Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1323 The Future Hydra (First Update)

Regardless of any past disputes or conflicts between Victoria Hand and Stephanie Malik, two women of similar age (the latter being younger), due to their differing stances, and regardless of their personal wishes and preferences, the Emperor's orders mandated cooperation between the Interior Ministry and the Defense Intelligence Agency. Now, there was no distinction between Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D.; only the Latvian Interior Ministry and the Emperor's War Council. These were the new identities bestowed upon them by the Emperor after personally reorganizing the two organizations following Alexander Pierce's rebellion. Forgetting these identities was tantamount to denying their oath of loyalty.

After S.H.I.E.L.D.'s destruction, almost all surviving loyal agents were subjected to rigorous scrutiny by the US government. Congress approves substantial budgets for S.H.I.E.L.D. annually, and the Pentagon allows it access to numerous US military facilities, ensuring a majority of Americans within the UN Security Council and making it an indispensable force in many Security Council resolutions. This is hardly commendable, and no one knows how much dirt S.H.I.E.L.D., with such privileges, possesses on American officials and dignitaries. This cannot be covered up with low-level tactics like the "Clinton family death list" to deal with reporters; therefore, rigorous scrutiny and questioning are essential.

Those unfortunate S.H.I.E.L.D. agents targeted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the FBI were able to escape lifelong surveillance and wiretapping, and flee prisons where there was a 100% chance of suicide once imprisoned, because the Emperor used methods such as forging death certificates, missing person certificates, and medical parole to allow them to change their names and regain their freedom with their families.

Nick Fury always saw himself as the mastermind behind S.H.I.E.L.D., which is why he's ended up in this precarious situation. This is a rumor circulating among former S.H.I.E.L.D. civilian staff, without any substantial evidence. The agents from the Defense Intelligence Service, loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D., were completely unaware of the Emperor's and their superiors' arrangements. Coupled with the recent news of the public arrest of Maria Hill, the Guardian's intelligence adjutant, in Latvia, rumors spread like wildfire. Victoria Hand simply stated that it was classified information and no one else had the right to know, then allowed the rumors to continue. As an intelligence agency capable of commanding the First Class Regiment, its organization, built to the Emperor's standards, naturally had many hierarchical and secret systems, far more stringent than the secrecy system established by Nick Fury. Everyone could only know a fragmented truth mixed with lies; only those at the top knew all the secrets.

No one would be foolish enough to betray the Emperor, especially their current superior, Victoria Hand, known for her sternness and ruthlessness. She could sacrifice a special operations team on a mission without batting an eye, simply to quell the situation and erase the traces. Agent Phil Coulson loathed this secrecy-driven approach of the former S.H.I.E.L.D., which led to numerous problems due to the chaotic management system in the post-S.H.I.E.L.D. era. Victoria Hand's intelligence organization, however, maintained its secrecy and strict discipline. Any transgression was not met with the lenient, lenient internal scrutiny of the past.

Stephanie Malik, sitting in the passenger seat, quietly cracked open the window. The cold night wind swept in like knives, dispersing the warm scent of bath gel emanating from the Emperor. Stephanie leaned her head against the window, her eyes fixed on the slowly passing lights outside. "Did you foresee my death?" she suddenly said. "If I'm not mistaken, you must have consulted the oracle. Didn't you?"

"Yes," the Emperor replied calmly. His body almost filled the entire driver's seat, and his voice was as heavy as a dark cloud. This wasn't a grand statement, but simply an illustration of how difficult it was for a two-meter-tall man to fit into a regular car. "I witnessed your first death."

"Is it possible for a person to die many times in a realistic sense?"

"If your father remains obstinate and insists on pursuing the family legend, the Malik family will perish." The car drove through two traffic lights, and the Emperor, still speaking calmly, stated the cruel truth. "The ancestor of Hydra, the Kree's Inhuman slave overseer. That creature would kill you because it wanted the Malik family to submit. Now that monster can never return, so you escaped your first death."

The ancient religious beliefs of Hydra were the first thing destroyed after the Emperor's arrival. When Gideon Malik took action to subjugate all the conservative Hydra families, every family that worshipped the Hydra witnessed the death of their ancient deity in their family mythology. The Kree slave knelt at the Emperor's feet like a dying stray dog. The conservative Hydra families naturally declared the Hydra a false god, abandoning their faith to follow the Emperor. However, the Emperor knew perfectly well that the conservative Hydra families did not actually believe in the Hydra; they merely wanted to follow the mighty.

"And what about the second death?" Seeing that the Emperor didn't answer for a long time, and that the car was about to enter Manhattan via the White Stone Bridge, Stephanie Malik changed the subject. "Father wants me to use RUSH on you (a very dangerous illegal drug), and it's in the glove box."

"I know, but you've made your decision." The man blinked. "That drug won't work on me."

“But he doesn’t know that he’s always thought you were human.” Stephanie Malik deliberately raised her voice, trying to emphasize her subtext. “His ambition is vast and untamable. I know him as well as I know Hydra. But I still know nothing about you. My lord, Hydra cannot contain your ambition, nor can Latveria, so is this planet enough?” she said. “Ambition turns people into monsters. Have you thought about when you should stop?”

The temperature inside the car plummeted due to the cold air outside, and the warm air from the air conditioner whirred weakly. Without the golden power armor and gleaming holy sword, without the magnificent crown and the magnificent Pegasus, he would simply appear taller and stronger than an ordinary person. "I've thought about it, and I hope that day will come soon. But I know very well that by then, there won't be many people in this world who truly understand me." The man sighed, then casually raised an eyebrow, as if discussing his next restaurant. "This is the pain of immortality, and this ideal will also be the driving force that keeps me alive. Searching for an eternal cause is the inevitable path for all immortals. Now the Sorcerer Supreme has given me this reason to live, so I must find a good ending for him. I need your help, Stephanie. You will obtain what you desire in the future."

"Is this also a prophecy?"

"Yes and no." The emperor nodded. "Hydra will continue, but it can only be my Hydra."

Stephanie Malik paused for two seconds, sensing the Emperor's unspoken message resonated deeply with her own thoughts. She quickly turned to the side, the seatbelt buckling tightly around her. "So, even without drugs, the Malik family's goals can be achieved?" she said. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I will trust my Hydra as much as I trust you," he said. "I will give this Hydra a goal: to maintain the empire I have built by any means necessary. I believe that a Hydra that has abandoned its personal ambitions will be able to achieve its goal in the future."

“That requires a very focused education,” Stephanie Malik said. “I have a degree in education.”

The Emperor glanced at her, wondering if Stephanie had misunderstood something. "No, I will educate them myself," he said. "The future Hydra will not be ordinary humans, but immortal beings like myself."

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(End of this chapter)