage taken by CIA agents in Hungary, as well as the FBI's investigation into the cybersecurity company's bombing. Under external pressure, the state apparatus operated with remarkable fluidity, revealing a wealth of clues. Through the projector, the Avengers could see information about the people involved in the case, how they committed the crime, how they prepared, and how they obtained support and guidance.

These operations bore a strong resemblance to the CIA's overseas instigation of rebellion, but their methods were far more sophisticated. All clues were as elusive as white feathers falling on snow, making it difficult to discern any pattern at first glance. Whether it was information online, weapons acquired by the personnel on the ground, or the connections between them, everything left the US intelligence agencies baffled. The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI practically had the CIA chief choked in their internal meeting room, demanding to know whether this was truly the work of CIA agents.

After the CIA repeatedly assured everyone that this was not their operation, everyone felt an extremely strong sense of crisis. An unseen specter was roaming the United States, transporting weapons, inciting crowds, and channeling funds with highly professional methods. The only clue these intelligence agencies could find was some information streams flowing from domestic servers, and the owners of these servers had no idea what was going on.

Even a mere glimpse was enough to make them realize how terrifying their opponent was. Some retired CIA and FBI agents felt as if they were fighting a ghostly enemy, and the psychological pressure they felt was even greater than when they faced the KGB.

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(End of this chapter)