Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1435 The Attilan Return Faction (Part 2)

When the emperor recounted how human ancestors fell off trees, thus beginning the evolution of bipedalism, Hammurabi insisted on seriously correcting him. He claimed that the latest fossil analysis showed that factors such as climate change forced apes, who originally possessed an "extended-limb climbing" locomotion mode in the forest, to move to the grasslands, whereupon they began to use their original abilities to walk on their hind legs.

Hammurabi's ability to understand humor and suggestion was quite poor. At times, the emperor even wondered why he had been appointed as his tribune. Perhaps he was completely clueless about humor. Hammurabi also failed to understand how fun it would be to jump into the atmosphere from outside, or the philosophical significance of the emperor's desire to jump into the earth from outside the atmosphere.

However, it was precisely this reliable and steady character that led the Emperor to entrust Countess Katarina Kalkov with her safety, while entrusting her intelligence network to Supiluliumas, lest he crush her head because of the evil deeds she had committed for her own selfish desires.

"After you return to the manor this Earth Day, will you still need to have dinner with the witches?" Hammurabi asked, scribbling on his data board. "The calories you consumed just now don't meet your minimum daily requirements. I'll instruct Dinah that you've already eaten once at the space station, and she's received the previous menu. I trust she'll assess your intake today and adjust the calorie requirement for your next meal accordingly, which will help maintain your health. She's passed the nutrition level check, and you can confidently let her prepare your meals until her certificate from the Guardian Order expires."

"I allow myself to indulge in curiosity before dealing with the next official matter." The Emperor raised an eyebrow with interest. His gaze was fixed on the silhouette of the moon outside the porthole, the next battleground for the genetically modified warriors and the Royal Guard. A group of mutants claiming to be superior to humans were entrenched there, urgently needing to be eliminated and their technology assimilated before the arrival of the Dark Order's fleet. "How many duels have you and Diana fought over the issue of dominance and certification in nutrition?"

"A total of 26 matches were held, including heavy bomb shooting and close-quarters sword fighting, with no casualties."

Hammurabi didn't mention the outcome of the duel; perhaps the lack of casualties was a result of his restraint. But the Emperor couldn't understand why Dinah would let such a questioning of her abilities go unpunished. In his memory, Dinah wasn't exactly known for her gentle nature; homunculus were anything but mild-mannered, their fanaticism capable of igniting their very souls, Dinah being the most fanatical of them all. When she felt her abilities—especially those related to caring for her creators—were being questioned, she wouldn't maintain her docile facade; she would certainly request a duel to the death with Hammurabi. As the first homunculus, Dinah was especially favored by the Emperor. Compared to other homunculus models, she possessed a powerful talent for spellcasting and a physical strength far exceeding that of subsequent models; even without power armor, her steel frame could overturn a main battle tank.

However, neither the Emperor nor the Witch received any requests, and no battles beyond daily training occurred in the manor. It was as if the eternal conflict between the Royal Guard and the Sisterhood over "who is the Emperor's most trusted warrior and loyal servant" was firmly confined to the training grounds. Perhaps this was a private agreement reached between Constantine and Diana to stabilize the relationship between the Royal Guard and the Sisterhood, preventing the two organizations from needlessly clashing internally.

Hammurabi noticed the Emperor's gaze as he stared at the moon's silhouette, an expression both beautiful and cruel. Many untrained, unintelligent minds, upon meeting the Emperor, would be captivated by his supernatural charisma, overlooking his thoughts, ideals, and abilities. But the Praetorian Guard would not; no one understood the Emperor, a man shrouded in mystery to the world, better than the Praetorian Guard, including the ultimate purpose of every plan he devised.

"Preparations for war against the Inhumans are 52% complete."

Hammurabi nimbly changed the subject.

If the Emperor showed any mercy towards the separatist forces of the New Yugoslav Federation and ordinary people misled by religion and ambition, then towards the Inhumans, a race with an inflated sense of malice, he was utterly hostile. The three sky carriers anchored near the space station were the Emperor's sword wielded against the Inhumans of Attilan on the moon. If Attilan refused to submit or form an alliance, then weapons of mass extermination, impossible to use on Earth, would be deployed on the far side of the moon.

That's not something as simple as a nuclear bomb.

Given the extreme genetic mutations of the Attilan inhabitants, even nuclear radiation might not be able to harm them. The images obtained through divination pointed to the location of Attilan and its important political figures. Several matriarchs of powerful families had mutated to the point of skull deformities and loss of human form. The emperor did not refer to the rulers of Attilan as "Outcasts" or "humans," but simply and directly called them "lowly creatures."

The Inhumans are unlikely to launch a full-scale attack against the Dark Order. More likely, a few Inhumans who still retain human form will have a change of heart and help humanity, while other genetically modified individuals will join the Dark Order in search of a way to save the increasingly low birth rate and effective mutation rate, and then seek an opportunity to enslave humanity on Earth.

The Emperor would reward those Inhumans who had a change of heart and retained their human form, but this reward wouldn't mean he would allow all the Inhumans of Attilan to live. There was no possibility of cooperation, not even a sliver, because the Emperor foresaw a possible future—one that, while not necessarily going to happen, revealed the Inhumans' urgent need. This need was beyond Black Bolt's control, as it represented, to some extent, the collective will of Inhuman society—that upon the arrival of the Black Order, Black Bolt would likely resist, and if that failed, release the Terrigen stored on Attilan, creating a Terrigen Mist in Earth's atmosphere. This polluted Terrigen Mist would enter the ecosystem, mutating all those who would otherwise lead ordinary lives, and causing a dramatic increase in the Inhuman population.

Even if humanity survives the invasion of the Black Order, the Emperor will not let the Inhumans of Attilan off the hook, as they constantly seek to tamper with human genes to increase their numbers. The Emperor's large-scale genetic screening, utilizing Dr. Whitehall's connections and assets in the UN Vaccine Alliance, was largely aimed at preventing this from happening, demonstrating just how disgusted he is by the Inhumans' attempts to alter humanity.

Moreover, there are many "returnists" in the Attilan Inhuman society who are drawn to the Kree Empire.

This faction hopes that one day the Kree Empire will take them away, advocating for the restoration of the Inhumans' status within the Kree Empire, allowing them to enjoy so-called "free mutation" and become part of the Kree Empire, even if the Inhumans were originally just war slaves of the Kree Empire, because Kree slaves are considered more noble than humans. In short, Attiland is not a good place to be courted or allied with; for most people, only dead Inhumans are good Inhumans, even Dinah Jensen and Elena Rodriguez from S.H.I.E.L.D. are not within this tolerance range. This intelligence was obtained by the Emperor himself through astral roaming and infiltration of Attiland, and it will be very helpful in the upcoming war.

"The Regent is quite resentful of this, believing that those resources should be used for the Balkans rather than the Moon. The strategic department has analyzed this, but has yet to produce a conclusion. Apart from the staff officers of the Guardian Order, no one else wants to take on the responsibility of the disagreement between you and the Regent." Hammurabi shook his head. "Politics even exists among uncivilized monkeys. I wouldn't blame those officers for having such thoughts. I suggest you accelerate the separation of military and political affairs and begin replacing the officers. We can't accomplish anything with just those people."

The emperor glanced at him and sat back down behind his desk.

"Victor's suggestion makes a lot of sense. In the long run, his idea is the right choice." The Emperor did not reject the Regent's proposal. In terms of priority, the threat posed by NATO to the Balkans was far more urgent than that of the Dark Order. If he and the Regent could not protect the industrial base that was being established and maintain the import and export channels for industrial raw materials and food, then resisting the invasion of the Dark Order would be nothing but empty talk.

"But being right doesn't mean being appropriate. We can't make the right choice every time; we can only make the appropriate choice without deviating from the main objective. Even I am the same, Hammurabi. I can't fight the whole world. We only have time to develop when we resolve other secondary threats. Victor's idea is good, and I will make the right idea into the appropriate one."

"Research into the Inhumans' genes is underway. Ms. Hansen has promised to begin the research once Daisy Jensen and Elena Rodriguez's genetic samples arrive; we have enough samples," Hammurabi added. "This is of great help in deciphering Kree genetic technology, but we cannot determine whether the Inhumans also possess the same weaponry the Kree have placed in the Magellanic system. The probes we deployed to the far side of the moon are continuously transmitting data back to the space station, but the location of the Inhuman base Attilan remains shrouded in mystery, and we have found no trace of Kree technology. The Guardians believe that Attilan may be connected to the Kree fortress in the Koboi region, and perhaps General Hale is a suitable breakthrough point."

The emperor knew he was gambling.

To this day, no word has been released about the missile attack on Norfolk Naval Base, and the families of the missing sailors and officers of the U.S. Seventh Fleet have not come forward to demand an explanation from the U.S. government. The U.S. military, intelligence agencies, and other organizations are doing everything possible to control the dissemination of information about those involved, including but not limited to creating accidents, issuing warnings, surveillance, wiretapping, deception, and imprisonment. Gideon Malik, the Emperor's spy, has provided considerable assistance in this effort. Although the CIA director is appointed by the president, the CIA's secrets are not entirely within the director's control. With the Emperor's help, Gideon Malik is attempting to control this tool of the CIA.

The so-called "fourth estate" for journalists also depends on the context.

If the major donors who jointly support both the Democratic and Republican parties don't want certain things to be mentioned, then the so-called freedom of the press and freedom of speech are nothing but a joke. Furthermore, since this matter wasn't handled by certain members of Congress but rather by the Department of Homeland Security and the CIA, although no secrets stay hidden forever, as long as enough evidence is destroyed and the lie is kept long enough, both sides behind these events will profit. Therefore, as long as the military doesn't experience a leak similar to "Iran-Contra," not many people on this planet will be aware of the Seventh Fleet's situation. Lost soldiers can be quickly replaced, and deals to buy the aircraft carrier are quietly underway.

It's US presidential election season, and politicians driven by votes are well aware that the issues of the Seventh Fleet and Norfolk Naval Base could cause a significant loss of votes for any politician. Republicans and Democrats share common backers, even if these backers are not united, and American politics is merely a tool for the struggle between financial conglomerates and the military-industrial complex. However, they share a common understanding: the secrets of the US Navy's Seventh Fleet must be protected.

As a tool for long-arm jurisdiction and maintaining financial hegemony, plundering labor output with numbers and paper, the naval fleet is the strongest instrument to support any military intervention. Currently, no country in the world is willing to shatter the myth of the invincible US Navy at this time, forcing Wall Street capitalists, who rely on the still-powerful military-industrial complex for wealth accumulation, to resort to desperate measures and directly launch a war.

Strategic intelligence agencies and the Guardians of the Cleric had previously conducted assessments.

If the emperor personally led his army to attack political centers such as the White House and the Pentagon, killing all government and military representatives with no resistance, and simultaneously destroying all US military satellites in outer space, as well as all military and government command structures, paralyzing its finance, military, communications, and politics, then the war would proceed at lightning speed, and even the US Navy would be unable to exert its full power.

To many nations, the Emperor himself was like an indefensible nuclear warhead, capable of delivering unpredictable and precise strikes against key enemy institutions—a negotiating advantage comparable to that of a nuclear warhead. However, the Emperor was unwilling to waste vast industrial capacity on such matters, exacerbating Yugoslavia's already dire economic situation and forcing the United States to relinquish a large amount of weaponry, potentially leading to the same problems that plagued the Soviet Union's collapse, where the entire world would become his enemy. Moreover, he desired North America's robust industrial capacity and food production, using it as a tool against alien fleets, not as a means for certain interest groups to seize power. Whatever the westward-expanding colonizers desired, the Emperor desired as well, only his appetite was far greater.

Now he only has one lever capable of moving such a massive object, and choosing which side to move is crucial.

"Summon the next petitioner," the emperor said. "There is still some time before we finish today's work."

"I believe Ruby Hale has been waiting a long time, my lord," Hammurabi said. "She will come soon."

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(End of this chapter)