Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 946 Latveria (Second Update)

"So the so-called meeting was just about breaking into the CIA deputy director's house, opening the safe to steal documents, and incidentally swindling a sum of money they planned to store from a congressman?" Stephanie nodded with interest, settling into the hotel's single sofa. "I should have gone with you; my deal was incredibly boring. The Black Armor interrogators have confirmed the prince's identity, and everything else is proceeding according to procedure. All I had to do was play the foolish buyer. This is a gift from them—a box of cigars—that's my haul for today. What do you expect to find in the CIA deputy director's safe, my lord? We could have had our assassins or spies handle that; you didn't need to do it yourself."

“This is a promise, Stephanie.” Salomon walked to the window and drew back the curtains. The afternoon sun streamed through the glass, reflecting a shimmering light on the beautiful surface of the brandy. He raised his glass, smelled it, and took a sip. “The second half of this mission is to be done by someone else. All I have to do is give that person a chance.”

"Your mission isn't over yet?"

"Yes, and there's the revenge part too. After I finish this drink, we'll head to the airport and leave Washington. It won't be safe there for the next few days; we don't want to get dragged into this mess," Salomon said. "Remember to bring cigars; I'm sure they'll taste good, I can smell it even before the caps are open."

"I don't believe the CIA deputy director and members of Congress would turn Washington upside down because of their own little secrets."

"That's impossible, but my friend has more to do than that."

In the days that followed, a sense of tension permeated every news channel in Washington.

First, the CIA deputy director was hanged in his bedroom, followed by a JPMorgan Chase banker who was found hanged by wire outside a hotel window. All evidence pointed to executions, not suicides. Washington police mobilized all available resources, and even the Secret Service began assisting in the investigation. However, this did not stop the executions from continuing. New victims appeared daily, and the methods of execution became increasingly gruesome: hanging, nailing to walls, skinning—the perpetrators seemed to be using these horrific scenes to warn certain individuals. While Viktor von Doom indulged his imagination, Salomon and Stephanie had already returned to the Immortal City to continue their usual work.

The death of a few politicians and tycoons is a minor matter; for the Immortal City, there is still much work to be done.

On the very day she returned to the Immortal City, Salomon approved a food stockpiling and purchasing plan. The next day, when the world discovered the CIA deputy director had been hanged, Salomon arranged a hydroponic farm construction project and the acquisition of several Eastern European companies. Stephanie was surprised to find that this acquisition encountered no resistance; the managers of the acquired companies seemed to be in a state of panic. After the second and third victims were reported in the news, the acquired companies hesitated for a moment before immediately agreeing to the acquisition plan and taking all their managers with them, demonstrating a complete retreat. As the number of victims in Washington increased, the Immortal City's acquisition plan grew larger and larger, and these companies were subsequently consolidated under another company's name according to Salomon's instructions. Stephanie was certain that the news reports were hiding some horrific truths, and that the murders in Washington were connected to these companies. The Immortal City had done this before, only not with such efficiency.

Immediately afterward, the Immortal City launched a construction project. This included preparations for the construction of infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, prisons, and highways, all located in that small Eastern European country. Wakanda was the main contractor. Although Shuri wanted to use this opportunity to talk to Salomon about the green aliens, Stephanie blocked him from doing so.

"No comment, Shuri," Stephanie said coldly. "Even if you are the princess of Wakanda, you can't know everything. If you're in the mood, I suggest you pay more attention to King T'Chaka's health. Our ambassador told me that the king needs medical care."

"How's the warm-up going?"

“Not bad.” Viktor von Doom communicated with Salomon through a public phone booth. Talking on such an unencrypted line was extremely insecure, but both Salomon and Viktor von Doom knew what could and couldn’t be said. “I’ll be home soon,” he said. “The work here is finished.”

"Sooner than I expected. I've prepared a cake for you." Salomon hung up the phone and picked up another report.

The report stated that an armed team had traveled to Peru in assault transport boats to pick up Camilla and Laura Crawford. This team engaged in a firefight with local drug traffickers, found evidence of a deal with Trinity at a drug cartel stronghold, and obtained clues about Trinity's next move. Camilla led the operation, taking over numerous drug dens throughout the city—although this wasn't part of the initial plan, Camilla still issued the order using her authority. Initially, when Stephanie showed the report to Salomon, she wanted to inquire about Camilla's punishment, but Salomon didn't give any such orders, instead tacitly approving Camilla's actions.

Both Camilla and Victor von Doom wanted to see their homeland escape poverty, which is why the Immortal City recruited them. Salomon promised his allies he would save lives in his own way—without the Immortal City, both Camilla and Victor von Doom would drift further and further down their own paths, becoming increasingly lonely. They needed help, which is why they signed the pact.

Camilla saved her people in her own way, so Salomon wouldn't blame her, because that was what the Immortal City promised. Unlike Peru, which received much attention from the United States, the small country of Latvia, on the other side of the world, would be deeply bound to the Immortal City, which would no longer face its most fatal weakness: overpopulation. Once schools, hospitals, shops, and factories were established, Salomon would have ample manpower to solve other problems. He needed soldiers, scientists, and agents. He had promised Victor von Doom that the Immortal City would train its locals to become soldiers, to defend their country. These Latvians would also become soldiers of the Immortal City, sacrificing their lives for Salomon's ideals.

"The Latvinian Legion, that's the name." According to Victor von Doom's design, the bulletproof armor to be issued to soldiers in the warehouse would bear the Latvinian Legion's insignia—two symmetrical dark green lightning bolts, with the golden eagle of the Immortal City inlaid on the helmets. Victor von Doom would develop this exploited agricultural nation into a high-tech country, from which the Immortal City of Salomon would also benefit, taking the opportunity to break free from Wakanda's technological limitations.

But before that, Victor von Doom and Salomon had one more thing to do. The Immortal City's acquisition only included the tycoons' stake; the royal family's assets remained firmly in their hands. They needed to conquer Latvinia, kill all the royals there, and completely liberate the entire country.

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)