Marvel: Randomly Load a Protagonist Template - Chapter 63
……
“Send you to prison? Of course not. I’m not a cop. I just want to discuss a business deal with you,” Hawking said, lifting the Green Goblin with a “kind” smile.
Green Goblin: “???”
Are you kidding me? If it’s just a business deal, why are all the dramatics scaring me half to death?
“Let’s go back to your villa first!”
Holding the Green Goblin, Hawking flew back to the Goblin’s villa on his Nimbus Cloud, but he saw the sky meaningfully before leaving.
Meanwhile, in the director’s office at Hawking Tower.
Nick Fury watched the video with a severe face, seeing Hawking carrying the Green Goblin away.
“This guy’s power is becoming terrifying!”
Hawking, a powerful mutant, was constantly under surveillance by Fury using various methods.
This included people Hawking had interacted with, like Peter Parker, whom a radioactive spider had bitten, Jessica Campbell, who recently seemed to have gained flying abilities, and the chairman of Oscorp Industries.
However, Hawking had always fought crime and had not violated the agreement with Professor X, so Fury had no reason to interfere.
“Is he just looking for friends with special abilities to play a crime-fighting game?”
Fury stroked his chin, deep in thought.
He felt something more to it but needed help pinpointing what Hawking or Professor X might be up to.
After all, apart from Hawking, the other mutants at the Xavier School had been quiet, just like before, except that Professor X had bought the Daily Bugle, which seemed a bit odd.
“Never mind, whatever they’re up to, it probably won’t be a threat to humanity.”
Unable to figure it out, he decided to let it go. At least according to his judgment, whatever particular purposes Hawking and Professor X might have, they were likely aimed at improving relations between humans and mutants, not causing harm.
His primary focus now had to be on the potential issues with the Brotherhood of Mutants and internal audits.
Magneto would cause trouble, given the chance, and Fury suspected it wouldn’t be a minor incident. The infiltration of SHIELD agents by a terrorist organization three years ago was still a thorn in his side.
The investigation was too perfect, which made him suspicious.
And if there were a problem, it would be a huge one because an ideally conducted investigation meant that there had to be issues at the top levels of SHIELD.
So, for the past three years, he had carefully conducted internal checks and uncovered some clues.
“Director, the test results are in,” Agent Hill entered as he pondered.
“What are they?”
His attention immediately shifted to Agent Hill’s report.
Hill, holding a laptop, began reporting:
“We’ve developed a serum that can temporarily disable mutants’ abilities and a corresponding firearm made entirely of non-metallic materials.
However, our experiments show that the serum can’t permanently turn mutants into humans; it only lasts for a week, and with repeated use, mutants develop resistance.
After three uses, it’s essentially ineffective.”
“Continue the research. Since we can’t eliminate mutant abilities, try to develop some sort of inhibitor.
At the least, I need to ensure that when mutants are captured, we can restrict their abilities for an extended period.”
Nick Fury nodded in command.
Uncontrollable powers must be restrained. Otherwise, when control is lost, it will be too late.
…
Over the luxurious villa of the Osborn family in Queens.
Hawking set the Green Goblin down, then waved his hand, casting several repair spells to restore the villa’s gate and fountain to their original condition.
A stick and a carrot approach—having just used the stick, it was time for the carrot.
Otherwise, even if they cooperated, the Green Goblin would only harbor resentment towards him, making a long-term alliance difficult.
Watching Hawking effortlessly repair the gate and fountain, the Green Goblin couldn’t help but swallow nervously again.
This guy wasn’t just terrifyingly powerful; his methods were frighteningly versatile, almost as if he could do anything. Unbeatable in a fight and impossible to escape from, the Goblin could only hope that the so-called business deal wouldn’t be too harsh.
“Don’t be nervous, Mr. Osborn. I value the principle of equivalent exchange above all and never like to force others.”
“If you feel that our upcoming collaboration doesn’t benefit you, or if you’re unwilling, I absolutely won’t force you through violence. You can be assured of that,” Hawking reassured as they sat in the villa’s living room, watching the Green Goblin awkwardly change back into his suit.
The Green Goblin smiled: “Of course, I trust Mr. Hawking. May I ask what business you speak of?”
Though he said he trusted him, his heart was far from convinced, especially after recalling the considerable explosion at sea.
Hawking didn’t explain further but directly stated his proposition: “I need to start a company, and initially, I’ll need your help to handle all the paperwork. Later on, it will involve collaboration with your Oscorp for joint product development, and together, we’ll make a substantial profit. Trust me, this partnership will propel Oscorp to new heights!”
The establishment of the Avengers Corporation could not be left to Professor X; otherwise, it might end up like the Daily Bugle, turning into one of Professor X’s enterprises.
Hawking had already prepared his excuses for how to explain this to Professor X after the company’s establishment.
His capabilities had grown significantly; he could easily survive without Professor X’s support.
Thus, even if Professor X were to discover some things, it would be fine.
For example, when he had to eliminate Stryker, Hawking believed Professor X understood this well. Just because Professor X couldn’t read his mind doesn’t mean he couldn’t read Mystique’s.
Some things are best-left half-seen; as long as he didn’t go too far and continued to work towards the benefit of mutants, Professor X wouldn’t push him to the opposition.
Take Wolverine, for example. Wolverine had killed many without much restraint, yet Professor X accepted him because these were minor issues that didn’t cross any lines.
Of course, Hawking wasn’t the type to burn bridges. As long as Professor X wasn’t too extreme, he preferred maintaining their current harmonious relationship.
“Mr. Hawking… the… the former is no problem; I can handle it all personally. But for the latter, I can’t decide alone; it would require a board vote,” the Green Goblin cautiously responded, fearing that upsetting Hawking might lead to dire consequences.
……
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