Osborn Corporation

Inside the manor villa, Wang Bert asked Ivan, "Iron Man has officially been born. What about your Arc Reactor?"

"Give me another month, and I'll grind his face into the dirt."

Ivan cursed irritably, then thought of something and asked, "Building armor requires a top-tier weapons company. Do you have one?"

Wang Bert smiled. "Not yet, but I will soon. You'll be that company's head of weapons manufacturing and a shareholder."

"Then I'll be waiting!"

Ivan got up and hurried off to study the Arc Reactor. He had no intention of being outdone by Tony Stark. The Vanko Family was the greatest! "Ivan, make me a Miniature Camera that a major corporation won't be able to detect. I want to record evidence of certain people's crimes!"

Thinking of something, Wang Bert called after Ivan, "Remote access would be best if possible. If not, it doesn't matter. At worst, I'll work a little harder and retrieve the recordings myself!"

Ivan casually replied, "That's not difficult. I'll make one for you in a bit. I've been busy lately, otherwise I'd make you a virus that could take control of their surveillance system. That would be more convenient."

"A camera is enough. The main priority is making sure it isn't discovered."

Wang Bert smiled. These geniuses really were beyond ordinary people. Still, even geniuses had to work for a rich man like him! Ivan waved his hand and strode away. He could design eight hundred little things like that in a day.

"Iron Man's storyline is over. Next, it's time to acquire Osborn Corporation!"

After thinking for a moment, Wang Bert summoned Mercury and handed her a Red Potion. "Give this to the Blood Department and have them study it thoroughly. I want a detailed report!"

"Yes, Blood God."

Mercury nodded. After draining Rand Corporation dry, the Blood Department of the Blood God Group had officially been established. They would devote themselves to researching Artificial Blood. Once successful, it would be of enormous significance to both Vampires and humans! Wang Bert added, "Also, notify James and have him fully infiltrate Osborn Corporation. Spies, bribery, whatever works. In short, I want detailed intelligence on Osborn Corporation, including shareholder information, departmental structure, research projects, and so on. The more detailed, the better!"

"He began doing that after he returned," Mercury said. "I'll have him speed things up."

"Very good."

Wang Bert nodded in satisfaction. Just then, his phone rang. It was Little Pepper!

"You're coming to my manor as guests the day after tomorrow? Welcome. Uh, Tony is coming too? Can I refuse? Just kidding. You're both welcome!"

As the saying went, one did not visit without a reason. Tony and Little Pepper were coming not only to visit Wang Bert, but also because of Stark Industries shares.

"I spoke to Obadiah's two sons. They told me they promised to sell you their Stark Industries shares."

Tony set down his knife and fork, wiped his mouth, and asked, "Bert, did you know Obadiah would die all along?"

"Yes, I knew he would die."

Wang Bert glanced at Tony and said, "As long as you won, his death was inevitable. If you didn't kill him, the big shots behind the scenes would. They would definitely silence him!"

The answer caught Tony off guard. He had thought Wang Bert would say something about fortune-telling. He sighed. "That's right. If I won, he was bound to die. Honestly, I still can't understand why he did it. Did he really need money that badly?"

"Who ever thinks they have too much money?"

Wang Bert shrugged. Little Pepper smiled and asked, "Bert, Obadiah had quite a lot of shares. Once you acquire them, you'll become a major shareholder in Stark Industries!"

Wang Bert knew Little Pepper was testing him, so he said, "Don't worry. I'm not interested in Stark Industries. My target is Osborn Corporation. Once I'm ready, I'll exchange my Stark Industries shares for Osborn Corporation shares!"

Hearing that Wang Bert was not interested, Tony secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This guy had far too much money. After taking Obadiah's shares, replacing Tony would not be difficult at all.

The fact that he was poorer than Wang Bert annoyed Tony somewhat. He said arrogantly, "Osborn Corporation? The Osborn Corporation whose stock price plummeted because of one sentence from me?"

"Yes, that Osborn Corporation whose stock price plummeted after you announced that you were entering the energy industry in full force!"

Wang Bert smiled. "In fact, it isn't just Osborn Corporation. The stock prices of all energy-related companies are falling. Osborn Corporation is merely suffering worse than most. Their stocks rose too quickly some time ago."

"Investors know who the king is."

Tony said smugly, "The investors who bought Stark Industries at the bottom a while ago have made a fortune by now! The Stark Family has never disappointed anyone."

"Of course not. Their stamina is just a little questionable!"

Wang Bert smiled. Tony flew into a rage. If Little Pepper had not stopped him, he would absolutely have had a proper debate with Wang Bert about whose stamina was lacking.

"I want to acquire Osborn Corporation, so I can't Short Sell it. If you're interested, though, you can make some money off it!"

Thinking of something, Wang Bert said, "Osborn Corporation's stock price will fall rather sharply soon!"

"Surely not?" Little Pepper asked. "With Osborn Corporation's scale, it shouldn't be difficult for them to pull their stock price back up!"

Wang Bert smiled. "General Lally, who was responsible for Department of Defense procurement, just retired. His successor doesn't get along very well with Osborn Corporation!"

"I see!"

Tony and Little Pepper suddenly understood. Osborn Corporation's weapons focused on cutting-edge technology and relied heavily on Department of Defense funding. If something went wrong on that side, their stock price would definitely plunge!

"I'll think about it. If I really make money, I'll give you twenty percent of the profits."

Tony nodded. Then, he gestured to Little Pepper. She took two documents from her briefcase and handed them to Wang Bert.

Wang Bert accepted the documents and flipped through them. Smiling, he said, "The technology and Patents for special silicone and Micro Batteries? Tony, are you finally returning what you owe me?"

"I don't owe you anything!"

Tony said, "Thank you for saving Pepper last time. I'm selling you these two technologies at cost!"

"Fine. I happen to need them, so I'll take them!"

Wang Bert nodded. "Once the exchange is complete, if I have any shares left over, I'll sell them all to you at market price!"

"Good!"

Tony nodded. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Bert, what exactly is my relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D.? I feel like they're a little too enthusiastic toward me. Their Director even came to my house in the middle of the night a few days ago. He scared the hell out of me!"

"Maybe he's after your body!"

Wang Bert smiled. "Your father once worked for the Strategic Scientific Reserve. You know that, right?"

"Of course I know. It was the experience he was proudest of. He also loved using Captain to lecture me. Not much, just over a thousand times!"

Tony said resentfully. Captain was like the proverbial other people's child to him! Wang Bert said, "S.H.I.E.L.D. developed from the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Your father Howard and Ms. Carter were both founders of S.H.I.E.L.D. Ms. Carter was even its first Director!"

Tony was stunned. "My dad was a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D.? How did I not know that?"

"There's a lot you don't know!"

Wang Bert smiled. "Your father also left quite a few belongings with S.H.I.E.L.D., but they never returned them to you. Speaking of which, life can be strange. A highly trained spy chief dying in a car accident is practically a joke!"

The speaker had meant something by it, and the listener took it even more seriously. Tony immediately frowned. If his father had been an ordinary man, dying in a car accident would have been normal enough. But now that he knew his father had been a spy chief and a genius inventor, how could he possibly have died in a mere car accident? Would a spy chief not modify his own car? Even if there had been an accident, he should have been injured, not killed alongside his wife! There was definitely something wrong!

Wang Bert stopped there. Raising his glass, he said, "To Iron Man!"

Tony clinked glasses with Wang Bert absentmindedly, then got up to say goodbye. He needed to go home and investigate the details of his parents' accident. He also needed to get to the bottom of S.H.I.E.L.D.!

Wang Bert saw Tony and Little Pepper off. Watching the sports car drive away, he narrowed his eyes slightly. The age of Super Heroes had officially begun! And with the appearance of Super Heroes, Super Villains and world-ending crises would soon follow one after another!

Marvel World, heaven for heroes, hell for civilians!

Of course, wherever rich people were, it was heaven!...

Osborn Corporation's headquarters was also located on Manhattan Island. In the chairman's office, Norman Osborn, whose face was dark and sinister, stared at the corporation's stock that had been falling for days and could not help cursing.

"Damn Tony! Damn Iron Man!"

Tony Stark was universally acknowledged as a super genius, and now he had become Iron Man. The moment he announced that Stark Industries would fully enter the energy business, every energy company's stock price dropped, while Stark Industries soared all the way upward! This was not the only thing troubling Norman. There was also General Slocum, who had recently taken office at the Department of Defense. He did not get along with his predecessor, so he had been suppressing projects led by his predecessor! Unfortunately, Osborn Corporation's Human Enhancement Program was one of them.

General Slocum had issued an ultimatum: he wanted to see a finished Human Enhancement Potion within a short period of time. Otherwise, he would divert funding to support Hangda Corporation's Humanoid Armor project. Ever since Iron Man appeared, armor had become extremely popular.

Norman let out a breath and summoned Dr. Storm, who was in charge of the Human Enhancement Program. He asked, "When can human testing begin?"

"Norman, we can't. During the last lab rat experiment, one rat displayed severe violent tendencies and was extremely aggressive!"

Dr. Storm shook his head repeatedly. "I think we should rework the formula."

"Only one was like that. The others were fine, so there's no need to worry too much."

Norman said, "Dr. Storm, begin human trials immediately. I need this project to stabilize the stock price, otherwise the Board of Directors will raise objections!"

Although Osborn Corporation had been founded by Norman, he did not hold many shares. This was a common problem among major corporations—rapid growth required constant financing, which naturally diluted shares.

The chairmen of the major internet companies in Wang Bert's previous life had not held many shares either.

Dr. Storm continued shaking his head. "Norman, the procedures for human trials haven't been completed yet. They need some time! Also, we haven't even begun recruiting test subjects!"

"There's no time!"

Norman paced back and forth a few times. "Go out first and complete the procedures as quickly as possible!"

Dr. Storm breathed a sigh of relief and left. Norman stared at the closed door, snorted, and called in his confidant, Niels van Ader, an Indian department head!

Norman instructed, "Find a shell pharmaceutical factory that can't be traced back to us and conduct the experiments privately. As for the test subjects, grab some homeless people off the streets. No one cares about them anyway. Their lives have no value!"

Niels did not question him at all and simply nodded. "I know what to do!"

Thinking of something, Norman asked, "By the way, how is Dr. Connors' research on the Lizard Serum going?"

"He says he's still a little short."

"Still a little short! For more than ten years, he's always been a little short! How much of my money has he spent over the past decade?"

Norman was furious. The reason he was so anxious to research Human Enhancement Serum and Lizard Serum was not only the stock price. It was also because the Osborn Family had always suffered from a hereditary genetic disease. He needed genetic medicine to cure himself!

Norman shouted, "Tell him I don't have that much time left. If he can't develop the Lizard Serum within three months, he can take his research and get out of Osborn!"

"Yes, Mr. Osborn!"

Niels nodded and turned to leave. Norman angrily slammed his fist against the desk, but suddenly felt short of breath. He hurriedly pulled a medicine bottle from his pocket, twisted off the cap, poured out some pills, and swallowed them!

Norman recovered. He knew he did not have much time left. He had to develop a suitable serum as quickly as possible, no matter the cost.

Clenching his fists, Norman thought firmly, It doesn't matter if I die, but I can't let Harry follow in my footsteps. I must develop the perfect serum and give Harry a complete life!

Norman did not know that everything taking place in his office was being secretly recorded by a camera. Three days later, that camera was removed and replaced with a new one! Although Osborn Tower was heavily guarded, no one noticed, because the one doing it was merely a drop of blood!

"Although Ivan made a remote camera, it's safer for me to replace it myself!"

Wang Bert inserted the camera's storage device into his computer. Images quickly appeared. After watching them, he smiled slightly. "Old Green Goblin really didn't use himself for human testing. Makes sense. As a billionaire, how could he risk himself so easily? The movie only did that to keep the plot moving!"

"Old Green Goblin, your position as chairman will soon belong to someone else!"

In the blink of an eye, June arrived. By then, the streets were full of refreshingly dressed beauties in short sleeves and skirts, quite a feast for the eyes! The hottest topic that month was still Super Heroes, but not Tony Stark. It was Spider-Man, who swung between skyscrapers. Countless newspapers and television programs discussed everything related to him. He was unbelievably popular! "The Daily Bugle is so annoying. It's attacking Spider-Man again, saying all those criminals he caught were hired by him!"

At an outdoor café in Hell's Kitchen, Trish Walker, host of the radio show Trish Talk, stared at the article in the newspaper and cursed bitterly.

"The Daily Bugle hasn't just started attacking Spider-Man today. You buy it every day to read it. You're actually funding them so they can keep attacking Spider-Man!"

Jessica Jones slumped weakly in her seat. She hated going out during the day, and she hated sitting outside drinking coffee even more. She wanted to go to a bar and drink!

"The newspaper belongs to the station. I'd never spend money on the Daily Bugle. It would be best if it went bankrupt!"

Trish snorted. Looking at Jessica, she said excitedly, "Jessica, why don't you become a Super Hero too? You have the ability!"

"No. Absolutely not!"

Jessica shook her head like a rattle. What a joke. The last time she helped someone, she immediately ran into Purple Man and Yellow Man. If she had not escaped quickly, who knew what would have happened to her! Trish was deeply disappointed and unwilling to accept it. If she had Jessica's abilities, she would definitely become a Super Hero and be worshipped by the whole city, just like Tony Stark and Spider-Man! "Trish, being a Super Hero isn't as great as you think!"

Jessica said, "You should give up on that idea as soon as possible. Also, stop bringing me here for coffee. No matter how long you stare at the teahouse across the street, they won't let you in. It's members-only and only serves members."

At that, Trish could not help looking toward the Dragon Subduing Teahouse across the street. Somewhat exasperated, she said, "Why would a teahouse be members-only? Isn't it afraid of going bankrupt?"

"Why are you asking me? Trish, kung fu and all that are fake. Besides, that old woman from the other day might not even be from the teahouse. Maybe she was just passing by!"

Jessica had only gotten halfway through when Trish suddenly stood up, thrilled. "That old woman is here! I knew she was from the teahouse. I'm going over to ask her to take me as her disciple and teach me kung fu!"

With that, Trish grabbed her bag and jogged to the teahouse entrance. Through the door, she called to the old woman inside in clumsy Chinese, "Master! Master!"

"Hm?"

Madame Gao was somewhat surprised. She shuffled over, opened the door, and asked, "Who are you? Why are you calling me Master?"

Trish said excitedly, "My name is Trish. I want to become your disciple and learn kung fu!"

"I see. Sorry, I don't take disciples!"

Madame Gao understood. She waved her hand and turned to walk inside. Trish panicked and tried to enter, but the suited guard at the entrance stopped her. This woman was a repeat offender. She had tried sneaking in several times!

Unable to get in, Trish could only shout from the doorway, "Master, I really want to learn kung fu! I'm willing to pay a high price!"

Madame Gao shook her head. How could kung fu be learned with money? Besides, would Madame Gao lack money? Back in the day, her money had been packed in sacks!

Seeing Madame Gao ignore Trish, Jessica, who had followed over, said unhappily, "Trish, she's a fraud. You don't need to beg her."

Madame Gao still ignored her. Her heart was now as still as water. She only wanted to quietly serve her sentence here, then one day return to K'un-Lun!

Trish was unwilling to fail like this and tried to force her way in. The suited guard angrily shoved her, nearly knocking her over.

Jessica flew into a rage and shoved the guard's shoulder hard. The guard was sent flying as if struck by a motorcycle, crashing heavily to the ground!

When Madame Gao turned around and saw this, she could not help glancing at Jessica. "So you're a martial artist too!"

"What martial artist? Tell my sister honestly that you're a fraud!"

Jessica shouted as she walked inside. Madame Gao shook her head and struck the air with her palm, sending Jessica flying out and crashing to the ground. She then said, "The owner of this teahouse does not like people forcing their way in. If I were you, I would not be so foolish!"

Jessica sat on the ground, somewhat stunned. The other woman had not even touched her, so how had she fallen? That was not scientific! Trish's eyes, meanwhile, lit up. She shouted, "Master, I want to learn kung fu from you!"

Madame Gao did not want to accept a disciple, nor did she want them to keep coming back and bothering her, so she deliberately gave them a difficult condition. "You can learn if you want. Kneel there for an entire day, and I'll accept you as my disciple."

"Kneel here?"

Trish froze. She was still somewhat of a celebrity. If she really knelt there, it would become major news! "Trish, ignore her. Let's go back. Tomorrow, I'll find someone to tear this place down!"

Jessica climbed to her feet and said viciously. Wang Bert happened to emerge from the back courtyard at that moment. Startled, he asked, "Who wants to tear down my teahouse? Huh, Jessica Jones?"

Jessica looked at the Asian man in front of her and asked suspiciously, "You know me?"

Wang Bert smiled. "Of course I know you. I saved your life, yet not only did you fail to repay me, you even repaid kindness with hostility by smashing my window!"

Jessica finally recognized Wang Bert. Taking a step back, she cried out in terror, "You're... you're that Yellow Man?"

"Yellow Man? What Yellow Man?"

Trish was completely confused. Jessica actually knew the owner of this teahouse? If she had said so earlier, Trish would not have spent so many days being blocked outside!

"Yellow Man? Right, I was wearing yellow clothes back then!"

Wang Bert smiled, then turned to Madame Gao. "What happened?"

"It was like this!"

Madame Gao explained what had happened, then said, "I'll drive them away immediately!"

"Drive away the blonde one. Bring the one named Jessica inside to work as a server and pay off her debt!"

Wang Bert said. Madame Gao nodded and walked toward Jessica with her cane. Jessica was alarmed and turned to flee, but Madame Gao tapped her cane against Jessica's back!

No one knew how Madame Gao did it, but after being struck, Jessica's entire body went numb and she lost all strength, collapsing limply to the ground. Madame Gao grabbed her by the arm and dragged her toward the back courtyard.

Jessica was powerless to resist and screamed, "Trish, save me!"

"Jessica!"

Trish panicked and tried to rush in to save her, but Wang Bert gestured for the guard to stop her. Then he said, "Don't worry. Once she pays off her debt, I'll let her leave!"

"How much does she owe? I'll pay it for her!"

Trish shouted.

"Not much. Just one pane of glass and a life-saving favor. She can repay the glass by working for a few dozen days. As for the life-saving favor, she can work for as many years as she is old!"

"Wouldn't that mean she has to stay here for over twenty years? How is that any different from extortion or kidnapping?"

Trish said angrily. Wang Bert smiled but did not answer. Come to think of it, this really did resemble forcibly abducting a young woman!

Thinking of something, Trish shouted, "I can help her repay it too. You know who I am, right? If I work part-time at your shop, I'll definitely bring in more customers!"

Wang Bert smiled. "Do you think I care about customers?"

Trish was speechless. How could a members-only teahouse possibly care about the number of customers? At that moment, a nervous, uncertain voice sounded beside them. "Excuse me, is this the Dragon Subduing Teahouse?"

Trish turned and saw a slovenly, filthy-looking, ugly Black man standing nearby, asking the question. She frowned, about to speak, when Wang Bert walked over and extended his hand. "Mr. Dillon, I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

Max Dillon had never been treated so kindly, much less by an imposing, impeccably dressed important figure. Overwhelmed by the favor, he extended his hand and said, "Hello, I'm Max. May I ask why you called and asked me to come here?"

"Let's go inside and talk!"

Wang Bert gestured for Max to follow him inside. Seeing that even such a weirdo could enter while she could not, Trish flared up in anger. "It's always like this—other people can easily get what I want! Hmph, isn't it just kneeling? I'll kneel for you!"

Trish gritted her teeth and made up her mind. Of course, she would not kneel in her current appearance. She was a celebrity, even if she was a little past her prime!

Trish went back and changed into a brightly colored outfit. Then, with her face covered, she carried a camera and a bag of food back to the entrance of the Dragon Subduing Teahouse. She set up the camera, then brazenly knelt down in front of the teahouse! Passersby were a little surprised, but after glancing at the camera, they did not pay much attention. It was not some bizarre TV show, just performance art. In New York, there was plenty of that sort of thing—nothing strange about it.

Trish thought smugly, Heh, trying to compete with me? Isn't it just twenty-four hours? I'll definitely learn kung fu and become a Super Hero even more famous than Iron Man and Spider-Man!