Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 910 Hunting the Winter Soldier - Part 2 (Second Update)

Agent Romanov drew her pistol from her waistband, rolled to the door, and crouched down to wait. Before the intruder could react, she displayed astonishing flexibility, delivering a high kick that sent his pistol flying, followed by a slap to the assassin's chin with her heel. Then, like a nimble snake, she coiled around him and slammed him to the ground.

She first struck the unfortunate man's neck with the heel of her hand, then, while he was in excruciating pain, used ground techniques to restrict his movements, attempting to strangle him unconscious—however, her enemy continued fighting despite the severe blow to his trachea. His face was flushed red as he hissed, his other hand frantically pounding the ground. Natasha Romanov could see out of the corner of her eye a small knife slowly slipping from her sleeve, and her enemy was trying to grasp it.

"Don't move if you don't want to die!" Without wasting time, she immediately pointed her gun at the assassin she had pinned down and threatened him. But the enemy refused to submit, still trying to pull out the knife strapped to his wrist to retaliate. Natasha Romanov had to use her left leg to pin down the assassin's right arm, then use her right foot to step on his other wrist, and slam the magazine into the assassin's forehead. Unsurprisingly, she found nothing on the enemy to identify him. This was a black operation; someone wanted to silence him.

"This place is even more lively than I imagined!" she thought through gritted teeth.

After taking down the enemy, she quickly got up and, risking being sniped, allowed herself to peek outside.

The thick smoke that had enveloped the corridor of the apartment building where the Winter Soldier lived had dissipated, but neither the Winter Soldier nor the assassins disguised as a couple had vanished, not even the porter who had been shot and fallen to the ground. Then there was the window in the nearby building where someone had set up a sniper rifle; apart from the shattered windowpane and the white curtains fluttering in the wind, there was no other clue she could glean. After assessing the situation, she immediately retreated and headed down the corridor towards the stairs. As she neared the hotel entrance, she slowed her pace, concealing her pistol again, and pretended to know nothing, just like the panicked travelers nearby, disappearing like a drop of water into the ocean.

"You're late, Natasha," Steve Rogers said, holding a cup of coffee and looking exasperated. "You should have left earlier than us!"

"Women need time to put on makeup before going out," Natasha Romanoff offered a rather perfunctory excuse.

She changed her clothes in the safe house, making sure no one could tell what she had been through. By the time she boarded the plane to Romania, no one could tell she had been in a battle just three hours earlier. Agent Romanov refused to mention anything about the Winter Soldier, even though she knew that was the information Steve Rogers was truly concerned about—it was the only time in two weeks that she had caught a trace of the Winter Soldier. It would be impossible for her not to feel resentment about the mission's failure, but she also realized that someone else was hunting the Winter Soldier, and with even greater secrecy and power. She couldn't imagine what would happen if someone else obtained the information the Winter Soldier knew, and she had to solve this problem herself; otherwise, the Avengers would face a devastating internal conflict. After giving the usual pre-mission briefing, she raised an eyebrow at the Makmov siblings sitting on the ramp of the Quinjet, her eyes questioning Rogers.

"They're having a little disagreement," Captain Rogers said helplessly. "I'm just waiting for you to help mediate!"

Agent Romanoff rolled her eyes. The Avengers might as well be renamed Natasha Romanoff and a bunch of useless men. "Okay, move aside, big boy." She patted Rogers on the shoulder. "Mommy's here to help."

The black kitten gently touched the silvery-white threads in the silver mirror with its sharp claws, but the next moment it couldn't resist the influence of its instincts. Its tiny paws trembled frantically, trying to shake off the water droplets, and it stuck out its little tongue to lick its paws. Salomon moved the silver mirror aside to prevent Bastet's messengers from causing further trouble—just a minute earlier, this small black kitten, which looked small but had the strength of an adult cat, had knocked an ink bottle, a glass, and a pen off the table. Salomon listened to the sound of the glassware shattering on the ground but couldn't be distracted. He could only concentrate on guiding the assassins' actions through the images displayed in the silver mirror, which made his blood pressure rise to an alarming level.

"I'm working!"

"I can't control it, I'm just a cat!" Bastet said in a muffled voice. "Cats just want to do it, they don't mean any harm!"

"If you break another glass, I'll lock you in a cage!" Salomon grabbed the kitten by the scruff of its neck, holding the tongue-out little lump of coal up to his face, staring intently into those golden eyes that ordinary cats wouldn't have. "I've already handed the documents to the Winter Soldier in a way that wouldn't raise suspicion. I don't want your protection of the King of Wakanda to remain while he's on his mission. Remember our agreement: I'll give you more faith power; the faith of the entire Wakanda tribe will be yours, but you'll also have to help me annex Wakanda's industry."

"I know, meow~" The little black kitten scratched at the air haphazardly, seemingly very dissatisfied with the sorcerer's actions.

It's hard to imagine that such a bloody and terrifying conspiracy could brew in this warm and lovely setting. To avoid arousing the Winter Soldier's suspicion while simultaneously guiding him to a crucial position, Salomon forcibly controlled the minds of several assassins. At the cost of heavy casualties, he wiped out the forces also hunting the Winter Soldier, delivering a confidential document as spoils of war to him—this was his first time manipulating others' minds to complete a mission, a completely new experience for him. Although these mercenaries were pawns to be sacrificed, Salomon still valued each one highly. If Bastet hadn't succeeded, he wouldn't have let her off so easily.

He also has another claimant to the Wakanda throne in his hands, and that needs to be managed carefully as well.

Salomon chuckled and pulled a pair of pliers with tiny LED lights from his drawer. Despite Bastet's fierce resistance and horrifying screams, Salomon trimmed her nails so they wouldn't tear anything, his movements as practiced as when he trimmed a Cheshire Cat's nails. Even as Bastet's sharp teeth dug into the skin of his hand, he didn't let go.

After doing all this, Salomon tossed the kitten onto the office sofa as if nothing had happened.

The little black kitten sadly filed its nails down on the fabric sofa, as if it had just experienced something unbearable. However, after a while, it forgot Salomon's earlier actions, as if it didn't mind Salomon trimming its nails at all. It simply lay down lazily. "I can give you something extra first," it said. "You know, I have the ability to make marital relationships more harmonious. Although this is outside the agreement, I can still give it to you. After all, you have two lovers; you must really need this magic!"

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)