Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1319 Clues (First Update)

The emperor had three things to do in New York this time.

The first thing was to use her previously established connections to prevent the New York Immigration Bureau from bothering a woman named Valeria and her family. This didn't require Stephanie to do it herself or use a spy network; a simple phone call to Wilson Fisk, the New York mob boss, would suffice. The second thing was to have dinner with the children at the Athena Mountain Orphanage, something she hadn't done in four years. While Athena wouldn't skimp on the children's meals—the income from her gallery and art exhibitions was more than enough to keep them healthy—she wouldn't waste any of the rarer and more precious ingredients on them. This time, the Emperor herself cooked, and also to introduce the children to Stephanie Malik, as the brightest among them might one day work for her.

The third thing will have to wait until he meets Athena.

Stephanie Malik was clearly uncomfortable with the relatively simple dining environment, but for the sake of the Emperor, she had to pretend to be very happy. She even had to pick up a napkin and wipe the faces of some children who had sauce all over their faces, trying to show her compassion—a task that was eventually taken over by the older children, who thought Stephanie Malik was too clumsy. Each child she wiped left a rough red mark on their face, and cries rose and fell wherever she went. Compared to the uncomfortable Stephanie, the Emperor, sitting at the head of the brown-black project table, seemed quite relaxed. He ate calmly in the noisy environment, listening with a smile as the leaders of the boys and girls on either side reported to him on the events that had happened recently, including the no-rules basketball game that the older children had organized a while ago.

The so-called "no rules" still has rules, just fewer foul calls than in a regular basketball game. Due to a long-standing martial spirit, some girls are more enthusiastic about violent confrontations than chasing the ball. Lorna Dane, taking advantage of her puberty development and excellent martial arts skills, broke two ribs, gaining undisputed control of the ball on the court. Violent conflict isn't something to be avoided or corrected at the Athena Mountain Orphanage. Due to the overly advanced medical technology, limited violence is encouraged to some extent. However, it still needs to be guided appropriately; a real life-or-death duel with knives and guns is impossible, and might even result in extremely severe punishment.

Whether or not these children ultimately choose to stay, the most basic military training (basic for soldiers of the First Secret Service) and the most basic close combat skills (basic for the Sorority) will benefit them for life, while also solving many administrative problems. After all, neither Athena herself nor the Emperor has time to deal with the children's petty squabbles.

Everyone was happy except for the unlucky guy who had to be carried into the infirmary.

"You can have a drink," he said to Lorna Dane, "but only one."

"Can I choose what I want to drink?" Lorna raised an eyebrow. "If possible, give me a glass of brandy."

"Only wine." The Emperor picked up the bottle beside him and poured her a glass, then looked at the others. He raised his thin glass to the older children, displaying himself as the undisputed leader of the group, and the tallest and strongest in the room; the noisy room instantly fell silent. As was customary, he was to give a toast. "If you want to drink too, then win the next competition. Someone has already proven themselves; now it's your turn. Cheers to Lorna Dayne's victory."

"For two ribs," one boy added.

"And my arm," another boy chimed in. "My hand still hurts a lot!"

"Shut up! Now it's time to celebrate my victory!" Lorna Dane shouted, her face flushed, toward the other side of the long table.

After her performance, Stephanie Malik pulled up a chair and sat down casually next to the Emperor, placing a data panel in front of him. Little Lorna hadn't heard the hushed conversation between the Emperor and the woman, but her intuition told her it couldn't be anything good. The exchange of pointing and gesturing at the data panel contained ruthless and terrifying words like "kill them all" and "no compromise." Her patience wouldn't allow her to ignore such information, so she ate her food while keeping a close eye on Stephanie Malik, trying to find any clues that would allow her to understand the situation, until the Emperor looked up from his conversation and beckoned her to sit beside him.

The former immediately pounced on it, leaving behind a wobbly chair.

"A terrorist attack," he said calmly to Lorna. "Through drone footage and facial recognition, we've confirmed that the attackers include members of an extremist religious organization and internationally wanted criminals. These individuals are extremely dissatisfied with the policies implemented in Latvia and intend to retaliate. Intelligence has found their communication records. They originally planned to infiltrate the capital and use a car bomb to attack government offices, but thanks to the efforts of the coast guard and navy, their cargo ship, which they used for smuggling, was blocked in international waters. On board were smugglers and Syrian refugees."

"My lord, can we really let her know?"

“Lorna isn’t a child; she can accept this.” The Emperor maintained his unhurried eating pace and elegant demeanor, his words causing Lorna Dayne to proudly raise her head. “We have no intention of negotiating with terrorists; their only fate is death,” the Emperor said. “Although it was just an unexpected incident, I believe there are many people watching from above in that sea.”

Victoria Hand's defense intelligence department quickly identified the terrorists and their backgrounds, many of whom had been arrested during a war. Although the official explanation was a prison break, the veteran S.H.I.E.L.D. agents didn't believe such nonsense. They had seen similar tricks many times before; unarmed ordinary people simply couldn't escape from a military base or interrogation room.

The cryptocurrency accounts used on these armed personnel's phones indicated that they were being secretly supported. Defense intelligence only traced a private server located in a WWII-era bunker in Germany and several prepaid phones used in Sweden. The investigation took time. While supporting Steve Rogers' special operations team, defense intelligence screened surveillance footage near the locations where the prepaid phones were used to identify suspicious individuals or documented intelligence personnel. This was a massive undertaking, and although Victoria Hand was recruiting new members according to procedure, this also took time.

What the emperor lacks most right now is time.

"You even sent Captain America?" Little Lorna tapped the screen in surprise. The real-time communication displayed the basic information of the combat personnel. Several points of light were clustered together with Steve Rogers on the sea surface, seemingly planning to approach the cargo ship by kayak and then launch a underwater raid. Although there was no live footage from the combat recorder, only a 3D model calculated in real-time using contour lines, models, and hydrological data, it was far clearer and more intuitive than viewing it with the naked eye. "This kind of mission is impossible to fail!" she said. "Even without superheroes, aren't you sending special forces?"

“I’m not that optimistic, girl.” Lorna Dane’s youthful energy made Stephanie Malik frown repeatedly. The Emperor had chosen Irish Red Ale for her, not wine; perhaps he didn’t think ordinary people could drink wine like water. “Steve Rogers is human, and so are special operations police officers. People make mistakes, and we need to have contingency plans for the worst-case scenario.”

"What emergency measures?"

"A shipwreck," Stephanie Malik answered without hesitation. "There are tourist attractions nearby, so that small cargo ship won't be scuttled in this location. We'll erase all traces and jam all spy satellites over Latvinia. SkySword Space Station has already begun the operation."

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)