The Secret Deal

Inside Stark Tower, Obadiah Stane was in the conference room, warmly welcoming an important guest.

"Miss Luna, I didn't expect you to arrive so early."

Today, Luna was dressed formally in a white blazer and a pencil skirt, her golden hair neatly pinned up, giving off the aura of a powerful businesswoman.

She wore a professional smile that also radiated a sense of ease and comfort.

Even for someone like Obadiah, who had seen countless beautiful women, he found himself momentarily captivated.

Despite Obadiah's greeting and his unabashed gaze, Luna maintained her polite smile.

"Good morning. Have you secured the design plans?"

Obadiah nodded and sat down on the sofa, spreading his arms across the backrest, one leg crossed over the other.

"Did you bring what I asked for?"

Luna nodded to her assistant standing nearby.

The assistant immediately understood and placed a briefcase on the coffee table, opening it to reveal four blue syringes lying quietly inside.

Seeing the syringes, Obadiah's face showed a glimmer of interest.

"So this is Umbrella's infamous T-virus. It looks quite impressive."

As Obadiah stood up, ready to reach for one of the syringes on the table, Luna quickly closed the briefcase.

"The robot design plans first."

At this, Obadiah smiled slightly.

"Relax, I'm a man of my word. Here it is."

He pulled a USB drive from his pocket and tossed it onto the table.

Luna picked up the USB drive and handed it to another assistant, who promptly plugged it into a laptop and began reviewing the contents.

Watching Luna carefully inspect the files, Obadiah couldn't resist a little teasing. "You're a biochem company—do you even understand this stuff?"

Without looking up, Luna replied calmly, "I've learned a bit of everything to stay by my boss's side."

It was the truth.

Luna hadn't become Adam's secretary merely because she was beautiful and loyal.

While there were undoubtedly other women just as beautiful, and perhaps just as devoted, her unique combination of skills and knowledge had set her apart.

She was a Harvard graduate with a PhD, no less. Although she wasn't an expert in every field, she had studied enough biology, physics, mechanics, and electronics to be useful.

The mechanical blueprints before her were indeed complex, but given the short time frame in which they were designed, many aspects were straightforward enough for her to grasp.

Of course, she wasn't a professional in mechanical engineering, and more thorough analysis would require input from experts back at Umbrella.

After a while, seeing Luna close the laptop, Obadiah spoke with pride. "So, what do you think? My Tony may be a bit naive, but when it comes to mechanics, he's one of the best in the world. That's something I'm very proud of."

Looking at Obadiah's proud demeanor, if Adam hadn't warned her, Luna might have believed he and Tony had a great relationship.

But then again, anyone who had climbed to such heights in power was an expert at playing a role. Only someone as privileged as Tony, who inherited his position from a powerful father, could afford to be so naive.

"Not bad, just as my boss expected. These four T-2 virus enhancers are yours."

With a nod from Luna, her assistant set the briefcase down.

Obadiah immediately and eagerly opened the case, taking out one of the blue syringes and tossing it to one of his own men.

"Let's test it out."

True to his ruthless nature, which had brought him this far, Obadiah showed no hesitation.

If it had been Tony, he would have conducted extensive research and tests before using it on someone. But Obadiah's subordinate, without a second thought, rolled up his sleeve and injected the T-2 virus into his arm.

As the blue liquid entered his bloodstream, the man felt a sudden wave of heat, and the veins across his body began to bulge. His muscles started to grow, slowly becoming more defined and powerful.

But soon, he collapsed to the ground in agony, letting out guttural roars.

Seeing this, Obadiah's expression darkened as he shot a menacing glance at Luna.

Luna, unperturbed, calmly explained, "The T-2 virus works best when combined with nutrient supplements. Without them, the energy required for enhancement is too much for the body's fat reserves to handle."

Upon hearing this, Obadiah nodded and ordered his men to quickly fetch the nutrient solution.

In fact, nutrient solutions were another product under Umbrella's umbrella—sold openly as a way to replenish energy and serve as a meal replacement.

After a while, one of Obadiah's men injected the high-grade nutrient solution into the suffering subordinate, easing the pain from the enhancement process.

Seeing that everything was in order, Luna prepared to take her leave.

"The transaction is complete. We'll be on our way."

Obadiah, still smiling, said, "Haha, it was a pleasure doing business with you. Would you consider working for me? I'll double your salary."

Luna simply shook her head, offering no response as she walked out.

Watching her retreating figure, a glint of coldness flashed in Obadiah's eyes, but after a moment's thought, he decided against trying to reclaim the USB drive.

This decision was driven by his fear of Umbrella.

Last night, in the car, Luna had precisely predicted that Tony's discarded blueprints and armor would fall into the hands of Middle Eastern militants.

At first, Obadiah hadn't believed her, thinking she was bluffing. But not long after he returned, he received confirmation from the Middle East.

Naturally, he went on to eliminate those involved and retrieved Tony's blueprints and the Mark I armor.

"I've always heard rumors that the military secretly cooperates with Umbrella. It seems those rumors are true. Otherwise, how could they have outpaced even me?"

His suspicion was rooted in the fact that his dealings with the Ten Rings in the Middle East were actually orchestrated by the military from behind the scenes.

Though the military's involvement was carefully concealed through third parties, it hadn't escaped his sharp eye.

He understood the military's motives: to create more chaos in the Middle East, making it easier to manipulate and achieve their goals.

If Umbrella had gotten wind of this before him, it could only mean one thing—they, too, were in cahoots with the military.

"Ah…"

Just then, a roar rang out as his subordinate got to his feet.

Seeing this, Obadiah pushed thoughts of Umbrella aside.

"How do you feel?"

"Boss, I feel like I could punch a bull to death!"

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