章節 77: Chapter 77 Strader Pharmaceuticals
"Bialya?" Wade frowned.
"Yep".
"That's going to be difficult. Bialya is generally not friendly to outsiders, much less welcomes them".
Wade shook his head.
"Like I said, peace talks".
"Where exactly?" The General's eyes narrowed. For this kind of situation, information is essential.
The world council had given him the mission to retrieve Lane and the asset at all costs. Even if Lane died, if there was a body, it should be brought back.
"North off Qurac, deep into Bialyan territory. There's an underground research facility where the old general is being held captive. I can give you the coordinates if you'd like, but for you, I doubt it would be much help".
I said candidly.
Wade tapped his fingers on the chair.
"What will we be up against?'
"Something your black ops' infiltration team won't stand a chance against". I said mercilessly.
"Whatever team you assemble will have to go light. They need to be able to avoid radar when getting in. They need abilities to deal with the big guns they will most certainly face. Also, all channels of communication have an 85% chance of being compromised. Radio silence is imperative. Meaning....."
"They won't be able to make contact once inside".
"Bingo".
"... With Bialya's current state of affairs, it'd be wonderful if they could smuggle past the border. Then how long they could live depends on them".
The atmosphere was slightly embarrassing. This wasn't a matter of if they could complete the mission, but how long they would last before a Wipe out.
Wade's face was gloomy. His expression showed that his mind was full of thoughts.
Bialya wasn't somewhere anyone could waltz into. The United States didn't have aircraft with advanced stealth technology.
There was no way to make it through sea as well. Any attempts at sneaking in would immediately be noticed.
Just sneaking in itself posed a big problem.
Even if they could.... Could they succeed? According to the intel he just obtained, his men would undoubtedly be slaughtered by what was most likely a Superpowered individual.
Or maybe a group of them.
Wade had no powered individuals under his command in this regard.
..... Or did he?
I saw the blonde middle-aged man look it me with a certain light in his eyes.
Hell no.
"Don't even think about it". I shut him down before he could propose anything.
"Your strength and abilities should be more than enough to....".
"I'm a business partner, not an errand boy to do your dirty work". I cut him off with no room for question.
"Besides, you don't need me. That's why you have the Justice League for cases like this. Your black ops team are useless in this scenario, but it doesn't mean theirs is".
Wade raised an eyebrow.
As a general who served in the military for many years, he was considerably shrewd. He didn't think this sentence was just me mentioning casually.
"Pardon me for assuming that you might have a way for this thing to work".
"I thought you'd never ask".
I said before gesturing. A holographic screen appeared before both of us.
"A massive energy signature was detected from this part of Bialya. It also suggests that it's extraterrestrial in origin".
"If I can pick this up, the Justice League can do the same. They are sending their team to investigate the situation, under the radar, of course. All you have to do, is give them a side mission on the way. I'm sure they won't object to such a rescue".
If the Justice League could condescend to working as bodyguards for Lex Luthor in Rhelasia, then this would be no problem.
The timing was right, the location was right, and the whole thing could be done together. Killing two birds with one stone.
Wade saw this. His eyes gaze off a cold gleam as he turned his gaze towards me.
"The fact that you know all this is particularly interesting".
More like worrisome. I could hear his worry and fear underneath. This man was wary of me.
"I once told Lane, I know a lot of things". I chuckled. For his apprehensions, I wouldn't have it any other way.
"Your knowledge and power could be used for the greater good of man. If you could...".
"No, thanks". I interrupted yet again at the general who was about to preach salvation.
"There's nothing in Bialya that can catch my attention, so I'll sit this one out".
I had been standing this entire time. My eyes making contact with Wade's as we stared at each other.
The gaze of the old general was particularly intense.
"Very well". He said, relenting.
"Splendid. So, that brings about the end of our discussion, I believe the announcement for the reward will be made known soon".
I said knowingly, before turning towards the window.
"You do know that the Justice League won't be happy with what you've asked for, right?"
Wade asked with a bit of curiosity.
"I can't speak for the Justice League....". I said as I reached the open window.
A smile made its way to my face as I thought of someone with a constipated expression on his face.
"But I certainly know Batman won't be".
And with that, I flashed away from the penthouse at a speed surpassing human sight.
I have to say, though, these old guys in the army really like buying penthouses.
What's their deal?
Wade watched me leave before shifting his thoughts elsewhere. The fact that he was going to find the Justice League for help on something, honestly didn't sit well.
After a while of contemplation, Wade took up his phone, dialed a number and let it ring.
The call connected, and he spoke to the person on the other end.
"Get the department ready to contact Superman". Then, he cut the call and got up to get dressed.
A lot of work was waiting to be done.
.....
GOTHAM CITY
September 3rd, 20:02
4616 N Moore Street, Strader Pharmaceuticals. (Corporate Headquarters)
Head Office.
"Nice place you got here". I eyed the place with a blank look and said casually.
That sentence was a basic lie.
Although it was a powerful business force in Gotham, the office of the CEO wasn't anything special.
"..... Um..... Hehehe..... You flatter me". The man sitting on the other end of the table replied with a wry smile and a wary tone.
His tone was a bit hoarse and his skin slightly paler with a haggard look to it.
"Are you uncomfortable?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
The man didn't speak. I didn't know if he was acquiescing, or he didn't know how to reply. I didn't care, either.
"I believe I scheduled an appointment. Were you not expecting me?"
"That....". Lloyd felt depressed. Who the hell would take that thing serious. An email popping up on your computer from God knows where, telling you that someone had booked an appointment with a powerful alien....
"..... So you weren't kidding". He said, trying desperately to keep his composure.
"Let me guess, you thought it was a prank?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
Now where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, Lane said it to me on the first day we met.
"The last person who said that to me is currently missing". I said nonchalantly. The tensing of his body was completely unexpected.
This surprised me.
I was barely stating a fact. Why did he shiver all of a sudden?
Humans..... So fragile.
Lloyd couldn't calm down. I mean, anyone would find it difficult to calm down when they were face to face with the person who murdered the Joker on live TV and was still a roaming as a free man.
That was The Joker, for fuck's sake.
Lloyd was there when it happened. He watched his from his TV screen and the whole thing was very impactful.
Such a person was now looking for him was a bit difficult to digest.
Seeing his reaction, my furrowed brows relaxed.
"Well, doesn't matter. Since we're already here, let's cut to the chase".
For this whole matter, I would rather not waste more time than I needed to.
"If you had bothered to read the email, you would know the reason for my presence. But with how things have gone so far, I'm just going to assume that you didn't and state my intentions. Basically, I want to acquire Strader Pharmaceuticals".
My casual words were equivalent to a bomb in his ears. His eyes widened inexplicably as he looked at me with shock and surprise.... This was temporary.
The next moment, his face darkened considerably.
I paid no heed to his facial expressions and continued.
"You are the majority shareholder of the company, solely owning 61% of shares and possessing absolute decision-making power over the company transactions. Quite impressive, I might add and just perfect. Simply acquiring your shares will save me a lot of time and stress.
His face grew uglier with each additional word I added. With my superb eyesight, the slight shaking of his shoulders and hands were visible.
This man was angry. Well.... At least on the inside. Outwardly, his expression returned to normal as he hesitated for a while before saying resolutely.
"My shares aren't for sale".
There was no surprise there. Decent acting skills, I might add.
If things went so smoothly, I wouldn't have come here myself.
"Is that your final decision? You didn't even here what I had to offer".
"Then please, do make your bid.....".
He said, feigning an indifferent look while reaching for the gun in the hidden compartment under his table with slightly shaky hands.
"... But I doubt there's anything you can give that will make me change my mind".
"Oh! Well, will this suffice?" With a slight flick of my wrist, a folder appeared out of nowhere within my grasp.
I tossed it onto the table and gestured for him to take a look.
My initial ideals for coming to Gotham before I was sidetracked by the Joker and his shenanigans remained unchanged. Only, the mode of completion was slightly different.
Instead of creating a new force, I'd just buy an already existing one. Of course, the business organizations in Gotham that I could buy were rather limited. They were either too small, not at all related to what I wanted to do, belonged to the Wayne group or some villain who messing with was not worth the time.
I mean seriously.
And so, Alice picked this as the best available option. Well, it was either this or Ace Chemical plant.
Lloyd looked at me with one eye before picking up the folder cautiously. He proceeded to open the folder and examine the contents.
By the constant change in expressions and darkening of his facial features, I think I can safely say that he did not like what he found.
"So is this your play?" He asked me through gritted teeth. His fist tightly clenched and his chest heaving slightly.
His eyes looked like they would turn blood-red, like an enraged bull. If not for his strong reasoning and good sense of judgement that told him he would suffer a fate worse than death, I'm pretty sure he would have pulled the gun on me and pulled the trigger.
".... And the whole network is calling you a hero. How misguided they are". I looked at this man with eyes of looking at a clown.
Did he really think I was a hero who would care about that sort of shit?
"My deal is pretty easy to understand. You can either accept my deal and sign all your shares to my name, or I'll have this file and the drive in the folder forwarded to Batman and all media in The States. By then, Strader Pharmaceuticals will have bigger things to worry about than my acquisition proposal. From what I could gather, you guys are already caught in a pickle ever since the boy wonder put you on Batman's radar".
I ignored his rhetoric.
There were several reasons why Alice chose Strader Pharmaceuticals. Apart from being one of the few without connection to Gotham's residents, it was also the easiest to acquire due to a whole plethora of reasons that were too convenient to be true.
One, the company itself wasn't large. It had some branches in other cities in New Jersey, but that was just about it.
Two, they were already in the storm of public opinion due to various illegal deals they had made with criminals, putting their financial status in a serious pinch.
Three, their stock had plummeted tremendously due to the above named reasons and the fact that the lifeblood of the company, Lloyd Waite, was diagnosed with cancer and the information leaked.
And four, they had attracted the attention of Batman for colluding with the Lord Of The Avenues Gang, supplying them with a special super soldier serum also known as The Pheno Drug.
Of all above-mentioned reasons, no doubt that number four was the worst one.
The serum itself was the main research project of the company and had taken hundreds of millions of dollars in funding. Unfortunately, the serum was considered a failure as it had tremendous side effects with no result in reversing after months of research.
The military ruthlessly rejected it, saying it was unfit for their forces to use.
This almost put Strader Pharmaceuticals on the verge of bankruptcy.
In order to survive, they had to make business transactions with a powerful local gang in Gotham to keep things afloat.
No doubt, Robin realized something was up. And if Robin knew, Batman wasn't far behind.
The group barely got away with it by the skin of their teeth due to the fact that there wasn't enough evidence to have them convicted and all users of the drug had died.
But that didn't mean Batman wasn't still onto them. Everything he had read in this file was more than enough to have the company shut down and Lloyd and the board of directors locked away for a lifetime.
Of course, only someone like me could use this as a breakthrough point. Batman couldn't find sufficient evidence which shows what great lengths these guys went to wipe their butts clean and cover it up.
In other words or ..... In Alice's words, it was the best and softest persimmon I could find.
Honestly, I loved that AI.
"How did you....". He wanted to ask but stopped himself.
"..... That shouldn't be your concern. What should be is whether this company you so desperately want to keep is worth a lifetime imprisonment. And trust me when I tell you, even if you don't get it, I can make sure it happens".
I gave off a charming smile.
"Of course, I'm not unreasonable. Having to publish this is the last case scenario. I would rather just have you accept my offer and let us part ways after the transaction".
I could put him in jail, but I didn't want the drama. Likewise, I wasn't an incarnation of Justice. Things that could be settled quietly should be settled that way.
Lloyd's face was particularly unsightly. His eyes darted in all directions, probably thinking of a way to escape from this.... Predicament. A minute of silence later, his body slumped on his seat and he let out a sigh of frustration and defeat.
"How much do you plan to give".
The middle-aged man looked like he had aged ten years. The situation was practically him putting himself on the chopping block.
But there was no other way. Unless he wanted to face jail for life. Besides, why was he fighting for all this anyway? It's not like he had long to live.
"Oh you misunderstood. If it's money, I won't be giving you a dime".
My words made him frown.
Lloyd felt slightly annoyed, but anyway, what was he expecting.
"I will, however, be giving you this".
My sentence fell and a small space on the table distorted. The next moment, a vial was laying where there was originally nothing.
"What is this". Lloyd asked with a look of puzzlement.
"The answer to your problems. The reason you got in this mess in the first place". I said nonchalantly.
The story of Lloyd Waite was one that reminded me of a character in another multiverse.
They were both rich, yet they invested their wealth to create a serum to push humans above their physical limits because they were about to die.
"... You don't mean?"
"Hehehe". I chuckled. "That Mr. Waite is your cure. The cure to cancer that is".
....
I kept my promise. Two plus chapters. Next target 1.5k Powerstones, obtain an extra chapter. 2k Powerstones, another extra chapter.
With every new stone, this fic is breaking a personal record.
New chapters, new comments, new ideas, More Powerstones.
Patreon.com/Future805.
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