Chapter 70 - Fantastic Five?

　　Just as Russell was about to ask 3 to change his battle armor back to its inner symbiotic form, he suddenly remembered a passage.

　　A quote from Guru Ma in Capitalism.

　　"If there is a 20% profit, capital is foolish; if there is a 50% profit, capital takes risks; if there is a 100% profit, capital dares to risk hanging; if there is a 300% profit, capital dares to trample on all the laws of the earth."

　　Costs $30 million, sells for $50 million ...

　　Russell suddenly felt a little too conscientious!

　　I can't!

　　How can one have such a thing as a conscience when one has decided to be a capitalist in the capitalist country of the United States of America!

　　No way!

　　This is not what a competent capitalist should do!

　　Russell mentally spat at himself.

　　He then turned his head to look at the Zagu form of the Battle Armor and said to #3 inside, "Continue to weaken the Zagu mass-production machine and keep the cost at twenty million dollars!"

　　"Yes, sir!"

　　Without any hesitation, #3 immediately returned.

　　Twenty million dollars in cost, 120 million dollars in selling price!

　　Five hundred percent profit!

　　This is the "conscience" that a qualified capitalist should have!

　　Russell is not worried about hanging himself from a streetlight because of his "conscience".

　　In the United States of America, where capitalism is the rule, hanging a capitalist with a "conscience" is an unrealistic thing to do.

　　After having #3 change the battle armor back to its endosymbiotic form, Russell left the lab and returned to his office on the third floor.

　　Zagu Battle Armor would be the ace product of the Octopus Monster Military Laboratory in the early stages, and whether or not the cake that would have belonged to Stark Industries could be turned into Octopus Monster Laboratory would basically depend on these Zagu Battle Armors.

　　When he got back to his office, he made a call to some Republican senator.

　　In his years as an assassin, he'd built up some small contacts of his own.

　　This Republican senator is one of them.

　　After speaking to the senator about his idea, the senator, who owed him a favor, readily agreed to his request.

　　His request was simple, he wanted to meet and liaise with certain bigwigs in the military.

　　It was not at all difficult for the Senator to make this request.

　　The product is there, the potential buyers are there, and there's basically nothing wrong with what comes next.

　　After hanging up the phone, Russell once again began his life as a groper.

　　Play the game!

　　Ever since he got through that iron game, playing games had become his go-to for touching fish and relaxing.

　　Time passes in an instant.

　　In the blink of an eye, another three days had passed.

　　During these three days, Russell continued his "superhero whitewash plan" while keeping an eye on the progress of the Zag Suit armor.

　　According to #3, it was only a matter of waiting two more days for the first Zagu Battle Armor to come out.

　　At that time, he would be able to take the battle armor to meet those military bigwigs, turning the lab from a mere research facility into a veritable military industrial enterprise.

　　This is a crucial step for Octopus Monster Labs and whether he can become a capitalist.

　　Brooklyn.

　　Russell, in his "Serum Agent" form, has just completed today's mission of "Doing a Good Deed of the Day" by handing over a group of robbers who are robbing a bank's cash van to the police who have just arrived at the scene.

　　Just as he was about to shoot out his tentacles and leave the scene, an orange-red fireman flew towards him at breakneck speed like a missile.

　　Before he could leave, the flying fireman came in front of him, stopping him as he tried to leave.

　　Thunderbolt!

　　You don't have to ask to know that the fireman is Jonathan Thunderbolt of the Fantastic Four.

　　After flying to Russell, Jonathan quickly deactivated the flames from his body, allowing himself to change back to his normal human form.

　　As the flames disappeared, Jonathan, who looked like Captain America's twin brother, turned to Russell and said, "Hey man, don't go yet!"

　　Looking at Jonathan, who looked exactly like the American captain but had a completely different aura, Russell frowned slightly.

　　If Captain America is the perfect soldier with all the right stuff, then Thunderbolt Jonathan is the debonair playboy.

　　Although their temperaments are different, they share a common trait besides their looks.

　　Classic American ass!

　　Because the uniform was tight, Jonathan's American ass looked even firmer and perkier than Captain America's.

　　Russell is no stranger to Jonathan the Thunderbolt, even though he hasn't met him.

　　Jonathan was now wearing the Fantastic Four's uniform of tight navy blue uniforms with various brand logos plastered across his chest and back.

　　These colorful brand logos make the Fantastic Four logo on the uniform look unobtrusive.

　　Perhaps seeing Russell ogling the brand logo he was wearing, Jonathan smiled and said, "You're interested in brand sponsorships too?"

　　"No!"

　　With a glance at the self-effacing Jonathan, Russell replied quickly.

　　Without giving them a chance to continue their conversation, a large group of reporters rushed up and took a wild shot at the two of them.

　　Flashbulbs flashed wildly as Jonathan flashed a smile and greeted the reporters around him like a Hollywood star.

　　Saying hello to a reporter, Jonathan once again showed his self-possessed personality by putting his right hand on Russell's shoulder.

　　If it weren't for the reporters in front of him, Russell would really want to throw this self-serving guy right out the door.

　　"Mr. Serum, are you really going to form a new team of heroes with Mr. Jonathan?"

　　"What do you think of the new team's 'Thunderbolt Serum'?"

　　"Who is the leader of the new team?"

　　"Will the Fantastic Four become the Fantastic Five?"

　　...

　　Reporters scrambled to ask questions of Russell and Jonathan, desperate to get the microphones right in their faces.

　　Jonathan's launch a few days ago and Russell watched it.

　　But he had absolutely no idea of teaming up with Jonathan.

　　Even if he were to team up with another superhero, he'd team up with Gwen, not Jonathan.

　　"In our new team, there is no leader, everyone is equal."

　　"I have extended an invitation to Mr. Serum on behalf of the Fantastic Four, and he is welcome at Baxter House whenever he wishes."

　　Jonathan smiled as he answered questions from journalists.

　　This guy ...

　　Looking at Jonathan, who was talking to the reporters, Russell decided to take the initiative back.

　　"The Fantastic Four are a superhero team I look up to, and every one of them is great."

　　"Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, in particular, are the role models I've been learning from."

　　"Personally, I'm looking forward to working with the Fantastic Four, but as of right now, I haven't received an offer from Mr. Fantastic."

　　Russell said it euphemistically, but the reporters on the scene all understood the meaning of his words at first glance.

　　He simply means that it's Jonathan's call whether he joins the Fantastic Four or not, because Jonathan is not the leader of the Fantastic Four.