Pressing In from All Sides (Bonus Chapter for 2,000 Recommendations)

"So the US Military and Osborn Industries teamed up to screw over Umbrella Corporation? The Malick Family, you say? They certainly have the power to do that. How is our Chinese-American genius planning to respond?"

Nick Fury received the firsthand intelligence, wearing a strange expression.

Coulson looked somewhat serious.

"Director, should we make a move? This is a great opportunity to win people over."

"Not yet. That Chinese-American genius hasn't been pushed to the point of having nowhere to go. Don't forget that gradually rising Eastern Great Power. Even if Wang Khan can't make it in the United States, he can still go to the East. After all, his ancestors were Chinese."

"That's true. So what do we do now?"

Nick Fury thought for a moment, then his expression turned sinister.

"I'm not interested in getting involved in this kind of business war, but top-tier weapons systems must be controlled by S.H.I.E.L.D. The Malick Family will definitely make another move against Umbrella Corporation. We'll take advantage of their life-and-death struggle and secure the Spider-Sense System as quickly as possible, along with the Compound Eyes Targeting System."

"These two systems are Umbrella Corporation's core technologies, and they're also what our S.H.I.E.L.D. must control. Tell Carter to speed things up. Once we get them, we can begin the cleanup operation."

Coulson frowned slightly.

"Wouldn't that be too conspicuous? Wang Khan is an American, after all, and a famous capitalist with considerable social influence."

"Hmph, what's there to fear? He's currently fighting the US Military and Osborn. Once Wang Khan is assassinated, everyone will suspect the military. No one will suspect us. Opportunities this good don't come around often."

"I understand, Director."

Nick Fury rose and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, his face filled with anguish.

"It's all for world peace. If Umbrella Corporation's technology is used in war, it will ignite conflict across the world. For the sake of world peace, it's better for this genius, Wang Khan, to fall."

"Tell Carter that once we obtain the source codes for both systems, she is to eliminate Wang Khan immediately. Everyone who knows about it must also be eliminated, including the daughter of the Director of the New York Branch."

Coulson accepted the order and left. At that moment, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s dark side was revealed in full.

Meanwhile, with Osborn joining the fray, the outside world knew that a commercial war targeting Umbrella Corporation had begun.

The major media outlets acted as if they had been pumped full of stimulants, staking out Umbrella Corporation's factory every day. As for Wang Khan, he received a flood of interview requests, so he specifically held a press conference.

"I hereby solemnly declare that the US Military's treacherous conduct is both illegal and unreasonable. They will pay the price for what they've done. Umbrella Corporation has assembled a powerful team of one hundred lawyers, and we'll soon meet the military in court."

"As for Osborn Industries' actions, all I can say is that they're laughable. Do you really think the Mars Armor is so easy to copy? I'll be waiting to see you make fools of yourselves."

Wang Khan shouted forcefully at the press conference, looking determined not to surrender. However, every media outlet unanimously concluded in its subsequent reports that Umbrella Corporation was doomed to lose this time.

"Heh heh, he's suing the US Military? Is that Chinese-American telling a joke? Why can't I see what's funny about it?"

"Umbrella Corporation is finished this time. Forget whether they can win the lawsuit. Even if they do, can you imagine the military paying compensation? Stop dreaming."

"You're just one Chinese-American. The US business world isn't an easy place to survive. You should close your company and go open a supermarket or restaurant instead. I'll definitely come patronize it then."

In short, the media was filled with ridicule, and freedom and democracy were being slapped in the face with abandon.

Over the next month, the situation facing Umbrella Corporation grew increasingly dire. Some senior executives had even begun resigning.

"President Wang, three more senior executives submitted their resignations today. What do you think...?"

Carter looked haggard, appearing so anxious, overheated, and nervously exhausted that anyone unaware of the truth would surely think she was a loyal, outstanding company veteran.

"Tell them to get lost! They're a bunch of short-sighted fools. They'll regret this sooner or later!"

To make the situation look more convincing, Wang Khan had not shaved for half a month. He now reeked of sour sweat and held a bottle of vodka, downing it straight from the bottle as if it were mineral water. With that tolerance, he could probably challenge the seasoned drunks over in the Polar Bear's territory.

"President Wang, stop drinking. The company is counting on you. If you keep this up, the company really will be finished."

As Gwen lamented his inability to live up to expectations, her eyes filled with sympathy and sorrow.

Gwen truly deserved to be called Marvel's number-one ideal wife. Her refusal to leave during adversity was rare not only in the West but even in the East.

Especially in this era, plenty of people were willing to share wealth and glory. But if you wanted someone to share hardship with you, you'd better wake up. It wasn't even dark yet, and you were already dreaming?

Even Sharon Carter was somewhat moved by Gwen's performance. After all, her willingness to share hardship was an act, while Gwen's was genuine.

Gwen snatched the bottle away and threw it into the trash can. Wang Khan wasn't angry. Instead, he laughed loudly and slapped the table.

"Good throw! Gwen, if I can pull through this time, I'll promote you to the company's Deputy General Manager and put you in charge of personnel changes. Then you can choose people according to your own standards. We don't want a single coward who abandons ship when disaster strikes!"

"President Wang, now isn't the time to talk about that. Osborn has received assistance from numerous experts, and the Compound Eyes System will probably be completed before long. Do you have any solution?"

Wang Khan let out a cold snort.

"Gwen, you're overestimating those experts. You've been with the team these past few months, participating in the development of the Compound Eyes Targeting System. Haven't you seen what they're really made of? Do you think they're capable of completing the system's development on their own?"

"Well..."

Although Gwen had only just started her second year of college, her genius mind and passion for her field had already brought her biology and entomology skills to a very high level. Even if she couldn't compare with those old professors, her professional judgment was not far behind theirs.

After spending several months with the team, she knew very well that the Compound Eyes System had only reached its current stage because of Wang Khan's occasional guidance.

Whenever they encountered a difficult problem, Wang Khan could always provide a completely new approach, helping the many experts escape their quagmire.

It could be said that without Wang Khan, the entire expert team might still be working on equations. Instead, they had already reached the stage of experimental verification.

"But they stole so many of our results..."

"Hmph. An incompetent person could stand at the gates of success and still lack the ability to take even one step inside. In scientific research and exploration, innovation depends on the wisdom of geniuses! It absolutely cannot be achieved by a group of mediocrities gathering together and piling up numbers. I'll be waiting to see Osborn make a fool of himself."

Sure enough, when the mass-production deadline calculated by Red Queen arrived, the Compound Eyes Targeting System had still not been successfully developed.

In the end, Osborn had no choice but to substitute a conventional electronic dynamic targeting system. This system was highly accurate against stationary targets, and it performed reasonably well against ordinary moving targets. Hitting the bull's-eye ten times out of ten within one hundred meters was not difficult.

But once the distance became too great or the target moved too quickly, it became practically useless. Its accuracy was even inferior to that of a sharpshooter aiming by instinct.

Regardless, Osborn's version of the Mars Armor was considered complete. The military then placed its first order with a wave of its hand, worth as much as fifty billion USD—one thousand sets of Mars Armor. Osborn's stock price soared, and it became the center of attention, surpassing Stark Industries and becoming the highest-valued high-tech company on the market.

Watching Norman Osborn's smug expression at the press conference, Wang Khan gave a cold laugh.

"Red Queen, you can begin the Green Cataclysm Plan. I want the entire United States to pay for the military's stupidity!"

There'll be another chapter later. Please vote and add this to your collection. Thank you all for your support.