9:00 AM, Manhattan, Amman Club.
In a window booth, a middle-aged Black man with a light complexion sat alone at a table, wearing a well-tailored dark gray suit.
He picked up a few sugar cubes and dropped them into the steaming coffee before him, stirring with a silver spoon in a calm, unhurried manner.
A dozen seconds later, Mena, dressed in a sharp black suit, took a seat across from him. She ordered an Americano from the waiter and greeted him, "Good morning, Mr. Edgar."
"Long time no see, Mena." Edgar stared at her with a gentle smile. "How have you been lately?"
Mena smoothed her hair and looked down at the heavy flow of traffic below. "Everything is fine, just that work has been quite busy."
Edgar took a sip of coffee and reminisced, "I remember five years ago, you were still by my side handling files... When I saw the name of the CEO of Nexus Company, I thought I had mistaken it for someone else."
"It seems that leaving you at Red River was a waste of your talent."
Mena casually prepared her freshly served coffee and remarked, "Thank you for your appreciation and cultivation back then. It's just that someone offered a bigger stage and conditions that were impossible to refuse."
Edgar set down his cup and tapped his fingertips on the table a few times, his tone calm. "The company you joined was founded only two short months ago and is virtually unknown."
"But the ingredients of your serums have a similarity of up to 60% with our company's products. Aside from the effects being somewhat lower-end, the production technology is far too mature for a new company."
Mena picked up her coffee cup and blew on the steam. "I'm only in charge of operations; I don't know much about the specific R&D process."
"All I know is that all our company's serum patents have received special military patent certification from the Department of Defense. It's completely legal and does not constitute infringement."
"Indeed, that is indisputable." Edgar nodded, resting his chin on one hand. "What I'm curious about is the R&D team behind the scenes; they are quite extraordinary. To be able to develop a stable, targeted pathway for temporary serums while our company's formula remains completely confidential..."
"What I admire even more is that you were able to get the Pentagon and the Department of Defense to provide protection and orders so quickly... The person behind you has shown quite remarkable strategic vision and political maneuvering recently."
Mena calmly held her cup and took a sip. "The military needs reliable and controllable tools. We just happened to meet that need; it's simply good timing."
"All of this is inseparable from the Department of Defense's expectation and support for healthy competition in the industry."
"Free competition is the operating principle of society, so of course there's no problem with that..." Edgar placed his hands on the table and said with a faint smile, "We must jointly ensure that this competition can continue."
Mena raised her coffee cup and nodded. "I'm glad you understand."
Edgar's tone shifted as he raised an index finger. "Your company's positioning is very clear and wise. In the niche field of temporary serums, I acknowledge your status and the Department of Defense's choice... As long as you don't venture into the field of permanent Supe serums, everything is negotiable."
He then pulled a file from the briefcase beside him and placed it casually on the table. "Fair competition requires following the rules. I've noticed that some of your company's serums, which should be strictly controlled, have appeared in places where they shouldn't be."
Mena picked up the file and flipped through it quickly, her brow furrowing.
Inside were several detailed technical analysis reports, photos of finished serums, and clear images of five identified armed individuals... accusing these five of using serums with ingredients similar to Nexus Company products but with more aggressive effects to continuously attack Vought facilities and personnel.
"That's impossible!" She put down the file and tapped the table, retorting, "All of our company's products are under the unified control of the military, and our assembly lines have strict records. We have never developed or produced a product with the effects described in this file!"
Edgar narrowed his eyes slightly and let out a soft snort, speaking slowly, "Same ingredients, similar effects, and also a temporary targeted serum. Perhaps an 'untested version' leaked from some stage of your company's R&D? Go back and conduct a thorough investigation."
"This is my bottom line, and the prerequisite for Vought to tolerate the existence of a competitor. The supply of serums flowing into the gray market and any illegal armed organizations must be completely cut off. This is something both sides must adhere to; there is no room for negotiation."
Mena sat up straight and said seriously, "This matter exceeds my authority. I will go back and immediately convene an internal meeting and report this to the Department of Defense."
Edgar leaned back in his chair, crossing his hands in front of him. "Imagine if the Pentagon discovered that we were unscrupulously arming terrorists who seek to subvert society with serums... I think even the strongest partnership would collapse."
Finally, he stared at Mena and said word for word, "Vought can accept an opponent who plays by the rules. But if that opponent always tries to play dirty under the table... then all business conventions will become void."
"We will use all legal means to ensure market stability!"
Mena nodded and echoed in a low voice, "You are right. Legal compliance is very important."
Edgar stood up and straightened his suit. "Please be sure to tell the boss behind you: chaos is a ladder, but it's also easy to lose one's footing and fall... New York is very bustling, but finding him is no harder for us than taking a stroll in Central Park."
"Mena, I wish you a bright future. The doors of Vought are always open for your return." With that, he extended his hand.
Mena hurried to pull back her chair, stood up, and shook it. "Thank you, Mr. Edgar."
"The breakfast here is good; remember to finish it before you leave." Edgar patted her shoulder, then let go and turned to leave at a leisurely pace.
Mena slumped in her chair, completely relaxing as she wiped the sweat from the back of her neck.
After a while, she took a sip of the now-cool coffee, looked at the menu, and licked her lips. "I'm so hungry... Let's see what there is to eat."
An inconspicuous red-eyed fly silently emerged from the leg of her trousers, vibrated its wings, and flew out through a gap in the windowsill... In an elegantly decorated open-air Western restaurant in a high-rise across the street from the club.
Wade sat at a table by the balcony, opposite Jill, who was cutting into double-egg toast and bacon.
He appeared to be enjoying breakfast, but most of his attention was focused on the information stream being fed back by the "red-eyed fly."
He cut a piece of pita bread with scrambled eggs, put it in his mouth, and chewed slowly. 'Agreeing not to let the serums circulate on the market?'
This was nothing more than a temporary measure by that old fellow Edgar to avoid fighting on multiple fronts, likely intended to handle Vought's recent string of scandals as quickly as possible.
If Vought stabilized its position, it would surely use its massive political lobbying power to cause trouble for Nexus Company within the Department of Defense and the Pentagon. It would also increase investment in the R&D of temporary serums to reclaim its technological advantage and market share.
Wade knew very well that once the time was right, Vought would use every means possible to completely destroy or annex Nexus Company.
'Then I'll just provide Butcher and the others with a long-lasting, enhanced version of the serum... It's just a matter of paying a bit more of a price; I can afford it.'
In his initial vision, only by making superpowers instrumentalized, commonplace, and normalized could Vought's monopoly, deification movement, and military deterrence be fundamentally addressed.
Moreover, the United States has the Second Amendment, and most people accept the theory of gun ownership. As a similar alternative, temporary superpower serums shouldn't be too hard for people to accept... Defensive serums are like bulletproof vests, offensive ones are like guns, and control ones are like handcuffs, plus various ability-restricting devices as safety measures.
Disenchantment and narrowing the gap between Supes and ordinary people is the ultimate strategy to fundamentally dismantle the Vought system.
And the first step toward that future is to use military orders to grow the company large and strong while simultaneously causing enough trouble for Vought to keep them overwhelmed and distracted.
Wade pulled back his thoughts and looked at the satisfied Jill across from him, asking with a smile, "Is it good?"
"It's just okay, not as good as the school cafeteria's," Jill said with a grin, licking the syrup from the corner of her mouth. "To think you'd actually ask me out for breakfast for once... something's wrong with you."
"I was feeling cooped up; what's wrong with coming out for some air?" Wade glanced at his watch and raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry, there's still an hour before it's your turn to fight. There's plenty of time."
Jill leaned in close to his ear, blowing cold air. "Then let's hurry back after eating. On the way, let's play in the clouds for a bit... and make it hail."
Wade pinched her cold cheek and teased with a laugh, "Practicing your so-called combo move again? You've been playing too many games."
"Hmph, so are you going to practice with me or not?"
"Of course I will, and we'll refine it through a thousand trials!"
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