The Daily Bugle incident was nothing more than a minor interruption. For Nolan, the newspaper itself was irrelevant, and even Norman Osborn was little more than a footnote.
He already had the formula for the Goblin Serum. Whatever came next, he could handle on his own.
Compared to that, he cared much more about the growth of his company.
Whatever the Ancient One's intentions might be, Nolan knew one thing. Strength was everything. Only with power could he stand his ground.
He had arrived in an entirely new world. If he did not turn this place into his personal stronghold, he would be wasting the Ancient One's goodwill.
After some effort, Nolan secured a weapons manufacturing license. With that done, he hosted the first technology expo for Locke Industries in this world.
Most of the attendees were private arms dealers. The military representatives who came were small names, nothing impressive.
It was exactly what Nolan expected. The military encountered new weapons manufacturers every year. A newcomer rarely meant much to them.
Nolan's solution was simple.
Dozens of NS5 intelligent robots marched onto the stage, followed by the SAR-1 combat units equipped with heavy weapon mounts.
As if that were not enough, he presented the ExoSuit powered exoskeleton.
The three flagship systems immediately stole the show.
"Do these products really perform as described?" an Army colonel asked, barely hiding his excitement.
"Of course," Nolan replied. "In fact, they perform better than the descriptions."
As someone who had been an arms dealer for years, he understood perfectly what military buyers wanted to hear.
The colonel was clearly tempted, though he maintained a layer of caution.
"Locke Industries only recently obtained its weapons license. If you can guarantee the quality, I'll report this to my superiors. But if there is any issue, your license will be revoked. You understand?"
"Perfectly. I look forward to it," Nolan said with a polite smile.
The expo concluded as a resounding success. Few deals were finalized on the spot, but Nolan gained plenty of strong leads. Many attendees were visibly thrilled.
These machines were nothing short of groundbreaking. Most could not imagine how Locke Industries had produced so many advanced prototypes at once.
The contrast with other military manufacturers was stark. Their robotics programs looked crude by comparison.
Soon after, Locke Industries began constructing large-scale production lines in preparation for mass manufacturing.
During this period, Nolan visited Osborn Industries once. He wanted to speak with Norman Osborn directly. He was even considering whether to take the opportunity to eliminate the Green Goblin.
Their previous cooperation had been pleasant enough, but the Goblin's earlier attack had crossed a line.
Unfortunately, Norman had not appeared at the company for some time.
The Green Goblin continued making trouble for Peter Parker, though each attempt was blocked by Peter in the end.
Unable to track down the Goblin for the moment, Nolan shifted his focus back to his company.
Representatives from various sectors gathered at Locke Industries' testing grounds. When the military arrived, Nolan was genuinely surprised.
The leading officer was an old acquaintance, General Ross.
Only, in this world, Ross held far less influence than his counterpart in the other Marvel universes. That Ross had been a full general and one of the most powerful figures in the military.
"Mr. Locke," Ross said, "for this test, I intend to deploy our own soldiers. What do you think?"
Behind him were dozens of elite troops.
Nolan shrugged. He had seen this routine before.
"Go ahead."
Satisfied with the answer, Ross signaled to the soldiers. They stepped forward in formation.
He turned to them and asked, "Tell me, how many of these opponents can you take down?"
"All of them!" the soldiers shouted, brimming with confidence. They clearly did not believe they could lose to a bunch of metal scrap.
Nolan smiled. "In that case, let's send ten SAR-1 units and ten NS5 robots."
Ross raised an eyebrow. "And your Terminators?"
Nolan looked over the troops. "If the Terminators join, this fight will end within three minutes."
The temperature in the room dropped. Ross's face darkened.
"I reviewed your data. You claim the Terminators are humanoid tanks, but you seem to be underestimating my soldiers. They are the best of the best. Deploy two Terminators. I want accurate results."
"Five!" the squad captain suddenly barked.
Two would be an insult. Even victory would feel like a loss.
Ross, stirred by the soldiers' resolve, nodded. "Very well. Mr. Locke, I trust you see how confident my men are."
Nolan glanced at the eager faces. He could only hope their confidence would survive what came next.
"Do you need additional weapons?" Nolan asked. "We have plenty of ammunition and heavy arms prepared."
"No need," the captain said firmly. "What we carry is enough."
Nolan simply shrugged.
"As you wish. Red Queen, open the testing field and prepare the Terminators."
Minutes later, the soldiers entered the vast terrain filled with cover and obstacles.
An alarm blared.
The combat robots deployed.
Ross's eyes lit up at the sight of them. Their design alone made an impression.
"How long before your toys are destroyed?" he asked.
He clearly never considered the possibility of his soldiers losing.
Nolan examined the elite troops. They were excellent. But they carried nothing with enough firepower to threaten a Terminator.
He remembered a similar strike team inside the Hive. That group had fewer people, but even then, they had struggled.
This time, the Terminators were on the field.
"I've already said it. These soldiers might last three minutes."
Ross laughed coldly, dismissing the idea entirely.
He stepped to the mic and addressed the troops.
"Soldiers, Nolan Locke thinks you will be wiped out in three minutes. Show him he's wrong. End this experiment in five."
The soldiers' morale soared.
The captain's eyes hardened. "You heard him. This is our show. Three minutes. End it by any means necessary."
The fifty soldiers split into five squads, moving with professional precision.
The first squad encountered a SAR-1 unit almost immediately. Heavy suppressive fire erupted. A few soldiers were marked as dead, and the SAR-1 was disabled moments later.
The squad captain was surprised, but he knew his role was to divert fire. Their numbers would carry them to victory. They just needed to locate the NS5s and hold off the Terminators.
Their plan was simple.
One squad held down the SAR-1 units.
Two squads hunted the NS5 robots.
The remaining squads prepared to counter the Terminators.
Inside the control room, Ross frowned. "Why aren't the Terminators moving yet?"
He appreciated the SAR-1 and NS5 units, but what he truly wanted to see was the Terminators' performance. One unit cost ten million. They needed to be worth it.
"Red Queen, activate the Terminators."
"Understood."
All five Terminators surged to life.
They carried Gatling cannons and massive linked ammunition belts, yet none of the weight seemed to hinder them.
Without hesitation, they walked straight toward the heaviest gunfire.
One Terminator scanned a squad's position, and the other four instantly synced.
Their cannons spun up.
A metallic storm erupted, drowning the battlefield in smoke and sparks. Their blank rounds could not pierce the concrete barriers, but Ross saw it clearly.
If this were a real fight, the soldiers behind those barriers would have been shredded.
Moments later, concentrated fire struck the Terminators. Sparks flew across their armored frames. The soldiers' live rounds barely left scratches.
"Damn it!" the squad captain shouted. "Fall back!"
He never finished the command. The Terminators turned their cannons on them.
Within seconds, two squads were wiped out.
Combined with earlier casualties, over thirty soldiers were already marked as dead.
And the Terminators had been active for barely a minute.
By the time the five Terminators split up and reinforced the other fronts, the battle was essentially over.
When the final soldier was eliminated, Nolan glanced at the timer and smiled.
"Impressive. They lasted three minutes and twenty-two seconds."
Ross's expression was complicated.
The Terminators had waited a full minute before entering combat. If they had moved sooner, Nolan's prediction might have been exact.
Even so, excitement glinted in Ross's eyes.
All three types of combat robots had exceeded expectations. The Terminators were especially extraordinary. After their initial Gatling barrage, they demonstrated overwhelming strength, speed, and intelligence.
They were perfect weapons.
But Ross kept his face neutral.
"They underestimated the threat. With heavier weapons, the result would have been different."
He saw opportunity.
And he needed funding.
Which meant he needed leverage.
Which meant he would try to drive the price down.