Whether it's the Marvel or DC universe, there's no shortage of mad scientists.
But the problem encountered this time isn't simple.
To solve it, you'd need a super scientist who transcends the era, capable of single-handedly leading humanity's progress, and even then, there's only a slight chance of success.
After ending the meeting with Dr. Connors, Shimizu went to the Osborne employee lounge, planning to have some snacks and watch TV for a while.
But before he could rest for long, Menken appeared outside the lounge.
"What, are you here to keep an eye on me, to see if I'm working diligently?"
Shimizu said, munching on potato chips, the sound crunching in his mouth.
"No, I can't control you."
Menken shook his head and handed Shimizu a thick stack of documents.
"This morning, the company's people took the electric car you built to the Paris International Auto Show. By noon, I had received faxes from at least twenty companies requesting cooperation."
Shimizu took the documents and started looking through them.
"What's Stark Industries saying?"
"Ms. Potts is very optimistic about our cooperation, but she needs to consult Tony Stark. You know, that guy is a complete jerk, but also an undeniable genius. Ms. Potts says Stark is very busy lately and can't find time to deal with these matters. She hopes we can wait a few days."
Menken plopped down next to Shimizu, looking at the TV with a strange expression.
"So… he can't find time to deal with things because he's playing race car?"
The TV was showing Tony Stark playing F1 racing in Monaco.
"Okay, typical Tony Stark. I thought he'd matured a bit after becoming a superhero these past two years, but I guess I was thinking too much."
Menken rubbed his forehead, looking helpless, and continued to Shimizu:
"I think we can try contacting other companies now. Although their strength is far inferior to Stark Industries, if their sincerity is sufficient, it's not impossible to talk. But Stark is still our best option."
Menken was seeking Shimizu's opinion.
After all, with achievements and also being a member of the board of directors, Shimizu's say in Osborne has also increased. Not to mention that Osborne wants to come back to life, and it seems very likely that it will have to rely on Shimizu.
"Okay, you can arrange it. But I think Mr. Stark may really not have time to deal with things this time."
Shimizu tore open another bag of potato chips from the snack rack and gestured to Menken.
Menken turned to look.
A burly Russian man with a miniature arc reactor on his chest and electric whips in his hands was splitting Tony Stark's car in half with a whip.
"Oh! Didn't Stark say that no one would develop the same type of technology in fifty years? Someone actually made it?"
Menken's face was filled with shock.
Shimizu continued to think, propping his chin up.
The arc reactor is a very valuable thing, and its value far exceeds what ordinary people imagine.
Cold fusion! This is almost beyond the scope of science fiction. It's almost magical. If I could master it…
Stark is not easy to deal with. Although this person is arrogant, he is also careful enough, has a lot of energy, and after becoming Iron Man, both his strength and his own personality and abilities are growing rapidly.
Even the government and the military can't make him hand over the technology, and only gave Colonel Rhodes a set of Mark II Iron Man armor to搪塞.
Then what about this Ivan?
Not easy to deal with, but definitely much easier than Stark.
"Does the group have a branch in Europe? What's its power?"
Shimizu asked Menken.
Menken nodded, then shook his head regretfully.
"There is a branch, but it's in Germany, which is a bit far from Monaco, and our company's sphere of influence is concentrated in North America, so its power there is not great. If we want to plot against this person, it's not our turn yet.
On the contrary, we are now seeking cooperation with Stark Industries. If Tony Stark finds out that we have any actions, it will not be a good thing."
"Okay, is there anything else?"
"There are two other things. One is that I have found most of the materials you wanted, but the vibranium you wanted is currently unavailable. I contacted a warlord in Africa through a friend named Ulysses Klaue. Someone once bought vibranium from him for $100 million an ounce."
One ounce is grams.
"That price… is really not cheap."
Shimizu complained.
At that price, even if he emptied all his wealth, he might only be able to buy a few pounds.
But Shimizu also knew how difficult it would be to use vibranium to create an armored puppet.
"Then help me buy three ounces. Do I need to transfer the money directly to your account?"
"What are you buying so much vibranium for? What are you building again? It's unlikely that things made with this stuff can be mass-produced as products, right?"
Menken asked curiously.
"Just for some experiments."
Shimizu said vaguely.
"Okay, the stuff may not arrive for another two months. Where should it be delivered?"
"My house will do. Butler Jorge will sign for it. That's just the first thing, what's the other thing?"
"It's not a big deal. Next week is Hammer Industries' expo this year. Although it's not comparable to Stark Industries, they are now our biggest competitor for military orders. Walt, you are the most technically savvy person in the company's high-level management. I happen to have to go to Australia on a business trip next week, so I'll leave it to you to scout out the enemy's situation."
"Hammer Industries… okay."
Shimizu recalled the memories in his mind and nodded to Menken, agreeing.
After Menken finished explaining, he glanced at the long guns and short cannons interviewing Stark on TV and turned to leave.
Shimizu picked up the remote control, turned off the TV, finished the last mouthful of cola in the bottle, and followed suit.
I need to prepare a puppet armor with enough combat power as soon as possible.
Fortunately, with Osborne as his backing, and Shimizu not lacking money, he had already prepared a laboratory and some materials.
It's just that some of the more precious materials can't be collected quickly in a short time, so Shimizu asked Menken to help him get them under the pretext of developing a new car model.
Such as gold titanium alloy.
There is also a β-Ti3Au gold-titanium alloy in reality, but it is completely incomparable to the alloy researched by Tony Stark.
