"Wow, kid! You've grown taller since I last saw you two years ago!" Josh said with a smile, rubbing the head of Thaddeus, who had come with his parents to visit the mansion.
After attending the council meeting, Josh quietly returned to his mansion in Chicago.
Then, after receiving notice, the Ross family and the Osborn family, who were neighbors, came to visit together.
It was now 1958. Thaddeus Ross, born in 1945 and less than a year younger than Mike and Carol, was now almost fourteen. He had grown well, just like Mike, already taller than 1.6 meters.
Although Ross in the movies appeared to be a short man, that was when he was already over seventy years old. When he was young, he was clearly a strong and handsome boy.
This year, he had just entered ninth grade, the first year of high school in America. American high schools lasted four years, grades nine to twelve. Elementary and middle schools varied by state; some had five years of elementary school and three years of middle school, while others had six years of elementary school and two years of middle school.
"Godfather! I've grown taller too!" Norman Osborn said quickly, not wanting to be left out.
Perhaps because of the changes in his family life caused by Josh's influence, Norman Osborn wasn't the cold-blooded boy described in the original Marvel story. Instead, he seemed cheerful and lively.
"Oh, of course! Our Norman is also a fine young man now!" Josh laughed and patted the boy on his head.
"How have things been for you these past two years? No trouble caused because of me, I hope?" Josh asked casually. If there had been any major trouble, someone would have informed him, but minor issues might have been overlooked.
Of course, he was mostly just making polite conversation.
"What trouble could we possibly have? Even though opinions in America about Austria differ, everyone agrees on one thing—they don't dare mess with us!" William Ross and Amberson Osborn exchanged glances and laughed.
Austria's rise was indeed a major challenge to America's status.
But did that have anything to do with Ross or Osborn personally? Did it affect their ability to make money?
Not at all.
In fact, because of Austria's rise, those connected to Josh, including them, became people no one wanted to offend easily.
Especially since America needed to maintain close commercial relationships with Austria to obtain Austria's advanced technology and weapons.
As long as the two countries didn't become enemies, people like William and Amberson, who were close to Josh, could profit greatly and live comfortably.
"That's good. After all, I'll soon be stepping back from the spotlight and coming to America less frequently. If any problems come up, let me know immediately," Josh nodded.
"Of course, we will!" the two men replied seriously, nodding.
"Oh, right—I brought some gifts back for the kids!" Josh waved, and Bresta quickly brought over a box and placed it on the table.
Since Vito was now one of Josh's important managers, he wouldn't follow Josh around every day unless there was something important to handle.
Josh now had a new personal assistant—someone to help him with daily tasks, as he didn't need a bodyguard given his own strength.
This assistant was Bresta, the only four-divine-power warrior under Josh's command.
Bresta opened the box, revealing two golden-colored potions inside.
"What are these?" William and Amberson asked, glancing at each other with confusion.
"These are the latest genetic potions from the Supreme Research Institute. They have very few restrictions for the user. Basically, anyone over six years old with a developed immune system can safely use it, and the younger they are, the better. Once used, the potion will gradually improve their physical abilities as they grow up. You won't notice a big change at first, but by adulthood, they'll become at least twice as strong as those who used the regular super-soldier potion—and possibly gain some special abilities. This is my gift for your two kids!" Josh explained.
William and Amberson's eyes lit up when they heard Josh's explanation.
Because they'd already joined Ouroboros and held high positions in the organization, they and their wives had already benefited from the original super-soldier potion. They knew very well how valuable these potions were.
However, the early versions of the potion had strict limitations and weren't suitable until the user's immune system fully matured—typically around 16 years old.
But with this latest version, Norman and Thaddeus could start right now.
Although the changes wouldn't be noticeable immediately, by adulthood, both boys would essentially become "superhumans."
At that point, even Captain America would be nothing compared to them.
In the original timeline, Thaddeus and Norman had spent their whole lives obsessed with improving human strength, turning themselves into hated villains. Now Josh was already fulfilling their dreams while they were still children.
Clearly, their godfather wasn't just a title for show.
Of course, Josh's own children didn't need potions like these. No matter how advanced a genetic potion was, it was still ordinary compared to magic and divine powers—the true goals Josh's children pursued.
"Josh, about this potion..." William and Amberson started eagerly.
Thaddeus and Norman were their children, yes—but they weren't their only children. Because of Josh's influence, their wives were healthier, and they themselves had more energy, resulting in bigger families compared to the original timeline.
Thaddeus now had a younger brother and sister, and Norman also had a younger sister.
Unlike Thaddeus and Norman, Josh didn't take these other children as his godchildren.
"Don't think about it. The materials for this new genetic potion are very rare. Apart from those used for early testing, we've only produced five doses so far," Josh said seriously.
"Understood," William quickly replied, dropping the idea completely.
William and Amberson knew that although they held good positions in Ouroboros because of Josh, they still weren't at the top level. Normally, with only five potions available, they wouldn't have gotten any at all.
Thaddeus and Norman only got them because they were Josh's godsons.
Josh wasn't exaggerating about how rare these potions were. The reason children could safely use this latest potion was that it contained an extremely rare magical ingredient—the Black Lotus from Azeroth.
Anyone familiar with early World of Warcraft knew how valuable the Black Lotus was. But unlike in the game, in reality, the Black Lotus was even rarer. It didn't appear randomly on maps. Instead, it grew only in places with extremely high magical energy, which were almost impossible for regular people to reach.
In all of Azeroth, fewer than twenty mature Black Lotuses were found each year, and most went directly to powerful mages, since ordinary people couldn't even reach them. Very few ever appeared for sale, and even then, rich nobles usually took them.
The Black Lotuses used to make this new potion had been collected or bought with great difficulty by Abbendis' privateers, who traveled across Azeroth. In many years, they'd only managed to get eight.
Abbendis kept four for himself to win favor with powerful mages and alchemists. Josh got only four. Of these, one was given to the Ancient One, another to Yuri as payment, and another was carefully turned into five doses of this potion—with two more doses having been used in testing. The last lotus was still safely stored in Josh's inventory.
So without being Josh's godsons, these two kids definitely wouldn't have qualified to get something so precious!
William and Amberson weren't upset, though. Even if they couldn't get this special potion, their positions within Ouroboros meant their other children could still get the regular super-soldier potion easily once they grew up.
Seeing the two had nothing more to say, Josh asked Bresta to take the two boys to use the potions.
Using it was simple: inject it, sleep, and wake up hungry enough to eat a big meal. There wouldn't be any immediate issues like suddenly becoming too strong.
"By the way, are you still planning to have Ross join the military?" Josh asked, looking at William.
"Normally, yes. But if you have other plans, of course we'll follow your lead first," William Ross replied without hesitation. As Thaddeus was his eldest son, he naturally wanted him to follow in his footsteps and had always been strict with his education. However, if someone like Josh had a different path in mind, then that came first.
"I have no objections, but the real question is—what does Ross himself want?" Josh said.
"He's complained now and then, but I can tell he truly looks forward to a military career. He's very interested in my experience and his grandfather's service," William said with clear pride.
"Good. In that case, once he finishes high school, send him to West Point," Josh nodded. "You've probably heard about the White House and Pentagon's recent actions in Vietnam. A large-scale regional war is basically unavoidable now, and it's likely to last a while. It'll be the perfect chance to let Ross gain some real experience."
"I'm aware of the situation in Vietnam. I've heard about it from several old friends, and the Department of Defense has already placed a number of orders with Blackwater. But… a long-lasting regional war? Isn't that a bit too much?" William frowned slightly.
He was naturally eager for his son to gain war experience—after all, there's no faster way to rise in the military than the battlefield.
But in his mind, America going to war with a small country like Vietnam should only take a few months.
Vietnam didn't even have a proper army. Even if they had Soviet support, how could they possibly compete with the power of the U.S. military?
Besides, the Soviets were focused on Europe. Most of the world didn't believe they would heavily support Vietnam at this time.
And Thaddeus had just started high school—it would be years before he could join the fight.
William's thoughts were common ones shared across America and much of the West before the Vietnam War began. Even the Hydra Council couldn't imagine the war dragging on for more than a decade.
Josh chuckled, "Don't worry. Vietnam may be small, but once it becomes the center of East-West conflict, this won't be some quick armed clash."
"You mean… the Soviets might directly get involved?" William immediately caught on.
"Why not? Vietnam is far from the Soviet Union, making it the perfect place to test their strength against the U.S.," Josh said with a shrug.
In recorded history, there was no hard proof the Soviets directly joined the war. But in reality? Beyond the obvious supply of materials, Soviet special forces and air units had indeed shown up in Vietnam.
From the start, the Soviets had sent large numbers of military advisors to help train Vietnam's troops—and even took part in military command.
At that level, does it even matter whether it's "official" involvement?
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