Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1149 Recurring Issues and Family Responsibilities (Part 2)

"Judging from the public reaction, you've gained a lot of support, Steve Rogers. Especially in the provinces that resent the Western world, when people there learned that the new government had brought Captain America from America to serve them... That might sound a bit cynical, but maybe it's just because your new uniform doesn't have the American flag, so the civilians in those provinces aren't as likely to feel resentment. Anyway, those polling companies that were originally set up for democratic elections now have new business, and the authenticity of these polls needs to be checked. I don't really trust the results these polling companies give."

"I'm very grateful that you've given me this opportunity," Steve Rogers said stiffly.

Without needing to use any special techniques, the Emperor of Latveria could tell at a glance that his emotions were somewhat unnatural.

"Speak, what else is there?"

"In a previous operation, Sam, I, and law enforcement took down a street gang and a small drug trafficking network in Romania. There was a twelve-year-old kid in that gang." Steve Rogers paused. "They used a child to traffic drugs, you know? Law enforcement took that kid away, and I want to know how he is now."

"You came to this office just to ask about the outcome of a small-time drug dealer's case?" Emperor Latvinia's gaze silenced Steve Rogers. He knew the man behind the desk was no longer the teenager he'd met at S.H.I.E.L.D. In fact, no one knew his exact age; the figure Natasha Romanoff had revealed was astonishing.

"I can only tell you that I don't know. I convened a council composed of people from all walks of life to make laws, and then law enforcement agencies have to act in accordance with the law. If that small drug dealer doesn't do anything outrageous, he only needs to receive short-term education and treatment in a labor camp before he can be released. As long as he abides by the law for the rest of his life, he can still enjoy the family life that ordinary people should have in his middle age, with a wife, children, and a warm bed."

The Emperor lowered his head and continued reviewing the report from law enforcement. Clearly, he was very displeased with Steve Rogers' focus on such a trivial matter, but he didn't show it and continued to present the facts.

"If he kills someone or does something worse, the best-case scenario is a long prison sentence, ending with him returning to a society completely disconnected from him. If he's lucky, he might do odd jobs like cleaning and die in a motel; the worst-case scenario is a life sentence, transported to a Martian mining factory to do hard labor for the rest of his life. Martian laws are different from Earth's; he'll work there until he dies, covered in cybernetic parts that will be removed and installed on another criminal to continue working until the cybernetic parts break down. I can guarantee that the gangsters who instigated this kid's crimes will be punished even more severely. If they're lucky enough not to die from bombs and laser guns, they'll be held accountable for everything that little drug dealer did. Is that answer satisfactory?"

"It sounds fair, very much like the laws of my time."

"Far from it. I didn't mow down striking workers with machine guns like Rockefeller did. Only criminals and scum get that treatment. If you want the details, you should go to the Department of Justice. I know you're concerned about that drug dealer, but you also know this isn't the place to resolve legal issues. I believe you have some common sense, right?"

Emperor Latvian curled his lip. He spoke with Steve Rogers about a few more issues until, twenty minutes later, the emperor finally couldn't help but ask Rogers to explain his true purpose beyond submitting the report, because several more people were about to enter the office.

"To be honest, what exactly do you want to ask?"

"About your super soldiers. I know you need those soldiers to fight the alien fleet. Back when I received the serum, the Allies also needed super soldiers to fight the Nazis. Now I can only be thankful that the remaining serum was destroyed, otherwise the whole world would be filled with super soldiers involved in black operations, and super criminals would emerge one after another. It turns out that super soldiers shouldn't exist. That thing should have disappeared after the war, otherwise sooner or later someone would abuse these technologies for their own profit."

"Do you think I would use super soldiers to profit myself?"

"It's not you, it's your officials. You can't guarantee..."

"I've discovered you have some misunderstandings about me, Steve Rogers. First, I'm a dictator; I control the entire military. Second, Latvinia isn't a profit-driven nation; its military won't cross borders to seize resources. I can only manage the genetically modified soldiers I create. Other countries using similar technology are irrelevant to Latvinia, whether they want to use super soldiers to defend their homeland or invade other countries. Finally, I suggest you go back to your apartment and read some books, and try to understand super soldiers through a dialectical materialist lens. This isn't something you need to worry about; at least, your current knowledge is insufficient to comprehend a matter beyond the comprehension of ordinary soldiers."

"I've read it."

"That's not enough, not enough to make you realize your own folly. According to your thinking, nuclear weapons shouldn't even exist in this world. As the most powerful weapon humanity currently possesses, nuclear weapons still maintain the fragile peace of the human world, extinguishing the flames of all world wars. The super soldiers you represent and nuclear weapons, as products of World War II, share the same historical status. Not long ago, someone else raised the same issue with me. The people at the United Nations think the same way you do, except they want what I don't have and what they have, just like how only nuclear weapons held by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council are legitimate. But the problem is, without the fearless and resolute Fire Knights, Latvia cannot suppress the populism calling for independence, cannot forcibly promote atheism among the Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks—these Yugoslavs—cannot replace neo-economic colonial nationalism with monarchy, and cannot unite a powerful Yugoslav Empire to fight against external threats. Do you want to assemble those superheroes yourself to fight the alien fleet? How will you win? How will you ensure that there won't be a great famine and plague in human society after the war? How will you ensure that social order continues to function?"

To call it an invitation would be an understatement; Steve Rogers was practically kicked out of the office. He was utterly powerless against the Imperial Guard, grabbed by the shoulder and shoved out—something he'd never witnessed since meeting Saul and Bruce Banner. He didn't resist, knowing that Hammurabi's massive, three-meter-long halberd could strike at any moment, and that these golden-armored Imperial Guards were ruthless war machines.

"How did it go?" Seeing Steve Rogers, escorted by the Imperial Guard, walk out of the corridor leading to his office and into the drawing room, Sam Wilson hurriedly stood up. He didn't say this in front of the Imperial Guard, but waited until the drawing room door closed, separating the Sorority's armed humans from the Imperial Guard outside, before impatiently asking, "Did he hear what you said?"

"He has his own ideas, and I can't sway him."

"It might sound annoying to say this, but I have to say it anyway. I already told you. At least he explicitly refused you, unlike those politicians and bureaucrats who just make excuses. That's a good thing." Sam Wilson hesitated for a moment before getting to the issue he was really concerned about. "Did you mention that? Clint and I both want to know if Latovina can help. After all, our families are still back home, and you know how worried we are about them, right?"

"Clint's family information remains confidential. They are all safe, and the Latvians have promised to find a chance to send him back." Steve Rogers sighed. "Your sister... the FBI has contacted her family and started monitoring her and her sons, listening to all their phone calls. They've also told the neighbors you committed treason. That means all your sister's loans will be denied, they may face financial difficulties, and even leaving home could result in being stopped by the police. You could say they're in a very bad situation, Sam, I'm sorry."

"Shit!" Sam took a deep breath and paced around the drawing room. "No, no, no. It's not your fault, Captain. We know what it means to be on your side; we just didn't anticipate the consequences." He ran his hand through his short stubble and made a decision. "I'm going back, Steve. I know what I'll encounter when I get back, but I have to go back and see her secretly. If that's not possible… could you help me ask if I can get an advance on my salary and set up a Cayman Islands account or something, the kind of tax haven for the rich? I know Latovina can do that."

"I told him, and he said he would help."

"Okay, so does he have any... concrete solutions?"

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"You really didn't just make up these terms?" Steve Rogers felt a cold sweat break out on his back. He felt like he wasn't there to solve a problem, but to be lectured. Every time, the Emperor of Latvia would throw out some new terms he'd never heard of before, touching on areas he'd never explored, only to be mocked again for the lack of basic education and stupidity of Americans. This time was no exception, but the Emperor seemed too lazy to say much more, and instead simply provided a reading list.

"I'm not your university professor. Next time you want to debate profound social issues, take a look at relevant books. I really can't imagine how to live in this world without this knowledge. I'm glad you recognize ideas beyond American exceptionalism, but you're still not wise enough."

Steve Rogers wanted to say something, but the Emperor silenced him with a look.

"I admire your kindness and fairness, Steve. I know you made this suggestion purely out of concern, but I dislike your naiveté and foolishness. So I'm giving you this one and only warning, a warning you can understand because you've experienced the cruelest war in the world—I will not allow countless people to be slaughtered by aliens to satisfy your moral conscience. They may think they can gain independence by paying a small price, but when war comes, human life is the cheapest thing in the world. They may gain freedom, but they lose their lives and everything that is important to them. I will never allow civilians to lose their dignity, their families, and everything else in an absurd war for anyone's self-gratification, dying like stray dogs on the street."

The atmosphere in the office was extremely tense. Steve Rogers could feel the muscles of the person behind the desk taut, as if he might throw a punch at him at any moment. "You can indulge in a noble sense of morality, like those losers who masturbate under the covers, but at least losers don't affect others. Your self-satisfied morality, however, could very well lead to the deaths of other innocent people. Think about the consequences before you act, or you'll be as naive as Tony Stark, who manufactured weapons and created Ultron, thinking he's the only innocent one. The book list will be sent to your data terminal. Complete the work I've given you. That's all the meaning I've given you. That's the end of the old era and the era of superheroes."

"There's one last thing. Let me finish, it's important." Steve Rogers cleared his throat. "You know, some of the people who came to Latvia with me still have families living in the United States. Now that my name and theirs are on the wanted list, I want to know if your intelligence department can help their families. Their willingness to stand with me means they're willing to go against the US government, but their families don't see it that way. I know what the FBI has done, and I don't want their families to suffer the same fate. Like Clint's wife and children, Sam's sister, Scott Lang's girlfriend, ex-wife, and daughter…"

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Steve Rogers mentioned that after the battle at Halle Airport, Scott Lang's ex-wife and daughter were subjected to the same level of surveillance and eavesdropping as Sam Wilson's sister. If it weren't for his girlfriend, physicist Hank Pym's daughter would have followed her father to work in a secret laboratory in Latvia, and they might have suffered the same fate.

"So, Clint can go back to America, and if I go, I'll end up like Marilyn Monroe." Sam Wilson spewed out more Black slang and street swear words, so much so that Steve Rogers, who had been trying to remind him to watch his language, couldn't even speak. "I know it's a bad comparison to Marilyn Monroe, but I've heard since I was a kid that she was killed by the FBI, and my former superiors have told me some secrets. Now I'm starting to wonder if the FBI will target my sister! If Scott were here, I'm sure he'd think the same way. Captain, we have to save our families; it's our responsibility."

I'm too busy slacking off to divide the content into chapters.

(End of this chapter)