The era of American comics begins

Chapter 5 Osborne

By the time A.H.I.E.L.D.'s first reinforcements arrived at the attacked base, there was nothing left to rescue.

The square was ablaze, and the wreckage of Quin-type fighter planes and heavy tanks could be seen everywhere, scorched black by the ruthless flames, and electric sparks rained down every passage in the entire facility.

Nick Fury stood on the high platform of the messy hall with a livid expression.Agents hurriedly walked through the hall, searching for any clues left by the attackers.

Deputy Director Maria Hill walked up the metal escalator to the platform.Fury turned around: "Is there a clue?"

"Yes." Deputy Director Hill nodded, and handed over a tablet computer with a gray Aegis badge painted on the screen, "I don't think the other party thought of hiding at all. Our surveillance camera took the whole picture."

Fury took the tablet.The screen was unlocked, and a monitoring screen that was not clear was played immediately.In the picture, they could vaguely see a figure in black armor like a divine soldier descending from the sky, easily suppressing all the resistance of Aegis in this base with one person's power.

Fury's one-eyed frown.

"Is it just me that looks like it, or is it this guy"

"The one who appeared at the Cosmic Rubik's Cube Research Institute? Yes, I think so too, sir." Hill said.

Fury frowned and thought for a while.

"Create an independent file for this guy, with the highest level of danger marked." Fury ordered.

"Yes, sir." Hill hesitated and asked, "Do you need to ask Stark's opinion?"

It is reasonable for her to think so. From the current known information, Tony Stark is of course No. 1 in the field of individual armor technology in the world.

"No, not for now." Fury shook his head, "Not now."

***
Saturday night.

Crowds of all kinds crowded around the venue surrounded by colorful lights, among which reporters from major media in the city occupied the majority.It seems that the mayor's public relations team has done a good job, and this charity gala themed on Mr. Mayor's broad-mindedness has indeed received the attention it deserves.

As Michael Paso emerged from the dark blue supercar, the flashes came almost in unison.They shouted the young president's name enthusiastically, as if the one who shouted the loudest got the best shots.

No wonder they are so enthusiastic, this young president who has sprung up in just two years is indeed an eye-catching star.His advanced ideas in many fields of science and technology have led Paso Technology to develop from a newborn to today's scale within two years, which can indeed be described as a "miracle".

A few years ago, Stark Industries, the largest arms supplier in the United States, announced its withdrawal from arms manufacturing (the same year Tony Stark, the owner of the Stark Group, announced that he was Iron Man).While that incident caused an uproar across the country, it also led to a fundamental change in the pattern of interests.

You must know that the arms trade of Stark Industries has already formed an intricate chain of interests before that, and Stark's announcement of withdrawal means that the already mature pattern will be reshuffled.A large number of manufacturers who rely on their enterprises to survive need to find another way out, and the large number of orders that the military originally provided to Stark Enterprises every year will also need to be re-tendered.

A war without gunpowder started quickly, and for a while, the country's military industry was full of gunpowder.

Originally the most promising companies were Hammer Technology and Osborne Industries. Almost everyone thought that one of them would win the throne vacated by Stark Industries, and then become the arms giant occupying the pinnacle of the industry.The battle gradually developed into a protracted war. The two sides fought openly and secretly for two or three years. During this period, no third party even thought of intervening in the war between the two giants—because there was obviously no chance of winning.

But what everyone never expected was that Paso Technology, a small company that was just born and had no reputation and no background, would rush forward bravely at this most critical juncture and break into this battle.

This newly added small competitor didn't even attract the attention of the two giants, because they really couldn't find a reason to face up to this inconspicuous enemy.To them, the Paso technology at that time was like an ant at the foot of a giant, and it was just a matter of lifting it to exterminate it.

But it was the next series of achievements of this little ant that surprised everyone.First of all, they snatched a large order from the Ministry of Defense to Hammer Technology with an electromagnetic rifle that originally only existed in concept, and then launched a portable special jetpack that perfectly suppressed the gliding that Osborn Technology was developing The pedal took away the benefits that originally belonged to Osborne Industries.

Then, without waiting for the two major companies to recover, Passo Technology launched the laser rifle immediately afterward—the energy weapon identified by experts as "in its infancy".Although this technology is not yet mature, it means an impact on the entire weapons industry system, and perhaps even a sign of the overall progress of the world's weapons technology.

And before that, the whole world knew that the only person who publicly mastered the technology of energy weapons was Iron Man.

The Ministry of Defense has now placed a large-scale order for this laser rifle from Paso Technology, and it has clearly shown its intention for long-term cooperation.Although the current structure has not yet been determined, Paso Technology, which turned out to be out of nowhere, clearly has an advantage in this battle for long-term interests.

When everyone finally started to face up to this brand new player, it was too late.The fledgling enterprise has defied pressure from all walks of life—both veiled and shady—with uncanny ease.

It's a pity that such a young man full of halo is a bit low-key, not the type who likes to show his face.With so little known to the public beyond his incredible public accomplishments, it's no wonder journalists are so enthusiastic about him.

The venue was full of people.Through the gate, Michael had to stop after taking two or three steps, and started chatting with some celebrities he didn't know well.Their topics range from business and trade coverage to the latest musical release to the cover girl of this fashion magazine.Michael had a warm and gentle smile on his face, as if he was very interested in any topic.

"Look who is here."

Michael followed the sound and turned his head, only to see a middle-aged man with a well-fitting suit and sleek hair walking towards him through the crowd.There was a smile on his face, but the blind man could also see the vigor hidden under that smile.

That is Norman Osborn, the owner of the Osborne Group.In other words, it is also one of Michael's biggest competitors right now.The moment the eyes of the two sides met, it was as if an invisible spark had touched the air, and the smell of gunpowder was diffused.

Norman Osborn, the super villain in the "Spider-Man" series, had a split personality due to the influence of some kind of enhanced serum in the original work, put on a uniform like a Halloween clown, and flew around all day on a hang glider Make some explosions and call yourself some kind of "Green Goblin".

In the MCU movie series, the Green Goblin has not been played so far.But even if Osborn really turned black into the Green Goblin, it didn't matter. Michael judged that the Green Goblin was just a "Halloween clown with backward equipment on a skateboard", not a threat.

Michael remained calm and greeted politely: "Mr. Osborne."

Norman Osborn took two martinis from the waiter and handed one of them to Michael.Osborne swung his glass and touched Michael's glass crisply.

"Allow me to offer a toast to the youngest genius in New York." He drank half of his martini and let out a sigh of relief. "It's rare to see the great Michael Paso even have time to participate in this social event. I Thought a genius's time was like gold. Shouldn't you be in the lab... modifying jet propulsion or something?"

Osborn was apparently still unhappy with the order for Passotech's backpack jets.The Ministry of Defense had already decided to order Osborne Technology's gliding pedals, and they had even invested money in mass production.However, Passo Technology stepped in at this critical moment and launched a jet propulsion that is fully superior in performance, cost, and convenience to steal this batch of orders.

Therefore, it should not be an exaggeration to say that the relationship between the two sides is an enemy.

Michael smiled nonchalantly: "No, Mr. Osborne. Thank you for your concern, but the function of the thruster is basically perfect, and there is no need to improve it for the time being. However, we are trying to develop laser-guided mini-missiles recently, and try to assemble them. A variety of different warheads. The project is currently in the testing phase, and I'm sure the army folks will be interested in this."

Norman Osborn's face darkened again - what he said was precisely one of the projects under development by Osborn. They were testing to mount laser-guided miniature missiles on the hang glider, hoping to attract the The interest of military leaders.

Applause sounded like a wave from the surroundings, and the people in the hall stopped chatting and consciously made way for a passage.Mr. Mayor stepped onto the stage amidst the welcome of the guests.He waved his hand, thanked all the guests, and began his old-fashioned pep talk.

So Osborne stopped talking.But throughout the night, he continued to cast sinister glances at a certain young man in the hall intentionally or unintentionally, as if he was going to give him a fatal blow with those sharp eyes.

But he also noticed one thing.

After the whole night, from the beginning to the end, the other party didn't look at him again.

(End of this chapter)