Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 953 Fire in the Ward (First Update)

Stephanie felt that the man sitting beside her was always shrouded in an unfathomable mystery. Even though she was in charge of the Immortal City's internal affairs department and responsible for coordinating all the logistical work of all departments within the organization, she still didn't know how many black-hat secret missions the Immortal City was currently undertaking. The Royal Guard's missions were outside the authority of the internal affairs department, and all the missions they carried out were classified as black or crimson. The Royal Guard system was an independent entity; Constantine did not participate in the operation of the administrative departments, and the internal affairs department similarly had no right to know what the Royal Guard was doing. However, the Royal Guard had decision-making power in certain matters, could interfere with key decisions of the internal affairs department, and even, to some extent, could make decisions on behalf of the monarch.

This means that, when necessary, the Imperial Guard system is the superior of the Ministry of the Interior, similar to a lord's special envoy in feudal society.

Now there's another person with higher authority, and that's what makes Stephanie most unhappy.

Even if Victor von Doom wouldn't join the Immortal City's operations until the Latvian issue was fully resolved, Stephanie was already prepared to play a game of office politics with the Iron Mask. Her confrontation with Salomon in his office was merely a little ploy; she knew Salomon's decision wouldn't waver, and expressing her grievances would make Salomon feel indebted to her, perhaps leading to future compromises.

Salomon smiled and took the data terminal from his desk.

Stephanie always made one mistake: she always forgot that her superior was a spellcaster. Even without using her second eye to read the surface of her mind, he could glean fragments of the future from her sea of ​​souls through her behavior patterns, thus deducing her intentions. This wasn't her fault; the power tricks she had learned in her past life were all aimed at ordinary people. Even with the mind-protecting and vaguely prophetic ornaments and brooches given to her by Salomon, such a level of protection wasn't always effective against a powerful spellcaster like Salomon.

However, he was happy to accommodate Stephanie Malik's little quirks, which he found quite amusing.

"Okay, let's take a look at Wanda Maximoff's current mission progress... Yes, this is it." He used the genetic lock to open a document and then handed the data terminal to Stephanie. "Actually, you're qualified to unlock this file, you just haven't looked at it yet."

Stephanie made adorable onomatopoeic sounds, like a deflating balloon. She lazily flipped through the documents. "I only saw Wanda Maximoff taking Robbie Reyes to the hospital, and then I stopped paying attention. Shouldn't she have finished her mission? Why did she delay until now?"

"Because I need to take care of you, Gabe!" Wanda smiled at the little boy in the wheelchair across the table. "You saw it too, Robbie is injured and hospitalized, so someone has to take care of you."

"I know," Gabe Reyes said, his face full of worry. For his age, Gabe Reyes seemed remarkably well-behaved and sensible, perhaps the only benefit he had gained since becoming disabled. The red-haired woman before him, who called herself Wanda Maximov, claimed to be his brother's friend. She said she had taken him to the ICU after Robbie's accident and that she had paid the exorbitant medical bills, settling all the bills—Gabe almost fainted when he saw them. As the one managing the family accounts, he knew very well that those numbers were astronomical for the family; Robbie couldn't earn that much money even if he repaired cars for a hundred years, and he was a cripple who couldn't do anything.

Gabe Reyes was certain he had never met his brother's friend, but he dared not say a word, nor let the red-haired woman know what he was thinking, because he had no idea what this woman was planning. As a child from the slums, he never believed in free lunches. Seeing that Gabe Reyes didn't object, Wanda Maximoff moved into the living room sofa, not only taking Gabe across Los Angeles every day to visit Robbie Reyes in the hospital, but also taking great care of Gabe's meals and all his daily needs.

Gradually, Gabe Reyes lowered his guard. He could sense that the red-haired woman was genuinely taking care of him, and not for any unknown purpose. Besides… Wanda's cooking was hundreds of times better than his brother's, and Gabe really didn't want to eat microwaved pizza for breakfast anymore. Now he could eat something decent every day, and although there were a lot of vegetables, he quite enjoyed the food.

"What happened?" He noticed Wanda's expression had turned quite grim after receiving a phone call, which made Gabe nervous. "Could it be Robbie...?"

"No, no, no, everything is fine." Wanda pondered how to explain. "The doctors have put Robbie in a regular ward," she said. "He should be discharged soon."

"Can I go see him today?"

"Probably not, there are still some procedures to complete." Wanda forced a smile. "I'll go to the hospital first, and I'll definitely be back before dinner. If you're hungry, there's some in the fridge..."

"Steak salad," Gabe said. "I know, I just find steak salad weird."

"That's how New Yorkers eat," Wanda said, picking up her coat and keys. "To be honest, I find it strange too."

"Ms. Maximov, I am so, so sorry." After arriving at Los Angeles General Hospital and identifying herself, Wanda waited in the reception room for ten minutes before a white woman in a dark blue suit approached her, speaking in broken English. "I believe you have a basic understanding of the situation. I regret the fire in the intensive care unit. We will do everything we can to assist the police in their search for Robbie Reyes, and we will also reimburse the medical expenses and, in addition to providing compensation, purchase a lifetime insurance policy for Robbie Reyes's minor family members."

"I'm not... okay, thank you." Wanda nodded. She had already noticed the fire truck parked nearby when she drove the rented car into the hospital, and she knew what was going on. To avoid worrying Gabe Reyes too much, she had used magic to bend the TV antenna before leaving the house so that Gabe wouldn't see the news.

Seeing that her attitude wasn't as aggressive as she had expected, the white woman relaxed a little.

A fire in the intensive care unit is a huge scandal for a hospital, especially considering the responsibility for not promptly notifying the patient's family. If the family were to report it to the media, it would be a significant problem for the hospital's management. They would not only have to deal with various inspections from local government departments, but the hospital itself would also have to issue a statement expressing regret. It's fortunate that the family's problems have been resolved with only a refund of medical expenses and a lifetime insurance policy; problems that can be solved with money aren't really problems. Dr. Christina Galli, one of the responsible parties, felt she had time to deal with the government investigation.

"I want to see the surveillance footage from that night," Wanda said.

"Of course, that's your right. I'll have my secretary take you to the security room to review the security footage. I'm sorry I can't go with you. I want you to know how sad I am. Such an unfortunate event is incredibly distressing for anyone and any family."

No matter what Dr. Christina Galli said, Wanda simply nodded. She couldn't handle such insincere pleasantries; she had already seen through Dr. Galli's eyes to her true thoughts. Besides, Wanda had already deduced the real reason for the fire in the intensive care unit: Robbie Reyes had awakened.

"This is my secretary, Laura. Laura, please take Ms. Maximov to review the surveillance footage. I'm sure she's eager to know what happened."

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(End of this chapter)