Unfortunately for General Ross, Nolan still refused to give even an inch.
Take the T-800, for example. Not a cent less than ten million.
This was not a movie universe.
Nolan smiled with genuine satisfaction.
"The price is a bit steep," General Ross said. "We may need to reconsider the number we plan to purchase."
Nolan simply shrugged. He had no intention of lowering the price. Besides, he still had no way back to his original world for the time being.
"No problem. A pleasure doing business."
Seeing that Nolan Rock had no intention of negotiating, Ross frowned. What a sly fox.
"Fine. A pleasure doing business," Ross finally said.
The world changes.
Ever since Nolan appeared in this universe, subtle shifts had begun rippling across it.
Take Flint Marko, for example. He was the same petty thief who once intended to kill Ben Parker.
He also held another identity: the Sandman, one of the most troublesome foes in the Spider-Man series.
Although Nolan suspected he might be stuck here for a while, he had never given up on returning home.
Red Queen still devoted a huge portion of her processing power to researching the multiverse. It was difficult, but Nolan carried a unique particle signature from his own dimensional crossing, something he believed was the key to sending him back.
If that failed, Doctor Strange would eventually open the multiverse. One way or another, he would return.
He just hoped that when he did, ten or even twenty years had not already passed.
According to the original timeline, Sandman was not supposed to appear for years.
And with Flint Marko no longer a murderer in this altered timeline, Nolan suspected the Sandman might never appear at all.
But Nolan had underestimated a father's desperation.
Flint Marko's daughter was gravely ill. Staying quietly in prison was impossible.
He escaped, and as expected, eventually stumbled into the accident that turned him into the terrifying Sandman.
Once he regained this power, Flint quickly recovered from his initial panic.
Before, he could not save his daughter.
Now, this new strength made him believe he could get the money he needed.
A twisted smile crept across his face. His gaze shifted to Nolan.
Prisons still circulated newspapers. He knew Nolan Rock was an arms dealer, and that he had ties to Spider-Man.
Arms dealers were never good people in his view.
And the fact that Nolan was the one who captured him only solidified his resolve.
He wanted to teach Nolan Rock a lesson, then rob every cent from Rock Technologies.
With that money, he could save his daughter.
Late that night, Nolan stretched lazily in his office chair.
With the military deal, he would earn another sizable profit.
Still, he was a long way from his true goal.
He needed another artificial intelligence like Red Queen: Skynet.
Red Queen was powerful, but Skynet's autonomy far surpassed hers. Even if Nolan eventually left this world, Skynet would ensure things continued developing the way he wanted.
Just then, streams of sand slipped silently into Rock Technologies.
If this had been the Hive, Nolan could guarantee Flint Marko would never have had a chance.
But this was not his long-established base. This building was a rental, and the company itself had only been founded for a few months.
He had no idea a dangerous enemy was already inside.
After a moment, Nolan's ears twitched.
"There's movement outside."
A rat? That was the only thing he could think of. At this hour, no one else should have been inside Rock Technologies.
"Red Queen, pull up every camera feed. I want to know if anyone has entered the building."
"No signs of intrusion," Red Queen replied.
But outside the office, Flint Marko had already located the only room with lights still on.
"Nolan Rock…" he muttered, voice filled with a feverish hatred. His body dissolved into sand and rolled toward the office like a living tide.
He slipped through the gap under the door.
Suddenly, the office lights went dark.
"Red Queen!"
Nolan's voice rang out.
He did not need to see the intruder. Red Queen detecting it was enough.
The Terminator units would handle the rest.
One of the T-800s stepped forward.
A muffled boom followed as it was instantly smashed across the room.
Nolan's pupils tightened. Standing before him was a towering creature.
"Nolan Rock…" the monster growled, each word thick and resentful.
A massive hand lunged toward him.
Nolan narrowed his eyes.
"Sandman?"
That startled him. Sandman was not supposed to appear this soon.
But it did not matter. This was reality now.
Without hesitation, Nolan struck.
He was already wearing the Mjolnir Combat Armor. Even without vibranium plating, this suit let him fight the Hulk head-on.
His punch scattered the Sandman instantly.
Flint Marko froze.
This was a normal human?
Before he could recover, Nolan spoke coldly.
"Red Queen. Activate the sprinklers."
A second later, every sprinkler in the building began spraying water. No one knew Sandman's weakness better than Nolan.
Sand and water turned to sludge.
As expected, Flint Marko's expression changed.
The sprinklers were not powerful enough to injure him severely, but they terrified him.
Nolan Rock had discovered his weakness.
Panicking, Sandman crashed through the window and fell to the ground outside before quickly dissolving into the night.
Nolan's expression darkened.
The Goblin was still at large. Now Sandman had appeared too.
Worst of all, Nolan had become their shared target.
Damn it.
He despised this feeling.
A killing intent surged through him. The next encounter would be their last.
Sandman retreated to a dry corner of the city, face twisted with frustration.
Nolan Rock had surprised him. The man had discovered his weakness within seconds.
His thoughts churned. Perhaps he should target a bank instead.
At that moment, a figure appeared before him.
A man in a demonic mask, wearing green armor.
"You want to kill Nolan Rock?" the Green Goblin asked with a grin.
He had just found the perfect partner.
…