Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 747 Defense Attorney (First Update)

"They treat every issue in the public safety field as their own territory, like misers, not out of a sense of duty, but out of a desire for the honor of following in others' footsteps. Tony Stark manipulated stock prices through his actions; every time he flew over New York City, Stark Industries' stock price would rise slightly."

"Extreme, cynical, overly subjective. The Securities and Exchange Commission could never connect those two things," Natasha Romanov shook her head. Salomon flipped through a large stack of documents on her desk as the female agent sat beside him, holding a fragrant cup of hot black tea. She wore an extremely uninteresting gray fleece nightgown, even her slippers were plain gray, just like the apartment's decor. If it weren't for her beautiful figure and vibrant red hair, she would have looked as monotonous as a piece of grass chewed and spat out by a goat.

She didn't call Salomon over about Hell's Kitchen.

She fiddled with a gold lapel pin Salomon had given her, quietly awaiting his conclusion.

"So, let's put it this way." Salomon flipped through the legal clauses, trying to find inspiration. "Has the Avengers considered that while their actions achieved a just outcome, they disregarded numerous laws in the process, treating themselves as the sword of justice and arbitrarily judging others? If Hydra is the largest corporation in the area and provides jobs for many, who will compensate the unemployed after Hydra is destroyed?"

"This excuse is reasonable, but as long as it's said to be a purge of Hydra, no one will object, let alone defend Hydra. To claim that a politician or businessman is Hydra is the most vicious accusation."

"I could also claim collateral damage. While this happens in all intelligence agencies and special agents, the Avengers are, strictly speaking, a civilian organization and don't have that right. Moreover, the Avengers' operations lack substantial intelligence support and often fail to secure the battlefield in advance, frequently resulting in the deaths of innocent civilians and police officers. The Patriot Act should nationalize the Avengers, placing them under unified control and command by intelligence agencies to prevent unnecessary casualties. You know this excuse is the most effective. Many people remember what happened in South Africa. If Congress considers the Hulk absolutely uncontrollable, then the same applies to the Avengers. Uncontrollable factors—that's the biggest charge. Even collateral damage must be labeled 'controllable' to appease the public."

"So, how do you plan to defend yourself?" Natasha Romanoff took a sip of her hot tea. She had just taken a hot bath, and the alchemical potion for her cold had quickly revived her. Her clear mind re-examined the complex legal texts. "Congress will absolutely support this. With Articles Two and Three combined, Stark and Rogers simply can't refute it."

"It's simple. Have those two campaign for political correctness, packaging the Avengers as an organization that supports environmental protection, animal welfare, women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and minorities. If Congress raises any objections, they can accuse it of discrimination against these groups. Meanwhile, Stark Industries can invest in manufacturing to alleviate unemployment in the Rust Belt. This way, both red and blue states will support the Avengers," Salomon said dryly. "While senators can mitigate partisan influence to some extent, nothing is absolute; otherwise, lobbying groups would lose their foothold. This is the simplest way to manipulate elected politics—as long as you can fool the fools, everything can be legitimized, no matter how absurd. So-called democracy is just a fig leaf; the most powerful language is money."

Natasha shrugged. "That won't work. You know neither Stark nor Rogers would do that."

"Why? Stark can get support from the Democrats as long as he supports taxing the rich. Rogers can get support from the Republicans and even the military. You don't know how many active-duty soldiers dreamed of being Captain America when they were kids. If the White House wanted Rogers to act in a stage play to sell Treasury bonds, I guarantee someone would buy them." The sorcerer's smile was quite wicked. "If you ask me, these two should get into politics and turn their fame into real benefits. The Avengers can't fight against the nation, so the best way is to become the nation. As long as they get involved in politics, the rules governing the Avengers will disappear—or at least not so soon. There are only two possible outcomes for the Avengers: if they don't want to be destroyed, they can only eke out a living."

"Is there no hope?" Compared to the optimism of others, Natasha Romanoff wanted to hear Salomon's conclusion, regardless of whether it was filled with despair. Perhaps it was prophecy, perhaps it was wisdom; over the years, she had witnessed Salomon's foresight firsthand. Most of the events he was involved in led to his predetermined outcomes, without exception.

"Unless the Second Amendment is amended to equate and regulate the possession of high-tech equipment and superpowers by individuals with firearms, this would gain the approval of the right wing. Superpowers could be treated like concealed carry permits, but due to the special nature of superpowers, they would have to be visually marked. Then, because of the marking, issues such as the protection of the privacy of superpowered individuals would arise, which would gain the approval of the left wing, and then tear society apart again. However, there are already many issues that can achieve this, so one more won't make much difference," the sorcerer said with a smile. "The last option: transform the Avengers into a New York State militia organization, restricting their activities to New York State. If this can be done, it's simpler to choose to participate in politics."

"What did you see? I mean, a prophecy."

"Prophecy is not immutable, Natasha. There are countless possibilities in the world. Prophecy is merely a reference tool, a book that can never be fully read. Whether the outcome of the prophecy is joy or sorrow, it has no meaning for us now. The present moment is the only reality." The sorcerer's warm smile almost made the agent lose focus. "If you want to do something, then do it. Only by taking action can we give meaning to time."

"I've never heard you say anything so sentimental before."

"No, this is knowledge from physics, and I believe you can understand it. It is precisely because entropy keeps increasing that the concept of time exists in the infinite subset of the universe. Time flows from low entropy to high entropy, and we are constantly consuming low entropy, accelerating the entropy increase of the external environment. We create the direction of time. Time originates from us, not the universe; we are the ones who determine the future."

Everything he was doing now was preparation for the war to come. He marched forward fearlessly, swallowing all the bitterness of the future with boundless optimism. The purity of humanity burned in his eyes like a flame that could awaken hope. It's hard to imagine what the Sorcerer Supreme was thinking when he made that decision, but Salomon's unwavering will proved that the Venerable One's judgment was correct.

"So romantic, my handsome boy. Are all physics students as adorable as you? Or is it just you?"

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)