Marvel: Trading with Worlds

"It's too powerful. It's worthy of being called a super soldier serum. The enhancement it brings is unimaginable."

Rick kept muttering to himself. Except for Kain, most of the others felt the same way. 

Rove, who was currently lifting a 500-jin dumbbell, was doing the last endurance test. He had been repeating the movement for nearly two hours without showing any signs of losing strength.

He was drenched in sweat, and his energy consumption was high, but his performance remained terrifying. After witnessing this, Carlo's envious eyes practically sparkled.

Kain checked the time, his patience wearing thin. "Forget it," he said. "Let's stop here. This level of endurance doesn't need to be quantified further. Just knowing how strong he is suffices."

Rove's results were staggering: his bench press strength exceeded half a ton, his 100-meter sprint was under five seconds, and he could single-handedly pull a seven- or eight-ton truck. 

These feats were undeniably superhuman.

When Rove finished all the tests, Kain asked, "How do you feel?"

"Pretty good, boss. Just a little hungry," Rove replied.

After three hours of grueling tests, combined with the effects of the super soldier serum, Rove's metabolism had become incredibly fast. Now, he felt as though he could eat an entire cow.

"There are ten pizzas over there," Kain said, gesturing toward the food. "Have a quick bite. Once Carlo is injected with the serum, you can both eat properly."

Hearing this, Carlo's excitement skyrocketed. After witnessing Rove's incredible performance, who in their right mind could refuse the serum?

Rick led Carlo away to receive his injection. Meanwhile, Kain secretly used memory magic to observe Rove's thoughts. As expected, Rove's loyalty and identification with Kain had grown even stronger.

Just as Kain suspected, the serum amplified the inherent traits of its recipients—both good and evil. However, thanks to the Chakra curse on Rove, the serum only amplified his loyalty to Kain.

In the future, Kain decided, only individuals marked with the Chakra seal would receive the serum. 

This way, he could ensure absolute loyalty and soon assemble a squad of super soldiers—more powerful than anything the military could muster.

The serum's amplifying effects on good and evil were something to be cautious about, but with the Chakra seal, Kain could bypass those risks. His super soldiers would be bound to him in body and mind.

"Betty," Kain called out, "contact General Ross for me. Tell him I'd like to treat him to dinner tonight."

Betty rolled her eyes. "After hearing your news, he's definitely not going to have much of an appetite," she said, though she made the call anyway. Business was business, after all.

As Carlo prepared for his injection, Kain began planning his next steps.

With the successful development of both the Extremis virus serum and the super soldier serum, the creation of an army of super soldiers rivaling Captain America was inevitable. 

Kain had also established contact with Hydra. If Hydra abandoned its short-sighted "Insight" plan, it could become his most valuable ally.

Hydra has infiltrated the political, military, and business worlds, making them a potentially valuable ally. However, the thought of these lunatics inserting their own agenda into the Insight Program irritated Kain.

Would the Insight Program collapse in a few years because of their meddling?

Uprooting Hydra entirely wasn't on Kain's agenda—unless he had the opportunity to claim their vast global legacy. After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to collaborate with Hydra for the time being.

With access to resources from multiple worlds, Kain had built his current empire in just three years. Give him another decade, and Hydra might very well become a subordinate branch of his organization.

As for S.H.I.E.L.D.?

No refined egoist would ever trust an organization like that, especially with Nick Fury at the helm. Fury, the ultimate spy king, was notorious for uncovering other people's secrets.

Kain himself had a monumental secret. If Nick Fury ever caught wind of it, he would stop at nothing to dig deeper. However, Kain had been prepared back then, ensuring Fury couldn't succeed.

Now, with the development of the super soldier serum, Kain knew it would attract an influx of corporate spies. Ross and Hydra would likely send their own agents, unable to resist the serum's immense value.

After both Carlo and Rove became super soldiers, Kain gave them an hour to acclimate to their enhanced strength. Betty Ross's turn would come an hour and a half later.

"Continue as Betty's bodyguards," Kain instructed Carlo and Rove. "Once I acquire the Oscorp Group, I'll have the weapons department design custom battle suits for you."

Betty was deeply touched by his words—two super soldiers, assigned as her personal bodyguards.

"Kain, I can find new bodyguards. Do I really need to rely on Rove and Carlo?"

"The production of super soldier serum isn't costly," Kain replied, "and once I acquire the Oscorp Group, your status will become even more significant, Betty."

His reasoning convinced her. Betty was now a core member of Kain's inner circle, far more valuable than Laura. And for Kain, mass-producing super soldiers was hardly an issue.

At the restaurant, Thaddeus Ross arrived in his military uniform. Thankfully, Kain had reserved a private room; otherwise, Ross's attire would have drawn significant attention.

"If my daughter hadn't called me, I'd still be at the office working through my mountain of files. You have no idea how chaotic things have been lately," Ross grumbled.

….

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