Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1208 (First Update) - Zero-Sum Game

"You're not planning to kill anyone?" Tony Stark asked, baring his teeth in disbelief. He felt the girl break his arm; the excruciating pain almost made him lose his balance. If Pepper hadn't caught him in time, he would be sprawled on the ground, hurling his questions. Tony Stark gasped for breath; he was certain a large bruise had formed on his arm, one that would take a long time to heal. Worse still, the signal transmitter implanted under his skin had been damaged, the microcapacitor constantly discharging, causing his triceps to contract repeatedly. "When did you suddenly decide you wanted to be a good person? The tragedy you caused in New York last time resulted in a war crimes conviction at the Hague Tribunal. What are you planning to do now?"

“We won’t be here long,” the Emperor said politely, trying to ignore the acrid smell of burning electrical insulation in the air. The Technologist, having done everything he could—slapping the holographic projection table but still unable to access the Stark Corporation database—growed in frustration. “When my spacecraft landed in New York and arrived at this building, my purpose was achieved. All of New York knew the Latvians were here. Furthermore, they would know the Emperor of Latvia was here. Nobody will believe you and Pepper are alive, but you are, so you only have two choices… You know how the Federation operates; do you think they'll believe you, Tony Stark?”

The Emperor took two steps forward, subtly kicking aside the tech sage crouching on the ground, attempting to complete the task via physical wiring. He stood before Stark, looking down at him, his tone carrying a chilling undertone. Only now did Tony Stark realize the purpose of the Emperor's actions. The power outage, the shutdown of Friday, the release of electromagnetic interference, the clearing of operational logs—no video or audio recording could corroborate the specific content of this conversation.

After that, only Tony Stark and Pepper Potts were able to corroborate what happened there.

This zero-sum game under such a crisis of trust is destined to end with one side disappearing. Regardless of whether Stark has truly sided with Latvinia, as the weaker party, he is undoubtedly the loser. It's not simply a matter of the bailout bill failing to pass; the White House faced immense difficulty in producing that rational and correct bill, and the Senate and House opponents, who have been eyeing Stark Industries for some time, will not let this opportunity slip by so easily.

This is part of the salami-slicing tactic; killing doesn't necessarily require a knife.

Tony Stark wanted to say the Emperor's name, but he suddenly realized he couldn't remember it, as if a cold knife had forcibly cut a part of his memory from his mind and replaced it with a more familiar name.

"I'm not talking about a threat, but what's about to happen to the world. You know what happens when one country has nuclear weapons and another doesn't? The world is heading towards a new Cold War, and our mission is to stop the civil war and unite the human race to face extraterrestrial invasion."

The Emperor lowered his head and glanced at the watch the witch had given him. Hammurabi, monitoring the situation outside the building via drones and surveillance cameras, informed the Emperor that several men in bulletproof vests and carrying weapons were leading Tony Stark's bodyguard, Happy, up the fire escape. The Emperor nodded after hearing the briefing; aside from the Pentagon's bodyguards arriving a little late, everything else was as expected. Ten floors remained. The lock on the fire escape door leading to the top floor had been broken by Amon with his guard spear, revealing the open staircase leading down to the lobby.

"I'm sorry, Stark, but you will decide the price humanity will pay for its continuation. I will respect all your decisions, as long as you can bear the consequences." He gestured, and Aura moved her gun away as instructed, returning to the Emperor's side. Even so, Pepper still clung tightly to Tony Stark's shoulders, fearing that the tall, capricious woman in power armor might shoot them. "Next time I'll give you advance notice. If you're still alive, please prepare a good bottle of wine for me; you always need a strong drink when discussing cooperation."

Tony Stark glanced nervously at the fire escape door. He knew Happy would try to break in through the fire escape once he learned the elevators were out of service, and he also knew the Pentagon had a whole SEAL team with him for his safety. "Don't worry, I haven't stooped low enough to plant a bomb there," the Emperor said with a smile, shaking his head as he was surrounded by the Imperial Guard and the Sorority's in battle formation. "But some people are definitely going to die today. Amon…"

"Four more floors, my lord." The Royal Guard expertly twirled his Guard Spear, activating the stun gun's bolt and the power switch on the Blade. Although their opponents were mortals, the Royal Guard wouldn't underestimate them because of their weakness; he always fought with all his might. "The surveillance shows they were carrying assault rifles, and no other explosives besides defensive grenades, flashbangs, and smoke grenades."

"Wait until they get to this floor, then kill them," the Emperor said. "Don't hurt Happy; he's Stark's friend."

Amon nodded and put the plasma grenade back on his waist.

"So we're just letting him go?" Wanda asked, somewhat puzzled.

She drank a large glass of ice water and it took her several minutes to recover from the dizziness caused by the emperor's brutal teleportation spell. Compared to the smooth teleportation portal, the lightning-fast teleportation, while having advantages such as speed and long distance, was not a very pleasant experience for ordinary people.

All the teams that had arrived in New York aboard the Pegasus Super-Heavy Assault Transport had returned, but instead of being transported to a low-orbit spacecraft, they found themselves in a large hall filled with antiques. A deep red cloak was banging against the glass counters, startling Aura and her Sisterhood heavy weapons squad. The constant honking of car horns and the cacophony of panicked voices outside the hall indicated that they were not far from New York. The presence of robed sorcerers around them further confirmed their safety, for this was the sanctuary of Kamar-Taj.

"How can we ensure that Stark will make decisions in the way we want?"

"It's very simple." The Emperor first thanked the New York Temple sorcerer who brought the water glass. "We will release screenshots of Amon's combat logs and pictures of the Navy SEALs' corpses before any other Western media outlets do. Those who manipulate public opinion will be backfired on. The so-called Fourth Estate isn't as obedient as it seems; they're just hyenas looking to make money. Thank you and your sisters for your service, Aura..."

The tall android bowed its head.

"I'm glad you can wear the crown I've given you." The Emperor's tone was unusually gentle. "Next, we will pass through the portal back to the manor. I'm sure Diana will prepare a delicious meal for you and your sisters. Amon, I hope you can change your cloak; the smell of blood on it will frighten the children."

"Yes, my lord. I am so glad to see Milia."

"Oh, don't be silly. Milia wouldn't recognize who's under the Royal Guard's helmet." The Emperor handed the water glass back to the sorcerer apprentice and gave him a jade scepter engraved with dense numbers and symbols. This was a teleportation key; the entire manor had been sealed off by a spell cast by the Emperor and the witch, and only this could open a portal to a specific location in Oxfordshire. "Tell Sorcerer Daniel I need a portal to the Oxfordshire manor. Go now."

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(End of this chapter)