Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1096 (Second Update)

"This is a serious violation of the principles of international relations and greatly damages Germany's sovereignty..."

Secretary of State Ross completely ignored the German protests and continued to tell a somewhat bewildered Tony Stark, "No matter what method you use, I need you to bring Steve Rogers and his accomplices back. German police have already set up checkpoints on the highways leaving Berlin. I want to see results in 24 hours, or I'll have to let the US troops stationed in Germany into Berlin and let the military handle this."

The German representatives continued to protest, but all their protests were ignored by Secretary of State Ross.

German intelligence had long been aware that the U.S. National Security Agency was wiretapping the phone calls and emails of European leaders, and tacitly kept this from the current Chancellor. This was because, both in the real world and cyberspace, almost all European security agencies were powerless against the United States. Many cybersecurity collaborations with the U.S. were built upon U.S. cyber hegemony and extensive surveillance programs, allowing the CIA to operate with impunity in Europe and receive continuous support from European intelligence agencies.

It has been proven that as long as one can tolerate the unbridled wiretapping by the US security agencies, not only can the German Federal Intelligence Service monitor the phone calls of journalists in the news media, but terrorist attacks planned by Middle Eastern refugees with ties to Middle Eastern terrorist organizations within the country can also be prevented.

As for who cultivated the terrorist organization, created displaced refugees, vigorously promoted the acceptance of refugees, and ran a refugee resettlement company to make a profit, the German intelligence agencies have become too lazy to care; everyone knows the truth.

With the aforementioned support, Germany can maintain stability, and public resentment towards refugees will be minimized. Even if the Chancellor were aware of the situation, he would have to remain patient. Moreover, the CIA still possesses classified Stasi documents, many of which involve current German political figures. In 1998, the CIA "accidentally" leaked a Stasi document, leading to the resignation of a high-ranking West German official who had leaked NATO secrets to former Eastern European countries. No one knows what other incriminating evidence the CIA currently holds; only those involved truly know the details.

While German intelligence wasn't as incompetent as MI5 or MI6, in many foreign security matters, it was merely a lackey following the CIA's lead. However, knowing something is one thing, openly stating it is quite another. German military, police, and administrative representatives stormed out, seemingly intending to report the matter to the Chancellor. Secretary of State Ross didn't even bother to glance at them; he continued to stare at Tony Stark like a tiger ready to pounce. When Tony Stark first met Ross, this old man was a down-on-his-luck veteran, drowning his sorrows in bars, abandoned by all his old friends. Now, he seemed to have regained his former authority, transforming once again into that ruthless general.

"Twenty-four hours," he repeated, then took out a bottle of pills, poured himself a pill, and swallowed it without water. After taking the medication, Ross's complexion improved considerably. "The White House and the Pentagon will soon know what's going on here. I'll persuade them to give you twenty-four hours to prove your position. If you still hold onto your dreams, this is your last chance."

Berlin is a large city, and not every place has surveillance cameras, so Tony Stark's job ran into trouble from the start. The city had far too many hiding places. Even with German police setting up checkpoints on highways leading out of the city, ordering the army to close the border, and deploying reconnaissance aircraft for round-the-clock surveillance, Tony Stark couldn't possibly search every house for Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson in a short time. As for Natasha Romanoff, although he knew she definitely had some information, no one could force her to reveal it—Natasha Romanoff did know the locations of the fugitives, and not only that, she also knew the location of the Winter Soldier, James Barnes, and even the movements of everyone on both sides. So, while Ross was throwing a tantrum, she remained seated, observing everyone's reactions.

Although she signed the agreement, it is now less binding than a parking ticket.

Steve and Sam placed the Winter Soldier in a warehouse next to a railroad branch line. The warehouse hadn't been used since the end of the Cold War, so it was bare except for rusty machinery and graffiti covering the walls; the dust on the floor was high enough to reach a person's heel. "Hey, Captain!" Sam called anxiously to Steve, who was keeping watch at the back door, "He's awake!"

Upon waking, the Winter Soldier didn't attempt to flee. Instead, he calmly surveyed his surroundings, completely ignoring the metal arm pinned down by the heavy object. Steve had changed his clothes, but the Winter Soldier remained in the same soaking wet outfit he'd worn when he fell into the water. "Steve," was the first word the Winter Soldier uttered upon waking. "Steve!"

"Which Bucky am I talking to?"

"Your mother's name was Martha, and you used to put newspapers in your shoes." Bucky chuckled, seemingly recalling the past. "Would you like your new friend to know more about the stupid things you did in the past, Steve?"

Steve Rogers laughed genuinely, as if the shock of the crash and fall into the water had brought Bucky back to his senses and freed him from mind control. "You definitely won't see these in a museum," he said, glancing at Sam. "You certainly don't want to hear about Bucky taking me to a dance to find girls to dance with; I was only this tall back then." Steve gestured with his hand to indicate how small he had been in the past.

But Sam still couldn't believe the old Bucky was back. "Are we just going to let him get away with this?" he asked doubtfully. "Someone has to be held accountable for what happened there."

Bucky's smile froze, then vanished completely. He heard Sam Wilson's hint. "What did I do?" Anyone could hear the fear in his voice. "Tell me."

"Quite a few," was the only answer Steve could give.

"I knew it would turn out like this," Bucky said dejectedly. Steve felt sorry for him but didn't know how to comfort him. "The stuff Hydra implanted in my brain is still there; he can activate the Winter Soldier as long as he gives those commands."

"who is he?"

"I don't know," Bucky's voice was almost desperate. "I've never met him. You know the Vienna bombing had nothing to do with me."

Although Steve tried his best to calm Bucky down, time was running out, and their escape from Berlin was drawing ever closer. "A lot of people died in that explosion. That doctor wanted to use it to frame you. He did all this just to spend ten minutes with you. I need you to give me more information, Bucky. 'I don't know' won't solve anything."

"I'm not the only Winter Soldier." Bucky Barnes took a deep breath and began to recount the whole story from the beginning. From the mission in 1991, retrieving extra "super-soldier" serum samples from the trunk of a wrecked car, to a series of brutal experiments conducted at the Hydra base in Siberia. Then the Winter Soldier was born, undergoing continuous training for the next twenty years, until one day everyone suddenly attacked the guards, except for Bucky.

"who are they?"

"The most elite Hydra commandos. They've been killing indiscriminately since Hydra was founded," Bucky said. "And that was before they were injected with the serum."

"Have they all become like you?"

"Even worse."

"Can that doctor control them?"

"Pretty much." Bucky Barnes nodded. "He said he wanted to witness the fall of the empire. With those men, he could do it. They speak more than thirty languages ​​and are undetectable; they can spy, carry out assassinations, and even dismantle a nation's organizational structure."

Hearing this, Sam couldn't help but pull Steve aside. "This will be much easier if we..."

"What if we call Tony?" Steve said, but that's not what Sam meant.

"He won't trust us, and even if he did, who knows if the expert panel mentioned in that agreement and that old dog in the striped suit (referring to Secretary Ross) will ask him for help?"

"We can only rely on ourselves," Steve hesitated for a moment, "but maybe we can ask someone for help."

Sam nodded in agreement. "I know some people too."

"My lord, we have obtained a pretext to openly intervene in the incident; Steve Rogers has requested our assistance," Hammurabi said over the communication channel. "Should we intervene at the official level?"

"Continue with the plan. I need to be prepared with Latvian air defenses in case of intervention. I need a reason to strike without any worries."

"Received, issuing preset orders. Estimated mobilization time: three hours. My lord, do you require any other weapons or equipment?" Hammurabi asked. "In the worst-case scenario, I believe you'll need a large force of heavy firepower to resolve the situation."

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(End of this chapter)