Osborn's Star

"Sorry, everyone. Doctor Otto and I were delayed by a few matters."

Every movement of the enormous mechanical arms drew gasps from the crowd, and several military personnel had their eyes light up as they watched.

"Ahem." Harry stepped to the center of the podium and tugged at his collar. "It seems everyone is more interested in Doctor Otto's assistants, but they are not for sale."

"Mr. Osborn, Doctor Otto, we all know that during the last demonstration experiment, Doctor Otto had to control the Reactor from the side. Is it the same this time?" a reporter raised a hand and asked.

Harry looked at Otto and handed him the microphone.

"No, of course not." Doctor Otto forced himself to smile. "After multiple experiments, we have established a new mathematical model and improved the magnetic confinement device accordingly. Naturally, there is no longer any need for manual control."

"We used multiple non-planar coils to construct a magnetic confinement system. As everyone knows, when the isomagnetic lines form continuous closed curves..."

"Wait, Doctor Otto!" Perhaps the consecutive sleepless nights had made Doctor Otto muddle-headed, because Harry hurriedly stopped him from rattling off technical jargon.

"Uh... sorry."

Laughter broke out across the venue.

"Sorry," Harry said with a smile toward the audience. "Doctor Otto is too tired, so let's not say any more. We'll get straight to today's main event."

"Ladies and gentlemen, I wonder if you feel the same way I do: the starry sky always makes us feel incomparably small, while the stars are beautiful yet beyond our reach."

"But today will be the closest any of you have ever come to the stars. Please behold the Osborn Group's star!"

At Harry's command, beams of high-energy radiation suddenly passed through the suspended Tritium Element, then triggered resonance according to Doctor Otto's design. A brilliant radiance appeared within the reactor core—

Bzzzz—

Even with sunglasses on, the blinding glare forced everyone to close their eyes and avoid its brilliance. Only Harry could stare directly at this masterpiece without being affected!

"Now, the Osborn Group holds a star in its hands."

[Mission: Energy Monopoly]

[Establish and control the New York City Power Grid, completed]

[Nuclear Fusion project achieved, mission exceeded]

[Mission Reward: Electric Lifeform, superconducting materials science]

Crackle!

Terrifying arcs of electricity suddenly erupted from the energy storage facility, only to vanish without a trace an instant later.

Everyone had been dazzled by the glare, and no one saw it. Only Harry experienced a strange sensation.

His consciousness had linked with this newborn little life.

Just as Gaia gave birth to Uranus and the many Celestials, and God created Adam and Eve, Harry was this little life's creator.

"And I... will call you Leining."

The little fellow's joy reached Harry's mind, then it vanished into the power grid.

"The total energy output has reached positive levels. The Reactor is operating steadily, Mr. Osborn! Everything is going smoothly!" Max's voice resounded through the venue via the communicator.

Now, it was time to accept the applause and cheers!

"Earth's Sun: Osborn, Humanity's Light." New York Daily

"We Have Grasped a Star—Cheer for the Osborn Group!" Daily Bugle

"New York Electricity Prices Plummet, Residents of Other States: Governor, Hurry Up and Get Us One Too!"

"With electricity prices falling, New York State's production costs have greatly decreased. Is a new industrial revolution coming?"

Evening.

After finishing their social obligations, Norman and Harry returned home.

"You are my pride, son." Norman looked at Harry with immense gratification. "I know my expectations of you used to be excessively high, but I never imagined you would do ten thousand times better than I expected."

Harry shrugged and poured Norman a glass of red wine.

"Actually, I never felt it was pressure."

Harry was telling the truth. In his previous life, he had been an orphan, and even after entering society, he had always been alone. The expectations of family would not make him feel overly pressured.

"Compared to what you've achieved, it really doesn't count as much pressure." Norman teased. "What's next? Oh, and barring any surprises, the results of next year's Governor election are already settled."

"As expected."

Given Norman's current circumstances, it would not have been impossible for him to run directly for US President. However, the presidential election had just ended, so there was nowhere for him to run even if he wanted to.

Besides, if he became US President now, the transition of power would coincide perfectly with an alien invasion. The outcome would be utterly miserable.

Of course, becoming the Governor of New York State would not be much better, but Harry naturally had a way to help his father.

"I heard Stark seems to have come up with something incredible over there. It could very well pose a threat to us."

As Norman spoke, he activated the projection.

The image showed intelligence he had obtained through his information channels.

As expected, it described the Mark I, along with "some kind of powerful energy source"—the Arc Reactor.

"That's indeed the case." Harry waved a hand.

"But the threat does not come from that shiny Reactor. It comes from the thing in front of it."

Harry's words piqued Norman's interest. In his view, whatever Stark had cobbled together could not compare to their own Power Armor at all.

"But Father, there's no need to worry too much. Do you remember the role of our Power Armor?"

It was war equipment, an armored unit that could shield infantry on broad battlefields and completely replace tanks in urban combat.

This technology came from the system. Its prototype was a series called Fallout, though its batteries were Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators. The system was especially stingy in that regard.

It was war technology that could be used by ordinary soldiers, not a superhero suit. In terms of functionality, it was indeed inferior to the Mark armor that would soon make its debut.

The key to Harry's technology lay in the Exoskeleton. Power Armor was, bluntly put, just an outer shell placed over an Exoskeleton. Its function was similar to a tank's, but it was more flexible. The Mark armor, meanwhile, contained many built-in systems: filtration systems, weapons systems, personal computers—speaking of personal computers, Harry suspected that thing's processing power could even be used for mining, and it would probably be quite efficient.

And... Harry clearly remembered that during Stark's first test flight, he had collided head-on with the wing of a high-speed fighter jet—and Stark had been completely fine.

Harry's Power Armor might not turn into scrap metal from that kind of impact, but the person inside might not be so lucky.

Film and television productions often portrayed these combat units as fragile as paper, but now this had become an unresolved mystery Harry urgently needed to solve.

"So... you mean that although his tin can is technologically powerful, it won't replace our technology?" Norman seemed to understand Harry's thinking somewhat, but he did not know how Harry had reached that conclusion.

Harry nodded.

"Then... what about this mysterious Reactor?"

Hearing his father's question, Harry smiled and opened the hidden door in the living room.

"You mean this?"

In the laboratory behind the door, a Reactor emitting a blue glow shone brilliantly.

"We have already mastered Cold Fusion technology. Miniaturization is only one final step away."