Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1675 Hydra's Elite Education

The Chief Executive of the State Council has always been a mysterious figure to outsiders.

Each time the Chief Executive of the State Council appeared, she wore a holographic mask, making it impossible for outsiders to know her true face; they could only discern from the image that she was a woman with a good figure. Stephanie Malik, as a member of a long-established American political family, had a Malik family background that was no secret to think tanks around the world—in fact, quite prestigious. The Emperor was willing to pay a price to protect her and the Malik family. Regent Victor von Doom preferred to view the Emperor's protection as a covert means of control.

Information about many of the highest-ranking officials in the Balkans is kept strictly confidential. Foreign intelligence agencies have exhausted all means to find no information about the Emperor, the Chief of the Council, the Commander of the Guard, or anyone else. The only information available is fragmentary accounts of rebellion tales left behind by Regent Victor von Doom in his early years, but these rural legends offer no useful information. There is no other intelligence to be obtained, not even DNA or fingerprint data. To ensure information security, the Chief of the Council never leaves the castle, and the Guardians and their sister orders have blocked all channels for obtaining his fingerprints, iris scans, and genetic information. No foreign intelligence agency can obtain even a used water glass from here.

Poor Steve Rogers, this World War II veteran's lifelong ambition was to slay all Hydra. The victories of the past taste like ashes on his tongue, and the false peace mocks all his past efforts. Now, this centenarian still travels the world on funds given by the Emperor and King T'Challa of Wakanda, chasing the damp, cold tracks left by Hydra alongside James "Bucky" Buchanan.

Steve Rogers was completely unaware that the trails he was following were actually bait thrown out by the Malik family to eliminate dissidents and pledge allegiance to the Emperor. The Hydra agents who were based in various national systems also became tools of the Malik family after undergoing some integration, even though these people believed they were working for the CIA, FBI or some other intelligence agency.

Regent Victor von Doom wasn't worried about this control method causing problems, because Hydra no longer existed in the world. The Hydra faith had been eradicated, and the brutal internal annexation and the hostages sent to the Emperor's feet ensured that these parasitic tycoons and political families living in capitalist society could not join forces again. Even if something unusual happened, the Regent believed that Steve Rogers would be happy to bite the ever-swaying Hydra's tail, and that King T'Challa of Wakanda, who also hated Hydra, wouldn't mind providing assistance.

"We need to let the emperor focus on his work, even if he wastes time on vacation."

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"The governess should bear some responsibility."

Laura Crawford emerged from the sun-warmed pool. The gentle afternoon breeze of the South American island blew along the ridge, into the shimmering water, and caressed her wet skin, making her feel so comfortable that she almost floated away.

"Don't let that kid drink all the water in the pool; I'm planning to go swimming later."

Bayonetta basked in the shade cast by the parasol, the warmth of the afternoon sun, and the sea breeze of the South American island, lazily pointing to the girl splashing around in the pool like a duck. Joan of Arc glanced up above her sunglasses, then lay back down, continuing to flip through the magazine in her hands.

"I've noticed you're maintaining the guns, and there are fewer and fewer people in the manor; even Diana is gone."

Laura Crawford, making sure Milia was still securely in her swim ring, slowly scrambled ashore, as if her embarrassing swimsuit would evaporate at the slightest touch. Completely oblivious to Jeanne's admiring glance, she was now partly focused on the golden retriever puppy running and jumping around the poolside, trying to wade in and play with Milia. This genetically modified golden retriever possessed intelligence almost equivalent to a human child, and Laura Crawford adored the chubby, furry little ball of fur.

"Any recent activities? Can I participate?" She swam slowly towards the shore. "I'm a tutor, not a nanny. Milia can't add to my workload at all; I need to be busier."

"There was a recent operation, but it wasn't to hunt those...monsters." Bayonetta maintained her languid expression, and Laura Crawford couldn't understand how someone wearing high heels while enjoying the afternoon sun could maintain such an expression. However, her words still caught the female archaeologist's attention. "It was a special mission, somewhat complicated."

"A boring mission. We thought the infiltration from another dimension would intensify after the Sorcerer Supreme's death, but it's unexpectedly calm. Now someone needs to figure out why." Joan rolled her eyes, though no one saw it. She explained, "Before we set out, we had to protect him from betrayal by those he trusted. Now he has few people he can trust, there's no sincerity in the court, and Kamar-Taj is no longer his home."

"Given the fact that some people have a history of betrayal, this kind of prevention is quite necessary," Bayonetta said. "We can kill if necessary, but I don't think things will get that bad."

"That's just wishful thinking on his part." Joan of Arc waved her arms, her loosely tied hair swaying. "He should have been more ruthless and executed all those mages who attempted rebellion, instead of letting them go because of past favors. That's his right as king!"

Laura Crawford knew that the person she was referring to was the owner of the place.

"I haven't seen him since yesterday." She looked around, but couldn't see him. "Where did he go?"

“I don’t know,” Joan said, her tone involuntarily turning serious. “We all suspected it was a trap, but he insisted on going. Is he the only one in the world who can solve this problem?” The White-Haired Witch could barely conceal her resentment. “He even took the Cheshire Cat! Is the help we offered less valuable than that of a fat, stupid cat?”

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The call ended with a sigh from Gideon Malik.

Diana Lister clutched the data tablet, her heart pounding in her throat. The Regent remained expressionless, his eyes fixed on the documents on the table, seemingly deep in thought. Diana Lister listened to the entire conversation. The Regent demanded that the Malik family speak with General Hale, but Gideon Malik seemed to be trying to delay by citing an internal Pentagon review. He hadn't expected that Stephanie Malik, also online, would readily agree, displaying enthusiasm and eagerness.

In fact, the Pentagon's internal review had long since concluded. Everyone in this office knew perfectly well that Gideon Malik's greed had resurfaced after the survival crisis, attempting to cling to a new powerful patron. The Regent accepted the data panel from Diana Lister. He openly displayed his work to this girl, who had become a hostage before even entering Hydra's social circle. She believed this was the Regent appreciating her talent, unaware that such conditional trust had a prerequisite—mind reading could uncover a person's darkest secrets. Diana Lister passed the test; otherwise, she wouldn't have had a corner in this office—she had access to more information than Stephanie Malik, making the Lister family a potential, formidable rival to the Malik family. Dr. Lister tacitly played the role of a check on the Malik family, allocating all resources to this girl who had never received any heir training.

"The responsibility of saving the world cannot be borne by the Emperor alone; that would be unfair to him. All nations must unite to fight the aliens. I hope the Chitauri invasion will wake up those politicians who only care about account balances and votes. I sacrificed everything to join this cause to fulfill the Emperor's ideals, and I will not allow anyone to ruin them."

He shook the data panel in his hand and pressed the ring on his hand against the sensor area of ​​the data panel to unlock the information.

"Let's see what kind of response the diplomatic corps receives, hopefully some good news. Keep an eye on what Nick Fury is looking for in Project Pegasus. We've spent so much money on the Malik family's infiltration plan, they should give me something of value."

"We haven't seen the Emperor for two months. All the transport plans are for the return of the genetically modified warriors and the transport of building materials. The Emperor hasn't even set off yet, so why doesn't he appear before us and deal with those Inhuman prisoners? The dungeons are crammed with Attilan Inhuman prisoners, and even the highest-ranking Inhuman princess, Crystal, is now living in the castle. Countess Katarina Karkov isn't kind to the mutant princess, and I suspect she'll poison that weak girl sooner or later."

"Then let her live," the regent said, "even if she's just a princess from a puppet kingdom."

"I saw news from ABC today, and some politicians are claiming that the Emperor is seriously ill, which is why he won't be appearing before us." She brought over a cup of hot tea and sipped it slowly. "There are thousands of similar rumors circulating."

"If we're going to respond to every single rumor, then this agency might as well be used for dealing with rumors. Those people would be happy to see us stagnant just like them." The Regent waved his hand impatiently. "The only messages the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has received are rejections. As expected, even an alien invasion is ranked after 'Project Ragnarok' and 'Project Throne.' Before that, no country will believe in a large-scale alien invasion, and we can't convince them with the information from our probes because we won't open our classified facilities to them."

"Zero-sum game".

"Yes, this is a zero-sum game, and we cannot bypass Stark Industries in our exploration projects. I truly hope the future the Emperor envisions doesn't become a reality, that Tony Stark can give up everything to enjoy his wealth and family, otherwise he will be our greatest enemy." Regent Victor von Doom closed his eyes in anguish. "I need to speak with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I intend to open up a portion of the deep space probes to the public on a limited basis. I need the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Commerce, and the State Council to work together to provide me with a solution that maximizes our interests. Even if this solution cannot bypass Stark Industries' technological hegemony, we must have sufficient evidence to convince other countries in the world to prepare for war, provided we can obtain benefits that satisfy me. Even the Emperor doesn't want to see us harm our own interests to remind those who will never wake up."

Victor von Doom decided to open the SkySaber space station's observation stations to researchers from more countries.

Even Nick Fury couldn't recognize the colossal orbital space station that S.H.I.E.L.D. had built with the help of Skrull and Kree technologies. The moment the Emperor acquired Skysword, the Martian Foundry undertook extensive modifications. These included a port and dock for berthing and repairing Voidships, an observatory for deep space observation, a Void defense platform, a space research facility, and many other features that Skysword lacked or whose functionality was limited. These additions, like branches extending from the trunk of a tree, formed the behemoth it is today. To modify Skysword, the Martian Foundry used seven percent of its production capacity, building a space station capable of countering threats from the Void while also fulfilling the Emperor's demands for planetary strike capabilities.

"I don't understand. If Tony Stark is such a threat, just kill him. Take off the armor, and he's just an ordinary person. Besides, there are quite a few people in the Pentagon who would agree to kill Tony Stark. Especially the supporters of the Patriot Act, those old guys from the Reagan era who would love to control Stark Industries. Pepper Potts simply can't stand up to the whole Wall Street and military-industrial complex."

At this moment, Diana Lister finally reveals the cold-bloodedness and shrewdness instilled in her by Hydra training.

Regent Victor von Doom was pleased with Diana Lister's suggestion, even though it didn't meet his expectations. This seemingly harmless girl was ultimately a Hydra member; even though she had dedicated her loyalty to the Emperor and the Regent, her prison-like upbringing had left indelible marks on her. The Hydra academy was a place of survival of the fittest; its rigorous selection process molded every graduate into a thoroughly cold-blooded animal. Even with some privileges due to her noble lineage, she was still, after all, a Hydra product of the academy.

Diana Lister thought of her classmate who hadn't performed well in the youth academy.

As a radical Hydra, Baron Strucker's family had completely destroyed their former power. The Lister family was one of the families that had consumed Baron Strucker's flesh and blood, and she didn't mind tasting the blood of her former classmate again.

"Some of the Stark Industries shares that S.H.I.E.L.D. once owned were swallowed up by the Malik, Lister, and Strucker families. All of this was legal; they erased our existence through nominee shareholding and other means. If you intend to give a proxy the decisive voting rights at Stark Industries' shareholder meetings, then all you need to do is kill that good-for-nothing Strucker heir who only knows how to drink, party, and do drugs. The various families will have enough votes to reach a consensus, allowing our proxy in the Pentagon to control Stark Industries." She laughed, finishing her scalding tea, eagerly revealing her fangs. "You see, this world can be easily controlled by an emperor. Perhaps all it takes is a drop of venom. Why don't we do it?"

(End of this chapter)