Terragrigia is a high-tech city located in the Mediterranean Sea, an artificial floating island established by the United Nations with funds from various countries. It has now become a crucial branch for both the FBC and BSAA. It's not the headquarters because it's the front line in the fight against bioweapons, gathering biochemical experts from around the world to research vaccines to counteract the increasing threat of bioweapons.
"Long time no see." As Daniel Davis disembarked from the plane with the crowd, he immediately saw Rebecca, who had come to welcome him, standing beside Jill.
"If Rebecca hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have believed it was you. Welcome to BSAA." Jill looked genuinely surprised upon seeing Daniel. Despite having heard about Daniel from Rebecca, seeing him in person was astonishing—the little boy from back then had come this far.
"You guys are the ones who deserve admiration. Rebecca has told me all about your work." Over the years, Jill and Chris had been tirelessly fighting on the front lines against bioweapons. In the real world, bioweapons are deadly, and one small mistake can mean death. People like them commanded Daniel's respect.
Compared to them, Daniel's reasons for joining BSAA were less pure.
It had been a year since Daniel's meeting with Stark at the New York mansion. Daniel had spent a year at Empire State University in New York, and thanks to the Op-Op Fruit, he had gained some fame in the fields of medicine and biochemistry.
He was interning at BSAA now, though he had many other choices and didn't need to travel so far. There were plenty of companies in New York willing to accept him for an internship, like Stark Industries or FBC.
Even without an internship, Daniel was already a billionaire and could easily skip this step by revealing his identity.
The new company's progress under Pepper's direction was remarkably smooth, thanks to the strong backing of Stark Industries. Without Stark's support, the new company's rapid development would have been impossible.
In his former life, Daniel might have been content to laze around after becoming wealthy. But in the Marvel Universe, such an attitude was hard to maintain.
Daniel was considered a genius, having graduated from Empire State University in just one year. But upon entering this field, he realized that geniuses were not as rare as he once thought.
Among ordinary people, Daniel was impressive, but among geniuses, he was not exceptional. Under normal circumstances, joining BSAA would have been impossible, but he had connections.
Rebecca.
Rebecca had initially wanted Daniel to join FBC. The outside world wasn't clear about Daniel's abilities, but Rebecca knew very well. They often discussed these topics.
Initially, Daniel sought Rebecca's guidance, but now they could discuss things as equals—a significant improvement.
However, Daniel chose BSAA over FBC. FBC was part of S.H.I.E.L.D., and despite not mentioning HYDRA, it had plenty of experts. Given his current age, Daniel would only be an ordinary researcher there.
More importantly, BSAA offered more opportunities to study viruses, which was Daniel's primary goal. Stealing a virus to study was feasible with his magical abilities, but doing so without understanding bioweapons was too risky.
Moreover, without a proper containment lab, researching the virus would be impossible due to the danger of a potential outbreak.
Daniel, focused on his studies for the past year, hadn't built such a lab, which wasn't something that could be set up casually.
"Let's get you settled in, and we'll have dinner together tonight." Rebecca suggested in the car.
"Sorry, I might not be able to make it. Chris needs support." Jill spoke up before Daniel could respond.
"Is there trouble?" Rebecca asked, looking serious.
"Yes, Chris seems to have found him." Jill didn't specify, but Rebecca's changing expression indicated she knew who Jill meant.
"Be careful." After a long silence, Rebecca finally spoke.
The atmosphere in the car turned serious, leaving Daniel unsure of what to say, so he remained silent.
"See you tonight." After dropping Daniel off at his accommodation, Rebecca drove away with Jill.
"Nice place." The room wasn't large, but it had everything he needed, and Daniel was satisfied.
Even though he was very wealthy now, he hadn't upgraded to a larger, more luxurious house in New York. Living alone, he didn't need much space.
This preference was likely a habit from his previous life.
"Time to finally deal with the virus." Years had passed, and Daniel's strength had gradually increased, but since the Raccoon City incident, he hadn't encountered another virus.
Back then, he didn't understand the virus's structure, but now he did.
The more he learned about viruses, the more terrifying they seemed. With the Op-Op Fruit, destroying the world wasn't hard. Humanity harbored many deadly viruses like Anthrax and Ebola, which were as lethal as the T-Virus.
There were numerous research institutes in the US studying these viruses.
Fortunately, these viruses were hard to acquire. Otherwise, news headlines would feature bioweapons instead of suicide bombers.
Daniel decided not to misuse the Op-Op Fruit's abilities, only using them to enhance his own strength. He wouldn't use it to achieve global human evolution—that should be left to natural selection.
During his year at Empire State University, Daniel met many scientists who claimed to work for humanity's benefit, but most were seeking fame and glory.
Individual heroism was rampant among American scientists, who believed they were the smartest and could change the world, despite others being deemed fools.
Even Tony Stark wasn't exempt from this, and his sharp tongue was tolerated only because he was a Stark; otherwise, he would have been beaten long ago.
Lost in thought, Daniel opened his secure case, took out a small box, and placed it on the side. The box expanded to the size of the case, revealing an assortment of drinks inside.
Taking out a few bottles, Daniel shrank the box back down and put it back in the case.
Like most capital companies, Daniel hadn't showcased his best product in the partnership with Stark. His finest creation was now in his hand—a drink that enhanced physical fitness and relieved mental fatigue. He synthesized it using rare herbs and the Op-Op Fruit.
Using rare materials like ginseng and fo-ti, Daniel created something extraordinary. Unfortunately, ancient, long-aged herbs were rare, or he could have made it even better.
"It's time." Seeing it was time for his dinner with Rebecca, Daniel grabbed a bottle of wine and headed to the restaurant.
The wine was a gift from Stark, a rare vintage worth tens of thousands. After Daniel's enhancements with the Op-Op Fruit, it would fetch an even higher price.
The wine's superior taste is due to the microorganisms involved in the aging process. While others might struggle with these microorganisms, the Op-Op Fruit could handle them.
With more knowledge, the applications of the Op-Op Fruit had broadened beyond medicine to include wine, beverages, and even food production.
___________________
Read Ahead
P@treon.com/Mutter