Chapter 147: Base Conception (Requesting Monthly Votes)

The harvest this time is truly incomparably bountiful...

After returning to the Marvel Universe, the smile on Kahn’s face had not faded. There was a tremendous amount of value to be excavated in the magical world. If he could manage to unify the magical world, the benefits he would reap would be unimaginable.

Once the magical world was unified, he could conveniently establish a formidable sphere of influence in the muggle world, and then restrict the living space of the goblins. He could institute a working system where magical creatures expressed gratitude to wizards, considering it a blessing that creatures like goblins were allowed to survive at all—they would simply have to be grateful to Kahn.

Then there were the centaurs, giants, werewolves, and so on. Kahn could not quite understand why wizards held non-human species in such high regard. Even if they lacked the strength to completely exterminate them during the wizarding wars, wouldn't it be easier to slowly exploit them afterward?

If Kahn’s sphere of influence expanded, he would certainly never grant goblins, centaurs, and other intelligent magical creatures such high status. Their fate might be slightly better than that of dragons; they would retain some living space, but they would have to work themselves to the bone.

Hating wizards in their hearts while enjoying the living space left behind by wizards, yet still maintaining such a high status—such a wonderful arrangement was something even Kahn himself desired.

Exploitation and plunder were the fastest paths to accumulating wealth. By that time, Kahn would only need to breathe for a single second, and massive amounts of Galleons and magical materials would flow into his pockets.

The reason Kahn loathed goblins so much was because right before leaving, when he was purchasing magical materials, he had been ruthlessly gouged by them. Materials like adamantine and mithril cost him three tons of gold and nearly twenty thousand Galleons. Kahn was always the boss who exploited others, only to find himself exploited by goblins right before his departure.

"Next is remodeling the residence and preparing some alchemical items... I could try using chakra metal, though I only have enough left for a single alchemical item. If I could just get my hands on a bit of vibranium..."

Kahn currently felt an urge to collect various precious materials and test whether he could forge even more powerful alchemical items.

In the Marvel Universe, there were only a handful of truly precious metals. Uru was harder to reach than the heavens, and titanium alloy was considered precious to ordinary people, but if Kahn wanted it, getting tens of kilograms was a breeze, and besides, the stuff held little value to him.

The value of vibranium surpassed that of titanium alloy, but it was far too rare. Wakanda protected it fiercely, and the vibranium circulating in the outside world was not only scarce but exorbitantly expensive.

"Perhaps I could leak the information about Wakanda to HYDRA and let them test the waters there. If feasible, I could also draw the attention of every nation in the world toward Wakanda..."

This thought flashed through Kahn's mind, but the timing wasn't right yet. His sphere of influence was still not large enough. If the United States truly chose to make a move against Wakanda and won, he wouldn't reap many benefits.

"I need to accelerate the pace of expansion. Within five years... or three years, Umbrella and the Pente Group must at least become entities capable of influencing American decision-making..."

Now that the Pente Group had fully digested Oscorp, it would embark upon the path of expansion. Before long, the biopharmaceutical company and the new energy division would serve as the Pente Group's money bags, while Umbrella acted as Kahn's overt armed wing, which had already expanded to over six hundred personnel.

Because Kahn had thoroughly charmed Betty in bed, she took matters concerning Umbrella very seriously. General Ross, owing to his daughter and his cooperation with Kahn, had no choice but to put in some effort regarding the recruitment of retired soldiers, even establishing a temporary task force within the military specifically to assist Betty.

Moreover, Umbrella did not exclusively recruit retired military personnel; it also absorbed mercenaries from places like Mexico, Asia, and Europe. However, the screening process for such individuals was quite rigorous, and naturally, once they joined Umbrella, the compensation was far more generous than anywhere else.

American fiat currency held zero appeal for Kahn nowadays. If US dollars could not be used to elevate his own power, they were equivalent to a pile of waste paper.

Afterward, Kahn split off a shadow clone to handle recent affairs within the villa, while he picked up his phone and dialed Betty's number.

"Betty, are you busy? Help me set up a meeting with Congressman Stern. If he has time recently, I’d like to invite him to dinner."

...

"Boss, this is the arc reactor-powered energy suit we designed. Powered by a third-generation arc reactor, it can output six thousand terajoules of energy per second. Furthermore, I’ve extended its endurance; firing with pulse cannons alone can sustain it for over twenty-four hours..."

Anton Vanko smoothly introduced the new energy suit he and his son had designed to Kahn. Although the weapon system had not been heavily developed, high-altitude flight and basic new energy weaponry were fully equipped.

The flight speed also exceeded 2,400 kilometers per hour, roughly matching the top speed of the F-22. This was data Anton Vanko had secretly tested within the borders of the United States, nearly getting caught by American military satellites.

However, Kahn was somewhat dissatisfied. He disliked suits meant for a person like Iron Man to wear inside; Ivan Vanko's remote-controlled War Machine designs from Iron Man 2 seemed somewhat better.

"The operation method won't do, Anton. If someone wears this suit, the rear must be equipped with someone to assist in operating it. Since that's the case, we might as well directly venture into unmanned new energy war machine guards, replacing all the weight meant for a pilot with armaments..."

Upon hearing Kahn's words, Ivan Vanko at the side hurriedly nodded in agreement; that was precisely what he had envisioned, but who told him to be the son?

"Yet, boss, if it's entirely operated from the rear, there will be huge risks. If the operational authorization is hijacked, we will completely lose control over the new energy suit... the new energy war machine guard. The risks are numerous—cyber hackers or manual seizure.

If it remains in the form of a suit, even if the control system is hacked, the pilot can still cut off the remote control and operate it manually, which provides a much higher safety coefficient."

Ivan Vanko explained, "Tony Stark has a smart AI, and that kind of artificial intelligence computing power equals a top-tier hacker. Unless we build an independent network, the danger is simply too great."

"What you say makes sense... Then we will develop the new energy suit and the new energy war machine guard simultaneously, but these won't be rolled out for a few years. Additionally, do not drop the development of civilian new energy. After all, our goal is to make money, and you can leave the weapon development to Ivan."

"The weapon department of the Pente Group is also of paramount importance. Not only must it supply military orders, but all of Umbrella's weapons and equipment will also be replaced entirely with products manufactured by the Pente Group."

Kahn patted Ivan Vanko on the shoulder and said to him, "I have a new idea that might require your help, Anton, concerning the remodeling of the Pente Group Tower..."

New energy could be utilized for the power supply of the Pente Group Tower, and then subterranean tunnels could be excavated to form a hive network connecting the Pente Group, Kahn's home, Umbrella, and several other locations, while establishing a large-scale research base underground.

Much like Umbrella's Hive, since Ivan Vanko's new energy had already been developed into weapons, converting it to civilian use was simple enough. Machinery like excavators and construction bots could easily be developed.

Kahn needed a concealed underground location where even a nuclear bomb detonated over New York would pose no threat. Moreover, it could provide a direct route to the sea, offering a safe haven for creatures like the Basilisk.

As long as sufficient arc reactors were stockpiled, even if the New York city power grid experienced a blackout, the Pente Tower and the underground research base would remain entirely unharmed.

Ivan Vanko and Anton Vanko were people Kahn could completely trust, and he could safely leave this matter to them. However, it was a massive engineering project that might take several years, and the budget would likely reach billions or even tens of billions of US dollars.

Yet money was entirely just a number to Kahn, and this large sum wouldn't be spent all at once. Kahn needed to negotiate with HYDRA regarding the marketing of pharmaceuticals; the moment those few specialty drugs hit the market, Pente Biopharmaceuticals would rake in billions of dollars in net profit annually, with that figure rising year by year.

Nevertheless, Anton Vanko's words had also reminded Kahn that the new energy war machines possessed certain hidden security risks. Until those risks were resolved, Kahn would not expose his new energy war machines.

...

After bidding farewell to Congressman Stern, Kahn and Betty left by car. They would be staying in Washington for a while longer because a banquet was scheduled in a few days—a birthday ball hosted by Councilman Malick for his daughter. At that time, they could discuss detailed cooperation with Gideon Malick.

Gideon Malick was currently a member of the World Security Council overseeing S.H.I.E.L.D., holding far greater power in the United States than Stern. Moreover, he was a core member within HYDRA; even after Alexander Pierce was arrested, he had not exposed Malick, or perhaps Pierce was entirely unaware of Gideon's existence.

"Kahn, are we going to rope in Mr. Malick? I've heard my father mention him. He is currently striving for a higher position and is even competing with my father for the position of Secretary of State."

After getting into the car, Betty spoke up, slightly loosening her collar as she did so. The dress she had chosen for tonight was a bit too form-fitting, making her feel slightly stifled. However, Kahn interpreted this as Betty dropping hints—the form-fitting short dress and black stockings meant tonight would likely be another night of fiery passion.

Kahn explained, "He can't be reeled in, unless we control him entirely, but that carries risks. Malick and Stern belong to the same organization, and they possess tremendous backing. Our relationship with them is an exchange of interests; both sides have what the other wants. It just depends on who profits more..."

Given the ability to casually make the decision to bomb New York with a nuclear weapon, one could imagine just how terrifying HYDRA's influence truly was. Furthermore, Kahn always felt puzzled as to how an organization with such massive influence had allowed the Avengers to defeat them step-by-step.

Did HYDRA members simply fight their own battles independently? When Pierce executed Project Insight, couldn't he have enlisted a few more high-ranking HYDRA members to lend a hand?

"Then I'll go select a gift. We still have two days, so it's not too rushed..."

Kahn shook his head and said, "There's no need to place too much importance on it, Betty. The chips in our hands are not bad either, and Malick's daughter isn't a naive little girl. Just casually sending a valuable gift will suffice."

Even if they simply sent a fountain pen, as long as both parties shared common interests, cooperation could be established swiftly. It was just that Stern didn't quite understand the value of vibranium; he was a standard politician.

If he wanted to prompt HYDRA to go trouble Wakanda, he had no choice but to discuss the matter with Malick.

"Betty, I think you need a private jet. After the banquet for Malick's daughter concludes, let's go order two."

Having swallowed Oscorp, the Pente Group possessed assets worth tens of billions at the very least, and the upcoming pharmaceuticals were poised to alter the landscape of the entire pharmaceutical industry. As Kahn's sole overt representative, having to constantly buy commercial airline tickets was simply unacceptable.

Though touched, Betty refused, saying, "Let's keep the funds for developing the company instead. Umbrella is in greater need of capital injection." Though she didn't directly manage the Pente Group, she was well aware of the company's financial status.

The group's current profit points were limited, but expenditures were unquestionably a terrifying figure. If not for Kahn continuously injecting funds, the old foundation alone could never have sustained this speed of expansion.

Kahn directly vetoed her notion: "Don't worry about the money; you need these things more."