Chapter 135: I Check Myself
"Given what has happened over the past year, I believe our country lacks a response to these types of 'emergency events.'"
"As a result, we will establish a new unit responsible for handling similar cases, protecting all citizens from harm, and crushing potential threats."
"Its name is the H.A.M.M.E.R.!"
General Ross—now Secretary of State Ross—went on television to announce the new department.
"H.A.M.M.E.R.? Norman Osborn is truly an imaginative president." Pierce chuckled contemptuously.
"He is not just imaginative, Mr. Minister. The original CIA has been reorganized and merged into H.A.M.M.E.R. They are investigating us. The H.A.M.M.E.R. has clearly requested to restrict our activities in the United States." Fury stated, "Thanks to their ctOS, it is now difficult for our agents to operate in the U.S."
"Then revise it and re-formulate the action plan. SHIELD has decades of history, and H.A.M.M.E.R. is just a new organization."
Fury thought to himself: New organization? Behind H.A.M.M.E.R. is the entire United States!
Pierce continued: "What's going on with the scepter? Have you found out who's behind it?"
"About this, Mr. Minister, we have a clue." Fury glanced at Pierce with his one eye and pressed a button on the table—
A huge red octopus logo with a black background and red edges appeared on the table, and Pierce's breath caught in his throat.
"There's evidence they're back."
Pierce thought Fury was talking nonsense. After a long investigation, Fury told him that he had stolen his own things?
"...They were destroyed, and their leader, John Schmidt, was killed by Captain America, Stephen Rogers, you know."
Fury quickly added, "But Captain America is back from the ice, so perhaps John Schmidt is back too, right?"
As he spoke, he opened all the information and clues for the investigation.
"On the day of the incident, the scepter and the escort team were not attacked at the same time. There is evidence that the scepter was stolen before they were attacked, and then they were assaulted.
Whether it was an attack remains to be investigated—there were almost no signs of fighting at the scene, and we did not receive any distress calls, nor were any codes left at the scene."
In other words, they may be Hydra—this suggests that Schmidt is not dead but has been lurking in the shadows. The team may have been attacked, but it is more likely that they escaped on their own.
As for the clues Nick investigated, most of them were arranged by him and Harry. They looked incredibly convincing and could be pieced together just right.
This inference left Pierce a little confused: Schmidt is not dead; he is the boss of Hydra, and Pierce is a substitute?
But Pierce couldn't completely dismiss Fury's deduction. He started to consider the split management method, but where did he learn it? Not yet Hydra.
What if he is also divided...
"...Then we are in big trouble. We should upgrade our threat analysis technology. Hydra is not easy to deal with.
We need a plan that will help us identify these targets and the firepower to neutralize them before they can cause damage."
It's no surprise that Pierce said what Nick Fury was supposed to say.
Relying on Project Prism, S.H.I.E.L.D. already had a more advanced internal surveillance network. After a slight upgrade, it became the Insight Project. The core of the Insight Project lies in Dr. Zola's algorithm, and they have always had Zola's support.
Fury's one eye showed no emotion, but he felt secretly pleased: You lied to me, right? Now let me lie to you too.
"I agree; I have invited Iron Man to upgrade our space carrier, but it will take some time.
However... if Osborn is willing to take responsibility for some parts, this process should be expedited significantly."
Upon hearing this, Pierce looked at Fury with eyes that seemed to say: Are you kidding me?
"It doesn't matter; we can wait. This plan is very important."
Pierce closed the call—it was not surprising that Fury would suspect Hydra. In fact, Fury had mentioned this possibility after the scepter was stolen, which is why he sent the Winter Soldier to participate in the assassination operation.
Now that he was under suspicion, he could use more power to influence the world, but he didn't expect the situation to turn out as poorly as it did: the Winter Soldier was caught.
But this is not irreversible. The Winter Soldier can still be blamed on Hydra—let Fury investigate; maybe he can uncover something he doesn't know?
Fury sat in his office and remained motionless for a long time.
To be honest, deep down in his heart, he still harbored the idea that Harry was Hydra, and the scene he witnessed that day was just a performance by Harry, and even the interrogation of those Hydra members was not beyond question.
But Osborn's real rise began when Harry Osborn repurchased stocks and then invented nuclear fusion with Dr. Otto.
Before that, they were almost acquired by Exploration Aerospace, sneak-attacked by Kingpin, even rejected the NSA's invitation, and suffered miserably from the officials.
However, according to Fury's in-depth investigation, Hydra's power is significant, and at least it would not let its research department be attacked by Kingpin.
On the contrary, Kingpin's attack was full of doubts and was more likely to have support from behind-the-scenes forces.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is not trustworthy.
But fortunately, he was starting to gradually gain the upper hand. Now he needed to discover where Hydra's tentacles had reached. In the worst case, SHIELD might disappear because of this.
"Is this the H.A.M.M.E.R.? Osborn is truly talented at naming things," Fury said to himself.
...
In front of an old-fashioned bungalow, Harry waited for Steve, who had come to visit Peggy Carter.
"Hello, Captain," Harry greeted Steve.
"Osborn? Hello, what are you doing here?" Steve looked a little surprised.
"Like you, visiting the old-timers." Harry shrugged. One of the costs of using Captain America's commercial value was to provide some medical treatment for Peggy Carter.
This former strong woman had turned into a frail old woman with the passage of time, needing help even in daily life.
Even with Osborn's medical care, she suffered from a certain degree of Alzheimer's disease.
One second, she was talking to Steve about their battlefield experiences, telling Captain America that he saved the world, and the next second, she was astonished by Steve's appearance.
"You're alive!" Peggy's voice sounded as if she were really seeing Steve back for the first time.
"...Yes, I'm back." Steve smiled sadly, answering Peggy's question for countless times.
"Why did you wait so long to come back?" Peggy stroked Steve's face, as if to confirm that the person in front of her was not an illusion.
For Steve, when he woke up, the woman waiting for him to dance was already old and was about to fall asleep again after just a few words of conversation.
Steve fell silent as he looked at Peggy sleeping soundly.
Harry took out an injection and said, "Captain, if you don't mind, can you make room for me?"
"What's that?" Steve asked.
"Ms. Carter's brain is too weak, and the central nervous system has undergone degenerative decay, but Osborn has a way to improve this condition," Harry said, preparing to inject the medicine into Peggy.
Steve instinctively took Harry's hand but quickly let go under Harry's steady gaze.
This question can be answered with a little thought: How could Harry Osborn swagger into Peggy Carter's house and inject her with poison in front of Captain America?
Steve said apologetically, "Sorry, reflex."
Harry shrugged nonchalantly:
"This is an active enhancer. It can probably make this lady 10-20 years younger. You can pay back the dance you owe this lady."
Steve looked at Peggy, then at the potion in Harry's hand, and asked, "How much does this cost?"
"500 million U.S. dollars," Harry said casually.
Due to inflation, this thing has increased rapidly in the market—after all, it is only sold to the wealthy at this stage.
Steve swallowed hard— as a World War II "traveler," 500 million shocked him more than it would modern individuals.
"...I assume your medical care agreement doesn't include this potion?"
"Well, this is just a little compensation for the war heroes."
For Peggy, this thing has officially been paid for, but...
If you can be gentle with Captain America, you should be as gentle as possible. The best solution is to let him come back and serve again.
Putting away the injection, Harry said, "Captain, I hope you can go out more. Although the world is very different, it is also more colorful."
The best-case scenario is that he falls in love again and starts a family—perhaps Paige's niece, Sharon Carter, would be quite suitable.
"By the way, Captain, there's something else I want to share with you that might interest you." Harry took out a stack of documents from his briefcase.
"On the day my father was attacked, the assailant detonated a very powerful explosive. I compared the archives left by the SSR in the USA and found that the inventor of this bomb was Howard Stark.
However, the enemy stole the technology and the physical objects and reverse-engineered them."
Another familiar name, Howard's, piqued Steve's interest a little, and he took the file from Harry's hand.
Harry continued, "But in the end, thanks to the efforts of Ms. Carter, all the explosives should have been destroyed—this is what the files indicate.
I thought you might be interested in what your old friends accomplished after you were turned into ice."
Steve glanced through the documents, raised his head, and said, "By the way, can I help you find clues about the mastermind behind the scenes?"
Harry admitted graciously, "That's the idea."
The man behind the scenes is not only an issue for Osborn but also has ties to Steve's good brother, Bucky.
Steve thought for a moment and accepted the information. "I'll see what I can do, and thank you for your treatment."
------------------------
Chapter 128: The Stubborn Captain America
"The Mandarin is not a real overseas Terrorist element but is actually a puppet launched by AIM."
"They pulled a drug-addicted guy off the street to play the role and make us think the attack was coming from overseas, but the enemy is among us!"
"But this is not over yet. How did they transport bombs and weapons to Texas? Why didn't anyone notice anything unusual? Are our security measures too weak?"
Like 9/11, this attack again sparked panic.
But Norman's figure is undoubtedly much more reliable than the old official. What kind of president can survive in that situation?
If it weren't for Norman and Osborne, more people would have died—just the explosion at the Grand Theater alone would have resulted in dozens of casualties.
Along with it comes the reappearance of Abomination, now that he's earned his name back, Blonsky.
There is a lot of discussion on the Internet about this.
"I told you, only Norman Osborne can change this weak, corrupt country. We need such a president!"
"Oh my god, he looks like Captain America. Look at him lifting that big rock without even wearing any gear."
"I agree. Also, do you remember that big man? I found his information, which was released by the military and Osborne on their own initiative. It seems that Osborne's technology restored his sanity to normal. Now he is in a special state of service."
"Special service? That sounds a little disturbing. Are you sure it's not some kind of evil human experiment?"
"You idiot! Don't you know how to find official information? It's clearly written there!"
"? Keep your mouth clean!"
"Leave them alone; they're just huge Osborne fans."
"So? If it weren't for Osborne, tell me how many people would have died that day? And there were no Terrorist attacks in the cities where ctOS was installed!"
"Whatever, but I would like a little more privacy."
"Why do you want privacy? Are you a criminal? The kind of sneaky car thief who wears a mask!"
...
Debate rages on the Internet.
Norman never came forward to explain these things. The external rhetoric was that he was injured and needed to recover.
The actual reason is that he does not plan to appear in public before officially taking office. There are many political matters that he needs to deal with first.
For example, to prevent Ellis from abusing his power to characterize the matter before Norman took office, Norman had to have a heart-to-heart talk with the key personnel and ask them to slow down the investigation and never make any hasty characterization.
In fact, Norman's worries are unreasonable. There is still a month before the changes, but it may only take a few days to complete the process of characterizing some of the people involved under the control of those behind the scenes.
However, even so, Norman is certain that there are still some cases that are hidden.
For example, an official died tragically in a street gang fight, a Dallas police sergeant who was escorted by the FBI was shot and killed in a gang fight, and even an F22 fighter jet of the military had an accident. There was also a problem with the ejection seat, and the pilot and the aircraft were both destroyed in the accident.
Roxon Company operates very quickly, and it is indeed difficult to find him, but their defeat will be the beginning of an avalanche.
But not Hydra, and the Winter Soldier is still in Ravencroft Asylum inside Blackgate Prison.
As for who is watching over him?
Of course, it's his good brother—Steve Rogers.
"Bucky?"
Steve was stunned when he saw the Winter Soldier tied to the restraint bed.
"Bucky Barnes, your good brother, Captain, I would like to offer you a contract to help me guard this former member of the Howling Commandos who is clearly possessed."
Captain America looked Harry up and down and then said, "He was also at the attack site?"
Harry nodded. "Rather than saying that he is here, it's better to say that he is the backbone." As he spoke, he picked up the robotic arm on the operating table.
"This design is quite genius. The driving energy comes largely from living organisms. It's like clockwork. Swinging it a few more times can accumulate powerful power. You may not even be able to hold it back with a full punch."
"Then how did you catch him?"
Harry smiled. "I airdropped 40 super soldiers from suborbital heights and a fake Hulk." After that, he patted Steve on the shoulder. "Modern warfare, Captain, you need a little imagination."
"...For me, this is the future of war," Steve said. "What's wrong with him? He doesn't seem to recognize me at all?"
"I'm still researching mental suggestions, brain modification, or other things, but if it's mental suggestions, the effectiveness of the suggestions should weaken over time."
In fact, it is a spiritual suggestion. Harry can easily remove this suggestion by relying on his psychic abilities, not to mention that he also has a spiritual scepter.
"Captain, what organization do you think controls him?" Harry asked knowingly.
"...I have no idea."
Harry scratched his head—was he not even daring to guess?
But they would definitely face off in the future, and Harry just wanted Steve to deal with Hydra.
Bucky was caught, and Hydra could no longer hide as tightly as before.
"Is there a way to get him back to normal?" Steve asked.
"Of course. Then do you want to accept my contract?"
Steve thought for a long time and shook his head. "I won't accept the contract, but I can help you keep an eye on him."
Harry smiled; he wanted to be a vigilante, right?
When the time comes, Captain America lets him go with a flash of heat and even takes the moral high ground: I help you guard your brother for free, but you still make irresponsible remarks?
This is really possible. What if Hydra sends some message to Captain America through SHIELD that Osborne is illegally researching the super soldier serum? Captain America's brain is so hot that his brother ran away. Harry would really have no place to reason.
"I'm a businessman, Captain. I don't need help. I prefer the spirit of contract. If you don't accept the contract, I won't let you in or out of here."
Steve didn't turn around. In fact, he really didn't have any bad intentions. He just didn't want to become a mercenary, and he felt that this was a win-win situation. Osborne didn't have to pay anything, and he could still guard Bucky.
But Harry knew that Steve would do anything for his brother, so he still had to be on guard.
After signing the contract, he might still do it, but he would be a little hesitant.
But if he didn't sign a contract, he would really be a free man. Captain America, who thinks he has the moral high ground, is buffed, and Harry doesn't want to be fired.
Harry knocked on the Winter Soldier's restraint bed. "Captain, Sergeant Barnes is your friend and comrade of the same era. I have to wonder if you will do something extraordinary for him."
"After investigation, it was found that multiple homicides were related to this sergeant, including the Terror Attack on my father."
"Perhaps he did these things while under mental control, but everything must be decided by the judicial system."
"Do you know what I mean?"
Harry stated his position in one breath.
In fact, being willing to lock him up in a mental hospital instead of a prison cell is already giving them a lot of face.
According to U.S. law, it is possible for the Winter Soldier to be found not guilty due to mental problems for what he did, but everything must go through the process.
The United States under Norman's governance needs a Captain America who is willing to obey and does not need a completely liberal Captain America. His predecessors thought that this soldier would never come back, and for the sake of publicity, he attached all political significance to Captain America.
But he's back, and it's very troublesome—in the movie, Captain America even used just a few words to persuade unsuspecting agents within SHIELD to rebel.
Steve was silent for a long time and finally nodded.
"Okay, I'll wait for him outside."
Harry was a little surprised: This is not the Sokovia Agreement. Cap is willing to wait outside rather than accept the contract?
"...Okay, Captain. But you can trust me. After all, I didn't hide it from you, right?"
"I hope so."
Harry looked at Steve leaving and thought:
Don't be ungrateful. If I give you face, you are Captain America. If I don't give you face, you can be the Captain of Hydra.
---
Chapter 129: Arrange a Board Meeting
The attack failed to kill Norman, and this outcome silenced all the underground forces.
During the days when Norman was waiting to take office, they were like sinners awaiting trial, struggling to sleep and eat.
Many people even left the United States directly, abandoning those who did not have the means to leave and silently praying that they had executed their tasks perfectly.
"Peter, you did a great job this time."
Harry and Peter walked along the river, enjoying a rare moment of relaxation.
"I'm just doing what I have to do," Peter shrugged. "The security situation in New York is improving steadily. I'm almost unemployed. My selfies used to sell for $100 each at the Daily Bugle, but now I can only sell them for $25."
ctOS has reduced the crime rate in New York City to a very low level. Spider-Man's appearance is not as frequent, and the traffic he can generate is naturally less.
After some thought, Harry said, "I heard you want to go to Oxford University for exchange? Is it because of Gwen?"
Through Sergeant Stacey's connections, Gwen worked part-time at Osborn during high school and became very close to Connors. Ultimately, on Connors' recommendation, she received a letter of recommendation to Oxford University.
Coincidentally, Harry also called Peter to the company for an internship. In the original storyline, Peter wanted to be Spider-Man and didn't have much time for an internship at Osborn. But now, with New York's enhanced security and beauty, such issues were no longer a problem.
Peter was surprised to discover that his crush was interning at Osborn, and he found out that Gwen also liked him, leading them to naturally become a couple.
Although Harry didn't pay any bonuses or salaries to Spider-Man, he still gave Peter the chance to experience being an ordinary person.
In response to Harry's question, Peter nodded.
"How about this? I'll ask Dr. Otto to write you a letter of recommendation."
"What?" Peter nearly jumped with joy but then grew concerned. "But will they agree? I mean, Dr. Otto doesn't know that I'm Spider-Man..."
"Well, it depends on what you want to do. You could confess to Dr. Otto. Even if you don't confess, the doctor wouldn't mind doing this for me." Harry shrugged.
In this world, Peter doesn't have any malicious supervillains targeting him. New York has become Osborn's back garden, and there is only one supervillain.
Those gangsters now have no choice but to work as bricklayers. The only gang activity consists of protests against the bricklayer robots taking their jobs.
But Peter still felt that his identity should not be revealed.
"Okay, that works." Harry shrugged. Peter was also a very talented student. Dr. Otto wouldn't mind doing this. In fact, they were doing very well during their internship at Osborn and had grown quite familiar with one another.
Breathing in the air of New York, Harry felt a wave of nostalgia.
This city belongs to him, and ctOS's deep roots here mean that the city keeps no secrets from him.
Even across the river, Osborne's giant building is incredibly imposing, but this situation doesn't bode well for public opinion, so Harry deliberately left a garden area of nearly 1 kilometer next to the building, ensuring that it could only be seen from a distance. This creates a somewhat mysterious but not overwhelming atmosphere.
It is now known as "Osborn's Fort" among the citizens.
Under Osborn's influence, many opportunities and motivations for the emergence of superheroes have been eliminated.
For example, Peter, Uncle Ben, and Aunt May are all still alive. Even in the three years since he gained his spider powers, he hasn't encountered any supervillains. Gwen is also alive and well. The two of them are like an ordinary couple.
In fact, Spider-Man now only appears in charity events, such as benefit performances for disabled children.
If this situation continues, Peter will likely only be able to live a relatively ordinary and happy life.
"Peter, do you still want to be a superhero?" Harry asked suddenly.
Peter paused for a moment. "Although my life is good now, if there's ever a need, I will, of course, stand up and do what I can. So, is there any task?"
It sounds like now that he has a girlfriend, Peter is no longer obsessed with being a superhero as he was in high school.
What's more, Uncle Ben is not dead either.
"...Well, I have some information regarding your parents."
Harry turned on his phone and displayed the information that Fury had provided him earlier.
"This is the truth about your parents leaving you, and I think you should know it."
This information detailed the research on Peter's parents, their encounter with a mysterious organization, their defection to SHIELD, and ultimately their death in a plane crash.
Peter stared at the information in disbelief: "...When did you find out about this? So that spider... was my father's work..."
"Not long ago."
It was actually three years ago when he first found Peter.
At that time, Peter was still young and had just gained his powers, and Harry hadn't yet decided how to handle this information.
Now Harry felt it was better for Peter to make this decision himself.
"It's up to you how to deal with these matters. If you need help, you can come to me."
"...I'll think about it. Thank you, Harry."
After receiving the information, Peter needed time to process how to handle these revelations, so Harry was left to walk along the river alone.
To be honest, he had no real understanding of most people in this world because he had seen them and their future fates in movies, which made Harry feel a sense of detachment.
What drives him to keep doing these things is primarily the satisfaction brought by Osborne's continuous development.
At that moment, an electric car resembling the Batmobile stopped in front of Harry.
This was an electric car he designed himself, with the prototype inspired by the Batmobile. As soon as the car stopped, it immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Chairman, are you still out walking at this late hour?" Hurley asked as she drove the car. "Would you like to get in, or would you prefer to continue walking?"
Harry smiled and got into the car.
Regarding this assistant, he was certain that she must have some connection with SHIELD, and the One-Eyed Black Baldie had nearly confirmed it—SHIELD had been reaching out to Harry through this assistant.
Hurley's approach to these matters was quite discreet, but she didn't come across as an agent in any respect, which left Harry somewhat puzzled.
It's just that Harry didn't want to investigate her covertly. Perhaps it was habit, or maybe the transformation surgery had lowered his hormone levels, but he felt content having her as a girlfriend, unlike young Tony, who tended to sow his wild oats.
Harry planned to clarify this at an appropriate time and had no intention of betraying her.
Isn't it normal for Osborn Company to recruit talents from SHIELD? Besides, she might not even be a SHIELD agent.
Sitting in the car, Harry said, "I want to arrange a board meeting."
Hurley looked startled. "A board meeting? But you're the only director of the company?"
"That's the board meeting too, in the 'boardroom.'"
"What are you talking about? Holding a board meeting in the 'board room'?" Hurley was completely puzzled and didn't understand what Harry meant.
Harry smiled. "You'll find out. The date is next month, the day my father is sworn in."
It's time to find a moment to address the system tasks.
Although she didn't know what Harry intended to do, Hurley dutifully noted it down on her schedule.
"Can you give me a hint about this board meeting? As chairman and CEO, I can't just rely on this alone to prepare, right?"
"Secret."
It wouldn't be a surprise if he revealed it.
---
Chapter 130: Inauguration Ceremony and Board of Directors
The time came when Norman was officially sworn in.
The entire ceremony began with the president attending a church service.
Compared to the previous speech in Dallas before taking office, this day officially represented that Norman would take over the executive power of the United States of America. Even a corrupt Congress would no longer be able to plant assassins during the inauguration.
Due to the impact of the terrorist attacks, Washington DC has installed ctOS under the strong will of the people, and no corner could escape Osborne's surveillance.
The street Norman was about to walk was lined with soldiers wearing exoskeletons. A phalanx of Power armour troops stood on the street, waiting for the president's review.
After the service, Norman walked out of the church in front of everyone. Voters on both sides of the street waved their hands happily. Voters wearing exoskeletons stood at the front. These voters had a large piece of fabric sewn onto the exoskeleton, painted with the face of Norman Osborne.
Ellis walked out of a nearby car with a slumped face—as a tradition, he and Norman were going to Capitol Hill to attend the inauguration ceremony.
The Power Suit troops gradually formed a queue as Norman approached. If the road had not been specially treated beforehand, the uniform pace would have turned the road into a hornet's nest.
"Congratulations, President Osborne." Ellis extended his hand.
"Thank you, President Ellis." Norman smiled and shook hands with Ellis.
Then the two sat in Norman's car together.
Escorted by crowds of cheers and queues, Norman arrived at the East Portico of the Capitol.
Here, the Chief Justice had been waiting for a long time.
The Supreme Court was the last link in Osborne's control of the United States—members of Congress could win over money and various medical services. The position of president had been taken by Norman. After taking office, Norman would nominate Matt Murdoch to assume this position.
Norman laid his hand on the Bible and began the oath under the guidance of the Chief Justice.
"Now, please raise your right hand and say after me: I, Norman Osborne, solemnly swear this oath."
"I, Norman Osborne, solemnly swear this."
"I will faithfully execute the duties of President of the United States."
"I will faithfully execute the duties of President of the United States."
"To do our best to observe, preserve, and defend the Constitution of the United States."
"To do our best to observe, preserve, and defend the Constitution of the United States."
After the oath was taken, the Chief Justice stretched out his hand toward Norman: "Congratulations, Mr. President."
"It is my greatest honor to introduce to you the 44th President of the United States of America, Norman Osborne!"
Boom!
After the oath was taken, the cannons fired. Amid everyone's cheers, soldiers wearing Osborne's individual armor stood on the aircraft and flew from the sky. The missiles hanging from the aircraft soared into the sky and exploded. What a beautiful firework!
Amid the exclamations, Norman walked to the stage with a smile.
Looking at several former presidents and senior officials from various government departments under the podium, he couldn't be in a better mood.
He still remembered the years when he was running Osborne, the years when he dealt with the military for orders. In fact, the military was relatively easy to communicate with. The most terrifying thing was dealing with Congress, especially those congressmen with whom they did not have deep contacts. The questions they asked were like those of kindergarteners, but he had to be careful.
Now, he had become the largest "buyer" in the world, and those people in the past had to bow to him and say "President Osborne."
This was the power he wanted, not some mafia empire, criminal group, or anything else.
Now, what he held in his hands was what he wanted most.
He couldn't help but think: If only the United States were an empire.
But he soon became amused by his own thoughts.
So the public only saw him smile and then started his speech:
"Chief Justice, President Ellis, my fellow Americans, people around the world, thank you."
"As citizens of the United States, we are joining together in a great national cause: rebuilding our country and rebuilding our promise to all our people."
"Together we will determine the future of America and the world."
"We're going to finish this business."
"Today's ceremony has special meaning. Because today we are not just transferring power from one president to the next, from one political party to another. We are transferring power from Washington back to your hands, the American people."
"For too long, a small group of people in Washington..."
Although it had declined a lot, as the president of the United States, Norman's speech could not be the only one paying attention to it. It contained many policy tendencies.
To put it simply, in terms of tax policy, tax the rich more, provide support to the middle class and small enterprises, and build infrastructure and manufacturing.
In terms of foreign policy, we should adopt a more inclusive and open strategy to promote globalization.
As for why this was the result, it was all because Osborne's position was very special.
After these years of development, Osborne had the technology and ability to enter all fields. The only thing missing was manpower.
No matter how the lower-level enterprises developed, Osborne, which had an absolute advantage in technology monopoly, was at the top. They could only do some downstream and low-end work. In general, it was a disguised dependence.
What could Osborne do?
Relying on nuclear fusion energy, Osborne could upgrade all industries. Relying on various construction and engineering robots, automation would change human production methods.
Mining from outer space would also change traditional production and manufacturing methods, and even the economic system.
For example: Harry's next target for asteroid mining was Psyche, located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. This was a metallic asteroid with a diameter of 200 km and contained iron, nickel, gold, platinum, copper, and other metal elements. If all the iron elements above were transported to Earth, based on the current market price, it would be worth 1 trillion dollars!
This was only iron and did not include other metal elements. Transporting these resources to Earth was enough to disrupt the current global commodity system prices.
Nuclear fusion and outer space represented a revolution, but most people were not very sensitive to this change. This might be a chronic disease of the world.
On the orbiting space station, Harry watched all of Norman's speeches.
[Task Release: Power]
[Task content: Control more than 50% of the power in the United States]
[Progress bar: 61%]
[The task has been completed]
[Rewards have been distributed: New World Agreement]
[The brave pioneers will break out of their mother's cradle]
[Task Release: Union]
[Task content: Create an outer space colony developed by colonists of 50 different nationalities]
[Formal unity is meaningless; we need to stand together with practical actions]
The progress bar for task completion was only 61%, which was obviously a rough estimate and not very accurate—plus the big purge hadn't started yet; this value was not too low.
The only thing that was certain was that the power in Norman's hands was definitely not small.
"Is this the 'board of directors' you're talking about?" Hurley looked at the ground through the glass curiously, knocking on it from time to time.
Harry smiled and said, "Yes, everyone is probably curious now why I am not with my father."
"This is indeed true. Discussions have not stopped on the Internet. Some people even said that your father is still in the hospital and that the one on the podium is you pretending to be."
"So what is the board going to talk about? You don't just want to have a space date with me, do you?" Hurley sat on Harry's lap and hooked his crystal fingers on Harry's chin. "But it's really romantic. I'll accept this."
"That's one of the purposes, but not now. I'm going to get the ground signal in 30 seconds. Are you sure you still want to sit on my lap?"
...
The speech entered the final stage:
"Finally, I want to thank my son, Harry. Without his support, I wouldn't be where I am today, and I wouldn't have the confidence to say these words."
"You may be wondering: why wasn't Harry there?"
Norman smiled and took out a remote control in his hand.
"Because he's going to show us where our future is."
A super huge holographic projection was displayed in front of everyone.
"Hello, American people." Harry waved to the people in Washington.
---
Chapter 131: United Nations Space Resources Development Agency
"What I'm showing you now is a space engineering vessel loaded with various metals."
Voidrunner Ship 1 slowly landed at the Osborne Space Base, and rows of handling robots moved various rough metals into the warehouse.
"These minerals all come from space; an asteroid named 1994 PC1."
"Yes, Osborne has turned his imagination into reality. We now have the ability to mine asteroids. The value of minerals produced by this 1,140-meter-diameter asteroid alone is between US$900 billion and US$1.5 trillion."
Now not only the American people and the populace of various countries were astonished, but many upper-class individuals also felt that something was amiss.
Osborne possesses nuclear fusion energy and automated production technology. Now they can even mine resources from the sky themselves...
You must know that the ownership of space resources is still quite vague internationally. It can be said that whoever has the ability to develop them owns them.
As for the United States... the U.S. has always maintained that the moon and other space resources are not owned by all mankind, and it has great intentions of extending American laws to the entire universe. Now that they truly have this capability, who can stop them?
And everyone knows how rich asteroid resources are.
"We don't have to harm this blue planet anymore. There are endless resources in space waiting for us to develop. We have a bright future. This is what I want to convey to you."
"Finally, congratulations, father."
Harry hung up the phone.
"How was my performance just now? This promotion should be passable, right?" Harry asked.
Hurley nodded: "Not bad."
In fact, there is no need to promote it at all; the breakthrough technology is right in front of you.
"Then let's proceed to the next step with the board of directors." Harry said.
Next, he has to connect with the United Nations Secretary-General and representatives of the four permanent members, which Fury helped arrange.
These individuals had been reluctant to accept Harry's invitation, but now they had to talk.
"Hello everyone, I'm very happy that you could accept my invitation."
Harry stood up and bowed slightly to several people.
"Mr. Osborne, what is it that you would like to discuss?" the Secretary-General inquired.
"I believe you have seen the technology I just demonstrated. As an outstanding entrepreneur, I would like to propose that a Space Resources Development Agency be established within the United Nations to develop outer space resources in its name."
Osborne is the only company capable of contracting business in this sector.
Several individuals were silent. They understood what Harry was addressing, but some of them were uncertain about his motives—was it just to make money?
Logically speaking, they could rely on the United States to develop resources independently. This behavior was entirely inconsistent with the country's previous stance and the global situation.
"...What we have always advocated is that space resources belong to all mankind. Of course, we are willing to accept this proposal, but we all know that the United States has never thought so."
The Chinese leader was outspoken, echoing what others believed.
This proposal is meaningless as long as any one of the five permanent members vetoes it.
"Times change, and so does America." Harry shrugged. "This proposal is also what the American people desire. So everyone, feel free to discuss it privately. I am just a small entrepreneur. Thank you for listening to my suggestions."
"A small entrepreneur, you say?" The leader of the Russia smiled. "I agree with Mr. Osborne's proposal."
"Are we going to vote here?"
"Just expressing our intentions."
In fact, the Eastern Conference was the first to reveal that it was colluding—Norman had a private meeting with them earlier, discussing the issue of the Mandarin.
In this world, the Mandarin is not a legend. He dominated the Eastern Kingdom for many years. It was not until the mid-20th century that the Mandarin was deposed from the throne and became a Terrorist.
Although this Mandarin was a fake, Harry knew that the real civil and military powers would come to him.
China also needed the Mandarin's information, so both sides found common ground.
Anyway, voting in favor is only a matter of time.
"Then we also support this proposal."
However, then the U.S. also voted in favor!
This was related to some of the engineering technologies that Harry privately demonstrated to Mauritius, and Harry revealed some of the next-stage promotion plans for fusion energy.
Since the disintegration, this country's energy sector has been in decline. If they cannot get on this train, they will face severe problems.
The other two permanent members did not understand what was happening—these two old rivals didn't even pretend to deliberate?
Logically speaking, the two opposing powers agreeing to this proposal meant that the other two allies had no reason to disagree, so France and Britain also nodded.
The Secretary-General looked at a few people and opened his mouth. He wanted to say something, but he didn't.
In fact, members of the Security Council had raised Osborne's issue with him before, believing that the high-tech weapons in their hands would impact world peace.
But now that what Osborne has brought forth is technology for development, it is not his place to dictate.
Other member states may agree with the United Nations that the Osborne weapon is too dangerous, but they will never forgo the opportunity to get on board.
The representatives from the four countries looked at the Secretary-General.
The Secretary-General wiped his sweat. His power came from balancing the interests of several major countries, but if everyone agreed to a proposal... he would be a seriously "powerful Secretary-General."
So several people completed preliminary research and discussions on the Space Resources Development Agency in front of Harry.
This agency is funded by various countries, and Osborne is responsible for providing personnel and technology. Its main purpose is to develop space resources in the name of the United Nations on Earth. These mined metal resources will be allocated by each funding country.
At the same time, because it is now a seller's market, the contract issued by the United Nations to Osborne is also quite advantageous. In addition to a substantial amount of operational funds, Osborne will become the first "space resource development company" in history to be recognized as a pioneer by the vast majority of the member states of the United Nations.
This title is essentially meaningless, and even the definition is vague. It grants Osborne legitimacy to expand his territory in space, but because it is a title that values spirituality—this provision imposes restrictions on certain powers such as diplomacy. The description of power is more ambiguous.
To put it simply, it is equivalent to a privateering license—during an era without ships, a privateering license was just a piece of waste paper, but in some special periods, it held significant value.
The discussions among the major powers soon concluded. The era of dividing up the Earth was about to pass, and they had to begin considering how to partition space.
The talks among the great powers are over, but the Secretary-General's communications have not been terminated.
"How about it, Mr. Secretary-General? My previous proposal is still valid."
Harry had spoken with the Secretary-General before, but at that time, the Secretary-General did not believe Harry, or rather, that the United States and Osborne were willing to invest technology and resources in other countries to aid their development.
But in reality, Harry's objective is not to help other countries, but the entire Earth.
"...So you will genuinely help other smaller countries develop instead of dropping a few more bombs on their heads?" The Secretary-General himself comes from a small country. If Osborne is truly willing to utilize their technology to assist these poor countries, development would be a positive outcome no matter how you look at it.
As for the struggle for hegemony... small countries and their people have always been focused on surviving without starving, rather than contemplating dumping, anti-dumping, and trade wars.
By accepting Osborne's assistance, they may gradually lose some power, but sandwiched between major powers, their living space is already scant, especially at this juncture as they are about to enter a technological singularity.
"Of course, but you don't have to provide me with an answer now. We can take it step by step and think it over, Mr. Secretary-General."
The communication ended, and the space station returned to silence.
"With the boardroom over, Osborne is now the only capable private space development contractor on Earth."
Harry took Hurley's hand and approached the window. The Earth looked exceedingly small against the backdrop of the universe.
"We can do whatever we want here. How does the scenery look?"
Hurley looked over, and the two looked at each other.
Harry clapped his hands, hugged Hurley's slim waist, then held her slender and toned thighs and carried her to the table.
Hurley's hands also hugged Harry, stroking his well-developed back muscles very charmingly.
"It's beautiful. Plus, you can always do whatever you want, Chairman."
[Task Release: Board of Directors]
[Task description: Complete the construction of the space station and hold a board of directors on the orbiting space station]
[High in the sky, we will decide their fate here]
[mission completed]
[Task Reward: Stellar Base Construction--Star Port]
[This permanent base declares our sovereignty over this star system]
Chapter 125: Teamwork
"The target has been located. At seven o'clock, the target is in a military green jeep. There are too many people here. I want to drive them to the suburbs."
Frank followed the Winter Soldier's evacuation vehicle. At that moment, he missed ctOS. If it had been operational in this city, Frank would have launched all the missiles by now.
But if ctOS had been present, this attack would not have occurred.
"Sergeant Bronski? Did you hear that?"
Abomination was not lacking in intelligence. On the contrary, he retained most of Blonsky's consciousness, though his mind was somewhat clouded.
However, through the hormonal control of the neural implant, the enormous man was now quite aware.
"...Received, arriving at the designated location in 30 seconds." A deep voice resonated, and Frank could hear a distinct impact.
"Very good."
Frank approached the jeep as the craft unleashed a barrage of fire upon it.
The bullets struck the vehicle's exterior like raindrops. The car's bulletproof capabilities were quite impressive, but it was ultimately ineffective.
The Winter Soldier was armed with a rocket launcher inside the vehicle. He aimed to find an opportunity to lean out and destroy the aircraft carrying the prisoner. However, under Frank's direction, the bullets consistently impeded his movements. He was like a driven bull, passively moving toward Frank's desired location.
The sound of bullets striking the metal casing caused the driver's adrenaline to surge, and he could no longer maintain his composure!
"What are you doing! You're a damn super soldier!" the driver shouted at the Winter Soldier.
The Winter Soldier cast an emotionless glance at the driver—he would find a way to eliminate that guy without needing the driver's instructions.
In the next moment, the Winter Soldier's actions surpassed the driver's expectations. He seized the steering wheel, and before the driver could utter another curse, the entire car veered sideways—
Seizing the opportunity during the rollover, the Winter Soldier leaped out of the window, firing a rocket launcher at Frank in mid-air!
Frank's pupils dilated; he reacted quickly, but at this distance, even an aircraft would struggle to make such a sudden maneuver!
Boom!
In a critical moment, Frank jumped away from the aircraft and barely managed to grab onto a nearby building. However, the force of the explosion caused him to lose his grip and plummet toward the ground.
The two fell, completing their rolls simultaneously, and then sprang to their feet at the same time.
The Winter Soldier shook his metal arm, staring intently at Frank.
"Super soldier? Where did you come from?" Frank, clad in a modified individual armor, felt no fear. He shifted his stance and advanced toward the Winter Soldier.
In fact, he was eager to contend with such a super soldier!
Boom!
Frank was startled as Abomination crashed down from the sky, enveloping the Winter Soldier tightly.
"...Okay, teamwork," Frank said, somewhat helpless. He still yearned to confront these super soldiers.
"Boss, the super soldier has been subdued. Killian has been captured alive. The mission is complete."
"Very well, let's wrap up the team."
...
Meanwhile, Peter clung to the wall as he approached the individuals tasked with silencing witnesses and erasing evidence.
Thanks to his spider abilities, he managed to sneak up behind them without being noticed.
"Agent Spider, prepare...what is that?"
Two men's voices drifted from around the corner. They appeared to be discussing something.
This team of professionals sensed something amiss and raised their weapons one after another.
"...Their target is the president—I mean Norman Osborn. Where is your equipment?" Rhodes emerged from the corner, still gesturing with his hands.
Upon seeing the dozen guns pointed at him, he abruptly halted and slowly raised his hands.
"After being disassembled by Killian, I need to go back and change into a new set of equipment..." Tony said as he approached, colliding into Rhodes, who had suddenly stopped. "What are you doing? Before you stop, you can..."
Tony also gradually raised his hands.
"Found Tony Stark and James Rhodes...Okay." The leader of the team received the order and released the safety.
"Do you have any good ideas?" Rhodes inquired.
"No!"
White spider silk descended from above, ensnaring the guns into a compact ball, and Spider-Man leaped into the crowd, adhering these ordinary people to the wall in three swift motions.
Boom.
To conclude the altercation, Peter landed in front of the two, startling them.
"Mr. Stark? Nice to meet you! I'm Spider-Man. We met before in New York, you know, back then, uh... we haven't officially shaken hands yet. Do you want to shake hands?" Peter waved his hands around as if there was no danger, then extended one toward Tony.
"What is this?" Rhodes said with a frown.
"Allies." After stating this, Tony flashed a smile typically reserved for fans. "Kid, where do you come from? We need to inform the president that these terrorist elements are masquerading as the Iron Patriot..."
As he spoke, Tony paused and looked up at the sky.
"Why don't you continue talking?" Rhodes asked, puzzled.
"Look at that," Tony said, and the other two looked up. A plane zipped across the sky, leaving a light blue trail.
"Ion thrusters, Osborn technology, that's their aircraft. It seems like Spider-Boy has informed them."
Peter nodded. "That's what I wanted to say. Harry told me he called someone to handle these people. And—I'm Spider-Man, not Spider-Boy."
Tony regarded Peter. The kid resembled a teenager.
In fact, Peter, who had just entered college, was indeed young.
Peter shot a web toward the rooftop: "Mr. Stark, if you don't mind, I have to leave first. I mean, I'm still on a study trip, which could affect whether I get to go to Oxford University for an exchange... Nice to meet you!"
As Peter vanished from the rooftop, Rhodes remarked, "Young people, young people still worrying about their studies. Are we getting old?"
"Don't worry about it. Everyone has their own tricks these days," Tony replied, shaking his head.
The individuals sent to resolve this issue were General Ross and his men. Within minutes, American soldiers, armed and ready, surrounded the area.
"Mr. Stark? I didn't expect to see you and Colonel Rhodes here. Do you have anything to report?" General Ross appeared to be in good spirits. He had captured a significant terrorist member and rescued Stark.
Years ago, he had invited Stark to collaborate on the super soldier serum, but this guy had insisted that biological enhancements were not as practical as mechanical devices.
It turned out that Ross had not executed the project well, but he remained displeased with Stark's attitude.
Tony said, "I can tell you're pleased to see me like this, but we must inform Norman Osborn that these guys are targeting him..."
Ross smiled at this: "It seems you've been confined for too long. Head to the plane and catch the news."
Tony and Rhodes exchanged glances, uncertain of the implication.
"General, we found a detonator. It will explode in 12 minutes. We've never encountered this type of device before. Twelve minutes may not be enough," a soldier's report suddenly reached Ross's earpiece.
If they were too late, they would have to retreat first. But retreating was not an option; these individuals aimed to blow up this place, so they must possess some critical evidence.
Ross turned to Tony, halting him once more.
"Stark... I heard you have a defuser on your suit?"
---