Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1490 The Lunar War (Part Two)

"They've gone mad! They've really gone mad!"

Gideon Malik's hands and feet were ice-cold, and he trembled uncontrollably. This wasn't entirely out of fear; there was also a strange excitement. He knew the emperor possessed ambitions beyond the reach of ordinary people, but he hadn't expected them to be this grand—like a great monarch from ancient times, commanding armies and even personally leading troops to the front lines solely to expand territory. The international community of today was no longer the era where expansion could be achieved through war. The implicit expansion through the international trade system and capitalism was far more desirable. International law and other humanitarian laws listed military expansion as the most despicable means, making military expansion the most costly, even incurring various governance costs.

This is a very simple calculation, one that even an idiot could do. No military action is needed; simply dominate the market and establish "good" political and business relations, and the company becomes virtually indistinguishable from the government. There's no need to bear governance costs, nor worry about public opinion. The people are merely votes; welfare systems and employment rates are the foundation of those votes, and the media is the mouthpiece that influences them. There's no need to invest further resources.

"Would He choose May 29th to attack Istanbul?"

"That's a really funny joke, Dad."

“This is no joke, Stephanie. I thought Hydra could use His power for covert expansion and market dominance, but now it seems He’s a complete warmonger. A warlord.” Gideon Malik took a sip of his cold drink, trying to calm himself. Even knowing this ideal was unrealistic and the road ahead fraught with difficulties, he couldn’t help but feel admiration. As an ordinary person, it was hard not to admire someone with such unwavering will, even if that person was a tyrant. People are addicted to such people, unable to resist praising them, provided they don’t live under that tyrant’s rule. “Rome, the Byzantine Empire. Damn, that’s insane.”

"dad!"

"Sorry." Gideon Malik shrugged and tossed a banknote into a glass jar on the living room table. The jar was now more than half full, most of which he had put in it, and eighty percent of that had been added after the conservative Hydra members decided to fully align themselves with the Emperor. "One hundred dollars for two chances to swear."

"You know, even if He were on his way to the moon right now, He could walk through this door at any time." Stephanie Malik wasn't surprised by this news at all. In her mind, it was perfectly normal for the Emperor to have such ambitions, and she knew that Diana Lister was able to send her the message entirely because of the tacit approval of Regent Victor von Doom and the Emperor himself. Even so, there was much that Diana Lister didn't say: these young and middle-aged conservatives within Hydra had different ideas from the old guard, ideas that weren't suitable for the interests of the Puritan and Jewish groups deeply involved in the Anglo-Saxon Oil Company to know.

Internal betrayals within Hydra are commonplace. Under her leadership, "The Emperor's Hidden Dagger" assassinated at least sixty people before the conservative Hydra faction could barely maintain a unified ideology, and many of the surviving veterans even expressed their admiration for her methods. Intrigue and scheming are not shameful; what is truly shameful is having evidence found against you, and then being unable to erase that evidence—that is the real disgrace.

"I have no idea what happened on the moon," Gideon Malik said grimly. "I relayed so much information to the Diplomatic Association and the CIA on His behalf, and such a major event occurred, and I wasn't even qualified to know?"

“You know, Dad, He’s very secretive,” Stephanie Malik said calmly. “I think I should go to the White House today, shouldn’t I? The new president is coming in, and I need to get the chief of staff to advise him to withdraw military forces from the Middle East, or at least most of them. I need your help with that, Dad.”

Gideon Malik stared silently at the golden liquid in his glass. The light shimmered in the glass, breaking into tiny sparkles. Stephanie Malik didn't speak; she knew her father was making a decision. Just as his name suggested, the Emperor's plan for him was like that of the biblical figure of the same name: to gather intelligence on the enemy and report back. She also knew that no amount of pleading would change her father's mind unless she could demonstrate the potential benefit.

Are you sure this is in our best interest?

“I’ve never made a wrong decision, Dad.” Stephanie Malik tilted her head, her short, dark brown hair swaying. “I believe this will allow us to take all the oil aid from the Rockefeller family. They’re so stingy with their German compatriots, aren’t they?”

“I’ll talk to other people,” Gideon Malik said, his head still bowed. “This isn’t easy. Some people have been fed money and turned into pigs instead of wild horses on the plains. Pigs are easy to control, but wild horses refuse to be tamed.”

Stephanie Malik smiled nonchalantly. "I've killed wild horses," she said, "and I can certainly kill hogs too."

"Chapter 9 of The Prince," Gideon Malik said. "Machiavelli would not agree with your ideas."

"If He can suppress NATO while reclaiming the territory of the Byzantine Empire, then the world will call him a saint, not a warlord. I believe He is capable of doing so; those weak politicians are not even worthy to carry His shoes," Stephanie Malik said with a smile. "You have never seen the Pope's humility towards Him, even when He says He wants to destroy all religions."

"It's different, completely different. Even if He conquered Constantinople, He wouldn't expel the Turks, and 'You Will Return Like Lightning' wouldn't be sung." Gideon Malik closed his eyes in despair. He had carefully studied the Emperor's *United Truth*, reading it word for word. He understood the connection between the reforms underway in the Yugoslav Federation and the philosophy within *United Truth*. The Emperor's methods were sometimes even more brutal than Stalin's, but he knew when to stop. Chapter Nine of *The Prince* explained the underlying logic of this behavior; one could imagine that the people would increasingly respect Him over time, until everyone would be willing to risk everything for Him. This was the allure of Him, or more precisely, His ideology—it was said that some had seen the Emperor in villages, construction sites, and hospitals, and many even claimed to have spoken with or eaten with him. Folklore portrayed the Emperor as possessing supernatural powers, making it impossible for anyone to discern His identity. The Emperor explained to ordinary people that this was a natural force, extradimensional energy from a faster-than-light travel engine—a phenomenon that science could explain.

But for ordinary people, overly advanced technology is no different from magic.

He couldn't imagine anyone stopping the Emperor from establishing a nation based on the "Unified Truth." At that time, Hydra would truly have no choice but to bow its head. Whether or not to sever Hydra would depend entirely on the Emperor's will and mercy. Capitalism would merely become clay in His hands, only extracting profits for the entire nation; merchants would no longer be able to control the country. Gideon Malik didn't believe it was the end for Hydra, especially the conservative Hydra. "Learn more about Him, Stephanie. You must learn more about Him." Gideon Malik reopened his eyes, his solemn attitude causing Stephanie to straighten her back, as if she had returned to her adolescence. "He is more terrifying than you imagine. This terror isn't in action, but in thought. We have no way out, Stephanie, absolutely none. He has forced us onto the chariot."

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(End of this chapter)