Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1686 The Embers of Ambition

Ruby knew her mother had been drawn into a conflict beyond her control, like dancing on a tightrope, destined to cut her feet raw sooner or later. This wasn't a problem that a general's rank or the Hydra leadership could solve. Even if both the alien alliance and the Emperor aimed to protect humanity, war would still break out between them over the sovereignty of the human race.

Her mother, following Hydra's logic, chose the most likely victor, rather than siding with the sovereignty of the human race. After all, even on Earth today, only a very few nations truly possess complete sovereignty, and General Hale didn't see anything wrong with sacrificing sovereignty for survival. The professors at Blue Raven Ridge Training Camp were top talents from various disciplines, a reward for Hydra's long-term investment in academia, including international relations experts working for large think tanks. Perhaps, in the logic of these think tanks, General Hale's actions were indeed feasible, but Ruby didn't think so—compared to the unknown alien alliance, Hydra was closer to them—she discreetly placed her hand on the hilt of her hunting knife at her waist. General Hale and the aliens, engrossed in their conversation, didn't notice this, because they both believed they now held the upper hand. The former believed the aliens needed her to protect Earth, while the latter believed General Hale had to rely on her talents to control humanity.

Ruby moved slowly and inconspicuously toward the alien.

She had learned from the alien conversation that the Kree before her claimed to be from the Caseus family, representing the noble bankers of Hala within the alien alliance. Given this background, it seemed the alien alliance had no reason to deceive humanity. However, Ruby didn't entirely believe this, nor did she know her mother. This was merely a power play, but manipulating power beyond one's control always comes at a price. If she could help her mother make a decision here, stopping this reckless deal, then even the Malik and Lister families would have to pay for their loyalty.

"I'm afraid we must pause this pleasant conversation."

The Kree noticed General Hale and Ruby's figures flickering, like static on a CRT screen, but the two humans were completely oblivious. Ruby froze, thinking the aliens had read her mind—after all, aliens in many movies and TV shows are depicted as having mind-reading abilities. In reality, the Kree hadn't noticed her at all; Ruby's fear was perfectly normal. General Hale had also acted stiffly when she first arrived, leading other Alliance members to secretly mock the short-sighted Earthlings for being so primitive. Now, her display of superiority to her genetic heirs only made the Kree laugh even more.

"We've encountered a minor issue here."

The Kree reassured General Hale with an incredibly relaxed expression, as if this were merely a trivial problem. It had absolutely no intention of telling General Hale that the object detected by the observatory was traveling at a speed far exceeding that of a typical asteroid and was steadily accelerating—it was definitely a man-made object. Just to be on the safe side, the Kree intended to reveal nothing. "The observatory has detected some unstable asteroids under chaotic gravitational influence, which may collide with the base space station. We temporarily need some energy to intercept the asteroids or change their orbits. This kind of thing is common at the edge of the halo, and even though this is just a research space station, it has the capability to handle such minor issues. Moreover, it seems your energy supply is experiencing problems. How about we schedule our next meeting… five Earth standard days?"

"I agree, we also need to finalize the aid schedule and aid plan as soon as possible."

General Hale glanced at his still-shaken daughter, Ruby, whose surprised expression filled him with satisfaction.

She was certain that as long as the Alliance fulfilled its promises, Earth would have a new master. She was also certain that she was the only one on Earth who could contact the extraterrestrial alliance, and even in her weaker position, she could benefit from this information monopoly on her knowledge of Earth—she inevitably thought of the South Vietnamese government supported by the United States before the Vietnam War, information only historians could access—General Hale firmly believed she wouldn't be as corrupt as the South Vietnamese government, and that under her rule, humanity would achieve development with the help of the extraterrestrial alliance's technology. She also firmly believed that humanity would rather change its rulers than face extinction, and that even the five permanent members of the UN Security Council had to submit under immense external pressure.

The electric current that flashed before her eyes before the device started dissipated from the frozen air. When the bright light of the laboratory and the blinding sparks of electricity struck her retina again, Ruby couldn't help but close her eyes. The scorch marks imprinted on her retina still emitted a nauseating pink and blue shimmer. The device slowly stopped operating, but the stench of burnt cable insulation lingered in the air, and the ringing in her ears continued. Ruby didn't know if she and her mother had been transported from Earth to the edge of the solar system by this device, or if this was merely a journey of consciousness and mind, and everything was happening only in their minds, and the so-called alien alliance simply didn't exist.

"Do better next time, Ruby. You'll be in power in the future, and you need to get used to using this machine as soon as possible." General Hale frowned. "What was that sound?"

Still suffering from tinnitus, Ruby was completely unaware of General Hale's rapidly changing expression, nor did she notice her mother frantically calling for the paratrooper squad outside via radio. There was no response from either the radio or the laboratory door, only the sound of gunfire. Several terrible possibilities raced through General Hale's mind, but none materialized. General Hale glanced at the laboratory door, then grabbed Ruby and rushed deeper into the lab. Ruby felt her mother's hand grip her wrist like an iron clamp, and tears of anguish immediately welled up in her eyes.

"Get in." General Hale entered the password and rudely shoved her into the room, which looked like a storage room. Numerous numbered black supply crates were placed on towering iron shelves, and the air was thick with the smell of dust. "Don't ask questions, don't waste time. You're not allowed to open the door for anyone but me."

"I don't know what's happening outside. Maybe the Pentagon has discovered my identity, or maybe some exiled Hydra agent is trying to steal something, or maybe it's S.H.I.E.L.D... Go inside, don't make a sound."

"Purge order!"

Stephanie Malik kicked open a door with great enthusiasm and threw a flashbang grenade inside. A 5.56mm bullet fired from the corner, ricocheting off her armor. Without looking, she pulled the trigger in that direction, and a bright, blinding plasma cloud surged into the shelves, melting steel and flesh. The Malik family's private army filed in, quickly killing the paratroopers who refused to surrender. The two squads took control of the laboratory rooms one after another, with the lab director—wearing a comical tinfoil hat—lurking nervously at the back. He desperately wanted to leave, but Stephanie Malik needed his fingerprints, iris scans, and password; if he insisted on leaving, he would have to leave these things behind.

The other soldiers at the base had already surrendered; there were very few officers who genuinely resisted arrest. Given the legal procedures, these soldiers surely understood who their masters were—after all, the Pentagon, not some individual officer, was paying their salaries, and risking their lives for a few thousand dollars a month wasn't worth it.

The Pentagon wasn't entirely unaware of what was happening here, but it was to some extent ignored. Some high-ranking officials with connections to the intelligence network even speculated that the operation's purpose was to exclude Brigadier General Tabot and others with strong ties to the Pentagon from the soon-to-be-established private security agency tasked with carrying out the work previously done by S.H.I.E.L.D.—even within the Pentagon, there are many factions, and every officer is unwilling to let go of the opportunity to convert public assets into private assets. In their eyes, Brigadier General Tabot was already a loser; smart people would only side with the victors—the operation could only have proceeded so smoothly with the tacit approval or even support of multiple factions, and the Malik family could have received orders so quickly.

"I guarantee it's inside!" the lab director shouted, pointing to the door. "That's alien technology!"

Stephanie Malik ordered the lab director to step forward and open the door. General Hale coldly stared at the woman in power armor before her. Faced with dozens of gun barrels, she had no choice but to surrender. "You got what you wanted, Stephanie," General Hale said irritably. "The Malik family's greed is beyond my imagination."

Stephanie removed her helmet, completely ignoring General Hale who was handcuffed.

She looked up at the metallic device, then took out her phone and snapped a picture.

The massive device fell silent, as if dead. The lab director checked the computers and gave his answer. "This device is shut down; it's no longer sending signals. I don't know anything about it; we haven't figured out how it works at all..." He wore a relieved expression. The device was finally stopped. The mistakes of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s "Phase Two" plan wouldn't be repeated. He no longer had to worry about being held responsible for an alien invasion of Earth, nor would he be locked up in a mental hospital like Professor Sullivan. Overjoyed, he was about to say something more when he saw a huge figure emerge from the brightly lit corridor.

It was a giant clad in greyish-black armor, his expressionless visor gleaming with crimson light. He carried a heavy, unpainted black shield, and in his other hand gripped a massive black metal warhammer strikingly similar to a medieval mace, its long blade stained with blood. Now he finally knew who had killed the soldiers whose chests and heads he had seen were shattered.

Fear interrupted him as he was about to speak; Stephanie, of course, didn't want to listen anymore.

"Okay, all I need to know is that this device is down; I don't want to know anything else."

Stephanie Malik scanned the lab with little interest. She wasn't satisfied with the bloodshed of the battle. The soldiers had surrendered too quickly, and there was too little real-world data on the super-soldier's combat capabilities and equipment; it was unlikely she could convince the Pentagon to fund the project. This was a high-value supply chain, and Gideon Malik intended for the military-industrial complex to provide the super-soldier's armor, weapons, and so on. Only in this way would the military-industrial complex not see the project as a competitor.

"Is that all, Hale?" Stephanie sneered at General Hale. "The Emperor doesn't mind your ambition, and he's glad you've heeded his warnings. He's just not happy with the partners you've chosen. The Emperor's intelligence network has learned of your cooperation with the Kree—not from Earth, but from the Kree's Hala—I seriously doubt whether you know what kind of organization this so-called 'Alliance' is. What rewards do they offer you that make you contact them again and again? To become the ruler of humanity? You actually believe such a ridiculous promise?"

General Hale refused to give any answer.

The winner takes all; the loser has no excuses.

"Regardless, the signal emitted by this device helped the Monarch's ships locate the 'Alliance' space station, and they should be preparing to launch an attack now. The so-called 'Alliance' is nothing but a commercial association; everything you've heard is a lie. The 'Alliance' has no intention of protecting humanity; they only plan to plunder before Thanos arrives. Because of your stupidity and the 'Alliance's' lies, the Monarch is about to punish these aliens who dared to covet the human race."

While instructing the lab director to organize the movement of equipment, Stephanie Malik arranged for super soldiers and the Malik family security forces to maintain order. The casualty rate for this operation was extremely low; she didn't even need to compile a report, simply dismissing it as a training accident. Security forces escorted General Hale to his office, carefully checking for any listening devices.

Where is Ruby?

"Ruby has nothing to do with this."

"Hale, you have a good daughter. She stopped you from doing anything wrong, and you're still alive only because of her loyalty." Stephanie Malik closed the office door. "We are not loyal to the Stars and Stripes, but only to the human race. Your crimes are tantamount to treason. If it were up to me, I would shoot you right here and end your sins."

There was a knock on the office door, and a pale-faced girl was pushed in.

Ruby's face was filled with terror, her eyes darting back and forth between her and her mother. General Hale's face was ashen; she now understood everything—her daughter was a spy planted by the Malik family within her ranks. She simply couldn't understand why, just moments before, Ruby had declared to her daughter her intention to break free from Hydra and take control of her own destiny, only to have Ruby jump headlong into Hydra's clutches without looking back.

"Ruby, my good girl," Stephanie Malik beamed. "So, what kind of reward do you want?"

"I..." Ruby's hands and feet were ice-cold. General Hale lowered his head, the smoldering embers of his ambition now crushed.

“You can stay by my side from now on, girl. You’ll learn more with me.” Stephanie glanced at General Hale. “Don’t worry about your mother; her punishment won’t be too severe. It’s all because of you; you prevented things from getting worse, and she should thank you.”

(End of this chapter)