Chapter 43: The Water Orthodoxy in Marvel

After enjoying a refined breakfast, Alvin stepped out with his bomb gun.

Taking the elevator directly to the underground garage, he opened the door to a row of world-class luxury cars, paused for a few seconds, and decided to keep things low-key today.

“Hmm, this one—looks fairly low-key.”

The silver-and-black Lamborghini was, at least in Tony’s garage, one of the most understated vehicles there.

With the roar of the engine, the garage gate opened.

“Mr. Valthius, the charity gala scheduled for tonight—will you be attending?”

At that moment, JARVIS’s distinctive, magnetic voice came through the car’s system.

“Charity gala?”

Alvin frowned. “What does that have to do with me?”

“Mr. Obadiah invited you,” JARVIS replied slowly. “Given your current cash assets and shareholdings, you qualify as a billionaire. My suggestion: attend. It will help you integrate into American society.”

Oh right—I nearly forgot!

Alvin suddenly remembered: his account held one hundred million U.S. dollars, and he was a shareholder in Stark Industries.

Hmm, the life of the rich is so boring.

Aside from that measly hundred million, he had nothing.

“Fine. Tell Mr. Obadiah I’ll attend the charity dinner.”

Alvin’s lips curled slightly—he wanted to meet the man who, alongside Howard, had founded Stark Industries.

Vrrrm~ Vrrrm~ Roar!

The Lamborghini’s engine let out a deep growl.

Soon, Alvin pulled up in the Lamborghini outside Osborn BioPharmaceutical Group.

“Hello, are you Mr. Valthius?”

The attendant stepped forward respectfully and asked.

“Yes.”

Alvin stepped out of the car and handed the keys to the attendant.

Then, under the guidance of his waiting secretary, he took the elevator straight to the top floor.

Norman Osborn sat on the sofa; seeing the secretary lead someone in, he set down his book and regarded Alvin with a faint air of scrutiny.

Likewise, Alvin studied the infamous Green Goblin—Norman Osborn.

At nearly fifty, Norman bore the marks of age on his face.

His neatly combed hair showed streaks of gray, yet his sharp suit and composed demeanor still radiated the authority of a man who had fought his way out from among America’s elite capitalists and seized control of life and death.

“I’ve heard of you, Alvin Valthius.”

Norman sat on the sofa, withdrawing his scrutiny but showing no intention to rise.

If it were Stark, he’d have welcomed him warmly.

But unfortunately, Alvin Valthius simply didn’t carry enough weight to merit his serious attention.

“Hello, Mr. Osborn.”

Alvin adjusted his buttons, utterly unfazed by the man’s attitude, and sat calmly across from him.

The secretary brought two cups of hot tea, then discreetly withdrew, closing the door behind her.

“For Stark’s sake, I’ll give you five minutes.”

Norman glanced at his watch, tapping the table with his index finger, his tone still cool and detached.

Alvin didn’t waste words; he smiled lightly. “I heard you recently took on a military contract?”

Thump.

Norman’s finger froze. His eyelids lifted slightly, a glint of coldness flickering: “That’s top secret. How do you know?”

In truth, the military contract wasn’t truly top secret.

But the content of Osborn Group’s order was far more complex than it appeared—it involved human trials.

The order came directly from U.S. Air Force General Everett Ross.

General Everett Ross was the Hulk Banner’s father-in-law—and the man who developed the Hulk serum.

“What do you think?”

Alvin feigned mystery, leaning back casually on the sofa—now it was his turn to hold the upper hand.

“Stark?”

Naturally, Norman immediately connected Alvin’s knowledge to Tony Stark.

After all, the only person likely to know this was Tony Stark.

“So Stark’s abandoning weapons research and moving into biotech?” Norman sneered, finally taking the boy seriously.

In his assumption, Alvin had been sent by Stark to claim a share of the pie.

“No, no, no—you misunderstand, Mr. Osborn.”

Alvin held up one finger, shaking it slightly. “Stark has no intention of entering biotech. This is entirely my initiative—I want to collaborate with you.”

“You?”

Norman frowned, losing interest instantly. “Kid, I don’t have time for games. If this isn’t Stark’s plan, just leave.”

“Don’t rush, Mr. Osborn.”

Alvin smiled like a cunning fox, eyes half-lidded. “I know you’re stuck—your human enhancement serum still won’t work, correct?”

This time, Norman couldn’t remain calm. His pupils shrank sharply as he stared at Alvin in shock: “How do you know this?!”

The human enhancement serum’s bottleneck was a secret even General Ross didn’t know!

Even Stark couldn’t possibly know this—how had this boy found out?

In an instant, Norman’s expression shifted between suspicion, anger, and fear—he imagined countless scenarios, all pointing to one inevitable conclusion: a traitor in his research team!

“Where I learned of this doesn’t matter, Mr. Osborn,” Alvin observed Norman’s panic, suspicion, and fury, then waited until the man calmed before speaking slowly: “What matters is that I can help you overcome this obstacle—can’t I?”

“You? How?”

Though Alvin had exposed his research setback, Norman still couldn’t believe it.

Meeting Norman’s skeptical gaze, Alvin merely smiled, opened his five fingers, and lifted them slightly: “Like this...”

Suddenly, the liquid in the teacup on the table seemed pulled by an unseen force, rising into the air.

Then, before Norman’s stunned eyes, the liquid flowed freely, shifting into countless shapes before returning to the cup.

“This... how did you do that?!”

Even Norman, who had weathered countless storms, was left speechless by the display.

At that moment, Alvin revealed his fangs, slowly pulling a bottle of brilliant blue liquid from his coat and placing it gently on the table: “As you see, Mr. Osborn, I come with sincerity. This is Compound Five—it can unlock human potential and grant what ordinary people call... superpowers!”

Norman had to admit: even after all he’d seen, his heart raced uncontrollably at the sight of Compound Five.

He was certain—Alvin’s display had been no illusion.

If a drug capable of granting superpowers truly existed, then... the blood that had long lain dormant within Norman seemed to boil at that moment!

“What... do you want?”

Norman took a deep breath, his face etched with unprecedented gravity.

“Simple.”

Alvin snapped his fingers and smiled. “I provide the sample. You handle the research. We share the results. Deal?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

Norman agreed without hesitation, then added: “But research on Compound Five cannot be conducted under Osborn’s name—we must avoid military scrutiny.”

His concern was valid: the U.S. military was infamous for seizing others’ breakthroughs.

If they discovered Compound Five, Osborn wouldn’t just lose out—he might be silenced.

“Start your own company,” Norman, the capital titan, swiftly devised a plan. “With Stark and Osborn backing you, there’ll be no initial resistance. And if you can bring Stark into this, you’ll avoid many unnecessary risks.”

This would greatly reduce the chance of the military discovering it early.

“That’s a good idea.”

Alvin thought for a moment, then grinned. “Then... let’s call it Water Group.”