"This is the interior of Hammer Industries. It's really impressive!"
The spectral figure's single eye moved across the cracks in his ethereal form, taking in the entire scope of Hammer Industries' facilities. As a first-tier military-industrial enterprise second only to Stark Industries, Hammer Industries owned far more than just a single building. The complex contained several factories equipped with high-precision manufacturing equipment.
While Hammer Industries operated numerous facilities across the United States, most were strategically located away from New York's expensive real estate market. No rational business would establish resource-intensive manufacturing in such a costly location.
The underground factory in Queens served a different purpose entirely—research and development rather than mass production. This facility was where prototypes were created and new technologies were tested before being scaled up at their other locations.
Ben was clearly pleased with what would soon become his company's new headquarters.
He was also satisfied with the steel robots Ivan had created.
"Although the existing machines are somewhat outdated, they can still be useful after modification. It would be wasteful to use them as disposable weapons and blow them up."
The raw materials alone for these armored units represented a significant investment, and destroying them all at once just to make a dramatic statement seemed fiscally irresponsible. Ben wasn't wealthy enough to engage in such theatrical waste.
But if the robots didn't explode as planned, there would be complications. After all, they were intended as substitutes for Iron Man technology. If these armors were preserved after the demonstration, both the military and S.H.I.E.L.D. would certainly seek to acquire them.
Ben didn't have the financial resources to compete with such organizations, even with Tony's potential support. The situation would become politically untenable: Tony Stark was already unwilling to share his technology with the government, so if he also interfered with their attempts to acquire Hammer Industries' technology, it would create significant problems.
Therefore, Ben needed to find a way to make S.H.I.E.L.D. and the military voluntarily abandon their interest in Hammer Industries.
This wasn't particularly difficult for him to accomplish.
The reason Justin Hammer was considered a joke, beyond his own incompetence, was largely due to his weapons' reliability issues. When James Rhodes had confidently declared to an enemy, "I'm going to use my ex-wife to blow you up," only to discover that the missile was a dud, everyone understood that Justin Hammer was an absolute clown.
Even if someone later discovered that the "ex-wife" wasn't inherently defective and simply needed distance to arm properly, it wouldn't be able to salvage Hammer Industries' reputation.
Creating similar embarrassing failures was exactly what Ben needed to do.
This was extremely easy for him to accomplish. He didn't even need to transform into Upgrade. Instead, he simply inserted a USB drive into Hammer Industries' computer system.
In an instant, he implanted a new program into their network.
Of course, he didn't intend to let Justin Hammer and Ivan's preparations come to complete ruin. After all, for a large enterprise like Hammer Industries, it would be difficult to cause total collapse unless things got completely out of hand.
There needed to be a balance between chaos and control.
It all depended on how carefully he managed the situation.
Time passed day by day as the Expo approached.
Before the event began, Ben and Norman Osborn completed their division of Mandel Stormm confiscated wealth. The former Green Goblin had accumulated substantial assets during his time as an Osborn Industries shareholder.
Stormm had cleverly used his wealth to establish a foundation. Theoretically, even with his identity as the Green Goblin now confirmed, Norman wouldn't be able to access those funds directly.
However, Norman had been working in the business field for many years and possessed more than just technical knowledge. There was always room for maneuvering with these legal complexities.
Things that seemed impossible in principle might sometimes be achievable; things that appeared possible in theory might also prove unattainable. The key was maintaining flexibility.
This was especially true in a country where financial incentives could solve most problems.
With Norman Osborn's considerable influence and resources, none of these obstacles were insurmountable.
At this moment, Ben and Norman were sitting in the study of Osborn Manor, drinking tea and dividing their spoils.
"So, you're planning to acquire Hammer Industries?" Norman looked thoughtful.
Ben had just explained how Ivan Vanko, who had attacked Iron Man, had faked his death and been rescued by Justin Hammer. After a series of manipulations, Norman understood Ben's strategy.
Then he began considering how feasible this plan actually was.
"Complete acquisition is almost impossible," Norman said carefully.
"Hammer Industries used to be comparable in size to the original Osborn Corporation, and after Stark Industries announced they would stop manufacturing weapons, Hammer quickly seized the weapons market and became the military's largest partner. They're currently in their heyday."
"Although Justin Hammer is an indisputable fool, the other shareholders of the company aren't equally stupid. Even if something unexpected happens and causes Hammer Industries to fail publicly, their factories and industrial infrastructure won't be ignored by other major corporations."
Norman's assessment was entirely accurate.
However, from another perspective, Ben's early awareness of these events did provide him with certain advantages, though compared to established industrial giants, Primus's current strength remained relatively weak.
"In that case, I won't transfer the money from the Mandel Stormm for now," Norman decided after brief consideration.
Norman absolutely supported the acquisition of Hammer Industries. As America's most prosperous military contractor, Hammer Industries possessed advanced technology and supply chains. While such equipment was of limited use to a biotechnology company like Osborn Industries, it would be invaluable for Primus.
With the Mandel Stormm's substantial cash reserves, Primus would have more influence in any negotiation.
"But you have to be mentally prepared," Norman warned. "Even with this money, you're only qualified to sit at the negotiating table."
In response, Ben simply smiled. "Tony Stark has promised to provide financial support."
"Really?" Norman raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn't expected that Ben had quietly established contact with Tony.
This changed the situation significantly.
Norman thought for a moment, then seemed to reach a decision. "In that case, let's do something big!"
Norman declared that since Stark, despite being somewhat peripheral to their usual business, had gotten involved, he as Ben's mentor naturally couldn't remain silent.
"I will temporarily suspend Osborn's other research projects and withdraw all available funds."
Ben was stunned by this declaration.
He had genuinely wanted Norman's support, but he hadn't expected him to commit so completely without hesitation.
After all, the acquisition of Hammer Industries wouldn't bring any direct benefits to Osborn, and with the additional investment from the Mandel Stormm, Ben wondered whether Norman would even be able to pay his employees' salaries if this continued.
But Norman assured him there was no need to worry.
Osborn was an established company with many years of history, and some of its core industries remained profitable.
With Norman Osborn's support, Ben became much more confident about taking over Hammer Industries.
A few days later, Norman held another press conference to completely restore Dr. Connors's reputation. He announced that Connors had been located and was receiving treatment through the joint efforts of Osborn Industries and Primus Technologies.
Although Connors, who was nominally still "receiving treatment," couldn't yet see his wife and son, at least during this period, the criticism they had suffered because of his condition had finally begun to change.
And finally, the time arrived for the Expo to begin.
Peter Parker, carrying his school bag, stood on tiptoe trying to see over the long line of visitors, his heart full of regret.
"If I had known, I would have gone in with Ben."
As Primus was a participating exhibitor, and Ben happened to know Tony personally, there were naturally plenty of VIP tickets available. Right now, Ben Sr., May, and even Mary Jane were already sitting in the front seats of the Primus venue, waiting for the exhibition to officially open.
But for some reason, Peter had been unable to enter with them.
However, the reason for his delay wasn't related to his Spider-Man superhero career, but because J. Jonah Jameson, the owner of the Daily Bugle, had found him and given him a new assignment—to photograph the expo and interview as many celebrities as possible.
"If you can reveal the true identity of the mysterious boss of Primus, my newspaper will sell like hotcakes!" Peter's mind was still replaying the image of Jameson yelling at him with a cigar clenched between his teeth.
For the upper class, discovering Ben's identity wasn't particularly difficult, but for ordinary people, the boss of Primus remained a mystery.
Peter shook his head and adjusted the camera hanging around his neck. "It's a pity that Ben wouldn't accept my interview."
"Who won't accept your interview?"
At that moment, a blonde girl suddenly appeared beside him and winked playfully.
The sudden surprise almost made Peter jump. He only relaxed when he saw who was speaking to him.
"You—you're Gwen Stacy?"
Peter obviously recognized her, but was more surprised than anything else.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, stuttering slightly.
Gwen seemed to be in a good mood. She looked around and said, "Are you visiting the Expo alone?"
Peter shook his head reflexively, but the words that came out of his mouth were: "Yes, yes, just me."
"Then, together?"
Peter nodded without thinking.
Although the person he liked was Liz Allen, she had shown no interest in him anyway. Now it seemed like spending time with Gwen might be a good idea, right?
Backstage at the venue, all the entrepreneurs and scientists attending the exhibition had gathered together. The real highlight of the exhibition would be in the evening, and visitors were free to explore during the day.
Ben, Norman, and Harry sat together, and many people approached to greet Norman. Ben turned his head and saw Felicia waving at her mother, Mrs. Hardy, from behind. Next to them stood a slightly overweight man in a white coat.
Noticing Ben's gaze, the man walked over and extended his hand.
"Nice to meet you. Otto Gunther Octavius."