Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1369 The Political Game at the Pentagon (First Update)

"Agent Coulson."

Jeffrey Mays called out to the agent who was trying to leave. He strode forward, buttoning his suit jacket with his other hand, followed closely by his suited crew. For some reason, whenever Phil Coulson saw this scene, he would think of a mother duck leading her ducklings, and at that moment he would try to picture Jeffrey Mays' cartoon duck character, which often gave the latter a mysterious smile.

Jeffrey Mays, who now seems to perfectly embody the image of a white elite, a soldier, an upright and impartial law enforcer in the eyes of both left-wing and right-wing voters, is a rising star in Congress, attracting attention wherever he goes. Moreover, he's considered a "superhuman"—everyone praises the current Democratic presidential nominee for his keen eye in finding someone who perfectly fits all these criteria and has pushed the diversity process to an unprecedented level. However, Jeffrey Mays, at the center of the political maelstrom, may have realized his role as a tool, but he certainly doesn't understand the potential impact he might have, because no campaign office will tell him the truth.

"Admiral Tabbot has invited us to dinner."

“I am very grateful for General Tabbot’s kind invitation, Commander Mayes.” Agent Coulson glanced at his watch, “but I’m worried there’s a peach pie brewing in the kitchen at home.”

Jeffrey Mays glanced at him, then waved for the agents behind him to step back, including Agent Porost, who was carrying the briefcase at that moment. "Are you still angry, Agent Coulson?" the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D. asked. "We went to Congress today, we went to the Treasury Department, and we're sorting out the losses S.H.I.E.L.D. suffered during the Hydra rebellion. A presidential pardon isn't easy to come by. The president has his own rivals, and the CIA and Congress aren't all Democrats. This is politics, Phil Coulson, and politics is the art of compromise. While I loathe this kind of behavior, I know those hearings are helping you and those S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, allowing those loyal patriots to walk in the sunlight again."

"It's also to frame those agents," Agent Coulson said softly. "Many politicians are worried that the secrets Nick Fury left me will affect their political future."

“I don’t deny that possibility,” Jeffrey Mays said. “But for the White House, finding the lurking Hydra is far more important than the personal desires of a few politicians; otherwise, the President wouldn’t have reorganized S.H.I.E.L.D. before the election. This shows that in this political game, I’ve gained the ability to protect loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. I need you. You’re an experienced S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and I need your help to reorganize S.H.I.E.L.D..”

Agent Phil Coulson sighed. "It's not that I don't trust you, Director Mace. But S.H.I.E.L.D. is a protective wall standing between ignorance and danger, and I cannot agree to the President and General Tabot's demand to hand over all S.H.I.E.L.D. secrets. Nick Fury is not an honest man, and the secrets I have are not all S.H.I.E.L.D. classified documents, but they simply refuse to believe it. They only believe what they believe, and even if S.H.I.E.L.D. were rebuilt with this kind of support, it would soon crumble again due to political infighting in Congress." He said, "Besides, S.H.I.E.L.D. is a neutral body on the Security Council; we cannot side with any country."

"Nick Fury has taken a lot of the defense budget."

"But they all just gave me empty checks." Phil Coulson said with a sly look. "Every year I get a mission: to go to the Pentagon and ask for money. Every time, General Tabbot will throw a reception and show me the new equipment the Pentagon is developing. Remember the story of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle? That kind of thing happens every year, over and over again, never stopping."

Jeffrey Mays took a breath, unsure how to respond.

The M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle scandal is widely known, involving more than 20 defense contractors and hundreds of Pentagon officials in a massive Pentagon arms procurement scandal. Although Congress has added numerous regulations in an attempt to prevent such a situation from occurring, the Pentagon's control by the military-industrial complex, Washington lobbying groups, and various vote guarantees have rendered those regulations meaningless.

If you want to become a general, you should participate in the research and development of a new type of equipment.

Stark Industries, a rising star in the military-industrial complex, has produced a large number of generals over several decades. This explains why, even after abandoning military research and development, Stark Industries and Tony Stark were still nominated for Secretary of Defense. Tony Stark even dared to challenge Wilbur Ross, then a senior Pentagon official, and seize control of Bruce Banner's fate. While the title of Avenger held little value for Pentagon and White House officials, the interests of Stark Industries were incredibly compelling.

If one were to harbor even more malicious intent, who knows how much money General Tabbot had earned before rising to that rank, or how many guarantees he had secured from the military-industrial complex? Even Jeffrey Mays himself couldn't guarantee General Tabbot's absolute innocence, because he knew there were no clean people in Washington.

"If you don't mind, I think I should go home for dinner," Agent Coulson said casually, pointing to the door. Although the new S.H.I.E.L.D. was newly established, Jeffrey Mays was still able to arrange for agents to be picked up and dropped off. However, Jeffrey Mays still hadn't figured out Agent Coulson's base location, because Agent Phil Coulson had taken an international flight, and their agents had picked him up at the airport. All flight information indicated that Agent Coulson wasn't posing as a passenger, but had genuinely participated in a long-haul flight. "I hope you can build your own S.H.I.E.L.D., Director Mays," Agent Phil Coulson said gently, his high hairline making him seem very trustworthy. "I don't trust politicians, but I trust you; otherwise, I wouldn't have agreed to Daisy Jensen cooperating with your propaganda efforts."

"Lonner Regan," Coulson said to the driver after getting into the car, "hurry up, kid, I need to catch my next flight."

"I don't think you need to rush, Agent Coulson." The familiar voice in the co-pilot's seat sent a chill down Agent Coulson's spine. A face with obvious Middle Eastern ancestry turned towards him, a smile playing at the corners of his eyes and mouth. Phil Coulson recognized the face; he even recognized what the face looked like as a child. "Long time no see, Agent Coulson. I have something I want to discuss with you. It's important; it concerns the safety of many lives, so I won't allow you to refuse."

"What about those agents?" Agent Coulson quickly regained his composure. "You won't hurt them, will you?"

"In your mind, have I already become a murderer?"

"What you did in Albania was worse than what the world's most heinous murderers did," Agent Coulson said, abandoning his pretense of composure. "And there was the verdict from the former Laslav International Criminal Tribunal, a war criminal recognized by the United Nations."

"Those are war criminals from the Balkans, they have nothing to do with the UN." The person in the passenger seat shook his head. He gestured, and the car, belonging to the new S.H.I.E.L.D., immediately started and drove along the predetermined route. "Human trafficking, drug trafficking, and arms smuggling in Europe have decreased by thirty percent, and a large number of criminal groups that fled to Western Europe have been arrested and eradicated. If I'm considered a criminal simply because I didn't shout slogans of justice, isn't that a bit unfair? But none of that matters. I have no intention of justifying my actions because I know what's right and what's wrong. Once I've given those poor people a stable and prosperous life, getting them to give up superstition isn't a particularly serious problem."

"So you're trying to convince me?"

"How could that be, Agent Coulson? Convincing you won't help the Balkans at all," he said. "I'm here for something else, about Robbie Reyes."

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)