Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 931 The Chain of Command (First Update)

Secret War Phase One: The First Three Days

The moment Andrew, clad in his combat uniform, touched the sofa, his consciousness was instantly enveloped in soft polyurethane foam. Just as he was about to give up and drift into sleep, the door to the lounge was pushed open. Andrew caught a glimpse of gold and red out of the corner of his eye. A colossal figure silently approached. The other soldiers in the room did not alert Andrew to the arrival of the Royal Guard—perhaps, like him, all members of this squad were exhausted from dozens of days of continuous work. They had arrested, interrogated, and executed the group of Skrulls on the East Coast according to the list, but the list was extremely rough, and many more Skrulls were still hidden—after the information and prisoners were compiled in the Immortal City, the black-armored interrogators began their intensive work, then relayed the intelligence to Andrew's squad.

What followed was a repetitive process of arrest, impromptu interrogation, and execution. The initial excitement of capturing aliens had become tedious with each repetitive task. During the mission, Andrew also had to evade US law enforcement forces according to the Immortal City's instructions, avoiding being surrounded by heavy firepower.

"Maybe we'll have to go to the East Coast tomorrow!" Andrew thought to himself, and then he was lifted up.

"It's hard to imagine you saying that when you're so tired," Constantine said with a smile to the suddenly awakened Andrew. He put the captain of the Secret Regiment back on the sofa and watched as Andrew screamed, waking everyone else. The Guardian wasn't wearing a helmet, so the soldiers could clearly see his expression—as a mortal army directly under the Guardian, the First Secret Regiment of Fimbulwinter frequently encountered genetically modified warriors like the Guardians, but that didn't mean they could ignore their "superhuman phobia." However, compared to the others, Andrew's team's symptoms were much milder.

"I bring the monarch's decree."

After everyone stood up and saluted, the guards also wiped away their smiles. Hearing that it was an order from the monarch, Andrew instantly felt the muscles in his back tense up like steel, and a tense emotion swept over everyone like a miniature storm.

"First, I thank the First Secret Regiment of the Fimbulwinter for their contributions, which allowed the Immortal City to cleanse the Skrulls from the east coast of North America." Even though it was just a recitation, Andrew could still hear the monarch's inflammatory rhetoric coming from the guards. Andrew and his squad instinctively saluted, but Constantine ignored them.

"However, the enemy is endless, and the extermination of the Skrulls will be a long-term operation. Therefore, the First Secret Regiment of Fimbulwinter is hereby ordered to establish a special team to deal with the Skrull threat on a long-term basis. The team's purpose is to conduct in-depth investigations into alien spies lurking on Earth and to learn the enemy's behavioral patterns. This team will have priority command when facing the Skrulls and will use its expertise to achieve victory. The following is the composition of the special team... This operation is codenamed: Secret War."

Andrew and his entire team are on the list.

This squad normally handles other missions, but when Skrulls are encountered, its members will assume command to counter Skrull infiltration. Andrew and his squad are also qualified to recruit new members from other squads, training them on Skrulls—this recruitment does not alter the chain of command priority; the recruit will normally obey their superiors, only taking orders from Andrew and the squad when necessary. Rank and position are not obstacles for this squad; sometimes even a corporal can gain command of an entire operation simply because they possess expertise in dealing with Skrulls. This command structure minimizes the damage caused by Skrull infiltration and avoids the impact of enemy decapitation strikes—against an enemy like the Skrulls, who can mimic at a genetic level, no amount of caution is excessive.

What Andrew didn't know was that several members of his squad belonged to a special team tasked with dealing with the Inhumans. That team was also directly appointed by the Royal Guard and preferred soldiers with medical backgrounds. Furthermore, a small portion of that special Inhuman-dealing team, along with Andrew himself, belonged to another team tasked with dealing with extradimensional threats hidden among humans, possessing the authority to utilize dangerous and mysterious technologies.

Only the Imperial Guard knew the intricate chain of command and the true identities of each individual.

"The first large-scale operation will commence in three days. You will be authorized to deploy tactical nuclear weapons and siege artillery. Considering the technological level of the Skrull exiles, urban warfare may be somewhat dangerous," the Imperial Guard continued. "Not all Skrulls choose to hide within human society; some choose seclusion. If any Skrull refuse capture, they will be executed, and all traces of them left in this world will be destroyed."

Some Skrulls, after transforming into humans, immediately began to indulge in debauchery, leading to their impersonation and subsequent legal consequences. In such cases, the Skrulls had no choice but to abandon their identities. This was common among the early Skrulls who arrived on Earth. By the time the Immortal City was discovered, these older Skrulls, weary of human life, had already established settlements in remote locations, living as Skrulls.

"For the monarch," Andrew stood ramrod straight. "For humanity, for unity."

Salomon's expression was somewhat indescribable upon hearing the information brought back by the Imperial Guard.

"As far as I know, I don't have any set battle slogans," he said. "I prefer concise and explosive battle slogans, like 'FUCK'..."

"Please be polite, my lord, don't dampen the soldiers' fighting spirit too much." Constantine shook his head, somewhat exasperated by his master's occasional bursts of humor. He noticed that Salomon had changed his coat belt this morning, and Stephanie had changed into the same style after afternoon tea. Since the monarch hadn't commented on it, Constantine didn't want to point it out.

Just like her surname Malik, Stephanie has a strong aggressive nature.

He believed that the monarch was certainly aware of Stephanie's feelings, and that choosing not to respond was itself a response.

"Don't interrupt me, you bright yellow hot dog covered in ketchup!"

"Whatever makes you happy, anyway, you designed this power armor."

Salomon glared at him. "Let me put it this way, I'm going to participate in that operation in three days. However, I won't be wearing that golden power armor, nor will I be carrying Excalibur." He waved his hand. "Don't rush to argue. Do you know how long it's been since I've killed anyone? Since the Battle of Finnbowent, the outer dimension has been as quiet as a bunch of dead chickens. If I don't find something to kill soon, I might go crazy from boredom."

"Should I cancel the soldiers' operation? After all, you can take a walk, eat a sandwich, and wipe out all the Skrulls in the settlement by yourself. If possible, I think it would be better to let the soldiers get some rest."

"Fine... I should have added more tomato sauce to your brain when I made you!" Salomon sighed. "Let the soldiers do it; I'll just stay here in this office and mold. Maybe the mold on me will even make penicillin!"

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)