**
"Hey, Tony, Pepper!" Link called out as he entered the basement, catching sight of the two in an intimate moment. He couldn't help but interrupt.
"Hey, Link!" Pepper responded a bit shyly, but Stark showed no signs of embarrassment.
"Did you bring it?" Stark asked, referring to the item.
Link nodded and said, "It's in the living room upstairs. I'll leave you two to it. I trust you've got this under control."
"I'm heading out now," he added.
Pepper chimed in, "Perfect timing! I also need to get back to New York to handle the Expo matters."
Link smiled, "Guess I'll take advantage of Stark Industries' plane then."
"You're always welcome!" Pepper gave Stark a kiss before whispering, "You promised me you'd fix this, or you'll have to go through surgery."
"Don't worry, I've already figured out a solution," Stark replied confidently.
Link took the Stark Industries jet back to New York, retrieved his car from the military base, and headed home. He had no intention of getting involved in what was about to unfold. He was content watching events play out on TV. By now, Coulson was likely in New Mexico dealing with the "hammer problem."
Link was disinterested in involving himself in these affairs, and it seemed S.H.I.E.L.D. had no assignments for him either. He knew full well that Nick Fury didn't fully trust him yet, so major responsibilities wouldn't be handed over. That was fine with him. After all, Link had no desire to work for S.H.I.E.L.D.
As expected, things transpired as they should. Ivan Vanko's thirst for revenge resurfaced, and Stark managed to resolve the issue just in time. Meanwhile, the situation in New Mexico was kept under wraps. Videos had surfaced earlier about a hammer that no one could lift, but after that, there were no further updates. Likely, S.H.I.E.L.D. had stepped in to contain the information, especially since it involved extraterrestrial matters.
These two significant events occurred, but Link kept his distance. Instead, he took the opportunity to short Hammer Industries' stock, making another huge profit. The funds he used were mostly from the charity foundation, which had a significant portion invested in United Construction.
With over a billion dollars still at his disposal, Link employed financial leverage again. Shorting Hammer Industries brought in tens of billions of dollars in profits for the charity fund, considering Hammer's market value wasn't all that high. Many investors had been banking on Hammer Industries due to its rumored military contracts, which made Link's bet all the more profitable.
Hammer Industries held no interest for him beyond that. Having made his money, Link was ready to move on to the next investment opportunity. As the charity fund's investment director, it was his job to scout for such opportunities.
Link now considered other stock options, though Stark Industries was off-limits as everyone was holding onto its stock, knowing it still had room to grow. Stark himself was a walking advertisement for his company.
The market had plenty of large corporations, some familiar to Link from his previous life and others unique to this world. Companies like Pym Technologies and Oscorp were present, and those were the ones he kept an eye on due to his familiarity with them.
Link wasn't entirely sure which version of the Marvel universe this was, but certain events seemed inevitable.
The earlier drop in Stark Industries' stock had played out as expected, giving him the opportunity to profit and elevate his status. Now, he balanced his time between learning and tracking these familiar companies, preparing for the next stock opportunity.
Norman Osborn was still the chairman and CEO of Oscorp, and after researching the company, Link found that its biotech division had heavy investment. However, there wasn't much information on who headed the department.
Accessing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database, Link discovered the name Richard Parker, though Parker had apparently stolen Oscorp's tech and fled the country with his wife. Tragically, the couple died in a plane crash, and the stolen technology was lost with them. Their son, Peter Parker, was taken in by his uncle, Ben Parker.
Link wasn't particularly interested in Peter Parker or Spider-Man at the moment. Instead, his focus was on Oscorp and its massive investments in the biotech sector, which indicated that the Osborn family's genetic disease still plagued them.
Link suspected Oscorp still had dealings with the military, likely in relation to the Super Soldier Serum, though without much success. If Norman Osborn did indeed inject himself with the serum, he would likely transform into the Green Goblin. Oscorp was ripe for some strategic moves.
Oscorp had ventures in many sectors, from pharmaceuticals and power to military technology, making it a diverse company. While Link had no desire to manage such a corporation himself, he was keen on tapping into its research and development capabilities. To do that, he needed to put his advanced intellect to use.
Link ordered a variety of books on biology, medicine, and chemistry, organizing them from basic to advanced, and compiled a shopping list.
In just over an hour, Link read through and memorized the contents of a vast number of books, thanks to his super-speed and super-intelligence.
Standing before his packed bookshelves, he could confidently say he'd read and absorbed it all. However, that wasn't enough. He needed more knowledge, specifically research papers. These, unfortunately, were mostly online, and reading too quickly could cause his laptop to freeze.
Having J.A.R.V.I.S. would've been ideal. With holographic screens, Link could have breezed through everything without issue. Unfortunately, creating something like J.A.R.V.I.S. wasn't feasible yet. While he felt capable of coding a basic AI to handle routine tasks, he lacked the necessary hardware to build a full-fledged super AI.
A powerful AI required equally powerful supercomputers, and setting up one wasn't within his reach just yet. Cooling systems alone were a huge hurdle. For now, he'd continue building up his knowledge at a steady pace.
The next day, Phil Coulson sent Link a video and followed up with a call.
Coulson's message? He was introducing Link to Asgard!
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(End of Chapter)