In the SHIELD's office, the room was the same, dimly lit, with unevenly lit bulbs overhead, and Shiller and Nick were seated on opposite sides of the table.
"I didn't expect that things would progress this quickly." Nick said somewhat sentimentally. He pulled out a sheet of white paper, tore off a corner, crumpled it into a ball, threw it onto the table, and then said, "Due to the remarkable performance of Stark industries' weapons in this full-scale invasion, the UN Security Council has approved the New York Private Armed Forces Firepower Retention Act..."
Shiller also took the sheet of white paper, tore off a piece, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it onto the middle of the table, saying, "300 sets of Blizzard devices, plus further maintenance costs."
"There are no more members of Congress strongly opposing the production of the Eternity Factor." Nick threw another paper ball over.
"A diluted version of the Cure serum can achieve certain damage repair effects in a short period of time and has no obvious side effects, at most 1500 doses can be provided." Shiller also threw a paper ball over.
"SHIELD is willing to fully support the breakdown of the vampire social structure and conduct real-time control and monitoring." Another paper ball landed in the center of the table.
"It's not enough." Shiller said. So Nick crumpled another paper ball and threw it over, saying, "SHIELD is willing to give up its pursuit of Stark in certain respects."
"30% of Eternity Factor earnings."
"That's too low. How much do you want to skim off the top?"
"What Stark and Osborne Joint Pharmaceuticals are willing to pay me."
"The lowest SHIELD can accept is 45%."
"You want nearly half? That's impossible. Even if I agreed, Pepper wouldn't agree. And you better think clearly. Obadiah is still unconscious, but Connors' research on the Brain Active Agent has made great advances. Once Obadiah wakes up, you might not even get three-tenths."
"40%, no lower. You said it yourself, Obadiah is still unconscious."
"The bottom line is 30%."
"SHIELD can allocate an extra two points just for you."
"35%, final offer."
"Deal."
Soon, with the dialogue between the two, the paper balls on the table become more and more, almost stacking up into a small mountain.
After certain issues of profit distribution were settled, Nick sat in his chair, fingers crossed and resting on his chin, saying, "I have to admit, your bloodline plan is quite genius, but I always feel you have bigger plans."
Shiller laughed and said, "I just want to live a peaceful life and have some fun in the process."
"So, if anyone disrupts your peace, you cut off all their roots at once?"
"Let's not talk about such heavy topics. Let's talk about something fun."
Shiller also placed his hands on the table and clasped them together, "So, any ideas on how the Eternal Life Factor should be produced?"
"Isn't that already left to the professionals of those two big conglomerates?"
"Yes, but are you really satisfied with just 35% of the profits?"
Nick squinted his eyes; no one was more familiar with this tone than he was. "What, you have an additional business move to discuss?"
"Of course, you wouldn't be content to let others take the lion's share, would you?"
Nick stared at Shiller with his one eye. Shiller stated, "Let me ask a question, what do you think of drug safety?"
"Nothing in particular, what are you trying to say?" Nick threw the question back.
"Vampires made into medicine, how to ensure the safety issues of the raw materials? How to avoid using inferior materials to save bust? How to guarantee the blood extraction process meets the standards? How to ensure the precious Eternity Factor isn't consumed in the pharmaceutical process? How to ensure the effectiveness of the finished medicine? What are the monitoring standards?"
"The safety of the raw materials..." Nick paused for a moment, he keenly felt that there was a lot of room for operation in this.
"Yes, yes." Shiller waved his hand on the table and spoke disdainfully, "You can't possibly believe that just catching any bat can produce a medicine that can extend life, can you?"
"Based on our research, i.e., the theory of bat lineage, the purer the bloodline of the vampire, the better the effect of the blood. The drug efficacy of ordinary vampires is quite poor, let alone humans turned into vampires. The bats transformed from humans have no medicinal value at all, just as there is a vast difference between truffles and ordinary mushrooms in cooking."
"These scarce and precious advanced vampires, as we all know, are extremely dangerous to capture, and therefore, cost a lot. The profit from counterfeit products is extremely high."
"Of course, there will be unscrupulous merchants who catch some ordinary vampires and claim that their blood contains this precious factor."
"To ensure our customers can buy the most genuine Eternity Factor Potions, we must establish a monitoring system to ensure that every single potion is made from the most scarce, pure-blood bats."
"We must also distinguish between wild and bred. Out of humanitarian considerations, we absolutely do not support breeding, that is, keeping an advanced vampire locked away to repeatedly draw blood. It's simply inhumane!"
"Therefore, the most precious raw material for these potions can only come from pure-blood bats that are captured and killed on the battlefield."
"Moreover, as an extreme animal rights activist, we must end the lives of these bats in a painless way. After all, bats are animals..."
"We must use our most advanced Freeze Gun for this. At extremely low temperatures, living beings can't feel pain, and there's no better method of euthanasia."
"Therefore, bats not killed with a Freeze Gun cannot be used to make the most high-end Eternity Factor Potions."
"Of course, drawing blood after killing the bat is also very particular, it must be performed by the most professional SHIELD agents through a precise and complex operation, and the personnel must be trained in at least three cycles..."
"Containers must also be specially made to ensure that these factors are preserved to the maximum extent."
"Storing these potions in warehouses, yes, this is extremely crucial. Preservation technology determines the freshness of most food and medicines. Luckily, I have a very mature cold chain solution that can satisfy the transport and preservation needs of the Eternity Factor..."
As Shiller spoke, Nick was taking notes. When Shiller paused, Nick, without lifting his head, said: "Keep talking, my autumn accounts are getting settled."
"You're missing the essence," Shiller laughed. Nick set down his pen and looked at him. Shiller took the paper Nick had been taking notes on and wrote a word on it. When Nick took it back, he found it said "Monopoly".
Shiller's voice rose with an accompanying backdrop: "We only achieve a real monopoly when we are the only ones who have the right to define the 'industry standard'."
"The mystery and the indecipherability of this factor determines that only technology industry giants, Stark and Osborn Group, have the final say."
"Under such circumstances, we can label any company trying to imitate ours as fraudulent."
"Anti-monopoly legislation? Yes, it might work for traditional industries, but now, if we say that a company's product is fake, based on Stark's research, would you still buy it?"
"We have no evidence, indeed it becomes hearsay, but why buy products from smaller companies if you can buy from Stark Industries?"
"Under such circumstances, everyone would only trust companies they think can decipher this factor, and most people would likely think this is something only Stark and Osborn could handle."
"If neither Stark nor the Osborn Group can uncover the true secret of this factor, as long as no other company can either, Stark and Osborn will always be in the lead."
"This is a natural monopoly."
"And, I suppose I don't need to mention the benefits that a complete monopoly over an industry can bring."
Nick pursed his lips and said: "I can reveal to you that I have a bigger plan, a personal plan, so feel free to show what you've got. I assure you that this will pay off for you in the future."
"At the very least, I can assure you, that your days will be peaceful as usual."
Shiller laughed, his smile under the flickering cold light seemed a bit neurotic, he said:
"Now we have reached the most important step."
"Our noble customers have spent a lot of money to buy the authentic Eternity Factor potions. We can't let them inject this potion just anywhere, can we?"
"The usage method and process of the potion, the entire personal custom course, and the convalescence and care after usage all need an industry standard."
"So, do they need a mental convalescent home that has official qualifications, can perfectly serve the above processes, and is courteous?"
In Nick's vision, Shiller exposed fangs sharper than those of the bats.