Mastermind Behind the Scenes

The Osborn Group's industrial research and development base had a mysterious laboratory. It didn't feel particularly high-tech, just a very large space. Various cables were strewn haphazardly across the floor, and numerous tool racks and equipment were placed without any discernible order. The areas were demarcated by black and yellow caution tape stuck to the floor. Apart from some slightly more advanced automated equipment, the entire laboratory resembled a small auto repair shop.

However, anything from this lab, if released, would be a cross-generational military product, revealing the complexity of its owner. For example, there was the gold and red Iron Man suit displayed on a shelf; and black armor hanging by chains, bearing a red bat symbol on its chest and pointed bat ears...

This laboratory was the most secure in the entire R&D base. Only two people had permission to enter: Norman Osborn and Wei Xiuming.

In one corner of the laboratory, a few simple rooms were constructed from foam board walls. Once furnished with desks, chairs, and office facilities, and connected to utilities, they served as an office and lounge.

Wei Xiuming, wearing a white lab coat and a gas mask, sat in a chair, repeatedly watching footage captured by a high-speed camera. "The experiment was a success!"

Although the alien bugs were powerful, their physical strength alone couldn't compare to the endless stream of superheroes and villains that would emerge later. It was their super-high-speed movement ability that was so difficult to deal with. As long as one could keep up with their speed and possess a certain degree of offensive capability, they could be easily resolved.

The Knight armor, intended for display, was not equipped with weapons. Lieutenant Sonon had defeated the adult bug with just his fists and feet before his body's load capacity exceeded its limit, causing him to pass out. Due to inertia, he slammed headfirst into the wall.

"Dr. Clark, your intellect is unparalleled." Osborn, having just concluded a meeting with the Department of Defense, stood beside Wei Xiuming, showering him with praise.

Lieutenant Sonon had been rushed to the hospital. It was estimated that he would soon be heavily publicized as a hero, intended to boost the morale of America's military and civilians, who were shrouded in the shadow of the alien bugs.

The Knight System had already caught the attention of several influential figures. Within a couple more days, orders and contracts were expected to come through. With America tightening its foreign wars, the profits of various industries extending from the military-industrial complex would plummet. The sale of the Knight System was destined to make the Osborn Group soar, and Wei Xiuming was the one responsible for all of this.

Most importantly, Wei Xiuming possessed advanced knowledge in genetics. The Osborn family had a natural genetic defect. To save himself and his son, Harry Osborn, from this inherent flaw, he had invested a vast amount of capital. Even with military investment, he had still pushed the massive Osborn Group to the brink of collapse.

Five years ago, Wei Xiuming suddenly appeared before him and offered his services, stating he needed Osborn's power to complete a research project. Osborn, with his discerning eye, recognized the talent of Dr. Clark Kent, Wei Xiuming's alias, and they formed a partnership.

Subsequently, with Wei Xiuming's help, Osborn's progress was rocket-like. They ventured into research and manufacturing of computers, communications, automobiles, weapons, digital content, distribution, cloud computing services, and new energy and material development, quickly capturing market share and pulling the Osborn Group out of bankruptcy single-handedly.

Furthermore, after the military provided a few rare alien bug samples, they were used as a basis to develop a complete human enhancement program to repair his genetic defects.

How could Osborn not let go of such an outstanding talent? He continuously promoted Wei Xiuming, providing him with equipment, funding, and even diverting research funds from other projects to him. Almost the entire R&D department of the Osborn Group worked around Wei Xiuming.

When the Department of Defense put out tenders to various companies for the alien bug incident, Osborn directly assigned an entire R&D base to Wei Xiuming. Within months, Wei Xiuming produced a finished product.

"My intellect isn't that high, but my knowledge reserve is among the top on this planet." Because he was wearing a specially made gas mask, Wei Xiuming's voice was somewhat strange, sounding very much like a supervillain in a movie. "Mr. Osborn, before we sign the contract, there are two matters we need to discuss! First, the Osborn Group's accounts have spent a total of 16.2 billion US dollars this year. You will need to publicly state that this is the research and development cost for this weapon system. Considering the military's budget, the price per unit armor will be 620 million US dollars."

"Of course!" Osborn, usually a tyrant, said cautiously, "The B-2 stealth bomber sells for 1.3 billion US dollars, but its R&D costs are amortized across each aircraft, making the average manufacturing cost as high as 2.4 billion US dollars. Our armor is a cross-generational product, so a selling price of 620 million US dollars is extremely cheap!"

Wei Xiuming smiled and clicked open a file. It contained the complete weapon configurations for the Knight armor, as well as various upgrade and enhancement templates, and even the design blueprints for the final product.

Such a groundbreaking item would absolutely not be released immediately. What would be sold were secondary products or simply test units. This approach would allow them to profit from the intermediate products, and they could legitimately apply for further R&D funding from the Department of Defense. Those who tasted the benefits of the Knight System would surely not let it go.

Osborn nodded in agreement, saying, "It's like selling cars; the subsequent maintenance and repairs are where the real money is made. After the armor is sold, the after-sales service and user training will all be the responsibility of us Osborns. Even the most ordinary screw must be provided by us Osborns. Charging them twenty thousand US dollars for one is not excessive!"

Wei Xiuming continued, "Second, the assemblers of the Knight System need to undergo a certain degree of physical enhancement. Otherwise, even the most outstanding fighter pilots will only be treated as expendable resources. Physical enhancement requires a separate project, with each person's enhancement costing three million US dollars, excluding room and board."

After speaking, Wei Xiuming reflected—he was originally a model youth raised under the socialist red flag, but now he sounded like a greedy capitalist.

It was like the slave trade, where slave traders incited wars between different African tribes, sold weapons to both sides for profit, and then bought back captives from the victorious party.

There should be a more appropriate example here, but it was censored on a certain website in '18 and was removed. Discouraged by the setback, he wasted two years and won't list it here.

It's easy to imagine that alien bugs like these don't exist in the Marvel world. They were actually Skrulls from a crashed spaceship that he modified. The meteor that destroyed the town was actually that spaceship, along with some meteor fragments used as camouflage.