Chapter Seven: Visiting Osborne Enterprises

The days that followed were rather simple and monotonous. Every morning, Michael attended school, and every afternoon, he went to Osborne Industries. Balancing school and work effortlessly, he owed his ease to Norman, who was not only a scientist but also a capitalist. Norman needed time to manage the affairs of Osborne Enterprises, and sometimes, Michael wouldn’t see him for an entire day. In the end, it almost seemed as if Michael was solely responsible for the super serum project.

In the Middle East, inside a mountain cave, Tony Stark’s chest glowed faintly with a deep blue light in the dimness, as if he were a giant of light. The playboy Tony was wielding a hammer, forging something with intense concentration. When he judged it ready, he picked it up—it was a steel mask. Scattered around were other metal components. At last, the final piece was complete. Tony and Yinsen exchanged a relieved smile.

Meanwhile, one of the dim-witted Ten Rings lieutenants finally sensed something amiss. Tony had vanished from sight, leaving only Jensen in view, who repeatedly glanced outside.

"Where’s Tony?"

"I don’t know."

"Go check on him."

The bald-headed leader felt something was wrong but couldn’t pinpoint the problem. Still, he was certain that the damned Tony Stark was up to something. One of the henchmen rushed inside, only to find the innermost door locked from within.

"Yinsen? Yinsen? Stark?"

Hearing the shouts outside, Tony and Yinsen, busy assembling Mark I, grew tense.

"Answer them, say something," Tony urged anxiously.

"But he’s speaking Portuguese—I don’t know how," Yinsen replied nervously.

"Just say anything!"

At that moment, Yinsen was so flustered he couldn’t think of a single word.

Very soon, the Ten Rings began preparing to break down the door. For Tony and Yinsen, the final moment had come. Data transmission still needed time, so Yinsen, grabbing a rifle, rushed out to buy Tony more time.

"Stick to the plan, stick to the plan," Tony shouted.

But Yinsen didn’t obey, because he knew that if they simply followed the plan, the data might never finish transmitting before the enemies broke in, and then neither of them would escape. Unlike the still somewhat naive Tony, Yinsen understood that sometimes sacrifice was necessary. His wife and child were already gone, and he had long since ceased to care about living. If he could die meaningfully now, awakening Tony’s goodness, that would be enough.

At last, the data transfer was complete. The massive iron suit received its operating program and could finally move. Hearing the footsteps outside, Tony understood that Yinsen had sacrificed himself. There was no time for grief; he started the suit. The clumsy armor resisted the Ten Rings’ bullets as Tony fought his way out alone.

Just as the Ten Rings leader had said, whoever held advanced weaponry could rule the world. Clearly, the crude Mark I was still far superior to their arms. With the suit’s leg thrusters, Tony soared into the sky and escaped. He wandered through the desert, unsure how long he had traveled, when, half-conscious, he saw an armed helicopter land before him.

…

Today was the day for touring Osborne Enterprises.

Osborne Industries was a major company in New York, on par with Stark Industries. Unlike Stark, which focused on military development, Osborne prioritized breakthroughs in life sciences. Their most famous technology was cultivating mutated animals and extracting corresponding mutant genes to treat human diseases and extend human lifespans.

The visitors today were all elite students from various universities. The best among them would stay on as staff, though not everyone would get the chance—clearly, Peter, with only a high school education, was not among them.

The reason so many students toured Osborne was to promote the company’s culture to their schools and attract future talent. Osborne also used this as an opportunity for publicity, demonstrating their commitment to students and national education.

But Peter had come for Dr. Connors. In an attic, he had found a briefcase mentioning his father’s old colleague, Dr. Connors. Eager to learn about his father and experience a sense of paternal love, Peter couldn’t wait to find Connors.

By coincidence, today’s tour was led by Connors himself. If these students were admitted, they would become Connors’ protégés at the company.

Upon arriving at Osborne Industries, Peter hurried inside, only to be stopped at the front desk.

"What brings you here? Do you have an appointment?"

"I'm here to see Dr. Connors."

"Are you one of Dr. Connors’ students, here for the tour?"

Realizing he needed a reservation, Peter hesitated but then nodded, pretending he was. The receptionist, not suspicious, said, "Please find your name badge." Seeing his uncertainty, she added, "Is your name not there?" Peter hesitated no more—if he couldn’t get in, he’d have no way to find Connors—so he grabbed a random badge. "This one is mine."

The receptionist, though somewhat suspicious, let it go since he was good-looking and seemed to know Dr. Connors.

And so, wearing someone else’s badge, Peter entered Osborne Industries. He didn’t know where Connors was, but figured upstairs was a good bet.

On the second floor, he spotted Gwen and a group of young people. He didn’t know exactly what was going on, but seeing Gwen in a white lab coat, he couldn’t help but stop in his tracks.

Through her father’s connections, Gwen had secured a position at Osborne, working as a lab assistant. It wasn’t a particularly important job—mostly helping Dr. Connors with odd tasks and looking after lab mice. Yet, with her extraordinary intellect, Gwen had become Dr. Connors’ favored student even before attending university.

Though the work wasn’t highly paid, it was special to Gwen—her first real job, and at a major corporation, making it precious to her.

But today, Gwen seemed distracted. She had recently discovered that Michael was also working at Osborne, though in a different department, so they seldom met. According to Dr. Connors, Michael was engaged in a secret project, and even Connors didn’t know where his lab was.

Just like that, the initial excitement of working at a big company had faded. After all, they were classmates, but while Gwen was running errands, Michael already had his own lab.

Peter, oblivious to Gwen’s thoughts, had his entire attention fixed on the golden-haired goddess ahead, his mind going completely blank, forgetting his original purpose entirely.