Venom was a valuable product.
Nor was it easy to produce.
On average, five containers could be filled a month, depending on the quality of the materials used. Each container being worth near ten billion at minimum, so in total, he was looking at a minimum of six hundred billion a year. That was just from one production facility and he had more than one all over the world.
As the only producer, distributor and supplier of Venom in the world, it all went into his pockets.
That was a very rich position and there were many people, within and outside of his infrastructure that wanted to take it for themselves. As a result, he made sure to keep a close eye on all those who purchased Venom, no matter how large or small the amount was. So when someone began to purchase small amounts at a consistent rate, it definitely caught his gaze.
Even more so when said individual reached out to him with a desire to hold a meeting. It was not uncommon, but that was usually from clients that purchased Venom in bulk, not for such small quantities.
Nonetheless, he was curious enough to entertain this offer and he would admit, he was not disappointed. It was clear the man across from him was nothing more than a decoy, he was a good actor, addressing all the necessary talking points with some measure of confidence that made it slightly believable that he could be in charge.
However, he had become very good at reading people, had to be in order to remain in his position of power. He could pick up on minuscule little tells that would go unnoticed by most, such as the little glances he shared to the armed, masked men on his left.
It could be any one of five, but there was only one that stood out to him.
That being the central figure, relatively tall, about five foot ten in height. Yet, it was obvious that the clothing he wore was padded, all done in order to make him look like a more physical presence. Whoever he was though, was able to replicate the confidence needed to make a physical stature like that believable.
It was clear why the true leader had hidden himself as he had. Gotham was a place he enjoyed because it was a place that respected strength and destroyed weakness. So possessing a weak body like this, it was only natural for him to try and hide that weakness anyway he could.
But he had entertained this amusing sight for long enough.
Rising up to his full height, of six foot eight and weighing nearly three hundred and fifty pounds, there was no way he didn't look like a physical powerhouse. His frame alone was enough to inspire fear in his enemies and that's exactly was the look that was reflected in the eyes of the decoy leader as he was cast in his shadow.
"I have played party to this farce for long enough." He spoke up, moving around the table and towards the group of armed men. Their hands moved towards their guns, but so did the hands of his own guards.
He ignored them all though and towering over the true leader of this group, stared down at him. Jacob in turn looked straight back up at the masked man towering over him, casting him in his shadow. Just as he had expected, even without Venom running through his veins, the masked man was still a physical beast that not many alive could rival.
"Your puppet has dealt with the pleasantries if you really want to talk business, then do so yourself." Jacob withheld the urge to smile beneath his mask. He had never expected to be able to trick the man forever, he had just wanted to see how long it would take.
"Very well," Jacob replied, not shying away from the man at all, instead indicating towards the table once more. "Shall we return to our business deal, Bane?"
Bane did not reply, but he did move back to the table, seating himself at it as Jacob followed behind him. The actor he had hired, quickly rising to his feet and all but scrambling towards the corner of the room.
A meeting with Bane was never something that Jacob had planned for in the beginning. In fact, he knew very little about the man's exploits, besides what everyone else knew about him. The guy was infamous for being one of the few men to actually beat the Batman, breaking his back even. But what made him even more famous was the incident that followed.
By that point in time, Batman was a well-known and respected member of the Justice League, not only one of its founding members but one of its leading figures. Someone who acted as the chief aid and second-highest authority behind only Superman himself, the very Symbol of Hope.
Batman's defeat and the breaking of his back may have brought Bane a great deal of prestige. However, what it also did was prove that the Justice League did not take attacks against their own lightly.
Bane's entire criminal empire was destroyed in a matter of hours.
Consecutive attacks on all of his distribution centres and production facilities all across the world.
There was nothing left of it by the time the Justice League were done.
Jacob hadn't thought that Bane would have been able to recoup much of his losses. He knew that Bane was still alive and that he had rebuilt some of his empire, but how much Jacob had not been a hundred percent clear on, enough to at the very least begin redistributing Venom to the world.
It was only when the idea of meeting with Bane and the idea of an alliance came to mind that he did more research. From what he had learned from the various information brokers around the world, what he came to learn about Bane made the man infinitely more terrifying.
He had not only rebuilt his criminal empire back to its former glory, but he also surpassed it entirely.
Not only did he have more production and distribution facilities, each of them better hidden and better defended than ever before. He also had de facto diplomatic immunity he gained from his various military contracts with governments all across the world, supplying them with Venom as well. The moment the Justice League or any hero attempted to turn their attention towards Bane, a villain or group of villains would be released depending on the hero or group of heroes attempting to shut him down.
Even if by some chance he did get captured, Bane would be quickly released in a matter of hours. It was a reminder of just how much influence a criminal could gain, even if they didn't have the physical power necessary to battle against the Justice League, there was more than one variety of power.
Jacob would not settle till he had it all.
"You have perhaps one of the best criminal infrastructures, I have quite frankly, ever seen." The fact he, Jacob lived in Gotham spoke volumes as to the importance of that statement. "Your Venom, a product that is perfectly suited for the desires you require to see fulfilled. However, I have a few things that I can offer you in return for favourable agreements."
"Such as?"
"First of all, an increased distribution centre in Gotham city." That alone was a massive thing to offer.
There was very little of the city that didn't in some way, shape or form, belong to one of the many crime lords in Gotham. Providing Bane access to his own territories as a means to expand his distribution centre was a huge thing to offer.
"In return, I would expect a discounted rate on future Venom purchases. As well as the opportunity to renegotiate our terms in the future should I by some chance, happen to expand my territories further." By the movement of his mask, Jacob could tell that Bane was curious by the last statement.
"You are aware that so far, this all heavily favours me, more than you."
Jacob nodded his head. "I am aware."
"Then why?"
"To build up some good faith between us." Such a thing was not easy to do, especially amongst criminals. However, it could be very important in the future, something Jacob could see coming in extremely handy if things took a turn for the worst.
Jacob then clicked his fingers, another man walking forwards with a briefcase.
"This is not only a gift but also a personal request on my part," Jacob explained, the briefcase being placed on the table he, unlocking the latches, opening it up and then spinning it round to show Bane. Inside of it, was a polystyrene casing, with a little cutout that held a small notebook and three small vials of a greenish liquid.
Bane recognised it instantly as Venom.
He picked up one of them, raising it to the light. "What is this?"
"An improved version of your Venom, much stronger in its effects and longer-lasting, lacking the usual addictiveness." Jacob rose a hand before Bane could say anything. "I know very well that the current Venom product is perfect for its current usage. This is not for large-scale distribution, but for...VIP use I suppose you could call it."
"For you and I, you mean?" Jacob nodded his head in response, Bane humming in thought.
"And the notebook?" Bane questioned, opening it up to read the notes listed on it.
"The formula for the new Venom strain, a gift from me to you." Jacob had no way to mass-produce Venom on a scale to make the expenditure on resources feasible. Bane, on the other hand, did and that was the whole point of this meeting. He needed access to this new Venom strain because it was exactly what he needed to help him gain some measure of physical power.
That's why he offered his territory as a means to increase Bane's distribution network within Gotham, without taking a cut of the pay. He needed that Venom and he needed some measure of good faith with Bane to help secure the beginnings of a business relationship.
It was all just part of his plans for the future.