Chapter 105 Phil Infiltrates the Enemy Camp!

Morning.

Natasha walked to Anton office, holding the global box office report for Cyborg.

As she stood at the door, memories of last night events made her expression complicated.

Her identity was clearly exposed—perhaps it had been from the very beginning.

It dawned on her that the moment she walked into the company, even as she handed in her resume, her true identity might have already been known to Anton.

This realization left Natasha feeling like a clown performing for Anton amusement.

Especially after these past weeks of interaction with him, she now felt that she had never truly understood who Anton really was.

Nonetheless, Coulson orders were clear: stay at DC Studios and gather as much intel as possible.

If Anton didn't mind her presence, and as long as she wasn't dismissed, there was no harm in maintaining the unspoken mutual understanding between them.

Knock, knock, knock!

Natasha rapped on the door before stepping into the office.

"Good morning, Natasha!"

Anton greeted her with a bright smile.

"It almost noon, boss," Natasha replied casually, shrugging as she handed him a report. "Here the box office data for Cyborg. The numbers look great—it another huge success for the company."

"That was inevitable," Anton said, unabashedly praising himself. Then, he asked, "What the status of Superman and Batman: The Dark Knight? Has Jim sent any updates to the company?"

"Filming is nearly complete," Natasha replied. "Jim mentioned that he needs Quentin to get started on post-production and visual effects as soon as possible."

"Excellent," Anton nodded. "I'll have Quentin and his team join them right away."

Currently, the most critical project, Cyborg, was already on the path to success. The fan count displayed on the system panel had climbed to 14 million, leaving only 6 million more needed for redemption.

As for the second Batman film, while it wasn't as crucial, it was still an important stepping stone for DC Studios' growth.

The Dark Knight would undoubtedly attract a significant number of Batman fans, generating substantial profits to fund future projects. It would also aid in expanding DC Studios' other superhero IPs, such as novels, comics, and related merchandise.

More pressing, however, was Superman.

At the moment, Superman fan base was underwhelming, with only a few million supporters—a far cry from the ambitious goal of 100 million.

By Anton initial expectations, the performance was average at best.

But he wasn't in a rush.

In his current situation, the presence or absence of Superman wasn't critical.

The immediate threats didn't yet demand Superman intervention to tip the scales.

As long as Thanos didn't show up prematurely on Earth, Superman utility remained minimal.

Even in scenarios like a Dark Dimension invasion by Dormammu, the Ancient One and Doctor Strange would be there to hold the line.

Besides, even if Superman were redeemed, facing Dormammu in his standard form wouldn't guarantee a victory.

Magic resistance would be key.

All in all, Anton felt adequately equipped for now with Batman, Green Arrow, and the soon-to-be-redeemed Cyborg.

Combined with his ability to deploy clones, he had the flexibility for multi-front engagements.

Including the preliminary Justice League roster—Spider-Man, Venom, Daredevil, the Ninja Turtles, and even the ambitious Phil Urich, also known as Hobgoblin—Anton was confident they could hold their ground against the Chitauri.

At the very least, the fledgling Justice League wasn't weaker than the original Avengers lineup.

"You can go now," Anton said, waving dismissively at Natasha before heading upstairs to the Daily Bugle.

Natasha watched him leave, hesitated briefly, then decided against following him. Given that her identity was exposed, she didn't want to risk annoying Anton unnecessarily.

Soon after, Anton found Eddie Brock in the middle of his work.

Anton asked, "How Phil doing these days?"

It had been nearly ten days since he last met with Eddie.

Under their instructions, Phil had enthusiastically taken on his mission, disguising himself as a villain under the alias "Hobgoblin."

"He managed to find Dr. Stockman and, using the Hobgoblin identity, has gained his initial trust," Eddie replied with a grin. "Phil told Stockman he one of the Green Goblin subordinates, seeking revenge. To do that, he approached Stockman for help, aiming to use his Teleportation Beacon to rescue the Green Goblin, who been imprisoned by Batman."

"And Stockman didn't suspect a thing?" Anton asked curiously.

"Phil wearing a recolored suit and riding a modified glider. Stockman isn't stupid. As a competent scientist, all he had to do was watch a few videos of the Green Goblin exploits to recognize that Phil equipment came from the same source," Eddie explained.

"You know, Stockman has no reason to doubt someone claiming to oppose Batman. And if what you said about Stockman being a subordinate of Shredder is true, he'd trust Phil even more. After all, Shredder ended up in prison because of Batman."

Eddie chuckled, pausing before adding, "Don't forget, the two of them share a common enemy. They're probably sitting around together, cursing Batman daily."

"Seems like Phil doing well," Anton mused, stroking his chin. "Tell him to speed things up. That Teleportation Beacon could be very useful to us."

"It hard to believe that kind of tech exists without seeing it with your own eyes," Eddie remarked, intrigued.

"Phil probably already blown away," Anton replied with a smirk. Then, he changed the subject. "The public demonstration of the artificial sun is about to happen. It a joint effort between Stark Industries and Octavius Enterprises. You've received their invitation, right?"

"I have," Eddie confirmed. "What about it?"

"Obadiah might be relying on the artificial sun for something big. Don't let your guard down. We might need to step in at some point," Anton warned.

Eddie froze, surprised.

He never doubted Anton intel sources, as Anton predictions had always been spot on.

From the sound of it, something significant might go wrong on the day of the artificial sun demonstration.

"What going on?" Eddie asked, his curiosity piqued. Rubbing his hands together, he felt the rush of a journalist sniffing out a major story.

"Hard to say. Honestly, I hope there no big story to cover," Anton replied, shaking his head.

…

Meanwhile, in New York—TCRI Research Facility.

Phil stood before a rock, watching in amazement as it was teleported to another location under Dr. Stockman control.

It actually worked!

Beneath his mask, Phil face was filled with awe. Swallowing hard, he stared excitedly at Stockman.

"It worked!" Phil exclaimed. "Dr. Stockman, it time to act!"

"No!" Stockman said firmly, halting Phil—disguised as "Hobgoblin"—in his tracks. "The Teleportation Beacon isn't fully stable. The success rate is limited. If it fails, the object being teleported could end up scattered across random locations on Earth—or even in outer space. You just happened to witness a successful attempt!"

"Then what should we do?"

Phil blinked, recalling Eddie advice. He chuckled slyly and said, "Dr. Stockman, have you ever considered that your mind-transfer device might not yet be complete?"

"Hm?"

Stockman froze, turning sharply to glare at Phil.

A long silence followed as cold sweat beaded on Stockman forehead. It was as if Phil had uncovered the deepest, darkest secret hidden within his heart.