"Yes, yes, I have the situation under control." Agent Coulson stood in the distance with a communicator, reporting to his superior Nick Fury on the other side.
"…"
"That Black Bolt? It's clear those people either have faith in him or fear him. He can only communicate through his wife, Lady Medusa; only she can understand Black Bolt's hand gestures." Coulson turned to glance at the taciturn man in the crowd in the distance. "I think he should learn sign language for the deaf."
"…"
"Another group? They seemed a little overly emotional. When they saw the crystal, they thought we had reached some kind of cooperation agreement with Black Bolt and were in the same group. We had to use physical coercion to calm them down."
"…"
"Black Bolt's men? They're versatile, and some of them have pretty good abilities. But I don't think their current situation is a good one."
"…"
"My observation is that Black Bolt is a relatively gentle individual without significant ambitions. He can be recruited and won over. As for Maximus, all we know comes from Crystal and the others, so there may be some discrepancies in their perspectives."
"…"
"I understand." Coulson answered Nick on the other side of the communicator, turned off the communication and walked straight towards Black Bolt and his group.
Black Bolt saw Coulson approaching and gestured towards him. Coulson turned his gaze to Medusa beside Black Bolt, who translated, "We are very grateful for sending the crystal and helping us deal with these people. Attilan is willing to enter into a friendly alliance with you if we can regain power this time."
"If you need anything, you can contact us. We can provide you with certain assistance. Of course, due to risk issues, this assistance is limited to certain equipment and technical support, and it is paid." Coulson shook hands with Black Bolt and said.
Black Bolt made a few more gestures.
"He said he was very grateful." Medusa translated on behalf of Black Bolt.
"Then I wish you all the best. We will detain them temporarily." Coulson took a few steps back, glanced at Oran and a group of people who were lying on the ground and tied up, and said with a smile.
Black Bolt and the others nodded. They didn't have the energy, the manpower, or the energy to deal with these people right now, nor could they ask Coulson and the others to release them and allow them to return to their service to Maximus. Medusa, with her power-conscious mindset, saw these people's lives as irrelevant for the time being. On the contrary, their detention would be more beneficial to their upcoming operations.
Coulson watched the big dog named Locktooth twist and disappear with Black Bolt and the others one by one, and then he returned with the Inhuman prisoners of war from S.H.I.E.L.D.
Soon after, powerful energy fluctuations were detected on the moon, which was being observed by various instruments. A city suddenly appeared on the far side of the moon.
…
Osborne Corporate Building.
Early that morning, Norman Osborn stood in front of the door with his son Harry Osborn.
"Pay attention, the next period is a critical one that will determine whether our Osborn will take off or not. You have grown up, and it is time for you to get involved in some company affairs. When Field, the founder of Heybollen, was your age, he had already established his own authority in the field of mechanics." Norman looked stern and taught Harry in a serious tone.
"I know."
"You don't know! If we fail this time, we will fall behind in this competition. Osborn cannot fall behind, understand?" Norman snorted, interrupting Harry's perfunctory answer which was somewhat insincere.
He was very disappointed with Harry's performance. He had talent and ability, but he didn't use them in the right place! Fortunately, he still had a lot of time to slowly train and correct himself.
Osborn Enterprises recovered a large amount of blood with the help of the blood factor, and his own body became much healthier under the effect of the longevity potion. He is now full of energy and does not seem like a middle-aged or elderly person with a genetic disease and declining energy.
Osborn Industries is now wealthy, and Norman has regained his youth and health. Norman is grateful for everything Luke has done. Even though he never thought he could help him, the truth is, ironically, the cake and technology Luke unleashed saved him and his Osborn. In this sense, it's no exaggeration to say that Luke is his and Osborn's savior.
But this kind of gratitude can only be thought about in one's heart. Norman, whose businessman attributes are higher than that of a researcher, does not have the pure behavior and impulse to actually repay Luke.
Unless there are greater benefits!
Just like now!
While Norman was still marveling at the bloodline gene cake Luke had created and consolidating his share of it, Luke had already come up with a bigger, more promising, and more exciting cake. This time, the cake was even bigger! There were even more raw materials to create new cakes later!
Unlike the vampire factor, this was a legitimate piece of cake, a large enough pie that could be consumed over decades or even centuries! The profits were so huge, and the prospects so broad, that even a seasoned veteran like Norman couldn't maintain his composure and rationality.
Osborne certainly would not be anyone's vassal.
But if the profit is too great to refuse, then it's not impossible to humble oneself and face reality. A giant's ability to withstand storms is certainly great, but what if it's a tsunami? Rejecting the offer is tantamount to refusing to go ashore. Future elimination is inevitable.
Norman understood this, and so did the invited companies. Since Heberon and S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't have a huge appetite, they had to seize the opportunity to advance further, or at least maintain their position.
"They're coming." Norman's expression suddenly changed. He straightened his clothes and said to Harry beside him with a serious expression, "Follow us."
Luke and Nick got out of the car and saw Norman coming towards them with a smile on his face. They looked at each other and saw a smile in each other's eyes.
"Welcome to Osborn Industries."
After some greetings and introductions, Norman took Luke and the others to Osborn Building.
"Have you finished the product yet?" Nick asked Norman quietly in the four-person elevator. He had taken the time to come here to receive the news that Norman had successfully produced the product. To this end, he had even brought in Luke, the source technology provider, as his advisor.
"Of course." Norman said without hesitation, "Luke has already provided the corresponding production technology and equipment. If we can't master the use of those instruments and master the technology to create a finished product after such a long time, it would be too disappointing, wouldn't it?
"You're partnering with giants like us because we have the best talent pool, the greatest risk tolerance, the best capital flow, the best equipment, the best channels, the best connections, and the best reputation. This is a very smart and rational choice! Luke's technology is too advanced in the early stages. Even with the help of various manuals, it's not something that companies outside of the giants can master in a short period of time."
"I hope so." Nick did not comment on Norman's boasting.
Four people walked out of the elevator.
"This is a laboratory that has just been modified according to Hebolon's standards. All the materials used are provided by Hebolon according to demand and can provide the best protection. When we actually enter, we have to wear some protective clothing. This is not to say that it is unsafe inside, but for safety reasons, we should be prepared." Norman said, wanting to take Luke and the others to change into protective clothing.
"No, no, no, no need. We have better protection methods." Nick waved his hand, and a ring on his hand, driven by him, formed an almost transparent energy suit outside his body.
"Okay, then Harry, come with me." Osborn glanced enviously at the ring on Nick's finger. Unfortunately, the manufacturing technology for the ring wasn't something Hebern was willing to license, and even if it were, Osborn wouldn't have the resources to participate anytime soon. He had already poured all his wealth and energy into the project at hand. It had absorbed most of Osborn's talent and loan funds.
Even if Osborne had the technology, he couldn't afford the corresponding supporting equipment. Other giants were similar. After obtaining a license based on their needs and areas of expertise, they used almost half of the remaining loan to purchase Haibolun's technical supporting equipment. So while there was certainly competitive pressure on these companies, direct competition was rare.
For example, in the fields of biological genes and industrial machinery, their competition is currently focused on the competition for various future orders.
Soon, Norman and Harry changed into light white protective clothing and came out. After disinfection, they took Luke and Nick into the closed laboratory.
"I have to say that the properties of those materials are great. After our tests, the properties of those materials from unknown places have surpassed most of the materials we currently know. If we can have more materials, our achievements will definitely not be limited to this!" Norman stood in front of a metal table and talked to Luke and Nick.
"You don't need to explain this, Mr. Osborne. We know the special features of these materials better than you do. I just want to see what the technological achievements you mentioned are. As for the material quota, the fittest will survive. If your technological achievements are truly excellent, then naturally you will get more material quotas in the next distribution." Nick interrupted Norman. He didn't want to argue with a cunning man like Norman. He was the powerful party right now! So he naturally had the confidence to ask for more, or to be impolite.
"Okay, okay, I understand your impatience." Norman didn't mind and continued smiling. He said to a researcher beside him, "Prepare our products and bring them out."
Norman stepped back a few steps, clearing the metal table. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a researcher carefully came out, holding a metal wristband. After placing it on the metal table, he stepped back slightly, panting.
"Matador wristbands." Norman stood in front of the stage, excitedly introducing them to Luke and the others. As he spoke, the metal stage converted the wristbands' performance into data, displaying it before everyone's eyes.
"We set the physical fitness limit of ordinary people to 10, which means that whether it is strength, stamina, speed or other factors, they are all within the range of 10. But after equipping this wristband, the strength can be increased by at least twice the limit! That is to say, he is born with a strength of 20." Norman introduced to Nick in easy-to-understand words.
"Is it just a boost in strength? Such a sudden increase in strength would be very taxing on the human body, right?" This wasn't the first time Nick had encountered equipment like this. Simply increasing strength without improving anything else was meaningless. This kind of superman was more like a sick superman. How much strength could a sick superman unleash? He might even injure himself first.
"Please rest assured about this. The material of the wristband ensures the safety of the wearer. There will be no such thing as a punch hitting a hard object and breaking bones due to excessive force or brittle bones. I don't know how the technology provided by Heberon achieves this. Maybe it's because of the characteristics of the material itself, but this is the fact. You don't need to worry about any major hidden dangers in these equipment." Norman shook his head.
"Please continue," Nick gestured.
"The reason why it's called the bullfighter's wristband is because it can provide more power and even speed when attacking red! It's as dangerous as a bull hitting a red curtain." Norman stroked the rough lines on the bullfighter's wristband and said emotionally.
"Sounds good. I think the military guys would like this." Nick smiled. "Are there any more products?"
"This is just an appetizer. In fact, according to Heberon's system of evaluating strength based on color, the bullfighter wristband can only be said to be blue. We have better ones." Norman responded confidently.
"Then continue with the introductions. We still have a test session to go through after that." Nick asked Luke in a low voice. After Luke nodded, he stood up straight again and said to Norman.
A researcher came up carrying a jewelry box.
Norman took the box with a smile on his face. Under the gaze of Luke and Nick, he opened the box, revealing a necklace inside. The necklace was made entirely of silver-white metal, with a blazing white gem hanging from the front.
"Evil Spirit Necklace." Norman carefully held the box in front of Luke and the others, explaining, "The inner core is forged from the crystallized soul of a deceased demon. It has been processed using Hebron's craftsmanship."