Changing the topic, he asked with a hint of curiosity, "Did you know Natalie Rushman was suspicious?"
Aaron raised his eyebrow and did not reply.
Tony had an expression of realization.
"Wow, you didn't tell me yesterday!"
"??? You didn't ask either."
Aaron wasn't exactly a partner of justice, and Tony wasn't any sort of good person.
If it were a beautiful woman, maybe Aaron would consider giving a reminder.
But for a grown man, nope—he could scram and mind his own business.
Tony glanced at Felicia, then at Connors.
"If you have something to say, hurry and say it. If you need to fart, just let it out. There are no outsiders here."
Tony's actions did not escape Aaron's notice. Even the tiniest change in heartbeat, micro-expressions, and subtle movements quickly came and went.
Clearly, it wasn't good news.
After some thought, Tony's expression turned serious for once.
"Aaron, what do you think of this world?"
From that question, Aaron immediately guessed what Tony intended to say.
"You joined that National something..."
"The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, now renamed S.H.I.E.L.D.," Tony interjected. "That was my suggestion—short and catchy, right?"
"You're a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant now?"
Leaning back in his chair, Aaron let Felicia come over and massage his temples.
Taking in the scent of her body, Aaron drew in a greedy breath.
Wow, he's enjoying life even more than I do!
Tony instinctively glanced at Pepper. Well, to this day he still doesn't have a new secretary. He could only imagine such scenarios.
"For now, you could say that, yeah."
Tony was afraid Aaron might misunderstand. "I'm not a spy, nor am I working for them. I just feel Fury has a point."
Aaron cut him off before he could continue: "Something about saving the world? Being a righteous sidekick?"
Tony was momentarily stunned. Then Aaron continued, "Those things are for high-schoolers to think about."
"Why?"
"Because plenty of adults would rather see the world destroyed anyway. It's the teenagers with their rebellious fantasies who dream of being saviors all day long."
"Heh, funny, isn't it?"
Tony looked awkwardly at Pepper and Connors, but got no response.
"All right, I haven't actually joined yet," Tony shrugged helplessly. "You're right; I should go visit a high school. Maybe Midtown High? College is an option too—Empire State University is pretty good."
"But back on topic, don't you think this country is in a lot of danger and needs someone to protect it?"
Aaron pointed at his own face.
"Huh?" Tony was puzzled.
"I don't think they want someone of my skin color saving them. Someone like you is more suitable."
"In a sense, this place has nothing to do with me, right?"
Aaron's words carried a deeper meaning.
Tony suddenly understood, imagining Aaron was from Krypton. Indeed, this country had nothing to do with him.
"What does Krypton look like?" Tony suddenly asked.
Aaron waved him off: "You should ask DC Comics. They'll tell you."
"I did ask them. They said the inspiration for the character came from a flying man. Was that your compatriot, or just their imagination?"
"Who knows?"
Seeing that Aaron's attention was entirely elsewhere—admiring the beautiful mountain scenery—Tony realized all his words were in vain.
"All right then, remember to set aside a few sets of the Newborn treatment for me... maybe three sets?"
Tony briefly thought of Happy, then dismissed the idea, and instead planned ahead for kids he might have in the future—who knew.
"No matter the cost, I'll pay it!"
"Connors, remember what Mr. Stark said. Give him the goods and see how much he's willing to pay."
The date for the Expo was set for June 5th.
Aaron didn't mind selling Tony three doses before the Expo began.
Just in time to use that money to pay off those fat rats.
"Oh right, give him the 'Newborn #1' version with lifetime service. This is a VIP customer!"
Connors nodded to show he understood.
Tony asked curiously, "Newborn #1? What's the difference?"
Aaron didn't explain, so Professor Connors picked up the conversation: "Newborn #1 has the best and most reliable effects.
"Later we'll release a 'Newborn #2' version with anti-aging properties, super healing, anti-cancer effects, etc. They're basically diluted forms of #1, and only about one percent as potent. You'd need long-term use to see good results.
"With Newborn #1, just one dose per month maintains its best effects. But even taking Newborn #2 every day can't achieve half that power.
"Still, Newborn #2's effects remain impressive. Cancer will no longer be a terminal illness, and it won't be expensive. As long as there are no accidents, everyone can live to be a hundred!"
"As for the Newborn #1 package, it can keep you healthy and worry-free up to at least a hundred and twenty years, with everlasting youth!"
Hearing that, Tony and Pepper both got very excited.
Only by hearing it in person could they understand how astounding this was!
There was no doubt that if the first half of 2010 belonged to Apple's iPhone 4, and the second half to Stark Industries, then after 2010, the era would belong to Osborn—no, it would belong to Aaron!
Newborn #1 was aimed at wealthy elites, and Newborn #2 at the general public.
The former could cost a thousand or ten thousand times as much as the latter, yet people would still flock to it.
Everyone would go crazy for it.
The Osborn Group—or the A Group, as one might call it—would become an enormous titan.
Truly wealth on the scale of entire nations!
Tony imagined it for a moment, feeling his own breathing grow labored. He couldn't even picture the terrifying heights to which the Osborn Group might rise.
A company that rivals a major country? It might not be a mere dream!
"Aaron, congratulations on getting rich!"
Tony wore a complicated expression; previously he'd dismissed most of the rumors as hype. Only now did he realize the magnitude of the threat Stark Industries faced.
Thinking it through, Tony spoke earnestly: "I recommend you pay extra attention to security."
"This stuff is going to make people go insane!"
Aaron understood perfectly what Tony meant.
He smiled. "Insane? I'm actually looking forward to seeing just how crazy they can get."
"I'll be right here waiting for them—if they dare to come."
Such confidence!
To be honest, for a split second, Tony tried picturing himself in Aaron's shoes and got goosebumps.
If he didn't handle this well, he could end up making enemies of the entire world's rich and powerful!
"Good luck…"
A dozen minutes later,
Tony left, carrying a briefcase and wearing a complicated expression.
"Boss, a reporter from Fortune magazine wants an interview about your future business dev—"
Happy started to speak as he came over, but Tony gestured for him to stop.
"Tell them to look for Aaron."
Then he climbed into his car without a backward glance.
A Fortune interview? No way. One month I'd be boasting of my brilliance, and by next month I'd be kicked off the throne.
What a joke!
"Pepper, call an immediate shareholders' meeting. Stark Industries has to move forward; we need to protect our core holdings!"
"Damn it!"
Tony was unwilling to be sidelined so easily, to be overtaken so thoroughly. Where did this monstrous genius even come from?
Yet right after Tony Stark departed from Osborn Group, a seemingly insignificant piece of news popped up on major media outlets.
The content was quite brief, but there was a single, very clear photo:
Tony, carrying a briefcase, exiting Osborn Group with a solemn expression.
The Osborn Group logo was clearly visible, alongside a phoenix-like rebirth symbol.
To those unaware, it meant nothing.
But certain people began running around because of that small photograph.
One meeting request after another bombarded the Osborn Group's front desk.
And then got forwarded to the CEO's secretary's office, all hoping to schedule a meeting with Aaron as soon as possible.
But it was all in vain.
Right after Tony left,
Aaron took Felicia and Helen Cho to the storage room as usual—to melt down everything the Osborn Group had collected.
Perhaps because everyone was turning a blind eye, any items sent to Osborn Group got the green light all the way.
So this time, there was more than ever.
Some items Aaron couldn't even name until he carefully looked them up online.
But after melting a large amount of things, especially after absorbing the water bear and the "Celestial Flower," his body was already approaching a state of earthly perfection.
Whether it was the regenerative shrimp mantis, sea cucumber, leech, zebrafish, or various species, it no longer provided a huge boost or brand-new abilities.
But that's not to say there were no gains.
After melting certain parasites, like horsehair worms and Toxoplasma gondii, Aaron gained a sort of parasitic control ability:
[Neural Control: You can create energy-based special parasites that latch onto a host's nerves and control their actions and behavior.]
And after absorbing pitcher plants, Venus flytraps, and certain animals/insects that produce chemical hormones,
Aaron's own abilities integrated and evolved further,
giving him a more refined control over hormones:
[Hormone Control: You can more easily release all sorts of critical pheromones and hormones, enabling hypnotic or manipulative effects through speech or behavior, possibly even altering the opponent's normal metabolism (it's advised not to use this haphazardly; no one knows what might happen if you apply it too boldly—maybe it'll attract a mother spider, mother sheep, mother ape, or even a vampire?).]
Beyond that, the biggest harvest by far was from absorbing various octopus species—he gained multiple abilities!
[Super Learning: You possess a powerful capacity to learn. Working together, your brain and body can effortlessly replicate actions or abilities you observe, quickly mastering them.]
[Gene Editing: You can manipulate and edit the RNA-based genes of yourself or others as you see fit. (Warning: If you don't want to turn yourself into a bizarre-looking creature or sprout extra appendages, don't randomly tamper with your own genes.)]
[Dual-Wield Mastery: You possess extraordinarily coordinated motor skills; each arm, leg, or even each finger can perform different actions simultaneously.]
[Superior Brain: Your brain has advanced yet again, further boosting your logical and memory capacities.]
Needless to say, this set of abilities provided a clear boost to combat power, surprising even Aaron.
He also gained a miniature gene-editing power.
Even a fragment of the Celestial's power struggles to accomplish that.
This means he can freely rearrange his RNA gene expressions and even alter other organisms, including RNA viruses.
If he wanted, he could gradually engineer all sorts of RNA viruses, or modify existing ones like HIV or Ebola—either making them gentler or making them more terrifying.
"A real-life Plague Inc. in the Marvel world?"
Aaron thought about it and decided it would be best not to touch it.
The Primordial Forge had already issued a warning, and his body was already extremely refined. With that Forge merged into him, his potential was endless.
If he got cocky and messed around, he might end up doing more harm than good, which wasn't worth it.
As for extra appendages…
Aaron figured he'd pass on that. It'd be weird. He had no interest in attacking from both the front and back simultaneously!
Looking at the other abilities, he saw that most were more supportive in nature.
He wondered whether Neural Control could also control energy-based lifeforms.
If so, it might be highly useful!
Hormone Control… Maybe he could have a go at using it on someone like Kilgrave (the Purple Man)?
What really caught Aaron's interest was the Super Learning skill.
"With this ability, does that mean I just have to see something once to master it?"
"All kinds of martial arts and weapons usage—even… magic?"
Aaron wondered if he could try going to Kamar-Taj for training.
Maybe he could learn all their magic in a month?
It seemed viable!
"Let's first test how strong this power is."
With that in mind, he went online and started binging a series of martial arts videos.
His brain functioned like a sponge, constantly absorbing knowledge.
After watching them once,
Brain: Done, I know this now!
Arms and legs: Same here!
Aaron: Got it!
He closed his eyes and recalled the movements: each point of force, each subtle shift, replaying them repeatedly.
He naturally began practicing: Wing Chun, Tai Chi, Xing Yi, Sanda, Boxing…
Anything that could be found online, he watched—and could replicate perfectly.
No, not just replicate!
With his enhanced learning ability, and perfect control of his body, he could confidently say that as long as the knowledge in these online tutorials was correct, he could perform them flawlessly, even surpassing their instructors.
Master surpassing the teacher!
This time, he spent a full three hours in the storage room.
By the end of it, Aaron—a fighter who once relied solely on his body's innate talent—had become a grandmaster of countless unarmed combat styles and armed combat techniques!
Even if he fought using only human-level strength, he felt confident he could beat all those top-tier agents.
"I've studied for so long; time to relax."
He rubbed his head, which wasn't even slightly fatigued. His brain showed no signs of strain after absorbing so much knowledge so quickly.
Still, Aaron didn't want to turn himself into a machine that only studied.
A healthy balance of work and play was key.
Leaving the storage room, he took Felicia and Helen Cho—who had been waiting outside, bored—and went off to find Skye to play poker.
He wanted to test out his newly enhanced coordination, after all.
As for what was happening in the outside world? Aaron didn't even bother.
Felicia wanted to speak but ended up unable to do so under Aaron's "method," only managing some muffled noises.
Only one person, far away in Missouri on business, Norman, was feeling exceptionally frustrated as his phone kept ringing non-stop with emails, texts, and calls.
Once he understood the situation, he had a massive headache.
Should he or shouldn't he take these calls?
If they can't reach the boss, why come to me?
I don't know anything either!
His eyes flickered, and Norman slammed his phone to the floor and stomped on it.
"Damn it, who's been visiting shady sites on my phone? It's got a virus now!"
Meanwhile, in the skies above,
A meteor streaked across.
In Puente Antiguo, New Mexico, a severe magnetic disturbance occurred.
It was accompanied by a massive storm and strange auroras.
Energy readings in the area soared,
And some people even claimed to see a pillar of light shooting into the sky!
In the midst of something rather important, Aaron felt the odd disturbance in the weather.
He looked up toward the southwest,
Then lowered his head again.
More important matters at hand…
Meanwhile, in the Triskelion,
Nick Fury, watching the alarmingly high energy readings, knitted his brow in worry.
"The southwest… New Mexico… Coulson, you head out immediately!"
~~~
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