Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1678 Disposition

Stephanie Malik had no idea where her master had gone after dinner; he had simply vanished without a trace—no flash, no smoke, no smell, not even a lingering warmth—as if he were a phantom from a dream. After a restless night, she could only rise early to wash and apply makeup to conceal her terrible complexion, presenting her best appearance for the morning and lunchtime conversations. Regarding the plan to deal with General Hale, the details her father, Gideon Malik, knew differed from hers. The documents the Emperor had given her indicated that General Hale possessed an alien technological artifact capable of emitting psionic signals, and a machine built according to a design provided by alien aliens.

She speculated that the document's detailed contents likely came from General Hale's daughter, Ruby, or other researchers involved in the project. General Hale's actions posed a significant threat to the human race, but the Emperor believed that her behavior had not yet caused serious consequences, and that she was likely being deceived by alien beings. Therefore, the outcome should be determined based on the results of an interrogation—more of an interrogation than a conversation—Stephanie didn't think the matter would spiral out of control. After all, General Hale was one of the conservative Hydra's moles planted in the Pentagon, and her immense value allowed the Emperor to tolerate some of her mistakes.

"He wanted to determine whether we could maintain control of Hydra."

Last night, before falling asleep, Gideon Malik carefully read through the documents and then shared a conjecture with his daughter. He took the brandy his daughter offered and, by the warm light of the lamp, slowly traced the words on the paper with his fingers. "That monarch trusts no one, including us, including you. He will instigate internal competition within Hydra. The Lister girl has already entered the castle as the regent's secretary. Even though there are more important matters in North America and Europe that require your attention, as the Chief of the Council, you cannot work in that castle." He licked his lips, looking at Stephanie who was listening intently. The Malik family had continued from ancient Egypt and Rome to the present day, and Stephanie was the only direct heir. Gideon Malik considered her the pride and future of the family, and he had to impart all his knowledge and experience to her. "If we handle this matter well, you will return to work at the castle for a while, even if you wear a holographic mask. I heard that after the lunar campaign, the Emperor captured the Inhuman royal family… If you return to the castle, be sure to make contact with that Inhuman royal family prisoner."

"I will not betray him," Stephanie said firmly.

"I'm not asking you to betray him, my sweetheart," Gideon Malik said with a smile. "For three thousand years, our families have served the Inhuman God. In the past, we sent brave warriors to explore the god's exile grounds by feeling for stones; in modern times, we send astronauts to explore alien planets through the Far Star Project. But after meeting him, we realized that the warriors we sent had all become food for the Inhuman God. Three thousand years of persistence was nothing but superstition and greed. Our god was nothing more than a product of alien genetic experiments, a weak slave, a useless pet. Now that we have a new god, we should try our best to extract more value from the old god as sacrifices."

"I made breakfast," Wanda Maximov began to complain. "Why didn't you come home for dinner after get off work?"

"I just returned to Earth in the shuttle yesterday afternoon. And I already have my own house, I don't want to come back." Pietro Maximov stuffed scrambled eggs into his mouth, looked at the other person at the table, then stared at his blood relative with disbelief. "He's the one who brought me back yesterday, why don't you say anything about him?"

“He has work to do, unlike you, who only thinks about going to bars after get off work,” Wanda said. “You don’t even have a girlfriend yet, so there’s no need to waste your money on those Bitchers… those women. There are no good people there!”

"My dear sister, aren't you only saying nice things because he's staying here overnight?"

Wanda blushed deeply and swung a huge ladle at Pietro's head, showing no mercy whatsoever. But it was no use; no matter how fast she moved, Pietro easily dodged it, and he even gleefully ate all the sausages, bread, peas, cherry tomatoes, and scrambled eggs on his plate.

On the other side of the table, Salomon quickly stuffed his food into his mouth, extended a finger to break the spell Wanda was drawing, and stopped the Maximov family civil war. If he hadn't intervened, Wanda would have definitely used magic to lock Pietro in place, and no matter how fast he was, he wouldn't have been able to escape, only to be beaten bloody by the humiliated and enraged Wanda. He didn't need a foolish Pietro; after all, the latter's efficiency in repairing the space station was unparalleled, and it was currently one of the most effective ways to save costs.

"We still have work to do, Wanda." His voice calmed the witch. "Change your clothes and grab your staff. You need to come with me to Kamar-Taj; the work there requires your help."

"I thought that was the end of it. Is someone still planning a rebellion?"

As someone who experienced it firsthand, she knew all too well what had happened at Kamar-Taj. After the Sorcerer Supreme's death, Salomon had never set foot on Kamar-Taj again; he harbored complex feelings for the place. However, the transformation of Kamar-Taj continued, and sooner or later he would have to take over the organization and make it far more efficient than during the Sorcerer Supreme's reign. Wanda loosened Pietro's collar. Her expression began to change; she remembered the traps the Kamar-Taj sorcerers had set to stop Salomon. Her expression was like a witch's, and her voice was like a witch's.

"Do we need to kill someone?"

“No, there’s no need for killing. Kamar-Taj needs a trial, not slaughter, at least not today.” Salomon twirled the rings. These three rings, inlaid with dazzling gems, had always been important tools for him to draw upon outer-dimensional magic, and were also the true crown of the Lord of Kamar-Taj prepared for him by the Sorcerer Supreme. Therefore, he would show these three rings to the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj. The artifact entrusted to Athena was the crown of the King of Midgard; the two were not contradictory, and he was too lazy to explain the difference to others. After all, the latter looked more magnificent and was more likely to inspire awe, and human awe would save him a lot of time.

He suddenly began to doubt Nick Fury's claims, realizing that his own loss of patience stemmed from his failure to see other humans as human—and then he decided to end this, replace the alchemical doll who was going to Oxford, study psychology thoroughly, and finally give Nick Fury a good beating. Perhaps Nick Fury was right; his craving for people lingering, drinking beer, and chatting quietly was entirely due to his subconscious envy of what humans possessed. These were things he couldn't have—as the Sorcerer Supreme had said, he had to give up many things to protect the world, and normal human life was one of them. He didn't know how much longer he could draw normal emotions from the witch, but only by accepting this fate could he free others from theirs, carry out the grand plan he and the Sorcerer Supreme had devised, and snatch the chance to eternity from the hands of fate.

"With the death of the Sorcerer Supreme, there are many things that I must decide. I am the new Lord of Kamar-Taj, and all those who chose to defy me have been imprisoned. I intend to release them. They were merely following the orders of the Sorcerer Supreme, and they have already paid the price. Kamar-Taj cannot afford to weaken any further."

Pietro widened his eyes and shrugged.

He couldn't understand a word Salomon and his blood relatives were saying, but his strength lay in his aversion to overly complicated matters, which would waste the energy his brain should be supplying to other organs. His abilities required a tremendous amount of energy; if Salomon hadn't forced him to study math and physics, he wouldn't have bothered reading those books filled with numbers and symbols. Even the most basic special operations physical training, combat training, and shooting training were merely perfunctory; he didn't want to waste a single ounce of effort.

He believed Wanda and Salomon could solve the problem.

If they need help, they will ask directly; they have a level of trust that others cannot match.

At least that's what Pietro thinks, and so does Wanda.

“Some people have come into contact with the dark energy released after the Sorcerer Supreme’s death.” Salomon rubbed the gem with his fingers, a few traces of psychic static emanating from its surface, releasing a fleeting ozone-like scent into the air. “Therefore, I cannot allow them to interpret the Sorcerer Supreme’s life according to their own understanding; I must explain it to everyone. The sacrifices the Sorcerer Supreme made to preserve this world are not something everyone can understand. This is not a judgment on the traitors, but a judgment on me. If I cannot convince them, it only proves that the traitors and separatists are right. Kamar-Taj will not be divided, and the Sorcerer Supreme’s honor will not be tarnished.”

General Hale took the glass and walked around the customer lounge.

Her driver was stopped outside the living room by bodyguards from the Malik family, but she didn't object. Hydra had a strict hierarchy, and even the most capable individuals had to adhere to this millennia-old order. This was why young talents like Red Skull during the Third Reich were able to win over the majority, rapidly rising to become a powerful force within Hydra and rivaling the conservatives. This was a provocation to the conservative families. If the conservatives hadn't later defeated the young talents by supporting US arms sales to Europe through a series of aid bills and absorbing their resources through Project Paperclip, she would be sitting opposite Alexander Pierce or Dr. Whitehall now. General Hale suspected that the so-called Captain America, Steve Rogers, was actually a Hydra agent; after all, a compound that even modern technology couldn't replicate, like the Super Soldier Serum, couldn't possibly have been created by Dr. Whitehall, an exiled scientist without a testing environment.

General Hale's eyes were full of suspicion. "I'm glad to accept the invitation, but I didn't know I was the only one attending the party."

"A quiet environment will help us talk, General Hale." After undergoing life-extending surgery, Gideon Malik's skin, which had become loose and wrinkled due to aging, was gradually regaining its elasticity, and the handsome face that had once captivated millions of girls seemed to slowly emerge from beneath his skin. "At least no one will walk around saying, 'Just making a local call,' 'Can I use the restroom?' and then, 'My mother needs to lie down for a while.'"

Stephanie Malik forced a standard smile, her eyes filled with exhaustion. Gideon Malik had moved the meeting an hour earlier than planned, forcing General Hale, who was originally working at the Pentagon, to rush over. She was worried that this would anger her master, but her father believed the Emperor would reward her for her loyalty.

"Our 'new god' has an extremely strong desire for control. My daughter, he's only used to hearing 'yes' from others, not 'no.' I don't know what kind of super-soldier product you plan to use to impress Congress, but you and I discussed having General Hale give a presentation to convince the Pentagon to accept a private company that performs the functions of S.H.I.E.L.D., so I can guess that you're confident enough to get Congress and the White House to accept this decision. So I've also made some efforts—the Advanced Threat Control Bureau, or ATCU for short—is a semi-official, semi-private organization mainly responsible for liaising with the defense company you plan to establish. This organization can revive the former World Security Council and provide that company with protection within the legal framework of UN member states."

Gideon Malik winked slyly.

"Our president is unlikely to be re-elected, but he'd love to create a problem and then pass it on to the incoming Republican president. While I don't know what little secrets General Hale has, or why 'New God' values ​​him so much, I believe she won't refuse to represent the Pentagon in inspecting that company's product. It won't hurt her—almost all officers who inspect new weapons end up as generals and millionaires, even if the product is as bad as the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, and Congress is happy to fund the project. It's a win-win situation—I know you violated some confidentiality rules, but what does it matter? As long as the results meet expectations, I believe our 'New God' won't mind overlooking some minor errors, after all, we can provide him with what he currently lacks most. This is a demonstration of our loyalty, Stephanie. Our enemies come not only from the outside but also from within. For example, Dr. Lister."

(End of this chapter)