บท 204: Digging into the Justice League

"When can I get this superpower?" Peter was now so excited that he couldn't contain himself, looking at Russell with anticipation written all over his face.

"In a few days. There are still some preparations to be made, and I'll let you know once everything is ready," Russell calmly replied.

After Peter becomes Spider-Man, Russell plans to have him join the Justice League. Ever since he decided to bring the Hulk into the Justice League, Russell had made up his mind to poach as many members of the Justice League as possible. With the Hulk and Natasha already part of the Justice League, adding Peter would give them three superheroes originally associated with the Avengers.

While he couldn't recruit all the members of the Avengers, Russell felt satisfied as long as he could get the few superheroes he was interested in. After Peter, he would consider recruiting characters like Scarlet Witch Wanda and Quicksilver Pietro.

After chatting with Peter for a bit longer, Russell asked him to leave his office.

"No. 3, contact Norman Osborn and arrange a meeting with him at Octopus Monster headquarters tomorrow afternoon," Russell instructed his ever-present AI, No. 3.

"Of course, sir," No. 3 promptly replied.

After giving his orders to No. 3, Russell headed to the rooftop terrace of the lab building to bask in the sun. Wearing sunglasses, he relaxed on a couch, soaking in the sunlight.

After lounging in the sun for about fifteen minutes, he turned to No. 3 and said, "Bring Betty up here."

It didn't take long for Betty, wearing a white lab coat over a deep V-neck dress, to arrive.

Seeing Russell lounging on the couch, apparently at ease, Betty looked at him with a puzzled expression. "You called for me?"

"Yes, please, have a seat," Russell said, gesturing for Betty to sit down after she had entered.

Without hesitation, Betty elegantly took a seat. "Is there something you wanted to discuss?"

Russell's request had caught Betty off guard. She had expected a work-related conversation, but Russell was inquiring about her personal life instead.

"No, I haven't," Betty replied, shaking her head when asked if she had considered finding a new boyfriend since her breakup with Bruce.

"Do you still want to see Bruce? If you do, I can arrange it for you," Russell offered.

Although Bruce had voluntarily given control of his body to the Hulk, according to their agreement, Bruce had three days each month for free movement. However, since relinquishing control to the Hulk, Bruce had not come out even once.

Betty shook her head without saying a word. Seeing her current expression, Russell sighed inwardly.

While in the cinematic universe, Betty and Bruce had not appeared after their breakup, Betty's fate was obviously more complex in this world.

Betty Ross, the Red She-Hulk, or perhaps, the Harpy!

Although Betty looked physically powerless now, given the right opportunity, she could easily transform into the Red She-Hulk or Harpy.

"All right, since you don't want to see him, I won't insist. How about giving me a massage?" Russell said calmly.

As he spoke, he lay down on the couch, waiting for Betty to start massaging him. Although Betty wasn't particularly beautiful, she was a charming and intelligent woman. Moreover, she didn't seem to have any objections to Russell's request, so he decided to play a game of chess with her while they were alone.

Playing chess with Betty was something he could only do while she remained in her current form and hadn't transformed into the Red She-Hulk or the Harpy.

"Sure," Betty replied quietly.

After a few minutes of massage, Russell took Betty's right hand and said slowly, "Let's continue in the office."

Though it was generally unwise to talk about another woman while playing chess with one, the situation here was unique, particularly because Betty was once Bruce's student and had introduced Russell to her.

......

Russell and Betty played chess in the office for over an hour. After finishing the game, Betty didn't immediately return to the lab. Her current appearance wasn't suitable for it.

Instead, she freshened up in the adjacent bedroom before leaving work for the day.

Before Betty left, Russell arranged for her to come to Octopus Monster headquarters the next afternoon.

Once Betty had left, Russell didn't linger in the lab building either. He tidied up his appearance and headed to Octopus Monster headquarters.

The following afternoon, in the Octopus Monster headquarters in Manhattan, wearing a black and white polka-dotted V-neck dress, Betty arrived at Russell's office.

Russell invited her to sit, asking if she wanted a drink. Betty declined the offer, and Russell poured himself a glass of whiskey. Sitting down across from Betty, he said calmly, "Norman Osborn of the Osborn Corporation will be here shortly. I believe he wants to discuss the collaboration between Octopus Monster Industry and the Osborn Corporation."

"While your primary field of expertise is cellular biology, I hope you can provide some professional advice in the field of biology during our conversation."

Betty agreed readily. Russell had plenty of battle-ready personnel, but he was short on research experts. Aside from Peter, he only had Betty and Dr. Stern, both specializing in cellular biology. Although they were experts in their field, Octopus Monster Industry and the Octopus Monster Lab needed more experts.