Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1150 Planning Ahead (First Update)

Steve Rogers and Emperor Latvinia discussed the Avengers' family arrangements. The plan had already been initiated long before the divided Avengers met at Harley Field, and even before the internal divisions arose within the Avengers. Even Natasha Romanoff, who had the best intelligence, was completely unaware of it. The GPS location of the Quinjet that landed near Clint Barton's country house during the Ultron incident, as well as the tower navigation records, were silently deleted. In the sparsely populated and information-poor rural South of America, even the most advanced information technology (referring to Stark Industries' artificial intelligence) could not trace their addresses.

There are many similar actions, but not everyone can receive the same treatment as Clint Barton.

Steve Rogers was allowed to view a small portion of the relevant documents, and even just a few pages revealed something far from encouraging. The files he couldn't access contained text that would leave him speechless. He had no idea that Maria Hill, then commander of the Avengers base, was involved in the operation—Hill's warning to him that night wasn't unfounded, but due to her identity (Nick Fury's agent), her position (Congressional observer), and the polygraph test procedures she underwent during her monthly congressional appearances, she couldn't reveal the whole truth.

Sam Wilson’s application, which he submitted that evening, was rejected without hesitation.

Following this, the intelligence and legal departments ordered him to temporarily cease his filming activities and restricted his movements. Without the need for electronic ankle bracelets, the capital of Latvian was covered by numerous surveillance cameras, and advanced facial recognition systems could pinpoint specific individuals. Meanwhile, border security in Latvian was quietly tightening, and Victoria Hand's investigation into spies was intensifying. This decision came from the Guardian Order's intelligence department, and it was because of this Crimson Authority order that Sam Wilson learned of this message, filled with the resentment of many late-night workers, in the early hours of the morning after the Ministry of Justice had closed.

Nick Fury could not possibly agree to the request to return to the United States. As the king of secret agents, he was well aware of the extent of the FBI's surveillance over Sam Wilson's family. The intelligence he had access to indicated that those who planned and carried out Cold War terror in the last century had become the true manipulators of the FBI. Their methods far exceeded Sam Wilson's comprehension; only the old guard of the CIA during the Cold War, who orchestrated the Iranian coup and the Bay of Pigs invasion, could rival them. If Sam Wilson returned to the United States, a week later, others would only find him in a converted cruise ship, a mobile prison belonging to a shell company, in the Pacific Ocean. No matter how strong his will, Nick Fury believed that this soldier, lacking anti-interrogation training, wouldn't withstand a week of torture.

In other words, Sam Wilson was the weak point in the entire intelligence network. As a result, none of the Avengers' anti-protocol faction members except Natasha Romanoff had access to classified information. Even Ant-Man Scott Lang, who was almost fully recovered, was sent directly to the Hyperdimensional Labs built by Hank Pym in the Immortal City after leaving the hospital, completely cutting off his communication with others and leaving the offshore oil platform that could only be accessed by plane.

Emperor Latvinia was indeed not paying attention to the details of the plan, because this morning, a company of Hellfire Knights returning to Latvinia from Wakanda, led by General Constantine of the Imperial Guard, would be clearing out a group of Serbian religious militias who had fled into the Poh Mountains. After the day's fighting, he would travel to Seraphim, the site of "the longest siege in modern warfare," to appease the people and reiterate Latvinia's governing principles—namely, eliminating religious influence, bridging the ethnic tensions among Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks that have persisted since the fall of the Byzantine Empire, and combating populism. Since the First War of Expansion, wherever Emperor Latvinia had visited, he had enjoyed extremely high approval ratings. This irrational support, according to the Ministry of the Interior's propaganda department, stemmed from the emperor's personal charisma and required continued economic and social welfare to maintain.

From a pragmatic perspective, Regent Victor von Doom persuaded the Emperor to deliver a speech in the most religiously entrenched regions, demonstrating the Latvian government's determination to heal the hatred and divisions that had accumulated between former allies against the Nazis, fueled by neoliberal populist politicians. While the speech wouldn't completely accomplish its purpose, it would buy time for Latvian military and political operations. Once the neoliberal colonial hand of Western Europe and the United States was severed from the Balkans, healing the national divide would become possible. The victories of General Constantine, commander of the Imperial Guard, would serve as evidence for the Emperor's speech, demonstrating that it would bring peace to the people. Compared to these issues, the problems of Sam Wilson and the other anti-agreement Avengers were hardly worth his attention; it was already a significant responsibility for officials of Stephanie Malik's or Victoria Hand to handle them.

"This is your speech," Natasha Romanov said. "I've revised some of the vocabulary to be closer to the local language, and I've also marked the accents to maximize your chances of winning over the local residents and calming the unrest caused by your removal of corrupt local officials and law enforcement's crackdown on gangs."

"Thank you, you've thought of everything." The Emperor nodded. The proliferation of gangs meant that the area had fertile ground for illegal activities, and those gang members represented young adults who couldn't find a way out and upper-class individuals trying to amass wealth through organized crime. With the latter arrested by law enforcement, Latvinia's most pressing need was to appease the former, which aligned with the Ministry of the Interior's plan. With the combined efforts of law enforcement's crackdown and the jobs created by the Ministry of the Interior, they could quickly resolve the various local problems. If the economic problems were solved, then religious and secular issues could also be addressed simultaneously.

Tatiana stared wide-eyed as the woman, who had been a prisoner not long ago, dressed in a business suit, passed through the Imperial Guard's security check and approached the Emperor, casually handing him a bound document. What displeased Tatiana even more was the woman's ambiguous and intimate attitude; Tatiana was certain the woman had even glanced at her briefly, as if in protest against the previous surveillance by the sorority.

"Don't get too close! Keep a safe distance!" Tatiana muttered, gripping the hilt of her chainsaw sword while subtly gesturing to Hammurabi, who was wearing a helmet. Hammurabi remained motionless, standing like a golden statue until the Pegasus Assault Transport, the Fire Knights escort, and the subsequent medical and logistical transport vessel took off. "If the Royal Guard can't fulfill its duties, then let the Sisterhood do it!" Tatiana said angrily into the comms, watching Natasha Romanov's subtle movements out of the corner of her eye. "I absolutely will not allow this suspicious woman to get this close to the Monarch!"

Hammurabi opened his mouth, but in the end he did not tell the truth.

Within the sorority, only the original androids were permitted to participate in the monarch's daily life. This was not only because their abilities far surpassed those of ordinary humans, but also because their loyalty was comparable to that of the Praetorian Guard. As for the ordinary human girls, although many, like Tatiana, had participated in the Battle of Fimbul and survived, their contact with the monarch was currently limited to official business, as the loyalty of most girls could not be fully ascertained. Hammurabi found it difficult to imagine whether those human girls, who held the monarch in such high esteem, would do something outrageous if they knew that the emperor was, in private, quite a boisterous and unconventional person, due to the shattering of their dreams.

However, the Emperor of Latvia seemed to realize Natasha Romanov's subtle provocation towards Tatiana, and responded with a cold attitude, which relieved Tatiana and her sisterhood's entourage. Hammurabi felt the same way; if the heavy weapons operators in that squad hadn't released their explosive triggers, he would have truly had to take action to prevent bloodshed. "Prepare the ceremonial armor," Hammurabi changed the subject, diverting Tatiana's attention. "I want to ensure that the monarch's purple robes are without a single wrinkle, and the crown without a single stain. I believe only you can handle this task."

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(End of this chapter)