Su Ming uttered a soft 'hmm,' without showing any stance.
The time image before their eyes quickly shifted through several years, and the surrounding scenery changed rapidly. They arrived at the period of the stock crash in 1929, with Su Ming and Kang Zheng standing on the rooftop of a building opposite the New York Stock Exchange, watching people line up in despair to jump off beside them.
"Next, you plan to play the stock game, earning more money, so I let Heine cooperate with you again, allowing you to short and unload smoothly, which is equivalent to directly giving you money, with an added tenfold leverage."
Kang shook his head, feeling that he had been secretly paying a price all this time, but these investments proved meaningful today.
In the past, he would also act this way, taking advantage of the Prophet's foresight, investing in some capable people.
Once they realized his silent contributions, they often felt obliged, at least no longer hostile.
Su Ming nodded at this moment, looking at the historical images around him falling to the ground like the most realistic panoramic movie.
"Actually, at that time, I already sensed something amiss, because the money came too easily... As far as I know, shorting at a high point and eventually getting out clean without trouble, in any history, does not exist. Although I had some doubts then, I didn't delve deeper since I benefited."
Kang nodded, gazing at the people committing suicide and falling like little pancakes: "That's the way it goes, and Heine has always been helping you, even being killed by you three times, that Bionic Man."
"Haha, he deserved it. I guess the one who moved to lock down my technological development should be him too, right?" Su Ming sneered, signaling Kang to continue: "I always had a feeling someone's been watching me. I thought it was someone else, but now it seems to be this guy. Although, he seems to dislike sewers a lot."
"After all, he's a Bionic Man. Many primitive microorganisms in the sewers during this era are very harmful to his body... Is that why you often dive into the sewers?" Kang turned around, somewhat surprised, and asked.
"Heh, what else? You thought it was for fun?"
Kang sighed, bypassing this topic as the scene changed again, showing what happened next: "After you earned money in the stock market, instead of thinking about how to earn even more with that money, you started studying future weapons, which was not friendly to me... The United States has many technological geniuses, and you should know that Germany's industrial base actually does not differ much from the United States, and its mobilization capacity is even weaker. So if we both use the building blocks in our hands to build houses, it's likely you'll build first."
"So you glued my block box, you're afraid."
Su Ming looked at him mockingly, shaking his head.
"It's not fear, just eliminating an unstable factor at a point in time, making time advance in a direction I can foresee."
Kang emphasized that it was not fear, but planning, yet Su Ming knew, he was terrified.
No need to expose him, the key is to see how he was locked out of technology.
The scene changed again, showing a night where Blue Gloves sneakily infiltrated a house, scattering some intermittently visible powders on the sleeping person.
"What is this?"
"This is the thing blocking your technology, a type of miniature nano-machine that comes with phase transfer function, powered by hydrogen in the air. It's a helper I brought from the far future."
The person wearing a nightcap on the bed, unaware of everything, was the old lawyer Su Ming named 'Vodka.'
Back then, no matter what factories Su Ming acquired or whichever scientists he recruited, Vodka always handled the contracts involved.
It's likely that during this opportunity, Kang's strange 'dandruff' scattered onto all the scientists and factory equipment, continuously hypnotizing them or disrupting machine operations, making it impossible for them to create what Su Ming wanted.
Whenever new scientists joined, miniature robots would 'infect' them.
If the projects Su Ming directed them to study posed no threat to Kang, the miniature robots wouldn't interfere, leading Wilson Enterprises to invent a bunch of daily goods.
This is the origin of the 'Spell' that has always enveloped Wilson Enterprises.
"Can your 'dandruff' be dealt with?" Su Ming was indifferent to other matters.
Kang glanced at him, knowing what Su Ming was thinking: "In this era, impossible, even I can't collect them... Only when the world's industrial base has developed another 2000 years or so will there be hope to reach the baseline for this kind of technology."
Alright, it seems this process is irreversible, but it doesn't matter anymore. Su Ming was never really a scientist, nor did he rely on developing black technology beyond his era.
At most, he wanted to launch a few satellites for convenience in future affairs.
Kang was just overly paranoid, fearing Su Ming might reach a technological height equal to his, sealing his technology dream in advance.
Over the following dozen years, Su Ming tinkered with home goods, while Kang seized the opportunity to develop Mechas...
This is the different result determined by the direction of development.
Next, Kang showed him numerous records of Blue Gloves aiding Wilson Enterprises, many of which directly involved giving money to Su Ming, as if demonstrating his lack of malice.
He expressed that Wilson Enterprises, through these daily commodities and Blue Gloves' assistance, earned far more than selling weaponry.
He has never treated Deathstroke unfairly, instead, he paid in advance.
The subsequent images had little relation to Su Ming, showing how Kang used Captain America experiments to attract the attention of all secret organizations. On the day of the Captain America experiment, most of the spies appearing on the streets were notified by Blue Gloves through various means.
Then, he showed how he used Namor to distract everyone, making them think Xiaohuzi was obsessed with the wrong technological path, sparking a certain degree of Mutant arms race. Actually, Kang was just improving Mechas in Berlin to enhance productivity.
Kang enjoyed introducing his plans to others, appearing sophisticated, because he was called 'retarded' frequently by classmates in his childhood, leaving a heavy shadow in his heart.
He is always eager to prove he is not, from a certain perspective, Kang has severe psychological problems and mental disorders.
If it weren't for that, who would cut and play with time out of sheer boredom? It makes no sense at all.
The images soon ended, and the two remained seated at the office desk, not having moved an inch.
"Now you understand, I just want to conquer this world; it's the process I seek." Kang clutched his fist like he was really Xiaohuzi, waving it in the air: "After that, I'll hand over this world to you, making you the ruler of this timeline."
Su Ming sighed, suddenly firing again, killing Blue Gloves who walked into the room.
The notion of Conqueror Kang has indeed deceptive qualities, perhaps misleading those unfamiliar with Marvel into believing he genuinely gifted you a world.
However, in reality, if he succeeds, this world will separate from the river of time due to enormous change, becoming a time singularity, forever without a future.
Like many undeveloped realms in DC's Dark Multiverse, it's destined for Destruction.
What appears wonderfully beautiful is merely a moon in a well, not a true moon. Su Ming does not desire this.
What Kang offers is mere Phantom, like a photograph of the world, time forever halted at that moment.
Besides, thinking money could make Deathstroke serve, that's such a naive thought, isn't it?
The past images don't make Su Ming feel grateful to Kang, but instead only make him angrier.
He doesn't believe a word of Kang's friendly claims, and he dislikes being manipulated. Now, in his mind, he's swiftly planning to choose a suitable way for Kang to perish...