The Wicked Conglomerate B
Before the two people in the ward could even finish a few words of business, Tony Stark steered the conversation off-topic, launching into a grand boast about his talents, as if there was nothing in the world he couldn't do if he wanted to.
He can salvage the company's stock price in just one week.
Pepper Potts, on the other hand, dissuaded Tony Stark from attending a press conference. After being in a coma for two weeks, it was uncertain whether he could even get out of bed and walk normally. She worried that he might not be able to handle the barrage of questions and sharp inquiries from reporters.
Especially since the heart beating in Stark's chest now isn't the original one. What if the young master gets agitated by those unscrupulous reporters and his heart short-circuits? That would be bad.
Pepper Potts is not only Stark's work secretary, but also his personal assistant; these are all within her job scope.
Back in the office, Black Eggplant, who had been wavering on the idea of Wei Xiuming establishing a controllable villain organization, immediately said to Wei Xiuming, "There are many forces that are hostile to S.H.I.E.L.D.. I will send someone to contact them. Funds will be transferred from S.H.I.E.L.D..'s budget through anonymous accounts. The framework of the organization will be built by you... but the name needs to be changed. Gail Shuka doesn't sound like a good name."
In principle, Black Eggplant shouldn't interfere in the operations of Stark Industries, but after he secretly purchased shares, Tony Stark made a decision that would clearly cause the stock price to continue to fall, which was obviously going against his own interests.
"Changing the name... is perfectly fine," Wei Xiuming said. "If you don't like the name Gail Shuka, there are alternatives like Destron, God Organization, Dilza Legion, Gorgon, etc., but my favorites are still Umbrella and Conglomerate B."
"Umbrella?" Black Eggplant chose the name that best suited his aesthetic from among these options.
"That's bold." Wei Xiuming gave Black Eggplant a thumbs up for his choice. "According to the setting, it will eventually become a super-powerful international monopoly, covering most high-tech industries such as pharmaceuticals, medical hardware, and defense industrial products. In reality, the real source of profits comes from secret industries such as advanced military technology and life engineering, biological weapons, such as human enhancement and modification, Mechanical Exoskeleton... well, except for the addition of a military group composed of highly trained security forces, it'll probably be like a second Osborn Group."
It is said that the times create heroes. Taking advantage of the Worms crisis and with Black Eggplant's mediation, the Osborn Group has expanded to the point of becoming a behemoth. Even Norman Osborn himself feels a sense of fear towards his ever-growing empire.
After coughing, Black Eggplant had a fairly good understanding of the Osborn Group's strength, after all, he was the controlling shareholder. But building such a huge enterprise was no easy feat, and similarly, if the Osborn Group really wanted to do something, it would be quite terrifying.
"And what about Conglomerate B?"
"That evil Conglomerate B," Wei Xiuming said, "Its main business model is selling toys and the like. For example, they get Tony Stark to license his Iron Man suit to Conglomerate B, and then Conglomerate B can make Iron Man suit model figures, subdivided into True Bone Sculpture, SHF, and the like; in addition, there are Arc Reactor -shaped power banks, co-branded mobile phones and other electronic products, as well as shoes and jackets."
"Of course, Conglomerate B excels at is artificially creating heroes. They collaborate with the media to produce superhero TV series, and then sell the images of the superheroes in the series as merchandise. Even villain figurines can sell for a good price as long as the price is right, the appearance is handsome, and the character is portrayed appropriately in the film or television."
"Because we've truly mastered human enhancement technology and the necessary science, scenes involving flying, teleporting, and hand-held laser cannons are incredibly cheap to film. The television station's purchase fees alone could cover the production costs. I have several character scripts here— Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash... dark and ruthless protagonists, saintly figures, female characters, everything aimed at female fans of BL (Boys' Love). If you agree, I'll go back and contact the relevant people to get the scripts out."
"Of course, if you think selling toys and making TV series are beneath you, we can also enter the cosmetics industry." Glancing at Nick Fury's bald head, he said, "I have a very good formula for Hair growth potion and scar removal."
"This is it," Nick Fury said. "Let's put the TV series aside for now. I'll set up a company, ostensibly focused on hair growth products and scar removal, but actually to raise funds for a clandestine Biochemical Research Organization. We'll also recruit the Vanko father and son at the same time."
His bald head was a hairstyle he deliberately grew on the advice of an image consultant, as it suited his image as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D..; the hair growth products and scar removal drugs were benefits he sought for his subordinates.
Take Coulson, for example. As his trusted confidant and one of the few people he could rely on, he had to handle everything, big and small. Over time, he worked tirelessly, which caused his hairline to recede.
And then there are the female agents on field missions. Injuries are inevitable in this line of work. Although the United States medical system is very advanced in this area due to long-term practice, even small clinics can perform painless surgery in three minutes after a gunshot wound, as long as it doesn't hit a vital organ. The bullet removal and suturing can be done in one go. You can have the surgery tonight and go back to work the next day without any disruption to your work. However, the scars left behind are very difficult to remove.
More than once, people have complained to their superiors that because of the scar, they can't wear their favorite swimsuits to the beach in the summer.
Wei Xiuming nodded and said, "It's good that you've made up your mind. I'll go back and organize the technical data first, and you'll be in charge of the personnel arrangements—let's teach our young master a lesson as soon as possible and show him his true colors."
With that, Wei Xiuming picked up the Biological preservation device and prepared to leave.
Looking at the human heart floating in the unidentified liquid, Black Eggplant asked, "You still have a use for this thing?"
"I'll go back and see if there's any way to restore it to its original function and then transplant it back into Stark's body." Wei Xiuming stopped and said, "The impact of the lack of body tissue on human personality was not fully understood in my time, but we only knew that it would cause great changes in a person's behavior, which is why Biochemical cyborg must undergo emotional suppression treatment."
"If it were his hands, feet, or eyes, that would be one thing, but Tony Stark lost his heart. What if one day he suddenly felt that without his heart, he was already dead, and the one living was nothing more than a walking corpse... Would he no longer choose to be human if he had such thoughts?"