Dr. MacLane

The next day.

Led by Howard, the two arrived at Dr. MacLane's laboratory, which also happened to be his home.

Ever since he had accidentally created the Primary Adamantium shield, Dr. MacLane had been trying to reproduce the process and find a way to manufacture Primary Adamantium.

Unfortunately, no matter what he tried, he could not recreate that accident. The experiments eventually stalled. After consuming a large amount of precious Vibranium with nothing to show for it, the government finally shut down the project. Dr. MacLane returned home filled with deep unwillingness.

Inviting the doctor went smoothly.

Dr. MacLane was a pure scientist, completely uninterested in worldly matters.

He had already been devoted to researching special alloy materials, and after accidentally creating the Sound-Absorbing Steel Shield, he became almost obsessed, pouring all his thoughts into researching Adamantium.

Even after the government terminated the project, he refused to give up and continued his Adamantium research at home.

Unfortunately, due to the rarity of Vibranium, it was difficult for him to obtain any through his own means, and his experiments had become hard to continue.

With his old friend Howard vouching for him, and Chen Mo promising to provide sufficient Vibranium as experimental material, Dr. MacLane gladly accepted the invitation to join S.H.I.E.L.D.

At the same time, Chen Mo discovered something interesting.

Dr. MacLane's laboratory—his living room—was covered in shields nearly identical to the Vibranium shield Chen Mo used.

Seeing Chen Mo's confusion, the doctor smiled and explained.

It turned out that Dr. MacLane was an avid enthusiast of medieval cold weapons.

His original reason for studying metallurgical materials had also been his profound interest in cold weapons. He had hoped to develop stronger materials and create more powerful weapons.

Of all cold weapons, however, he was most obsessed with round shields. In his view, a circle was the most perfect and sturdy shape. A round shield could block, ram, and be thrown, combining offense and defense. It was the perfect weapon in his eyes.

The materials produced through research always needed a mold, so he had simply designed a round shield with a perfectly dynamic shape and made all his experimental materials into shields.

"They look pretty good hanging on the wall as decorations, too."

Dr. MacLane looked proudly at the round shields hanging throughout the room.

Scientists have strange tastes.

Dr. MacLane had little family. Experiments were his entire life. Once he agreed to join S.H.I.E.L.D., he immediately packed up and moved straight into the secret laboratory.

In S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret laboratory, hidden deep beneath Brooklyn, Chen Mo and Howard met Dr. Erskine, whom they had not seen for a long time.

To their astonishment, the doctor standing before them had become much younger.

Dr. Erskine had originally been in his fifties, with graying hair and a somewhat aged appearance. Now, however, he looked only around forty. His posture was straight, his complexion ruddy, and his once graying hair had turned black. He looked exceptionally vigorous.

If not for that familiar face and the kind smile on it, the two would have almost mistaken him for someone else.

"Doctor, what happened to you?" Howard stepped closer and carefully examined him from head to toe.

The doctor gave a mysterious smile. "There's no need to discuss that yet. Aren't you going to introduce him to me first?"

Only then did the two remember Dr. MacLane beside them.

After the introductions, Dr. MacLane officially joined S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret laboratory.

As soon as Dr. Erskine had helped him settle in, Dr. MacLane urged Chen Mo to bring over the Vibranium immediately. He wanted to begin experimenting at once. After the extensive experiments conducted under the previous government project, along with his own tireless research after returning home, his Adamantium research had begun to show promise. He had been on the verge of success, but unfortunately, he had run out of raw materials.

After all, it was extraordinarily difficult for the doctor to acquire even a small piece of Vibranium by himself.

But he had not been idle while lacking Vibranium. Taking the metallographic structure of the Sound-Absorbing Steel Shield—namely, Primary Adamantium—as a reference, he had finally developed a new alloy with exceptional performance after years of research and experimentation. Although it could not compare with Primary Adamantium and lacked its indestructible properties, it was still far superior to the best special alloys currently available. It had high hardness, great toughness, excellent corrosion resistance, impact resistance, and other qualities.

Moreover, this alloy did not require Vibranium. It could be manufactured from existing materials. Though it was expensive due to the high proportion of rare metals in its composition, it cost far less than Primary Adamantium and was easier to obtain. It would not be limited by raw materials; as long as there was enough funding, it could be mass-produced.

Dr. MacLane named this alloy "Alpha Alloy."

Chen Mo was very interested in this new alloy. It was an unexpected bonus, and it could be used in many areas in the future.

However, what he valued most was still Adamantium. That was the true "strongest alloy."

From the day he obtained the Vibranium shield and learned of Dr. MacLane's existence, Chen Mo had instructed Colonel Phillips to spare no effort in collecting Vibranium. Chen Mo would provide the funds, while HYDRA was also secretly gathering it.

Looking at the eager Dr. MacLane before him, Chen Mo smiled helplessly and had no choice but to put aside his plan to visit Dr. Erskine first.

"All right, Doctor. The Vibranium is stored in the warehouse. I'll have someone fetch it."

The Vibranium collected by the Strategic Scientific Reserve in its early days had all been delivered to the secret laboratory several days ago.

"No need. I'll get it myself!" Dr. MacLane was desperate to see just how much Vibranium Chen Mo had prepared for him. In the past, obtaining even a tiny piece had required endless trouble.

He hoped Chen Mo had prepared enough Vibranium. Although the research had shown promise, it was still one final step away from true success. No one knew how many more experiments that final step would require, or how much precious Vibranium it would consume.

Secret laboratory, valuable materials warehouse.

Dr. MacLane stared at the crate before him, filled to the brim with dozens of kilograms of Vibranium. His face flushed with excitement, and even his hands trembled.

"Wonderful! It's enough! With this Vibranium, I'll definitely be able to create real Adamantium!"

Dr. MacLane immediately threw himself into Adamantium research.

Seeing that there was nothing for him to do, Chen Mo finally had time to find Dr. Erskine. Besides dealing with the Martial Arts School and Dr. MacLane, another important reason for his return had been that the doctor had sent word of major progress in the serum research.

By the time Chen Mo found Dr. Erskine, Howard was already there, though he looked rather displeased.

When he saw Chen Mo, Howard immediately complained.

"What took you so long? We've been waiting for you forever! The doctor insisted on waiting until you arrived before he'd say anything!"

The doctor smiled faintly.

"Important news should naturally be announced once everyone is here."