Marvel: Trading with Worlds

Stern entered immediately, flanked by several heavily armed soldiers with assault rifles.

Seeing Malik alone, Stern's expression darkened with suspicion.

"Malik, where's Kain Pent?"

"He didn't leave through the front door?" Malik shot back.

"We've been stationed outside the entire time. No one came out." Stern's jaw tightened. "Jimmy, check the surveillance. What do you see?"

A voice crackled through Stern's earpiece.

"Nothing, sir. The gentleman was alone in the room. He… scratched his head after drinking a cup of coffee."

Silence.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"Stern exploded, his face reddening with fury.

He stormed into the surveillance room, dragging two soldiers with him.

"Deal with them," Stern growled, motioning toward the surveillance team.

The soldiers obeyed without hesitation, dragging the panicked staff away. Stern then ordered a thorough investigation of the security system.

It didn't take long to confirm what Malik and Stern already suspected—

The system had been compromised.

The breach had gone undetected, a failure severe enough to warrant immediate disciplinary action.

Even though the villa wasn't a high-security facility, the security lapse could have exposed sensitive information. 

The monitoring team's incompetence had crossed the threshold for severe consequences.

After the situation was handled, Stern returned to Malik, eyeing the items Kain had left behind.

His gaze narrowed.

"What's this?" he asked, his voice low and tense.

"Extremis serum, a letter of intent for the trade contract… and I need a laptop."

Malik spoke calmly. While Stern had been dealing with the surveillance personnel, Malik had already reviewed the trade agreement.

What Kain wanted wasn't difficult for Hydra to acquire—especially since they already controlled such resources.

With Hydra's influence, they could deliver everything Kain needed within a month.

However, without a sample of the Extremis serum, it would take at least a year to reproduce it.

A laptop was quickly brought in. Malik inserted the USB drive, and both he and Stern watched as the screen displayed a list of weapons sold by the Pent Group, along with demonstration videos showcasing their capabilities.

After reviewing the data, Malik's assessment of Kain Pent rose significantly.

"Stern… did you know he was a member of Hydra?"

"What?" Stern's eyes narrowed.

"When he left, he whispered 'Hail Hydra' to me." Malik's face was serious.

"That's the organization's greeting. He's one of us."

Malik leaned in, repeating the words in a low voice. It was the traditional way Hydra members identified themselves.

But Malik couldn't understand how he had never heard of someone like Kain within the organization—

A man with access to super soldier serum and advanced energy weaponry should've been on his radar long ago.

If Malik had known sooner, he would've established ties with Kain Pent much earlier.

Stern listened to Malik's account of the encounter, speechless for a moment.

They had nearly robbed one of their own.

Silence filled the room as both men sat deep in thought.

After a while, Stern broke the silence:

"So… how exactly did he leave?"

Meanwhile, elsewhere—

Kain's phone rang.

A holographic projection flickered to life, displaying a young woman with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes.

This kind of advanced communication technology had already been fully integrated within the Pent Group, with Laura overseeing all operational and financial aspects.

"Mr. Pent, I'm your new assistant, assigned by Ms. Ross. I'll be handling your affairs and daily schedule while she's away."

Kain studied her for a brief moment.

"Your name, Ms. Assistant?"

"Sharon Nia, sir. I graduated from Harvard University's Department of Management."

Kain's expression remained indifferent.

"I'll remember your number. I don't need anything right now. If I do, I'll let you know."

With that, he ended the call.

To Kain, a personal assistant wasn't worth his attention.

However, he still instructed the Red Queen to closely monitor the people surrounding Betty Ross.

Given the Pent Group's growing influence and Betty's status, it was inevitable that others would attempt to plant spies near her.

Kain rarely worried about personal assistants.

In fact, very few people on Earth posed any real threat to him.

But he preferred to quietly build his power base—controlling everything from behind the scenes.

Unlike Tony Stark, whose flashy behavior Kain found distasteful.

However, Stark Industries was currently making headlines. Their Flagship missile system was in negotiations with the military.

If the deal went smoothly, it would be officially adopted by the military after Christmas, replacing older systems with more advanced missile technology.

Perhaps the only thing Kain appreciated about Tony Stark was his playboy lifestyle—something Kain, as a pharmaceutical tycoon, could easily replicate.

The Pent Group's recent dominance in the pharmaceutical industry had completely outshined Stark Industries.

If Kain wanted to, he could date a new supermodel every day.

But to Kain, most supermodels were painfully ordinary.

Without Veela blood, a unique background, or an unusual constitution, it was hard to pique his interest.

Moreover, Kain wasn't fond of the spotlight.

He delegated all interviews to Laura and Betty—

Laura managed the company's public image in the business world, while Betty handled military press conferences.

"The Tony's flagship missile system, huh?"

Kain smirked, skimming through the latest news.

"Tony Stark's probably headed to Afghanistan for weapons testing… Can I take over Stark Industries' weapons division?"

Kain mulled it over.

It would be difficult.

Stark Industries wasn't short on money, and aside from Obadiah Stane, the second-largest shareholder, the combined shares of the other board members barely reached 15%—

Making a hostile takeover unnecessary and impractical.

As Kain continued browsing online, his phone buzzed.

It was Malik calling.

Kain let the call ring for a few minutes before finally answering.

On the other end, Malik's voice came through, slightly more respectful this time:

"Apologies, Kain. My attitude yesterday wasn't the best. I didn't realize you were one of our… 'friends.'"

…

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