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After Karl and Ancient One reached a new strategic consensus, Ancient One turned a blind eye to his shameless act of casually ordering sorcerers to provide him with "door-opening services."
However, to avoid public outrage among the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj,
this big bald head specifically designated Wanda as the fixed person for opening doors.
This way, even if other sorcerers had opinions, they had nothing to say.
After all, who didn't know that Wanda was personally sent into Kamar-Taj by this Dimensional God!
Their relationship naturally went without saying.
In contrast, Karl's attitude on this matter was more straightforward; he didn't have as many concerns as Ancient One.
Because for him, no matter who the sorcerer opening the door was, as long as the goal was achieved, it was fine.
Of course… it was even better if Wanda opened the door!
This way, he could tease this simple-minded, love-struck girl whenever he had nothing to do.
Watching Wanda's continuously waving small hand before closing the portal, and the shy yet slightly reluctant youthful expression on her pretty face,
even though Karl's heart was already as firm as a rock, he couldn't help but feel a wonderful sense of excitement.
Who would have thought that the sour smell of love… could be so intoxicating!!
And the joy of "nurturing" was something ordinary people simply couldn't experience.
"Selena, how are things going with the acquisition of Rand Industries?"
Karl asked as he walked into the building.
"Boss, all the relevant matters regarding the acquisition were handled last night,"
Selena quietly withdrew her gaze from where Wanda disappeared, deliberately falling half a step behind her boss, taking small steps, and reporting quickly:
"The control of Rand Industries has now been transferred from Harold Meachum and his son to Hyperspace Group."
Just last night, Selena, carrying Madame Gao's head, directly found Harold Meachum, who was under house arrest by The Hand in an apartment attic.
Years ago, the other party, suffering from cancer, made a deal with Madame Gao, and after being successfully resurrected by the dragon bone, officially became a subordinate of The Hand.
Then, with the help of The Hand, he successfully killed Danny Rand's parents, thereby forcibly occupying Rand Industries.
Although Harold Meachum had been imprisoned in this apartment for all these years, under the absolute control of The Hand,
he was still the actual controller of Rand Industries.
He only needed to command his son, Ward Meachum, by phone to manage the company well.
Selena, whose actions were deeply influenced by Karl, wasted no words upon meeting him, directly throwing Madame Gao's head in front of Harold Meachum.
She directly gave the other party two choices.
First, obediently hand over control of Rand Industries, and then you can safely leave New York with the wealth you've accumulated over the years through embezzlement!
Second, I'll kill your whole family first, and then acquire Rand Industries!
Selena believed that as long as the other party was smart, they would know how to choose.
And reality was just as she had expected.
Harold Meachum, who was nearly scared out of his wits, unhesitatingly chose the first option.
He had personally witnessed the methods of Madame Gao and The Hand.
Even billionaires, once they became their target, could have their lives taken in minutes.
But now, even Madame Gao had fallen into The Hands of this woman in front of him, so how could Harold Meachum dare to refuse?
What's more, Rand Industries didn't originally belong to him; he had stolen it through dirty means.
The dividends alone from these years were enough for him and his two children to squander for the rest of their lives.
The woman in front of him was willing to let them leave safely; it was clearly the best outcome.
And so…
Selena easily gained actual control of Rand Industries.
"Well done, thank you for your hard work."
Karl nodded in satisfaction.
Actually, his instruction for Selena to "acquire" Rand Industries was purely incidental—killing two birds with one stone!
Because this Financial Building happened to be an asset of Rand Industries.
Although Rand Industries was just a "small company" with a market value of less than ten billion U.S. dollars, it was nothing to Karl, who now commanded a trillion-dollar business empire.
But after all, even a mosquito's leg is meat!
What's more, Rand Industries' businesses across the U.S. spanned many fields, including real estate, oil, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural machinery.
After the acquisition, it could effectively accelerate Hyperspace Group's external expansion in these areas.
So… why not?
Soon, Karl and his group arrived at the lowest level of the Financial Building, the space where the dragon bone was sealed.
Selena pointed to the "Seal Wall" covered with mysterious runes that stood before them, and explained softly:
"Boss, by reading Madame Gao's blood, I learned that this Seal Wall was formed by the previous Iron Fist using a mysterious power called 'Qi,' and ordinary methods cannot damage it."
"And to lift the seal on this wall, you must rely on the same power."
"The Hand was unable to obtain the dragon bone sealed inside because they failed to successfully capture the current Iron Fist."
Karl said nothing upon hearing this, only nodding slightly, then tentatively placed a hand on the "Seal Wall."
?
Seeing that the system had no reaction at all, Karl immediately shook his head in disappointment.
It seemed that the so-called "Iron Fist power" was nothing special, and it didn't even meet the standard for Hyperspace to devour.
However, in this case, it seemed he could only rely on the power of that "dragon soul" to open this "Seal Wall."
Thinking of this.
Karl slowly raised his right arm, and a dragon soul, imperceptible to the naked eye, with heavy shackles formed by Psionic energy wrapped around its body, was directly released from the Warp.
Although Karl did not personally return to the Warp during this period,
after formulating the "Dual-Line Development Plan for the Real World and the Warp," he had maintained close communication with the Four Lackeys.
This helped Karl make more accurate judgments on the development of events and the progress of the plan, thereby reacting and arranging in advance to maximize his own interests infinitely!!
So when Spider-Gwen killed Iron Fist and successfully plundered Shou Lao's dragon soul, Khorne reported this news to Karl.
Of course, there was also the Revenge Spirit just acquired last night…
However, compared to the Revenge Spirit, which could transform, Karl wasn't particularly fond of this so-called "Sacred Beast" from Kun Lun.
The reason was simple: this "dragon" differed greatly from the image of the "dragon" in Chinese civilization within his memory.
"Shou Lao" had a long body similar to a Chinese dragon and the large wings of a Western dragon; overall, it looked neither sacred nor solemn, but rather had a somewhat evil aura!
In Karl's opinion, this was a typical "four unlikes."
Presumably, some bird-man deliberately created it to be disgusting, so he naturally didn't like it.
If it were the image of a sacred Oriental dragon, Karl might have "worn" it himself.
As for now, it was better to treat it as a special reward and give it to this month's top seller.
This poor dragon soul did not know that it was precisely because of its appearance that it failed to receive the favor of the god of destiny, ultimately becoming a Great Demon in the Warp!
And after this dragon soul appeared, it immediately, like an obedient little darling, actively coiled around Karl's fist, instantly forming the same "radiant" magnificent sight as when Iron Fist unleashed his ultimate move.
No choice.
Because there is no concept of time in the Warp,
although only one night seemed to have passed in the outside World,
for this dragon soul, perhaps several centuries had already passed.
And its originally unruly nature had long been tamed by Khorne within the Warp.
The dragon soul expressed: (╥╯^╰╥) Woo woo woo, it's really because Khorne, that dog, was too ruthless, I can't help but obey~~
"Everyone, step back a little."
Karl ordered, then swung his "glowing" fist heavily onto the "Seal Wall."
Boom—
With a thunderous roar, the entire underground space violently trembled.
And the thick wall, which even bombs couldn't break, shattered like glass in a dazzling light.
The trembling quickly stopped, leaving only rustling dust still drifting down from the cracks in the rock ceiling above them.
Affected by the energy fluctuation just now,
all buildings and electrical public facilities within a 5-kilometer radius centered on the Financial Building short-circuited and lost power at that instant.
Power was only restored after the backup generators automatically started.
As the light rekindled, the dark and massive forbidden space originally hidden behind the "Seal Wall" gradually revealed itself to everyone.
It was, astonishingly, a huge dragon skeleton!
It was also currently the only complete dragon bone remaining outside Kun Lun.
Aooo—
The dragon soul coiling on Karl's hand opened its mouth and let out a mournful cry, seemingly lamenting the tragic fate of its kin.
But the next second, Karl directly sent it back to the Warp.
Zzz—
Karl slowly ascended into the air, then used Cyclops to retrieve a small piece of scrap from the top of the skeleton, landed, handed it to Samuel Sterns, and said:
"Dr. Stern, this is the dragon bone that The Hand has always regarded as a 'sacred object,' capable of resurrecting the dead."
"So I hope you can use it as a research subject and launch a brand new experimental project—to develop a 'Resurrection Potion' that utilizes the immense life energy contained within the dragon bone, does not require complex rituals or special blood catalysis, and can quickly take effect, allowing deceased soldiers to be reborn in a short period of time!!"
That's right, the reason Karl personally came here this time was for these dragon bones that could bring people back to life.
If such a good thing wasn't brought back for thorough research and development, wouldn't it be too wasteful?
If the Resurrection Potion could truly be developed as Karl anticipated, then not only would the casualty rate of various Thunder Warrior Battalions in future wars approach 0, but it would also provide reliable double insurance for the safety of Karl's core important members.
"Tsk tsk tsk, who would have thought that such a magical substance could resurrect the dead?"
Samuel Sterns' eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he immediately began observing the dragon bone in his hand, "Just hearing your description, Boss, I'm already eager to start researching…"
He truly was a research fanatic!
Karl saw that there was no displeasure or resistance on Samuel Sterns' face about being assigned a new task; instead, he again showed that pathological obsession, and knew that this guy must be engrossed in it again.
So he immediately turned to Selena and instructed: "Send people over to first extract some samples for Dr. Stern's research, and the rest can be slowly excavated…"
"This dragon bone is connected to New York's ley lines, so during the excavation process, don't rush, and don't use violent methods for excavation, otherwise it's very likely to cause a large-scale collapse."
Before leaving, Karl also specifically left two One-term Thunderbolt Warriors here to guard, plus the ten Death Walkers arranged by Selena; even if the enemy sent an army to try and seize these dragon bones, they would absolutely not be able to take this place in a short time.
...
…
Vought Corporation.
Homelander's birthday party rehearsal site.
"Happy birth…day, happy…"
Starlight, who was forced onto the stage to sing, repeated the lyrics mechanically, with a blank expression, which greatly displeased Homelander, who quickly interrupted:
"Listen, you can't sing like that. I need you to smile, from the bottom of your heart… with that tone Marilyn Monroe used when singing 'Happy Birthday' to Kennedy, showing a state that complements the party atmosphere."
"I'm warning you, this is my birthday party, no matter how much you fucking dislike it, you have to complete the performance properly… otherwise, I'll let you know how serious the consequences will be."
Facing Homelander's pressure, Starlight finally couldn't bear it and retorted righteously: "It seems necessary to make one thing clear, I know that you don't really care if I can sing this song well,
you just want to use this opportunity to make me act like a puppet at your mercy in front of everyone."
"I understand that you are very displeased that the company made me the new 'co-Captain,' but precisely because of that, I won't do as you say!"
Homelander's smile gradually faded, and he persuaded in a seemingly relaxed tone: "I don't think that's a good idea… You'd better fucking continue singing properly as I just said."
But just as the two were arguing,
a stern voice suddenly came from the audience below, "If Starlight doesn't want to sing, then you have no right to force her to sing!"
A spotlight came on, illuminating CEO Stan Edgar, who slowly began to speak:
"According to the latest poll, approximately 76% of potential viewers will make time to watch the show tonight, all because they want to see Starlight's performance."
"As for you… less than half of the people said they might watch the replay tomorrow or later."
"So, Starlight can decide for herself whether to sing or not!!"
Starlight on the stage immediately showed a joyful expression upon hearing this, and subconsciously puffed out her chest.
Homelander was momentarily speechless, wanting to get angry, but he was constrained by Stan Edgar's power, fearing that the other party would marginalize him again and reduce his exposure, so he had to forcibly hold it back.
A moment later, he angrily blurted out, "Should I leave?"
"Stan, have you forgotten whose birthday party this is?!"