Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 526 Proceeding as Planned (First Update)

Hawkeye's title didn't come out of nowhere. His hearing and vision are exceptionally powerful, and his superhuman coordination makes his marksmanship ridiculously good—he can hit a tossed coin with an arrow, and always heads. But among the billionaires, legendary warriors, super spies, and self-proclaimed gods in the Avengers, Clint is undeniably quite inconspicuous, to the point that people often forget there's even a guy with a bow.

Since he can't throw a shield, doesn't have an Iron Man suit, and can't summon lightning, human attention is always focused on things that can emit light, fly, and make a lot of noise.

This is why Clint can observe the problems within the Avengers with the mindset of an ordinary person, instead of being blinded by other things. He has nothing—no money, no fame. He has spoken with Agent Romanoff, and both of them have a clear understanding of the Avengers' future. Although he currently receives a salary from Stark Industries, he always feels that this job won't last.

“You know, I’m retiring soon. The Avengers are my last mission.” Clint hadn’t expected the Romanoffs to bring Salomon over. This man hadn’t interacted much with the Avengers, and even less with Clint himself, so he was momentarily at a loss for words. “I have a feeling Nick Fury isn’t dead. He still has his own plans.” He thought for a moment and stated his conclusion. Salomon glanced at Agent Romanoff; he hadn’t expected Natasha and Agent Hill to not have told Hawkeye this. “But even if he’s alive, the Avengers can’t continue. Congress will intervene sooner or later, and we’ll all be fugitives.”

"Are you looking for a way out?" Salomon asked.

This time it was Natasha's turn to look at Clint. "You make your decision. I've already made mine."

He hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth.

“Nick Fury arranged everything for me a long time ago. Nobody knows except Natasha, and now you know too.” He pried open a beer bottle and downed half of it in one gulp. “My family’s location hasn’t been exposed yet, which is why I think Nick Fury isn’t dead. He’s helping us cover up some important information. Natasha, I know you mean well, but you really don’t need to.”

"Clint, I'm a spy, I'm used to making multiple preparations," Agent Romanov said with a smile. "There's a secret outpost in Salomon's area, and he'll allow your family to move in if you need. I've been there; it's a high-tech city, and quite large. Getting in and out is a bit troublesome, though; you need to go through a portal. I don't even know if it's on Earth."

"Really?" Clint raised an eyebrow at Salomon.

“Yes, I need an experienced agent to help me train field agents, or to serve as an advisor to direct field operations. I have plenty of weapons now, but I need people to use them.” Salomon could see the confusion on Hawkeye's face, but he didn't explain. “I can also provide your family with completely new identities if necessary. I guarantee Congress won't be able to find them.”

"So, we've reached a temporary agreement? Although I don't know you, since Natasha trusts you, I trust you too. Cheers..." Clint opened two bottles of beer, handing one to Agent Romanov and the other to Salomon. The three of them downed a bottle of ice-cold beer in one gulp, and Salomon burped appropriately. "Who else are you planning to provide asylum to?" he asked. "There aren't any I know, are there?"

"Agent Victoria Hand is working for me now; she's busy hunting Hydra. She'll join the fight once the Sky Carrier is fully repaired," the arcane mage said. "It's a pity Gonzalez won't work for me; he's too loyal."

"Hand? Impossible! She is…" Clint couldn't believe what he was hearing. Agent Victoria Hand had a bad reputation within S.H.I.E.L.D.; she was a typical agent, ruthless and cold-blooded, but also incredibly loyal. Clint had assumed she had perished in the Hydra rebellion.

"She died, and then she came back to life," Salomon said. "My men found her body."

"I see, magic!" Hawkeye said. "You can bring the dead back to life?"

"It's possible within a limited time. But if the soul enters the outer plane, getting it back won't be easy." The arcane mage omitted some crucial information, such as his foresight of Agent Hand's death and his ability to pull her back before she returned to hell. "She still has a few nuclear bombs in her possession," Salomon chuckled mischievously. "Things my army recovered during their battle with Hydra, along with several aircraft carriers, numerous Quinjet fighters, and several squadrons of F-22 Raptors. I don't have enough SHIELD agents to join me; I need more manpower."

Salomon once took Natasha to inventory the weaponry in Immortal City. The equipment looted during the Hydra rebellion was almost enough to conquer a small country (or India). The Sisterhood's efficiency was astonishing, and with Wakanda's help, Salomon was reverse engineering US military equipment technology, extracting key technologies to redesign Immortal City's future equipment—Wakanda's technology wasn't bad, it was too good; almost all of it relied on vibranium. This was completely unnecessary for Salomon; he didn't want to use vibranium in every piece of equipment, and Wakanda wouldn't be generous enough to provide all of Salomon's industrial needs for vibranium.

Hawkeye was choking on his beer and could barely breathe. He coughed desperately.

"You're wanted by the police?"

"Not yet. It's a little secret between us, isn't it?" Salomon picked up a golf club bag from beside his feet and placed it on the table. "This is a gift for you, Clint. You'll need it."

Since the Hydra rebellion, Salomon has been relentlessly seizing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s overt assets and turning agents against them. So far, Nick Fury has been unable to mount an effective countermeasure. This remote confrontation with Nick Fury was merely a minor diversion. While he sat on the sofa in Stark Tower, his other plans were still underway—the two AIs were locked in a stalemate, the anti-vibranium vein had been found, but the Celestial's corpse was temporarily missing. Salomon needed the Celestial's corpse for research; he wouldn't share all of his technology with Wakanda.

T'Chaka is currently the king of Wakanda, but Salomon doesn't trust him because he's too clever. Only after T'Chaka's death will Salomon strengthen his cooperation with the next king. However, he's not in a hurry, because someone will help him kill T'Chaka.

Although Salomon was orchestrating T'Chaka's death, he showed no sign of abnormality in his interactions with T'Chaka's son and daughter. T'Chaka, too, was unaware that he had lost Bastet's blessing; he simply felt old, weak, finding it increasingly difficult to get out of bed each morning, and constantly needing to urinate in the middle of the night.

"He feels he's no longer fit to be king," T'Challa told Salomon. "To be honest, he's still young; I couldn't even beat him in an arm wrestling match!"

"I don't know the effects on the human body after consuming the heart-shaped herb, but I believe Wakanda's medical capabilities are sufficient to solve this problem," he said. "Please send me your blessings."

"Of course." T'Challa patted Salomon on the shoulder with pride, thinking his young brother was quite the smooth talker. "We've conquered cancer and AIDS; nothing can defeat Wakanda."

“Of course,” Salomon said with a smile. His smile masked something else entirely, so much so that T'Challa was completely unaware of the evil shadow that was gradually approaching Wakanda.

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(End of this chapter)