Chapter 131: The Hydra Councilor

"Kahn, is this your girlfriend?"

Upon arriving at the President’s banquet, Karl looked at Betty, who was by Kahn’s side, with a hint of envy. Although he knew his old classmate was never short of women, the quality of this one was exceptionally high. By comparison, the date he had brought along seemed rather mediocre.

Dressed with meticulous care, Betty was indeed stunning, especially in her refined aura. Her skin also seemed remarkably fair—whether it was the result of secret makeup or the benefits of milk, he couldn't tell, but it was something worth experimenting with later.

"It’s nothing, Karl."

Kahn tilted his head slightly. Betty was someone else’s girlfriend he had snatched; the thrill would be even greater if he revealed that status. However, Kahn had no intention of saying it aloud; enjoying it exclusively was far better.

"Those people have arrived as well. They’ll likely come to greet you soon. If you intend to cooperate with them, you must be careful... Oscorp is a cautionary tale."

Karl leaned in close to Kahn and whispered a warning. Such things were common in the financial world; in truth, they were wolves that devoured people without leaving a trace. But that applied to others—if Karl saw someone trying to harm those around him, he would still offer a warning. After all, Kahn was the major shareholder and mentor of their firm; without him, their private equity fund could never have flourished so well.

Kahn was well aware of this. After chatting with Karl for a while, he bade him farewell and joined Betty at General Ross’s side. He had come today as the owner of a biopharmaceutical company; bringing Laura would have been more appropriate, but if Kahn had actually done that, both of the Rosses would have given him the cold shoulder.

His company still required the efforts of both Rosses. Then there was the matter of Oscorp—if the military didn't step in, Kahn would have to resort to magical means. While using magic for self-defense was fine, proactively seeking profit through it... he didn't know if that would attract unwanted attention from groups like Kamar-Taj.

Kahn could guess the consequences of using magic frequently for profit: it would essentially be equivalent to making enemies of the entire world. No one wanted to see that happen. A single Imperius Curse could turn high-ranking politicians and capitalists into beings less significant than dogs. If they discovered Kahn’s abilities, they would surely exhaust every method to eliminate him.

There were many attendees tonight, all from the American elite. Kahn—no, Karl—was the one at the bottom of the hierarchy here. If not for Kahn, he wouldn't even have known about the banquet. He should go and remind him later, though looking at Karl’s cautious demeanor, he had likely already been warned by Connor and would leave immediately after it ended. Karl didn't have many virtues, but his timidity and caution were worth praising.

Tony Stark had likely been invited but didn't attend, sending his assistant, Pepper, instead. A playboy truly had no need to care about such occasions; regardless of what the President might think, the weapons division of Stark Industries was an irreplaceable supplier for the U.S. military. No matter how much Justin Hammer of Hammer Industries jumped around, as long as he couldn't surpass Stark Industries in heavy weaponry, he would never replace them. That was the gap in research and development.

After Betty went off to mingle with some peers, Kahn whispered to Ross, "General Ross, you are truly dishonest, even deceiving your partners. Even if you don't consider me, you should think about what’s in Betty’s..."

General Ross’s hand trembled, nearly dropping his glass. Infuriated to the point where his mustache bristled, he hissed, "You bastard... how many months?"

"One hour. Before we came here, Betty had some toast and milk."

Kahn laughed. Upon hearing this, Ross realized he had been played. But it was better that there was no child; Ross had never felt Kahn was someone Betty could entrust her life to. If she were to choose someone, he would prefer Bruce Banner. But Betty’s resolve was strong; Ross had tried to persuade her several times, but to no avail. He couldn't see what kind of charm Kahn possessed, yet he was able to make his daughter so devoted. It was said that Bruce Banner had recently been recruited by the military, and he had even agreed.

"What is going on at the Middle Eastern front? You don't need to lie to me; I can see you are distracted. That is not the look of someone who has just won a battle. Besides, Betty has told me most of it. Without any justification, why would the military order such a massive quantity of Extremis virus serum?"

Kahn didn't beat around the bush and asked Ross directly. If even partners were being schemed against, Kahn would rather cut ties and find others. There was no shortage of buyers for the Extremis virus; they should be the ones eager to please him.

"Heavy losses, cause unknown." After saying this, General Ross drained his glass.

If it wasn't an illusion, Kahn couldn't imagine such an incompetent admission coming from an American general. If he recalled correctly, the super-soldier squad consisted of about sixteen men. That meant the U.S. military had lost nearly ten super-soldiers in a war they were supposed to have won decisively. If that wasn't a "heavy loss," Kahn didn't know what was.

"I suspect many people want to replace you; they have even tried to contact me through my friends." Kahn gestured toward a man who was currently talking to Betty; it looked like he was trying to curry favor. Kahn knew they were actually trying to use Betty to reach him. They might not have the nerve to fully replace Ross, but they definitely had the ambition to get a piece of the pie and claim a significant share. However, Kahn didn't trust them—they were all the same, and there was only so much meat to go around; if everyone wanted a bite, someone would inevitably go hungry.

"Ross, I think we need to further our cooperation."

Kahn intended to accelerate his progress, but he needed Ross and his group to show sincerity. He wouldn't hand over the complete super-soldier serum for mere dollars. He needed more.

"There has been some progress on the super-soldier serum. I believe we should renegotiate our profit-sharing, or you provide more benefits..."

Ross’s eyes widened in shock, his mustache twitching. He asked in a serious, hushed tone, "Are you sure? Not the flawed super-soldier formula, but the kind Captain America had?"

"The very same. But are you sure you want to discuss this here?"

Kahn knew the significance and power of that serum. Dr. Erskine had only created a few doses before he was killed, and the formula was lost. Although a few samples remained, the military and Howard Stark had never successfully replicated it. The Captain America serum was exactly what the military craved. The Extremis serum wasn't bad, and a perfected version would be even stronger, but the mysterious attack in the Middle East had crippled the squad, forcing the military to re-evaluate their reliance on it.

"After it ends, I’ll find you at your hotel."

With that, Ross finished his drink, placed the glass on a passing tray, and walked off to mingle. He needed to calm his restless heart and carefully consider how to cooperate with Kahn. Kahn seemed very dissatisfied with the current arrangement.

Ross realized it was understandable. He knew the miraculous nature of the Extremis serum; without the military’s backing, it would be impossible for anyone else to obtain it so easily. A redistribution of profits... he feared the others wouldn't agree. Ross had initially conceded to Kahn’s threats to form the squad quickly, but others might not be as willing. Kahn Pente didn't look like a man who would compromise, and Ross would have to navigate the middle ground. If the super-soldier serum could be mass-produced, his position wouldn't be limited to just a general; he could truly take a massive step forward.

...

The banquet was boring, at least for Kahn. Ross had already warned him of its purpose: to continue pushing the war forward, or at least to secure the intended profits. The war, which should have been going smoothly, had hit a snag, and the super-soldier squad had suffered heavy losses; the regular troops had naturally not been spared. Local forces, which had been unable to even lift their heads under missile fire, had suddenly gained numerous well-equipped special forces who even knew the U.S. military’s intelligence in the Middle East.

These were just the military's theories, but they couldn't think of any other reason besides an intelligence leak—unless those in the Middle East possessed satellite surveillance even more precise than America's. So far, over a thousand American soldiers had been killed or wounded. They had kept this massive number hidden from the public, announcing only thirteen casualties, mostly attributed to landmines or terrorist attacks.

"Kahn, this is Senator Stern."

Before long, Betty Ross brought over a senator. He was somewhat stout but wore a kind smile. This guy was no mere senator; he was an operative developed by HYDRA.

Upon meeting him, Kahn smiled and shook his hand. "Senator Stern."

Stern smiled back. "Mr. Pente, I believe your biopharmaceutical company has great potential. If possible, I’d like to introduce you to a few partners. They could help your company grow faster and, at the same time, allow you to reap greater rewards."

Kahn laughed. "Then I must thank you, Senator Stern. It’s a pity we aren't in New York, or I would certainly treat you to some of the city's famous cuisine."

HYDRA wanted to cooperate with him? Or were they eyeing the Extremis serum? Kahn was actually quite willing to cooperate—HYDRA, the branch of S.H.I.E.L.D., possessed plenty of excellent technology, having developed many成果 based on cosmic magic. If possible, Kahn also wanted to see the Tesseract; it was one of the six Infinity Stones in the universe, the Space Stone.

"No matter, Mr. Pente. I am a Washington local."

Seeing Kahn’s interest, Stern couldn't help but smile even more broadly. It was good that this young biotech tycoon was open to cooperation; if he were another Tony Stark, that would be a headache.