The sun blazed high in the sky over the North Atlantic.
Wade hovered beneath the grey clouds, holding a satellite phone that looked like an old-fashioned keypad mobile, and pressed the redial button.
The call connected in just two seconds, and Thomas's excited voice came through: "Mr. Anderson?! Is that you?"
Wade adjusted his voice and asked, "How are you? Are you settled in?"
"Safe for now, though I can't disclose where I am," Thomas said evasively. "I've passed along everything that happened to us that day, as well as your requirements."
"What about the attack... why hasn't it been leaked? Aren't they going to slap Vought Corporation with full-scale sanctions?"
"You're an outsider, so you might not understand. From a political standpoint, the risk of suppressing the news is lower than letting it break, so..."
"Then what about the investment I need? Is that dead too?"
"No, the tide has turned. The higher-ups want to re-evaluate the partnership with Vought. They're split into two factions now: one wants to use this momentum to push the Supe Management Act and restrict Supes from entering military and political fields; the other, those funded by Vought, are making quite a noise, arguing their case in the military and Congress based on their indispensability."
Wade listened silently, looking down at the churning blue waves. A figure in a green uniform was lying beneath a dolphin, sailing along. 'Isn't that The Deep? Out protecting marine animals again?'
Thomas paused for a moment before continuing, "Mr. Anderson, your opportunity has arrived. Richard Hayes, the Director of DARPA, is a pragmatist who only cares about results. He's very, very interested in your serum! He wants to meet in person as soon as possible. The location is set for... Fort Drum Army Base. It's absolutely secure."
Wade pulled out a spare phone, snapped a photo of The Deep's daily routine with the dolphin, and curled his lip. 'Hmph, absolutely secure? Maybe for ordinary humans... if they sell me out to Vought, I'm toast.'
'Besides, I don't have time to sit in a military base acting like some research expert.'
"Fine. Once I've arranged my itinerary, I'll send a message back." He ended the call curtly. His body paused in mid-air before pulling a white vapor trail behind him as he vanished deep into the clouds.
An hour later, in a cave laboratory in the Adirondack Park, New York.
Wade slowly extracted 50 milliliters of blood from his palm. The weightless, irregular crimson liquid flowed into ten centrifuge tubes on the table.
"50 milliliters is nothing. With my physical fitness and regenerative abilities, I could easily draw 500ml in a month."
As the centrifuge hummed continuously, the serum separation work proceeded in an orderly fashion.
"Serum activation agent, ready... Overthrowing Vought is just around the corner!"
He hadn't done all this preparation for nothing. If he just wanted to be a "hero," he could have simply gone and assassinated Vought's executives one by one.
But Vought International was essentially a super-powered pharmaceutical company spanning various fields; there would always be more people in the interest groups than he could kill.
If Wade dared to start a killing spree, especially with his current lack of strength, he would surely be hunted down by countless Supes and isolated and reviled by the entire human world.
Furthermore, once Vought decided to lift restrictions and mass-produce compound v, they could have as many Supes as they wanted. Revenge and manhunts... would never end.
He was here to train his powers, enjoy life, and cause a bit of trouble along the way; he didn't want to live the life of a fugitive in constant fear.
His current goal: use the "Temporary Targeted Super-Power Serum" to rally the ordinary human population against Vought, establish his own commercial empire capable of influencing the global landscape, and continuously develop single, composite, and all-around temporary and permanent targeted serum products to confront Vought on all fronts!
These things couldn't be achieved by individual martial force alone. He needed to continuously collect super-powered genes; he needed massive sources of funding to establish a legal brand that could break Vought's monopoly; and he needed the full support of both the military and political spheres, establishing solid relationships of mutual interest with them.
Temporary Targeted Super-Power Serum. With immediate effects, low side effects, and high controllability, it allowed ordinary people to easily gain superpowers—the perfect choice to open the market!
"Vought will never lack super-powered idols like The Seven. Only by striking at their pharmaceutical foundation can I truly deal a fatal blow."
Wade pulled his thoughts back and turned to look at the right side of the table, where a large pile of cheap necklaces and watches was laid out.
"Since I won't be showing my face at the meeting, it's time to make some preparations."
Accompanied by the harsh sound of cutting, Wade methodically took apart the necklaces and watch parts.
The main purpose was to be able to use the hidden temporary serums on the go. By pressing buttons on both sides of a watch or striking a necklace hard, a slender mechanical needle would pop out and inject the hidden serum into the body.
Who knew if Thomas was being controlled by forces tied to Vought's interests? The invitation to meet in person might just be a trap to catch a turtle in a jar.
"Sending Mena to the meeting is the safest bet."
Half an hour passed in a flash. Wade toyed with the reassembled watches and necklaces filled with different colored serums. "One version 2.0 Shadow Bug Serum and one Fierce Bear Serum should be enough."
These two serums provided immense strength and defense, high-speed healing, flight, shadow duplication, and even invisibility and diamond-grade physical stats—enough to escape from a dragnet of most modern human weaponry.
If she were surrounded by Supes... well, that would be another story.
Wade pulled his thoughts back, his gaze falling on the thick stack of technical files, hundreds of pages long.
Inside were records of twelve types of single-function blank gene samples. Gene sequences, cultivation processes, and the composite formulas for the version 1.0 serums were all there.
From "high-intensity keratin secretion" to "specific frequency bio-luminescence"... any single gene sample was worthless. Only by following the ratios he had set could one concoct the base carrier serum waiting to be activated.
This was the tempting bait he had prepared for the military—something visible and tangible—while he himself held the most crucial part: the serum activation agent.
Wade packed the files, the activation agent, and the portable injection devices into his backpack. "After I finish my afternoon classes, I'll go find Mena tonight and explain everything."
...Deep into the night, at No. 58 in the Scarsdale villa district.
In the first-floor hall, a man and a woman sat on a large beanbag sofa.
"I've made contact with the military. The meeting place is Fort Drum Army Base in Jefferson County... You'll go alone to negotiate. Any problem with that?" Wade took the technical folder out of his bag and handed it over. "Remember to take these files with you."
"Phew... it's finally happening." Upon hearing this, Mena's pupils constricted slightly, and her breath hitched for a moment as she reached out to take them. "I'll prepare to resign in the next few days and finish my handovers."
"Let's talk about our business model first." Wade reclined on the sofa, his head resting on her lap. "These technical files are the stepping stone, proof that we have mature, mass-producible technology. You will represent us in serum production, setting up a joint-venture production lab with the military. I will only be responsible for providing the serum activation agent and product R&D."
"Give them these three samples of version 1.0 individual serums for verification first. If the talks go well... you can indicate to them that we have the capability to develop customized serums, such as purely defensive types for anti-assassination, or high-speed healing types; or even levitation and beast-transformation types focused on the experience."
"What's the price? And the output?" Mena asked, looking down as she flipped through the files. "I'll need to negotiate the details with them."
Wade sat up and asked in a low voice, "Those temporary compound v serums from Vought... have you looked into them?"
"I managed to get a copy of a secret quote Vought gave to a certain Middle Eastern royal family through my old channels." Mena took out her notebook and spoke while flipping through it. "Their temporary compound v is priced at 2 million dollars per dose with effects lasting 24 hours, but the list of side effects is terrifying, including psychological extremism, pathological organ mutation, and high addictiveness."
Wade rubbed his fingertips and said without hesitation, "Then our bottom line is 500,000 dollars per dose. It's best if the asking price doesn't exceed 1 million. Our price must be lower than theirs."
"We have many advantages, and this isn't a one-off deal... To give you a baseline, I can provide 250 milliliters of activation agent every month. With 0.01 milliliters activating one dose, we can make up to 25,000 doses."
Mena kept taking notes in her book and nodded. "Understood. Spread out first and capture the market."
Wade pulled a pair of silver watches and necklaces from his coat pocket. "These are your final safeguards. If anything feels wrong, press the mechanism to inject the serum and escape immediately... I'll be hiding on the perimeter of the base to back you up."
Mena put the watches and necklaces into her bag and leaned against him, whispering, "Mm, I won't let you down."
"Anyone can talk big. Just don't get scared witless and end up squatting on the ground screaming with your head in your hands when the time comes." Wade toyed with a strand of her hair and teased with a smile, "Remember, your primary mission is to come back safely. Business can be discussed elsewhere, but if you're gone, everything is gone."
"Okay!" Mena pulled away, took out the box of unused version 1.0 serum from her bag, and winked with a smile. "How about... we practice first?"
"In your dreams... what can you practice at home?" Wade snatched the metal box and stuffed it back into the bag, looking at her with lingering fear. "Real combat practice outside is what's useful."
He took out the Shadow Bug 2.0 serum he carried, drew a small amount, and carefully injected it into the brachial artery of Mena's arm. "We'll practice flying first. Escaping is the top priority."
"Great!" Mena jumped from the bed onto Wade's back, nuzzled him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Quick, take me for a flight. I've never flown before."
"Don't be nervous, it's easy." Wade carried her to the courtyard and slowly rose into the air. "It's like an eagle training its chicks. I'll drop you from the sky in a bit, and you should be able to learn."
Mena bit his shoulder and muttered, "You wouldn't dare!"
A few minutes later, the two arrived at the Atlantic coast.
In the air, Mena tugged at Wade's ear and looked down at the sea hundreds of meters below, her head spinning.
She shook her head and whispered with a tremble, "Little... little cutie... you were joking just now, right?"
Wade accelerated upward, glanced back at her, and just smiled without saying a word.
Mena closed her eyes, her limbs tightly wrapping around his waist as she sobbed, "Ugh... if I die of fright, go find someone else to talk about your damn business!"
"There's a first time for everything... off you go!" Wade crossed his arms, and the air currents around him vibrated slightly.
Mena felt her limbs go numb as the force supporting her suddenly vanished, and she was forcibly pushed away.
The sensation of weightlessness gripped her heart, the wind filled her mouth and nose, and the feeling of suffocation and extreme terror turned her mind blank.
"Ah—Wade, you little bastard—I hate you!"
A shrill scream pierced the night sky as the figure in yellow lace pajamas fell straight toward the dark sea below like a bird with broken wings.
In this moment of slow-motion descent, her survival instinct triggered a dormant energy within her body, and faint air currents began to swirl uncontrollably around Mena.
Wade's eyes sharpened, and he dove down like a bolt of lightning, catching up to the rapidly growing yellow speck in an instant.
"This stupid woman, I told her to stay calm!"
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