Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 755 Blood of Mercy (First Update)

"To date, the CIA still hasn't ascertained the actual situation in the Immortal City, which is very important to us." The Immortal City's routine meetings are quite simple; a cup of hot tea for each person and a holographic projection table are enough to resolve most issues. The conference room is quite bright, filled with Renaissance-era decor, with monitors disguised as huge floor-to-ceiling windows displaying beautiful pastoral scenery, and carefully disguised vents gently blowing through sheer, snow-white curtains.

The relevant documents have been sent to the data terminals of the heads of each department.

The first thing the Immortal City did after its establishment was to produce chips and build highly secure communication systems and networks to prevent hostile forces from disrupting the organization's structure through the network. Out of a certain perverse sense of humor, Salomon ordered that the data terminals produced by the Immortal City completely lack the simple aesthetics of high technology (a flimsy device that breaks easily and requires repair or replacement at a specialty store), but instead embody the complex, gorgeous, and durable features of steampunk style (a powerful device that can be used as a weapon, has numerous replaceable parts, and boasts an extremely long battery life).

Natasha, as a participant, also had one, and it took her a long time to figure out how to operate this data terminal, whose UI was filled with gold decorations. Thanks to her actions, the Immortal City had the opportunity to investigate the CIA's Langley headquarters and obtain the information they had been wanting to know. Salomon nodded to her. "The follow-up cover-up went well. I believe the CIA still doesn't know what they've lost, or even where the attack came from."

Natasha's response was remarkably calm. With her skills and intelligence, coupled with her specially designed assassination stealth armor, it was virtually impossible for her to be discovered while stealing intelligence. The news of the attack on Langley headquarters was solely due to a decision made by the Immortal City to cover up Natasha's actions. The assassins in the assassination department had executed their mission flawlessly; a series of bombings was enough to erase much data and trace, and also allowed the Immortal City to shift blame, leaving evidence at the scene pointing to the remnants of Hydra.

As for William Roslin, one of the participants in the destruction of Frank Castle's family, he was an official personally ordered to be killed by Victoria Hand. As long as three copies of the form were filled out according to procedure, or if Salomon gave the order directly, the assassination unit, not yet fully handed over to Natasha Romanoff, would be mobilized—if it were only for Frank Castle, Salomon was unwilling to create further complications, but Victoria Hand insisted that William Roslin was extremely important. Obtaining his brain would not only provide information helpful in recruiting Frank Castle, but also give access to the CIA's Middle Eastern intelligence network. After some consideration, the sorcerer agreed to this approach and granted Victoria the necessary authority to carry out the task.

The routine meeting discusses events requiring multi-departmental coordination, such as the recent attack on Langley, which involved collaboration between the intelligence and assassination departments. Meanwhile, Maya Hansen of the biological laboratory and Malbus, who is attending the meeting via holographic projection, need to hear feedback from the assassination department on the use of the power armor, and, referring to the operational logs, commit to improvements and the time needed for research, so that the attending Ministry of the Interior staff can plan the next phase of smaller tasks.

Another task was Sofia's recruitment of regular troops, targeting veterans of the American and Soviet wars in Afghanistan and Vietnam, among others. This task consumed much of Sofia's energy outside of regular training, as some of these men had become war dogs, yearning for the bloodiest warfare. Sofia had to use all her wisdom and strength to tame them. The sorcerer entrusted this task to her to keep her grounded and systematically hone her command and diplomatic skills.

Salomon was extremely relaxed at this moment, after all, he recruited these people so that he wouldn't have to do everything himself.

After the initial support and assistance, almost every department was able to operate independently, allowing the arcane mage to compensate for his lost leisure time (basically by spending time with witches), or to free up his time for terrifying arcane research that only he could conduct (and then spend time with another witch). Therefore, in the eyes of some uninformed people, Salomon is now as idle as an old parking lot doorman, sipping hot tea and humming, his lazy aura even emanating from his hair.

However, this did not change the oppressive, almost suffocating atmosphere in the conference room. Everyone except Salomon was serious. Everyone here was born for war; there was no room for laziness or complacency. Some suspected that the monarch's attitude stemmed from the fact that the Salomon sitting in the conference room was not the real Salomon, but a golem constructed of machinery and magic to house consciousness. But regardless of its true form, Zero, the Royal Guard in power armor, remained by his side, and no one but Zero knew the truth.

The meeting was quite brief, and each department left after confirming the matters to be discussed.

"The Avengers are calling me; there's an operation I need to participate in." After everyone else left, Natasha Romanoff said, "Besides the documents you gave me, is there anything you need me to pass on?"

The sorcerer thought for a moment. "Perhaps you could tell them that I am currently fully funding the DEA (Denis Agency for Drugs and Insurance Corporation) in its fight against drug trafficking."

Natasha gave a warm smile.

Salomon's failure to inform her of the subsequent plan to destroy evidence did not offend her at all.

She had read Victoria Hand's reasons for ordering the killing of William Roslin and the subsequent investigation report. Although the CIA's database was too vast, and Immortal City's intelligence analysts could only analyze the most urgently needed intelligence for the time being, she could guess Salomon's purpose without even reviewing their reports. She knew that every step of Salomon's plan involved countless layers of calculation, and funding the DEA was naturally one of them—simply to further weaken the CIA's power in the Middle East and forcibly curb the drug trafficking route from the Middle East to the United States. All of this was to ensure the accuracy of Immortal City's next plan.

For Salomon, there was no better location in the world for development than the Middle East. The Immortal City was too small to accommodate large industrial facilities. Kamar-Taj was too high, and the Himalayas were too prominent, making construction extremely difficult. Therefore, the Middle East became the only viable option for the Immortal City. This was a rather merciful decision, especially after Natasha Romanoff had seen his spaceships; she understood that Salomon could use violence to achieve his goals, but he still wanted to minimize unnecessary casualties.

She was pleased with this humane Salomon.

Natasha Romanov rose contentedly from her seat and kissed the sorcerer seated at the head of the table. Guard Zero pretended not to see, but had she not been checked before entering the meeting hall, Zero would never have allowed her near her sovereign. "This is the real you now, and not some alchemical golem, is it?"

"I can only tell you that the Immortal City's biological laboratories have recently made significant progress in artificial skin." The wisdom of others is just as important; one cannot learn all the knowledge in the world solely on one's own. Salomon understood this principle long ago, which is why the first department established when the Immortal City was founded was not the military industry, but the research department.

"Give my regards to Captain Rogers," he said, "if he'd still like to hear from me."

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(End of this chapter)