Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1434 (Chapter 1430) The Remnants of Civil War

Even the worst tool has its use, a piece of advice the Emperor had given Hammurabi. Besides, Countess Katarina Karkov wasn't exactly bad; she was merely somewhat greedy for power and money, making her easy to control and predict. The Emperor knew when she was loyal, when she betrayed him, when she was blinded by greed, and when she was incorruptible—she was currently on the space station, far from the conflicts of the Balkans, clearly not the place for her to fully utilize her abilities—simply because the time wasn't right. Regent Viktor von Dum was creating a favorable working environment for her, a stage truly suitable for her to wield the art of power.

这一切都要从南斯拉夫内战以及1993年签署的《维也纳宣言和行动纲领》影响说起，包括1991年的斯洛维尼亚十日战争（又称斯洛维尼亚战争）、1991年至1995年的克罗埃西亚战争、1992至1995年的波赫战争、1996年至1999年的科索沃战争。1999年至2001年的普雷舍沃山谷武装冲突以及2001年马其顿武装冲突。

Behind this bloody war, which claimed over 14 lives and left millions homeless, lay a chaotic conflict fueled by populism, instigated by ambitious individuals and composed of armed groups bound by blood, ethnicity, party affiliation, and religious beliefs. It wasn't until the Latvian Liberation War began that the Emperor, utilizing his years of accumulated genetically modified soldiers and advanced weaponry, overwhelmed all air defenses and government institutions in the Balkans with unparalleled marching speed and technological superiority, utterly crushing the armed groups in the now-independent provinces of the former Yugoslav Federation. On the monumental victory of capitalism—a free trade zone signed by the upper and middle classes—and the ashes of communism, the former Yugoslav Federation, once comprised of "seven borders, six republics, five ethnic groups, four languages, three religions, two scripts, and one nation," was once again declared unified.

This does not mean that the various nationalities of the Yugoslav Federation will be able to unite from now on. The lies of the ambitious and the blood feud committed by the ignorant since the civil war will not be so easily resolved. The establishment of the Yugoslav Federation Civil War Tribunal by Regent Viktor von Dum was the first step towards reconciliation among the nationalities. He even went so far as to attack The Hague prison in the Netherlands to show the people of the new Yugoslav Federation his determination to clean up the lingering poison of war.

However, this was only the first step. The lingering effects of the Yugoslav Civil War were not so easily eradicated. During the war, numerous unofficial paramilitary civilian armed groups emerged, undertaking dirty work that official organizations could not do. Many of these "non-foreign paramilitary groups" transformed into directly subordinate departments of the government after the war. Among the surrendered armed groups after the end of the Yugoslav Wars of Unification were these individuals. They surrendered under the emperor's guns and swords, yet still harbored their own ambitions.

Although these organizations were nominally part of the New Yugoslav Federation's armed groups, Regent Viktor von Doom knew full well that these separatist forces would never cease their power struggles. With these people around, the security situation in the New Yugoslav Federation would never improve—this was the downside of top-down reforms. If it weren't for the emperor's loyal army, it would be difficult to completely purge the old vested interests; the corrupt bureaucracy and interest groups could only be cleansed through bloodshed. Even if the emperor's army began confiscating weapons and regaining law enforcement power, there would still be those with connections to the underworld and the comprador class who supported them who would incite armed resistance, allowing genetically modified soldiers to shed blood in cities and villages. Then, the unsuspecting civilians would once again rebel against the emperor's rule, becoming victims of ambitious schemers once more.

There are two options for regency.

The most direct approach is to reignite a bloody war, violently eliminating these armed groups that could betray or split at any moment, or placing them on the front lines to eliminate resistance and separatist groups, letting their blood heal the wounds of the civil war. Another option is to gently purge them one by one from the power structure of the new Yugoslav Federation, then retrain and integrate those soldiers into an army that adheres to the "Truth of Unity" and is dedicated to the survival and development of the human race—those young men recruited from various villages, their minds clouded by the grand ideals of "national self-determination" and unfounded hatred, need a thorough re-education until their minds, filled with hatred, are completely cleansed and refilled with the emperor's ideals. These are good young men, provided they point their guns in the right direction.

Regent Victor von Dum informed the Emperor that he was prepared to implement both plans simultaneously.

The first plan was already implemented by genetically modified soldiers and the First Secret Regiment during the purge of armed groups within the New Yugoslav Federation. No one knew whether those paramilitary groups who had participated in the civil war died in frontline fighting or rear-area attacks. As for the militant groups that could be modified, they would be completely disbanded, with people of different ethnicities, bloodlines, and religious beliefs training and learning together. They would understand that those different from themselves were not the bad guys politicians portrayed them to be, but people just like themselves—flesh and blood, with family, friends, parents, and children. They were together to fight against humanity's enemies and protect those like themselves, not humanity itself. But this wasn't all. The Romanian purge had already eliminated at least 20,000 separatists from all walks of life, and another purge led by Regent Victor von Doum was imminent.

The second option was being implemented, including the Yugoslav military tribunal for the retrial of various armed groups and commanders from the civil war, with Countess Katarina Karkov as a key figure. Few understood the game of power and the commanders of the armed groups in the former Yugoslavian provinces better than her; after all, she had done a significant amount of business with these people. When she reappeared on the highest power stage of the new Yugoslav Federation, both the regent and the emperor believed she could smoothly assume the role of power broker, representing the emperor's tacitly approved power interests by bestowing favors and facilitating deals, subtly employing techniques such as framing, slander, and sowing discord where they were most valuable.

Some might mistake her for the Emperor's mistress, but Countess Katarina Karkov welcomed this misunderstanding. The Emperor needed the hidden power bestowed upon her based on this misconception, while simultaneously using this vulnerability—a vulnerability that any ordinary person would possess—to attract CIA spies. Countess Katarina Karkov neither confirmed nor denied it; relying on this ambiguous attitude, she could do many things that the Emperor and Regent openly could not. She was important, and therefore two modified assassins and a pair of sorority armed men were always with her, acting as her security personnel and secretaries. In this game, she could not remain aloof forever; death was always a possibility.

After ending his call with the regent, the emperor stood by the porthole, gazing down at the distant Earth.

"Sometimes I think about walking out of the airlock," he told the Royal Guard. "Just one kick and the momentum would send me through the vacuum into the gravity well, and then I'd drift toward Earth."

"No one can withstand the heat from atmospheric friction, my lord, unless you enter the escape pod."

"I should have given you some humor, Hammurabi."

(End of this chapter)