Marvel - The Blood God

At night, at the Malibu mansion, Tony Stark raised his glass to Maverick and said, "Maverick, congratulations on your successful acquisition of Oscorp."

"And congratulations to you for making a fortune."

Maverick clinked glasses with Tony. Tony took a sip of his drink and smiled. "I did make quite a bit. I'll have Pepper transfer your share discreetly. But tell me, Maverick, Oscorp's stock doesn't seem to be rising, does it?"

"It can't go up. Your energy division has been crushing it, and the weapons division has been completely cut off by the Department of Defense. If it weren't for the biotechnology sector, Oscorp's stock price would be even lower."

Maverick shook his head. Tony said proudly, "Seems like Stark Industries is just too good."

"Tony."

Pepper scolded lightly, then turned to Maverick. "Maverick, I have a proposal that could benefit us both. Interested?"

"Let's hear it," Maverick replied.

"Stark Industries can purchase Oscorp's energy division at a high price," Pepper said professionally. "If you agree, we can open up some of our weapons channels to you."

"It's indeed a win-win, but no need," Maverick said frankly. "I have a way to solve Oscorp's problems. In a few months, the stock price will recover."

Tony didn't believe it. "Really? Do you have capabilities like mine?"

Maverick turned to Dr. Yinsen and asked, "Yinsen, when you were working with Tony, did you ever think about punching him?"

"I've thought about it—not just once or twice, maybe a hundred times." Yinsen smiled. "Working with him can be quite a trial."

Tony exclaimed dramatically, "Yinsen, you're breaking my heart. I thought we were friends."

Yinsen shrugged. "That's why I didn't punch you."

Maverick laughed. "It's not difficult to solve Oscorp's issues. Just develop a mini arc reactor and a suit of armor."

"It's really not that hard. You might manage it in ten years," Tony swirled his glass and said. "Or twenty? You're better than Hammer Industries; they need at least thirty years."

Mercury sneered beside him. The arrogant Tony Stark had no idea that Oscorp already had a mini arc reactor, and the armor would be ready soon.

"Is that how you responded to the Department of Defense?" Maverick asked. "I heard they've been pressuring you to hand over your suits, even using commercial means like canceling some military contracts with Stark Industries."

"Don't even think about it. The suits are a part of me, and I won't hand them over to anyone." Tony snorted. He said confidently, "The military will come crawling back. No one can replace Stark Industries' products."

Maverick gestured to Pepper. "Pepper, you have your work cut out for you, taking care of such a big kid."

"Who's the big kid?" Tony protested, but Pepper smiled and said, "It's alright. I've been taking care of him for over ten years. I'm used to it."

"This big kid won't pay your salary." Tony grumbled, then gave Pepper a look. She led Mercury and Yinsen to the backyard to prepare refreshments, leaving only Maverick and Tony in the hall.

"Aunt Peggy told me everything. I didn't expect Hydra to still exist," Tony said, putting down his glass. "I hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database a few days ago but didn't find any clues. Maverick, can you tell me what you know?"

"You hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database?" Maverick frowned. "Tony, when did you become so reckless?"

Tony shrugged. "Reckless? I don't think so. They can't detect me anyway. I, Tony Stark, excel in every field."

"You're not being reckless; you're being arrogant. Seems all the praise for Iron Man from the media has gone to your head." Maverick snorted. Tony used to be arrogant but knew his limits. Now he's lost all restraint, even claiming world peace depends on him.

"Praise? They're just stating facts. I, Tony Stark, am the greatest genius in the world." Tony said confidently. He had said this before, but now he truly believed it.

Maverick sneered. "If you're so great, why can't you solve your palladium poisoning?"

"You know about that? Seems you've secretly studied the arc reactor." Tony was momentarily taken aback, then said indifferently, "No problem. I'll discover a new element soon."

Maverick understood why Tony kept using the suit despite knowing about the poisoning. Initially, he thought he could find a substitute element, so he acted recklessly. Later, when he realized there was no replacement for palladium, he was already deeply poisoned and just kept going.

"You can't continue like this," Maverick said, shaking his head. "If Hydra discovers your condition, you'll be in danger."

Tony dismissed it. "Me, in danger? I'm Iron Man. If they come after me, even better. I'll draw them out and eliminate them."

"Do you think they'd be foolish enough to confront you directly? If they want to deal with you, it'll be when you're not wearing the suit," Maverick replied. "They might also target Pepper."

Tony was silent but didn't want to concede. He stubbornly said, "They won't find me."

"I have nothing more to say," Maverick shook his head and turned to leave.

"Wait, tell me more." Tony hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed Maverick's shoulder to stop him. Suddenly, a force erupted, and Tony was sent flying backward, landing on the ground.

Maverick turned and said coldly, "Tony Stark, in terms of looks, you're not as handsome as me. In terms of charm, you're not as appealing as me. In terms of wealth, you're still not as rich as me. In terms of strength, your suit—I can dismantle it in three seconds. I'm not arrogant, so why are you?"

Tony was so angry he nearly spat blood. He was about to retort when, hearing the commotion, Pepper rushed out and shouted, "Tony."

"Pepper, I'm sorry. Mercury, let's go." Maverick didn't want to stay any longer. He turned and left, and Mercury hurried after him. As they passed Tony, she snorted disdainfully. Compared to the Blood God, why was Tony so arrogant?

Tony angrily shouted at Maverick's back, "Maverick, this isn't over."

Maverick ignored him. He and Mercury got into the sports car and sped away.

Pepper and Yinsen helped Tony up. Pepper asked in confusion, "Tony, why do you always try to one-up Maverick?"

Tony snorted, "When did I try to one-up him? I'm already above him; he's just a high school graduate."

Maverick, one of the richest men in the U.S., education: high school—that's it.

"Then why did you investigate him so thoroughly? And haven't you noticed you're always arrogant and domineering around him?" Pepper sighed. "Do you know what you're like when you see Maverick? Like a rooster ready to fight."

"Pepper, that's too much. You should say an eagle ready to soar. Wait, when did I ever pick a fight?" Tony said indignantly. "Pepper, I'm meeting with some traditional energy suppliers tomorrow. I want to put Oscorp's energy division out of business."

"You say you're not picking a fight?" Pepper was speechless, and Yinsen shook his head. It was normal for Tony to want to surpass Maverick. Tony, who was always proud, kept losing face in front of Maverick.

In the sports car, Mercury asked Maverick, "Blood God, do you need me to do anything?"

"No, he's just getting overconfident." Maverick shook his head and said, "In my name, send an internship invitation to Peter Parker. Let him intern in the cross-species genetics department. Consider it a benefit I'm giving him. If he performs well, I can help cover his college tuition."

"Does sparring come with such perks?" Mercury was a bit speechless. She said, "Understood."

Although it's uncertain whether Dr. Connors needs Spider-Man to complete the lizard serum, it's definitely right to bring Peter in. As for whether he and Gwen will hit it off, that depends on fate.

After thinking for a moment, Maverick added, "By the way, I've reviewed the assistant candidate list you gave me. The one named Lilith looks promising. Have her start work tomorrow."

Mercury asked in surprise, "Blood God, if I may ask, why did you choose her?"

Maverick smiled. "With a name like Lilith, she must be extraordinary."

"Then we'll go with her." Mercury said with a smile but secretly thought, "Is it because she has the best figure and the most beautiful face among the candidates?"

In a secret underground lab in Hell's Kitchen, Kingpin was listening to a crazed-looking bald doctor explain, "The formula you gave me is the original human enhancement serum."

"Original formula? What do you mean?" Kingpin asked.

"It's an unrefined formula. Oscorp's human enhancement serum has managed to suppress side effects to 20%," the bald doctor said. "But your formula, after administration, not only has a 50% chance of side effects but also a 10% chance of total failure, turning the subject into an irrational lunatic."

Kingpin's face darkened. "Seems that guy held back on us."

"It was my fault he escaped," Wesley apologized. "But didn't he give you two formulas?"

"The other one is even worse—it's incomplete, stuck at the final step," the doctor said. "However, this formula has great potential. Once completed, it will be a revolutionary breakthrough."

"Then finish it. Also, work on improving the human enhancement serum," Kingpin ordered.

"It's not that simple," the doctor replied. "The former requires a lot of funding—billions, while the latter requires many test subjects to collect data, so it doesn't need much money."

"Billions?" Kingpin frowned slightly. Although he had money, he had many expenses like money laundering and bribing officials. In the short term, he couldn't come up with hundreds of millions.

"Produce the human enhancement serum and sell it on the black market." Kingpin thought for a moment. "That way, we can get funds and gather a lot of experimental data."

"Kingpin, you're truly ruthless, but I like it." The bald doctor laughed maniacally. "Science requires sacrifice. Those ethical rules are just hindering progress."

Kingpin and the doctor's decision would cause New York's crime rate to skyrocket in the future and fully usher in the era of superheroes and supervillains.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was September. Today, the weather was scorching, and what's hotter than the weather was the scent of crime.

An alarm bell rang loudly as the siren of a bank in Queens blared. A few pedestrians at the door fled, cursing, "Again? How many bank robberies have happened this month?"

Soon, five burly figures rushed out of the bank carrying bags. Just as they were about to get into a car, several webs fell from the sky, snatching their bags away.

Spider-Man clung to a wall and said, "Guys, robbing banks isn't cool. I suggest you turn yourselves in."

"Spider-Man, we're not afraid of you anymore." One of the five tattooed men violently tore off his shirt, revealing bulging muscles. Then, he yanked a signpost out of the concrete and hurled it at Spider-Man.

"Another enhanced person. Do you know the serum you're using has severe side effects?" Spider-Man dodged the signpost nimbly, then raised his hand to shoot webs at the tattooed man.

Before the webs reached him, they were knocked away by an object thrown by another strong man. On closer look, it was a car door.

"Another enhanced person." Spider-Man exclaimed. To his dismay, the remaining three strong men also tore off their shirts. Clearly, they were all enhanced.

"Where are you getting so many enhanced people? And why do you all have to tear off your shirts? You're not the Hulk." Spider-Man complained.

"Spider-Man, give us back our money." An enhanced man stomped hard and leaped toward Spider-Man on the wall. Spider-Man quickly climbed higher, and the unfortunate man crashed into the wall, bricks flying everywhere.

"Dude, that's not cool; this is my turf," Spider-Man quipped. At that moment, the two enhanced men lifted a nearby car together and hurled it at him.

"That's cheating." Spider-Man shouted while dodging. He avoided the car, but it continued flying toward two pedestrians. Shocked, he was about to pull it back with his webs when a dazzling electric light flashed, and the car was deflected to the side.

"Electro is here." The onlookers cheered, and along with their voices, an electric current shot from a distance, transforming into Electro in a blue uniform.

Compared to before, Electro was visibly more cheerful. He greeted the surrounding citizens warmly, drawing enthusiastic cheers.

Spider-Man greeted, "Buddy, you're here."

"You're not my buddy; you don't even remember my name." Electro huffed in dissatisfaction, raised his hand, and shot a bolt of lightning at the tattooed enhanced man below.

"It's Electro. Run." The remaining four enhanced men's expressions changed drastically, and they turned to flee. At that moment, two gliders flew over, and the crowd began to cheer again, "The Hell Sisters are here too."

"With us around, you won't escape." Standing on the left glider was the superheroine Hellcat in a yellow uniform and cat-face mask. She shouted and pulled the trigger of the stun gun in her hand. The enhanced man immediately collapsed, convulsing all over.

---

Want to read ahead? Support this work at [email protected]/OneSword