"This isn't difficult."
No sooner had Arthur finished speaking than Tony chimed in, "We just need to get Thor to come over once, and that should do the trick."
"How so?" Arthur asked, intrigued.
"Let Venom try to bond with one of the Asgardians. If that doesn't work, we can bring that comet to Asgard and let the Asgardians handle the Symbiotes as a side project."
Tony then glanced at Venom. "No offense."
"None taken. I'm not particularly close to them anyway," Venom replied nonchalantly.
Arthur considered this idea and felt it had potential. Just as humans have different physiques, Earthlings are suitable hosts for Venom, what about the Asgardians? With Thor off battling Loki, perhaps they should try someone else?
He stroked his chin and said, "Thor probably won't be back anytime soon, but that's fine. I can take on this experiment. What we need to discuss now is: if the experiment ultimately fails, how do we handle these Symbiotes? I mean, how can we safely contain them without destroying them? Until our experiments yield results, whether we end up destroying them or repurposing them, we need to maintain control."
After a brief silence, Natasha spoke up: "There's one thing we must confirm. What is the current state of the Symbiotes on that comet?"
"Dormant," Venom replied. "Otherwise, how could we have been easily trapped in jars?"
"What kind of environment do they need to awaken?" Natasha pressed.
"Probably... a habitable environment?" Venom seemed uncertain.
Natasha then turned to Arthur: "So, dealing with this isn't as complicated as we thought. We just need to place them on a planet that's not very hospitable, an environment harsh enough to keep them dormant. Our research department has already made progress. Many planets near Earth have been surveyed by drones. Finding a suitable planet shouldn't be difficult. The only catch is that someone needs to go to that comet to collect environmental data as a reference, so we can make an informed choice."
"Understood."
Arthur nodded. "I'll take charge of these two matters."
That basically wrapped up the meeting. Arthur casually jotted down notes on the table and summarized:
"Key points: Get the communication devices operational ASAP. We need to see a working product. I think Spider-Man's proposal is solid; let the researchers develop a practical solution. Harry, take care of the Life Foundation's takeover. Start building the media company in San Francisco as soon as possible. As for resources... Tony, can your girlfriend's connections be leveraged for this? Mainly for networking."
"No problem," Tony nodded.
Arthur returned the nod. "Then, form a project team immediately, focusing on company development. I actually have someone in mind for this, but I'll need everyone's agreement."
"Let me guess!" Banner chuckled, "Dr. Connors?"
Arthur sighed, "No suspense here. He's been helping me manage the company's affairs and has plenty of experience."
"And plenty of complaints experience as well," Banner joked.
After sending Dr. Connors' profile to everyone present, the decision was made. The actual negotiations and handling of the matter were entrusted to Banner.
These two got along well personally, and the funniest part was that Arthur, the guy who'd been dodging responsibility, felt a bit embarrassed about stepping up.
Well, that was just a joke. In reality, Arthur's current workload was the heaviest; time was not on his side.
Finally, Arthur looked around at everyone present once more and suddenly laughed:
"A little over a year ago, on a whim, I founded this organization. Mainly because I've seen too much out there in the universe! Too many incredible things, too many horrors. If humanity wants to survive in this world, a certain group must be responsible for ensuring safety. I'm naturally rebellious, unwilling to be bound by bureaucracy, so I decided to establish our Superhero Alliance. Looking at it now, it's grown quite a bit…"
At this point, everyone looked at Arthur, waiting for him to continue.
Arthur pondered for a moment but found himself at a loss for words, feeling awkward. In the end, he turned to T'Challa: "How do you feel? Anything you want to say?"
T'Challa looked puzzled. 'What did this have to do with him? As a newcomer, wasn't he just here to observe?'
"Typical old man, obviously doesn't know what to say," Tony sneered.
"That's very true!" Banner nodded seriously.
Natasha rolled her eyes and stood up: "I'm going to earn my makeup money."
"The name 'Superhero Alliance' was mine!" Spider-Man declared loudly.
The scene instantly spiraled into chaos. Brock felt a bit overwhelmed amidst the madness.
Arthur held his forehead: "Such chaos, such chaos…"
Brock deeply felt Arthur's frustration, then heard him say contentedly, "Yeah, this is us."
Brock immediately wondered if that empathy he felt earlier was just an illusion.
In short, the first meeting of the Superhero Alliance ended successfully. The beginning was serious, the middle was productive, but the ending was rushed.
Yet the outcome was beneficial.
Not only did it organize the current string of events, but it also laid out some plans for future work. At least the big picture was clear. What remained was to implement the details, which meant countless tasks to be assigned to everyone.
Then Tony suddenly realized: he no longer cared about Stark Industries, so why was he so enthusiastically involved in the Superhero Alliance?
What on earth was going on?
Sometimes the excitement fades away, but after the meeting, everyone decided to leave Camp Lehigh to find a place to unwind. Eventually, they piloted Quinjet fighters to a very remote small town and stormed into it with gusto.
The local thugs thought they were some gang trying to grab territory and boldly attempted to intimidate Arthur and the others with threatening glares… Luckily, it was just a glare, and they all lived to tell the tale.
(End of chapter)
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