"Damn! He's coming for me!"
Setting down the phone, Nick Fury's expression looked even darker—like scorched coal—while his single remaining eye flickered with alarm.
Agent Hill remained silent throughout. "Director, the President's orders…"
"Have our people pack up everything—move all of those things immediately!" Fury barked.
"None of these mysterious objects can be allowed to fall into Aaron's hands!"
Hill hesitated. "But the President—"
Fury paused. "Those dangerous items can't be handed over to some unknown individual. We'll just toss him a few random things to fob him off."
Even Fury couldn't directly defy a presidential order. After that, Fury took several more phone calls, all from powerful figures he could not afford to offend. At that moment, he realized he wasn't just up against Aaron—he was up against every political heavyweight who hoped to extend their lives and regain their health. Those short-sighted fools wouldn't bother hearing Fury's side; to them, S.H.I.E.L.D. was merely a bargaining chip to trade with Aaron.
"Mother—f**er!" Fury cursed, slamming the phone down. Then he picked it up again:
"Barbara, figure out Aaron's background and Oscorp's secrets—no matter the cost, understand?"
…
On the other end, Barbara idly fiddled with a blonde doll. She was dressed in a small suit and black stockings—exactly like she had been that day, only doll-sized. Hearing Fury's words, she rolled her eyes and muttered a half-hearted "mhm," not truly taking this new mission seriously.
She had already ended up in the man's bed on their first encounter; what more could she sacrifice? She felt powerless—she'd already lost all her leverage. What could she do? She was pretty desperate.
But...he was so strong.
Unthinkingly, Barbara toyed with the doll in her arms, violently tossing it up and down in midair. The doll got swung around in all sorts of positions—so brutal, yet somehow she enjoyed it. Her body felt all kinds of strange. Though only a day had passed, she found herself wanting to spar with Aaron again, wanting to be like that rag-doll, light and flexible, subjected to frenzied abuse.
She shook for a moment, biting her lip, then finally dialed his number:
"Hey, I've gotten stronger. I want a rematch—yes, with weapons, only staves!"
"Alright, in two hours, come to room XXX at the Madison Hotel."
"I'll come find you."
At Madison Hotel, Aaron hung up the phone. Glancing over at Helen Cho, who was just stepping out of the bathroom, he felt his appetite surge.
"You're busy? I think I heard your phone," Helen Cho asked shyly, clutching her bath towel with a nervous air.
"It's fine—just a colleague from our genetics research team asking a question. Let's handle the important thing first; anything else can wait," Aaron said.
"Genetics research? In that case, I really do want to talk to her sometime!" Helen Cho replied, her professional curiosity piqued. She brightened up at the topic of genetics, and her physical tension melted away.
Aaron gave a cryptic grin. "Oh, don't worry—there'll be a chance. I'll be sure to let you two communicate…really delve into each other's techniques…"
Half an hour later…
Barbara arrived at Madison Hotel in a blur of lights and speed, tracking down the room Aaron had mentioned. She'd bathed, spruced herself up, and lay on the bed in warm lamplight. With half an hour still to the agreed time, her nerves grew by the minute. Her ears pricked up—she could faintly hear noise from the next room. Then, just as quickly, that noise stopped.
"That was fast," Barbara scoffed to herself. Then she heard the sound of a door opening next door—followed by the sound of her room's door opening. Her expression shifted.
Sure enough, Aaron walked in. Barbara's face fell. "I'm sorry…maybe I came at a bad time?"
"No, you're right on time!"
He'd finished the appetizer; now it was time for the second course!
…
The Next Day
Aaron went to his company as usual. Just as he sat down, Norman—after spending all night trying to figure out what was supposedly "missing" from the Goblin Serum—came in with dark circles under his eyes.
"Boss, as you asked, I've already sent invitations to the important people. I expect this upcoming Oscorp Expo will be an unprecedented spectacle," Norman reported.
Aaron didn't much care. "Leave it all to you. If you're short on manpower, ask those people to help out—I'm sure they'll be more than willing."
Norman looked like he wanted to say something. Aaron guessed what was on his mind:
"Don't ask. Yesterday was all nonsense. You didn't actually believe me, did you? Please say you didn't."
Norman opened his mouth, at a loss for words—Why couldn't you say so earlier? I spent all night analyzing the formula…
He managed a wry smile and shook his head. "How could I really believe it? I was just…thinking about the Expo. Other tech companies, government officials—even foreign leaders—might attend."
Aaron still didn't care. Norman, seeing his indifference, quickly moved to another topic.
"Boss, Aldrich Killian at Advanced Idea Mechanics (Pioneer Tech) wants to meet you, to discuss potential collaboration on biotech."
"Tell him to beat it!"
Aaron remained uninterested. "Don't bring that stuff to me again."
"Urgh—very good. And, um, oh—"
Norman glanced at the desk and realized what was happening. He cleared his throat. "Dr. Octavius asked me to deliver this to you."
He produced a custom USB drive. "This is the AI program you requested. According to Dr. Octavius, he's refined it from his previous AI foundation. It surpasses almost all well-known commercial AIs out there. Compared to Tony Stark's, though, it might be lacking."
Now Aaron perked up somewhat. Norman didn't dare step closer. Aaron beckoned with a hand, and an invisible force floated the USB across the room into his grasp.
Norman's pupils shrank. "Boss, this is…"
"This is the power of electromagnetism," Aaron said calmly. He didn't mind revealing a bit of his extraordinary abilities. By the time others finished studying the him from several days ago, Aaron would have gained new powers today. Info is time-sensitive. He would always be steps ahead.
Norman wisely asked no further, swallowing his curiosity. He'd gradually accepted the fact that his boss was full of mysteries. Well…somewhat. Damn, it's still hard to accept…
He again mulled over the Goblin Serum. Maybe it really did just need one last "neutralizing agent"?
Shaking off his own worries, Norman left. Aaron lightly tapped the side of his head— "Continue"—then let a little black hole appear in his right hand to smelt the USB. As streaks of light merged into his body, suddenly a familiar "game" interface popped up before him.
~~~
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