After enjoying an exquisite breakfast, Alvin headed out with the blast gun tucked away.
Taking the elevator straight down to the underground garage, he looked at rows upon rows of the world's finest luxury cars. After pondering for a few seconds, he decided to keep a low profile today.
"Mm, this one. It looks relatively low-key."
The silver-and-black Lamborghini was already considered fairly low-key, at least in Tony's garage.
With the roar of the engine, the garage gate opened.
"Esteemed Mr. Valshus, there is a charity gala scheduled for tonight. Will you be attending?"
At that moment, J.A.R.V.I.S.'s distinctive, magnetic voice came through the car's system.
"A charity gala?"
Alvin found it rather strange. "What does that have to do with me?"
"Mr. Obadiah has invited you," J.A.R.V.I.S. said slowly. "And with your current liquid assets and shareholdings, you are already qualified to join the ranks of the wealthy. My suggestion is that you attend. It would help you integrate into the United States."
Oh, right. He had nearly forgotten!
Alvin suddenly remembered that he had a hundred million dollars in his account and was also a shareholder of Stark Industries.
Ah, the life of the rich was just this boring.
Aside from a mere hundred million dollars, he had nothing.
"All right. Reply to Mr. Obadiah for me. I'll attend the charity gala."
The corners of Alvin's lips rose slightly. He happened to want to see for himself the man who had once founded Stark Industries alongside Howard.
Vroom—vroom—ROAR!
The Lamborghini's engine immediately let out a deep growl.
Before long, Alvin drove the Lamborghini to Osborn Biopharmaceutical Group.
"Hello, are you Mr. Valshus?"
An attendant stepped forward at the entrance and asked respectfully.
"That's me."
Alvin stepped out of the car and handed the keys to the attendant.
Then, led by the secretary who had been waiting for him, he took the elevator directly to the top floor.
Norman Osborn was sitting on the sofa. When he saw the secretary lead someone in, he set aside the book in his hand. There was a faint trace of scrutiny in his eyes as he looked at Alvin.
Likewise, Alvin was observing the infamous Green Goblin, Norman Osborn.
The current Norman Osborn looked close to fifty. Time had already left marks of age upon his face.
His meticulously groomed hair was streaked with gray, but his crisp suit and unhurried bearing still conveyed the authority of a man who had clawed his way through countless American capitalists to build his own empire and hold power over life and death.
"I've heard of you, Alvin Valshius."
Norman Osborn remained seated on the sofa. He withdrew his scrutinizing gaze, but showed no intention of standing.
If Stark had come, he would certainly have offered a warm welcome.
But unfortunately, Alvin Valshius simply did not carry enough weight for him to take seriously.
"Hello, Mr. Osborn."
Alvin adjusted his buttons and, entirely unconcerned by the other's attitude, calmly sat opposite him.
After the secretary served two cups of hot tea, she tactfully withdrew and closed the door behind her.
"For Stark's sake, I can give you five minutes."
Norman Osborn glanced at his watch, tapping the tabletop lightly with his index finger. His attitude remained indifferent.
Alvin did not waste words. With a light smile, he said, "I heard you've recently taken an order from the military?"
Tap.
Norman's index finger stopped. He slightly raised his eyelids, and a chill seemed to flicker in his gaze. "That's classified information. How did you find out?"
In truth, an order from the military was not particularly classified.
The issue was that the contents of Osborn Group's order were far more complicated than they appeared, involving human experimentation.
The one who had assigned the order was US Air Force General Everett Ross.
General Everett Ross was Banner's father-in-law and the man who had developed the Hulk serum.
"What do you think?"
Feigning mystery, Alvin leaned back casually on the sofa. This time, he held the upper hand.
"Stark?"
Sure enough, when Norman saw how fearless he was, he immediately thought of Tony Stark.
After all, the only person likely capable of knowing about this was Tony Stark.
"What, Stark is done researching weapons and plans to enter the biotechnology industry?" Norman sneered, finally beginning to take the young man before him seriously.
In his estimation, Alvin had come under Stark's instructions to claim a share of the profits.
"No, no, you've misunderstood, Mr. Osborn."
Alvin raised one finger and gently waved it. "Stark has no intention of entering the biotechnology industry. This time, it is I who wish to cooperate with you."
"You?"
Norman frowned slightly and immediately lost interest. "Kid, I don't have time to play with you. Since this isn't Stark's plan, you'd better leave early."
"Don't be in such a hurry, Mr. Osborn."
Alvin smiled like a cunning fox, narrowing his eyes slightly. "I know you're currently facing a problem. The human enhancement drug has never been successfully developed, correct?"
This time, Norman could no longer remain calm. His pupils abruptly contracted as he stared at Alvin in shock. "How did you know about that?!"
One had to know that even General Ross was unaware that the human enhancement drug research had hit a bottleneck!
No matter how capable Stark was, he could never have known about this. Where had this kid gotten such intelligence?
In an instant, Norman's expression shifted unpredictably. He considered countless possibilities, but every one of them pointed to the same conclusion: there was a traitor among the researchers!
"Where I learned of this isn't important, Mr. Osborn." Alvin admired the panic, suspicion, and anger on Norman's face. Only after the man regained his composure did he slowly say, "What's important is that I can help you through this difficulty, isn't it?"
"You? How can you help me?"
Although Alvin had exposed the predicament facing his research, Norman still could not believe him.
Facing Norman's skeptical gaze, Alvin merely smiled without speaking. He spread all five fingers and slowly raised his hand. "Like this."
Suddenly, the liquid in the teacup on the table seemed to be drawn by some force and rose into the air.
Then, under Norman's stunned gaze, the mass of liquid moved freely, shifting into all manner of forms before falling back into the teacup.
"How did you do that?!"
Even Norman, who had weathered countless storms, was left dumbfounded by this display.
At that moment, Alvin seemed to bare his fangs. He slowly took out a bottle of azure liquid from his pocket and gently placed it on the table. "As you can see, Mr. Osborn, I came prepared. This drug is called Compound V. It can awaken the potential of the human body, allowing people to gain what ordinary people call... superpowers!"
Norman had to admit that no matter how much he had experienced, the sight of that bottle of Compound V still made his heartbeat accelerate uncontrollably.
He was certain that the ability Alvin had displayed just now was absolutely not an illusion!
A drug capable of awakening superpowers—if it could truly be realized, then... the passion Norman had not felt in a long time seemed to boil at this very moment!
"What do you want?"
Norman took a deep breath, his face more solemn than ever.
"Very simple."
Alvin snapped his fingers and smiled. "I provide the sample, you handle the research, and we share the results. How about it?"
"Fine. No problem."
Norman agreed without hesitation, then added, "However, research into Compound V cannot be conducted under Osborn's name. We need to avoid the military's attention."
His concern was not without reason. The United States military was notorious for swooping in at the last minute to steal the prize!
If the military discovered Compound V, Osborn would not only gain nothing, but might even be silenced!
"You should establish a company yourself." As expected of a capital tycoon, Norman quickly came up with a solution. "With Stark and Osborn backing you, there won't be any resistance in the early stages. Of course, if you can bring Stark in, you can avoid many unnecessary risks."
That way, they could minimize the chances of the military discovering it too early.
"That's a good idea."
After thinking for a moment, Alvin grinned. "Then... let's call it Vought International."
Before you continue