Stark Expo

"This is the interior of Hammer Industries. It's huge!"

The Ghostfreak's single eye darted through every crevice of its body in an instant, taking in the entire scene of Hammer Industries.

As a first-tier defense contractor second only to Stark Industries, Hammer Industries owns more than just a building; it also houses several factories equipped with high-precision machinery.

Hammer Industries has many factories, but most of them are not located in New York, but are scattered throughout the United States.

No one would be foolish enough to build a resource-oriented industry like a factory in a place like New York.

The purpose of the underground factory in Queens was not for mass production, but for research and development and the manufacture of samples.

Ben was clearly very happy with his future company location.

He was also quite satisfied with those Iron Robots.

"The machines are readily available, though a bit outdated, but with some modifications they can be perfectly usable. It would be a waste to destroy them as consumables."

Putting everything else aside, the cost of these tin men alone is already very high. To blow them all up just to make a noise is beyond the reach of a tycoon like Ben.

But if it's not blown up, that also has its problems.

Since these suits are essentially replacements for the Iron Suit, the military and S.H.I.E.L.D.., having witnessed their power, would certainly not want to let them go if they were preserved.

Ben doesn't have the financial resources to compete with them, even with Tony's help.

It's one thing for you, Tony Stark, to be unwilling to share your technology with us, but it's another matter if you try to control what we want from Hammer Industries. That's just not fair.

Therefore, what Ben needs to consider is how to get S.H.I.E.L.D.. and the agency to voluntarily abandon Hammer Industries.

This is really not difficult for him.

Justin Hammer is a joke not only because of his own stupidity, but also largely because of the weapon he invented— his Ex-Wife.

When Rhodey confidently tells the villain, "I'm going to blow you up with my Ex-Wife," only to find that the missile he fired was a dud, everyone knew that Justin Hammer was an absolute Joker.

Even if someone later discovered that the Ex-Wife wasn't actually that bad, and that it just needed distance to kick in, it couldn't salvage Hammer Industries' image.

Ben has the same task to do.

All we need to do is turn these Iron Robots into ridiculous pieces of junk.

This was incredibly easy for Ben; he didn't even need to transform into Grey Matter, but simply inserted a USB drive into Hammer Industries' computer.

In an instant, he implanted a new program into Hammer Industries' computer.

Of course, he didn't intend to let Justin Hammer and Ivan's preparations completely fall apart. After all, a large corporation like Hammer Industries would hardly collapse completely unless things escalated.

There needs to be a balance between the two.

It all depends on how he handles it.

Time passed by day by day.

Before the fair began, Ben and Norman Osborn divided Stromm's fortune among themselves.

It has to be said that this guy made a lot of money when he was a shareholder in Osborn.

Furthermore, he established a foundation with his wealth, so theoretically, even if his identity as the Green Goblin is now confirmed, Norman still wouldn't get his hands on the money.

However, Norman has been in the business world for many years, and he's not someone to be trifled with.

There's always room for maneuver when dealing with these convoluted situations.

Things that are theoretically impossible can sometimes be possible; things that are theoretically possible may not be possible at other times. In short, it's about flexibility.

This is especially true in a country where everyone values money.

With Norman Osborn's generous promise of money, none of this mattered.

At that moment, Ben and Norman were sitting in the study of the Osborn Manor, drinking tea and dividing their spoils.

"So, you plan to acquire Hammer Industries?" Norman asked thoughtfully.

Just now, after Ben discovered that Ivan, who had attacked Iron Man, had faked his death, been rescued by Justin Hammer, and had done a series of things, Norman understood Ben's intentions.

Then he began to consider how feasible this was.

It's very difficult, to say the least.

"A complete takeover is virtually impossible," Norman said.

"Hammer Industries was already comparable in size to the original Osborn Corporation, but after Stark Industries announced it was ceasing weapons manufacturing, they quickly seized the weapons market and became the military's largest partner, enjoying great success."

"While Justin Hammer is undeniably a fool, the company's other shareholders aren't entirely stupid. Even if unforeseen circumstances cause Hammer Industries to crumble, his factories and production lines will still be targets for other industrial companies."

Norman makes a good point.

However, from another perspective, Ben's early awareness of this matter does give him a head start, but compared to those established large companies, Primus's current strength is still very weak.

"In that case, I'll forgo the money from the Storm Foundation for now." After a moment's thought, Norman made his decision.

Norman fully supports the acquisition of Hammer Industries. As America's most prosperous military industry, Hammer Industries possesses highly advanced technology and supply chains. While those devices may not be of much use to a biotechnology company like Osborn, they are a different story for Primus.

With the Storm Foundation's substantial cash reserves, Primus will be able to wield more influence at this table.

"But you should be prepared that even with this money, you'll only have the right to sit at the table," Norman said.

Ben simply smiled and said, "Tony Stark has already agreed to provide me with cash support."

"Real?"

Norman raised an eyebrow in surprise; he hadn't expected Ben to have quietly gotten in touch with Tony.

Now the situation is different again.

He thought for a moment, then, as if he had made up his mind, said, "In that case, let's go all out!"

Norman indicated that with Stark, that fringe figure, getting involved, he, as his uncle, naturally couldn't remain silent.

I'm in!

"I will temporarily suspend Osborn's other research projects and divert all the funds to them."

Upon hearing this, Ben was taken aback.

He did want some support from Norman, but he didn't expect Norman to go all in without warning.

After all, acquiring Hammer Industries didn't benefit Osborn much, especially since he had also invested money from the Storm Foundation. Ben even wondered if Norman would be unable to pay his salary if things continued this way.

But Norman said there was no need to worry.

After all, it's an old company with many years of history, and some of its core businesses are still quite competitive.

With Norman Osborn's support, Ben became even more confident in taking over Hammer Industries.

In the following days, Norman held another press conference, completely restoring Connors' reputation and claiming that he had found Connors and was working with Primus Technology to treat him.

Although Connors is still nominally "receiving treatment" and cannot see his wife and children, at least during this time, the criticism they have suffered because of him can finally be changed.

And finally, the time came for the expo to begin.

Peter, carrying his schoolbag, stood on tiptoe and glanced at the long queue, filled with regret.

"I should have gone in with Benny and the others."

He sighed.

As a participant in the convention, and since Ben happened to know Tony, Primus naturally had a lot of inside tickets. For example, right now, Uncle Ben, Aunt May, and even Mary Jane were already sitting in the front seats of Primus's venue, waiting for the convention to officially open.

However, for some reason, Peter was unable to enter with them.

However, the reason he was late was not because of Spider-Man's Super Hero career, but because Jameson, the owner of the Daily Bugle, had found him and given him a new task—to take photos of the expo and interview as many famous people as possible.

"If you can expose the true identity of Primus's mysterious boss, my newspaper will sell like hotcakes!"

Peter's mind was still replaying the image of Jameson yelling at him while biting a cigar.

For those in power, finding out Ben's identity is not difficult, but for ordinary people, the owner of Primus remains a mystery.

Peter shook his head and slung his camera over his shoulder. "It's a pity that Benny won't agree to be interviewed."

Who won't accept your interview?

Just then, a blonde girl suddenly poked her head out and winked at Peter.

The sudden fright almost made Peter jump, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the person in front of him clearly.

"You, you're Gwen Stacy?"

Peter clearly recognized her, but he was even more surprised.

"You, what are you doing here?" he stammered.

Gwen seemed to be in a good mood. She glanced around and said, "You're here to visit the expo alone?"

Peter shook his head instinctively, but what came out of his mouth was, "Yes, yes, just me."

"Then, together?"

Peter nodded blankly.

Although he liked Liz didn't seem to reciprocate his feelings.

It seems like having Gwen as a companion now wouldn't be so bad?

Peter Parker, what a jerk!

On the other side.

Backstage at the venue, all the entrepreneurs and scientists who came to participate in the exhibition gathered together.

The real highlight of the exhibition is in the evening; the daytime is free for visitors to explore at their leisure.

Ben, Norman, and Harry sat together, and many people came over to greet Norman.

Ben turned his head and saw Felicia waving at Mrs. Hardy from behind. Beside them stood a slightly stout man in a white coat.

Noticing Ben's gaze, the man walked over and extended his hand to him.

"Nice to meet you, Otto Gunther Octavius."

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