Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Next Trading World

"Boss, how was this experimental result obtained? There’s no process, no details, no supporting data—why do you trust this report?" Maya asked, her brow furrowed. The method was indeed unusual, and it caught her attention, but it lacked too much to be considered credible.

"Maya, I can tell you with certainty," Kahn replied, waving his hand dismissively, "though I can't let you see the experiment itself, I only allowed you to see this method after I personally witnessed its success."

He continued, "The approach is correct, but you'll need to look into the second type of cell—something with stronger regenerative abilities, like a salamander or a gecko… Why are you all staring at me? I admit my knowledge of biology isn’t as good as yours, those are just examples—so I need you to research it."

When he mentioned salamanders and geckos, Maya, Killian, and the other researchers all gave him strange looks. Kahn realized he'd misspoken, but he was confident the research direction was sound—the success had already been proven.

"Boss, are you saying there’s already a successful case?" Killian asked, frowning. He doubted any team could have progressed faster than theirs, but recalled how the young boss had recently been asking about the Extremis virus, determined to understand the process of creating the serum even if he didn’t grasp the underlying principles and equations. That made him inclined to believe it.

Still, Killian wanted to see the test subject himself. He could tell Kahn wasn’t one to play by the rules, and if not for Maya’s involvement, the lab’s test subjects would likely have been cheap laborers or illegal immigrants by now.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Killian," Kahn feigned difficulty, "I know what you mean, but I can't show you the test subject or the data. However, the method for success is already in your hands..."

The only test subject in the Marvel world was himself, and the Hashirama cells were extremely precious; he had few left and certainly wouldn’t hand them over for Killian and his team to experiment on.

"Dr. Killian, Ms. Maya, now that we have a direction, once the first case succeeds, we'll move to the next stage: reducing the drug's potency and cost. With the Extremis virus's effects, we can fully achieve our goals."

He paused, then smiled at the two, "When you realize your dreams, I’ll make a bit of money as well!"

…

"I finally managed to convince those two stubborn souls, but Killian…"

After leaving the biological research center, Kahn couldn’t shake the feeling that Killian hadn’t given up his desire for revenge against Tony Stark. It was likely that once the Extremis virus research succeeded, he’d resign from Kahn’s lab.

If Killian left, Kahn would immediately issue a statement declaring that Killian had no further ties to the company. In America, any connection to terrorism could be a serious problem.

He also couldn’t let Killian take Maya with him. Maya’s value was considerable; with sufficient funding, her chances of betrayal were slim. Moreover, her style was very different from Killian’s—Maya was more like a true scientist.

Now that the research center had entered a new phase, if Kahn didn’t have a few assistants, he’d be forced to handle everything himself.

Test subjects, other organisms with strong regenerative abilities, and materials for producing the Extremis serum—though the lab’s logistics manager handled much of this, some things required Kahn’s personal attention.

He needed a few highly paid, core assistants to manage key sectors. If there was any risk of betrayal, he could use a curse seal to ensure their loyalty.

"I need to consult Orochimaru about this. For ordinary people, I shouldn’t need something as advanced as a sage technique curse seal… Maybe I could even grant them a bit of extra strength?"

As he drove, Kahn mused. Chakra carried mental energy; prolonged exposure could influence a person's thoughts.

Ordinary people had weak wills. If Kahn’s curse seal was placed on them, their resolve would likely soon be affected by his chakra—most would exhibit submission or affinity. Put simply, they’d become infected by his chakra.

With that in mind, Kahn immediately contacted an agency, raising the annual salary offer to the million-dollar range, but set high standards for individual abilities.

Youth and beauty were basic requirements. If he spent a million dollars on someone repulsive, even if they had the skills of a Fortune 500 board assistant, he’d have to think twice.

Long-term contact mattered—having to face such a visage daily would be a psychological burden.

Skills were hard to judge, so he relied on education and work experience. His demands were high, but the pay was generous; the headhunters were delighted, seeing a lucrative deal with a substantial commission.

"After visiting the pharmaceutical wholesale company, I can finally rest for a while… Then I’ll establish a military security firm and prepare to launch the Extremis virus…"

Kahn calculated that he wouldn’t get much rest after all. But this was the early stage of entrepreneurship—he couldn’t delegate everything, certain matters had to be handled personally.

The pharmaceutical wholesale company matched his expectations, both domestically and abroad.

Especially in less secure regions, the company’s sales staff were the sort who’d send even Jesus to the gallows for a dollar; danger didn’t deter them, only the fear of missing out on profit.

Aside from the Middle East, the marketing department even considered Africa.

This was the time to seize profits, and the sales department expanded daily. In an untapped market, the first to arrive enjoyed the spoils, the second got only scraps.

Securing a single deal could bring in tens of thousands of dollars. Anyone who spent a year abroad could return as a millionaire—thanks to Kahn’s generosity and high commission rates. Without that incentive, reaching this scale would have taken another two years.

Kahn spent two days at the pharmaceutical company, thoroughly reviewing its recent growth and finances. He held several meetings to remind overseas sales staff about safety.

Americans were currently prime targets for terrorist attacks; losing a single sales rep overseas would be a headache for Kahn.

…

After resolving the pharmaceutical company’s issues, the trading system brought him good news.

He could now search for new worlds to trade with!