After the court was attacked, the criminals seemed to disappear again.
These days, Peter hadn't heard any more news about the Green Goblin.
Not only that, but Stromm was completely defeated, and all his assets were used to compensate Norman Osborn for his losses.
Norman, in turn, handed over most of his wealth to Ben.
"This is what it means to be a loser eating dust."
Having received the money, Ben laughed and turned to Connors, saying, "The loser has nothing, while the winner devours everything, including the loser's corpse, to strengthen themselves!"
"Law of nature."
Connors didn't find anything wrong with that.
He studied reptiles, and in nature, the strong prey on the weak is the most basic principle. Instead of sympathizing with Stromm, it was more important to figure out how to get Ben to allocate more of that money to his project.
"You're wrong, Dr. Connors," Ben shook his head.
"The real important thing is that you have now had your identity and reputation restored. In a few days, Norman will hold another press conference, stating that he has found you and that through the joint efforts of Osborn and Primus, you have been completely cured. You will then be able to see the light of day again."
Hearing this, Connors nodded.
He didn't actually like going out very much, but he still had his wife and children, so restoring his reputation was always a good thing.
Meanwhile, Peter, who couldn't sit still, wandered around Queens for several days before deciding to check out Hell's Kitchen.
However, compared to the peace in other parts of New York, Hell's Kitchen was much livelier these days.
Various gang wars continued without end.
At night, the sound of gunfire was incessant, like a continuous New Year's celebration.
Even Peter was startled by the commotion. He managed to contact Daredevil and finally learned what had happened.
"It's said that Kingpin killed the Green Goblin to monopolize the serum, which led to a conflict with The Hand," Matt explained.
Actually, he only had a partial understanding of the situation.
But regardless, The Hand had fallen out with Kingpin again over this matter, and the two sides were fighting fiercely, leading to another major purge of gang forces in Hell's Kitchen.
However, in the end, the ones who truly suffered losses were not Kingpin or The Hand, but the various gangs caught in the crossfire.
The infighting among villains had nothing to do with Peter or Daredevil.
On the contrary, Peter was relieved to learn that the Green Goblin had been killed by Kingpin.
The following days were much calmer.
Peter continued to patrol the skies above New York, Daredevil brought justice to Hell's Kitchen, and Ben waited for the World's Fair to arrive.
"I wonder what Tony is up to?"
Just as Ben was thinking that waiting like this was getting a bit too boring, a guest arrived.
Pepper Potts never imagined that the address of Primus Technology, which had recently gained fame alongside the Osborn Corporation, would be located in such a small place.
The area was remote, the buildings were old, and they didn't even have a building of their own!
Let alone her, even the accompanying individuals found it incredible.
"It's hard to imagine that this is where the Self-Healing Serum was invented,"
Coulson said in awe, standing beneath the building. His gaze shifted to the other side, where the magnificent Hammer Industries stood like a heavenly pillar among the not-so-tall houses, as if surrounded by stars.
"Actually, no one believes that the Self-Healing Serum was invented by this small company called Primus. Everyone has investigated its background. One of the company's founders is Harry Osborn, so obviously, this is something Norman Osborn created to avoid taxes or for other reasons," Pepper said.
She was now the high-ranking CEO of Stark Industries, and theoretically, even though Primus had become a rising star company, she wouldn't have come in person.
But there was no choice. All the resumes submitted by agents, including Natasha's, had vanished into thin air without a ripple. Primus was like an impenetrable fortress, defending itself from all prying eyes, and they needed someone capable of breaking down the walls.
Coulson, having exhausted all other options, had turned to Pepper.
Facing someone who had saved her and Natasha, who used to be her secretary, Pepper felt a bit awkward refusing.
But she remained skeptical of Primus: "I've met Norman Osborn. He wouldn't put his real secrets in a place like this. The Osborn Corporation is his lifeline."
"Our agents have already searched the Osborn Corporation but found nothing," Coulson shook his head.
Unlike Primus, the Osborn Corporation was a huge entity that required employees to operate. In such a situation, no matter how careful Norman was, he couldn't possibly block all the agents.
Furthermore, with the Green Goblin incident, he was somewhat preoccupied, which coincidentally created an opportunity for the agents.
It could be said that the reason S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't get involved in the Green Goblin's trial last time was because they were focusing their efforts on the Self-Healing Serum.
After all, whether it was the Lizard Serum or the Green Goblin Serum, the side effects were too severe, and S.H.I.E.L.D. had no interest in them.
Both Hydra and Nick Fury knew that their own Super Soldier Serum had already made significant progress, and many agents had even injected it. Although it wasn't as perfect as Captain America's, the advantage was that there were almost no side effects.
Wasn't that much better than the Lizard Serum, which turned people into monsters?
In their view, power that couldn't be controlled was better off destroyed!
In contrast, the Self-Healing Serum was different. Captain America had the most say in how useful this thing was; it could even bring someone back from the brink of death. In a sense, it was practically a resurrection potion if administered in time.
Of course, Captain America himself had strong regenerative abilities, so the effect wasn't as significant for ordinary people.
But it was clear that Osborn was hiding something, perhaps even many things.
The self-healing serum currently on the market is clearly not on the same level as the one Norman Osborn used on himself at the press conference.
Coulson had reason to suspect Norman was hiding something good.
Perhaps an enhanced version of the healing serum, or something else?
Like—the spider serum?
Through the data, it wasn't hard to find out that Osborn Corporation had researched spiders in the early years, and even now, specialized spider silk products were still one of Osborn's pillar industries.
Thinking about the two Spider-Men who had appeared recently, the first one was fine, but the second only appeared once and disappeared without a trace after defeating the Green Goblin. S.H.I.E.L.D. had reason to suspect they were products of Osborn Corporation.
Upon hearing this, Pepper frowned and said:
"I can see why Tony dislikes you guys."
She shook her head.
To Tony, there was nothing he hated more than these thieves trying to steal his intellectual property. Not long ago, he had angrily rebuked a congressman at a hearing.
And now, she was about to help S.H.I.E.L.D. do the same thing.
"You misunderstand, Ms. Pepper," Coulson shook his head and said. "We don't intend to steal their technology. It's just that Osborn has invented dangerous things like the Lizard Serum, so we need to conduct a risk assessment on Primus Technology and its mysterious founder behind it."
Pepper said nothing, merely pressing the doorbell at Primus.
And so.
Including their driver, Happy, a total of four people appeared before Ben.
Although Ben was a bit surprised, thankfully, Eunice had already alerted him when the group entered the building.
Now, all the company's secrets were locked down, including Connors, who was believed to be missing by the public.
In contrast, Pepper was even more surprised. She never dreamed that the big boss of Primus would be a young kid.
Coulson and Natasha, however, were not surprised. They had been prepared when they arrived; investigating a company's registration information was child's play.
Ben extended his hand to Pepper and shook it lightly before releasing it.
"CEO of Stark Industries, Ms. Pepper Potts. I didn't expect you to grace us with your presence. And who are these gentlemen?"
"Uh, my driver and... assistant," Pepper replied somewhat awkwardly. "I didn't expect you to be so young."
"Assistant?" Ben raised an eyebrow and glanced meaningfully at Natasha. "Your assistant is probably not that honest. I saw her submitting a resume to my inbox a few days ago."
Hearing this, Pepper, who was already embarrassed, felt her toes curling inside her high heels. Natasha and Coulson, on the other hand, smiled as if nothing had happened.
It had to be said that when it came to thick skin, even a CEO of a major company couldn't compare to Black Widow.
Although Ben knew S.H.I.E.L.D. had their own agenda, he still invited them in.
Nick Fury wanted to contact him, and Ben also had the idea of contacting S.H.I.E.L.D.
The last time he went to Sakaar, he didn't encounter any Skrulls, which was a regret. He was very interested in the Skrulls' shapeshifting genetic abilities.
As soon as they entered, Coulson and Natasha couldn't help but look around.
What greeted their eyes was a uniform silver-white facility. Primus was currently very small. Rather than calling it a company, it was more like a small laboratory.
And this small space was divided into several areas.
"What would you like to drink? Coffee?" Ben asked.
"Thank you," they all nodded, thinking Ben was quite polite.
The moment Ben left, Natasha and Coulson quickly scanned their surroundings but couldn't make out anything significant.
After a while, they saw Ben return with several empty paper cups, stuffed them into their hands, and handed each of them a packet of instant coffee.
"The hot water is over there, help yourselves,"
Ben pointed to the water dispenser nearby.
Everyone: ???
Pepper turned to look at Coulson, then reluctantly placed the paper cup in her hand aside and said, "Mr. Parker, I'm here to invite you to the Stark Expo."
"But the exhibition isn't until next month?"
Ben put his hands on his hips, wanting to see what "Little Pepper" would come up with.
However, the other party was clearly prepared and said, "Yes, because it involves venue and area allocation, we need to bring you to see it first and consult about your company's product exhibits."
This was not untrue.
For a company like Primus, which was currently receiving much attention, even Stark Industries had to treat it with caution.
If companies like Osborn and Primus, which had invented self-healing serums, were not present at the so-called World Expo, it would be rather misleading.
It might be better to call it an Industrial Expo.
Of course, Ben knew this was just an excuse. At least S.H.I.E.L.D.'s true purpose was likely to investigate what new products he might launch next.
Perhaps they thought Primus's next product would still be in the field of biotechnology or medicine.
But to their surprise, after hearing Little Pepper's words, Ben took a step to the left, revealing a car behind him.
It wasn't the Rust Bucket RV, but a modified new product, and a genuine commodity intended for the public.
"This is it."
"A car?"
Coulson paused for a moment.
He couldn't understand why Primus would be showcasing a car at the exhibition.
"I thought Primus was a medical technology company," he said.
"That's a superficial view. Actually, we're also involved in the communications industry and have a partnership with Oracle Corporation." Ben pointed to the phone in Pepper's hand. "This is our product."
As for Oracle Corporation, it was a translation company.
"Primus Technology never intended to develop in just one single field; we have all sorts of scientists," Ben said with a smile.
"All sorts of scientists?"
Natasha glanced at the company, which was empty except for Ben, and asked with confusion, as if to say: Where?
"They will be here."
Ben said with a smile.
Then he took out a remote control and gestured for the others to step back a little. "The theme of the technology expo has always been the future. I remember that in the last century, Howard Stark proposed the concept of an anti-gravity car."
"You achieved it?" Natasha raised an eyebrow.
"Not entirely." Ben pressed the button, and instantly, the car's tires lay flat, the center of the wheel hub opened, and layers of ripples were released downwards, distorting the air.
In an instant, the car floated up.
"I've adopted a sonic levitation system. The maximum levitation height can reach one hundred meters, and the stability is extremely strong. The car's exterior shell is made of titanium alloy, just like Iron Man's battle armor, ensuring safety."
The few of them were dumbfounded.
No one could have imagined that Ben had actually turned Howard Stark's concept into reality.
If this continued, wouldn't cars on Earth be flying in the sky above cities in a few more years, just like in science fiction novels?
Seeing their expressions, Ben chuckled and added specifically.
"Of course, considering that some individuals have more retro tastes, I thought we would also accept a certain degree of modification business, and we could add this function to some older cars."
Coulson's eyes immediately lit up.
He was precisely the person Ben was referring to, the one with more retro tastes. Old records, cars... even his idol was an old ice pop from seventy years ago.
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