Adam’s Inclusion

"Knock, knock..."

After a series of knocks, there was a long wait.

It was unclear whether the owner inside was absent or hadn't heard, so Luna knocked a few more times before the door finally opened.

Behind the door stood a very disheveled man.

He had long hair that, due to long neglect, was greasy and emitted a foul stench. His clothes were full of holes, and he reeked of alcohol.

The disheveled man glanced up and down at Luna before coldly asking, "What do you want?"

"I'm here to see Anton Vanko."

"My father is dead."

"Bang!"

With that, the man slammed the door shut.

Perhaps another person, seeing a beautiful woman like Luna, would have been tempted to chat for a bit, but for him, machines were far more interesting.

Why waste time chatting with women when he could be doing research?

"Knock, knock..."

Luna knocked on the door again.

The door opened once more, revealing the man's impatient expression.

"What do you want now?"

"We're not just here for your father. We're also looking for you, Ivan Vanko."

Hearing his name, Ivan's brows furrowed, "What do you want with me?"

"I represent Umbrella and would like to hire you as our chief engineer."

"Not interested."

Seeing that Ivan was about to shut the door again, Luna quickly added, "We own shares in Stark Industries."

Hearing this, Ivan paused, then coldly glared at her, "What are you talking about?"

"We're well aware of your history with Stark Industries. Coincidentally, we also have a grudge against them."

Ivan's expression softened slightly at this, and he began to scrutinize Luna carefully, "What kind of grudge?"

Luna smiled faintly and began explaining the situation with Obadiah Stane.

After hearing this, Ivan's attitude improved a bit, but he didn't immediately give Luna an answer. Instead, he said, "Come back tomorrow," and shut the door once more.

It wasn't that Ivan didn't believe her, but he wanted to verify the facts online before making a decision.

After returning to the car, Luna reported the situation to Adam.

After hearing her out, Adam simply instructed her to visit Ivan again the next day and offered no further instructions.

To Adam, hiring Ivan Vanko was optimal, but it wasn't essential. After all, he already had the Arc Reactor technology. With his research team, it was only a matter of time before they cracked miniaturization, even without external help.

Thus, there was no need to invest too much time or resources into this.

As for why he hadn't approached Ivan sooner, the reason was simple: without the cooperation of the Russian Govt, it would have been impossible to access Ivan Vanko.

The country wouldn't allow such a top scientist to simply leave, even if his reputation was in shambles and his abilities were waning.

The next morning, Luna returned to house number 1375.

This time, Ivan's attitude had noticeably improved, and he even invited Luna inside. However, Luna, clearly uninterested in the messy surroundings, declined and once again invited him to join Umbrella.

Ivan agreed readily, though he asked for some time to pack his belongings.

Luna left a few people behind to help him, then departed. After all, she had numerous other tasks to handle and couldn't afford to waste time waiting around.

The construction of the base in Khabarovsk had already begun, and she needed to personally oversee the excavation of the underground facility.

This project was crucial to future research on cloning, so no detail could be overlooked.

Then there was the recruitment of workers, discussions with material suppliers, and road repairs to handle.

............

One week later, aboard the aircraft carrier in the skies above Japan~

The sun had just begun to set in the west, and the sky was gradually darkening.

Suddenly, a red and white figure landed on the deck. The figure's visor opened, revealing Tony Stark's face.

After removing his armor and carrying the Mark V suit in his hand, Tony walked inside.

Arriving at the meeting room, he found everyone had already gathered.

"Any leads, Tony?"

Seeing Tony shake his head, Nick Fury didn't seem too disappointed. Instead, he continued, "It seems likely that the hyena is already dead. Our next step will be to focus on Mariko Yashida and the Hand."

"Mariko Yashida?"

Tony looked puzzled.

He could understand focusing on the Hand since they were a nefarious organization and might be linked to the zombie virus. But what did Mariko Yashida have to do with any of this?

In his mind, Mariko was just a seemingly fragile young woman. She was beautiful too—not exactly someone who struck him as a villain.

Noticing the confusion, Nick nodded, "It appears we've underestimated this woman."

"After her father's death, she quickly took control of Yashida Corporation with an iron fist. Those executives and shareholders who refused to comply with her? They all met unfortunate 'accidents,' whether car crashes or zombie virus infections."

"I suspect she might be involved with the masterminds behind the zombie virus. Otherwise, there's no other explanation for why the virus originated from Yashida Corporation."

The room fell into a brief silence after this revelation.

Soon, however, all eyes turned to Charles Xavier.

After all, Charles could read minds. If Mariko Yashida was connected to the zombie virus, he could confirm it by scanning her memories.

Facing the expectant gazes, Charles lightly nodded, "I'll try to get close to her tomorrow and read her memories."

"Alright, it's settled then. Everyone else, focus on gathering intel on the Hand."

Nick nodded, and just as he was about to conclude the meeting, a phone rang.

"Ring, ring..."

Tony flashed an apologetic smile and quickly answered his phone, "Sorry, I need to take this."

"Hello, Pepper. What's up?"

"Return home? What's going on?"

"A shareholders meeting? Oh, got it."

It seemed nearly a month had passed without him realizing it, and it was time for Stark Industries to hold another shareholders' meeting, which would decide the company's future.

After hanging up, Tony turned to Nick, "I need your support with those shares."

Nick, naturally, didn't refuse Tony's request.

"Of course. I'll have Coulson accompany you. We've got things covered here."

After ten days of relentless efforts, the zombie virus in Kyushu had finally been brought under control.

All roads and bridges were tightly secured by the U.S. military and Japan's self-defense forces, ensuring that not a single zombie escaped.

As for the millions of zombies on Kyushu, their fate remained undecided, pending further discussion at the United Nations.

After all, no one knew if these zombies could still revert to human form.

If they could, then the person who ordered the attack would go down in history as a criminal.

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