Chapter: 350
After the Lizard incident, the Osborn Group kept a low profile for a long period. This particular event was suppressed through a combination of force and financial control, ensuring it didn't become public knowledge. Norman Osborn also thoroughly destroyed all related records.
As for the research on the regenerative serum, it was completely driven underground. The official narrative was that Dr. Conners had been kidnapped by corporate spies, and the Osborn Group had lost all research data.
In truth, from the laboratory surveillance footage, Norman Osborn knew that the lizard creature confined in the lab as a research subject was, in fact, Dr. Conners himself. It was due to an impulsive injection of the unfinished regenerative serum that he had transformed into the current monstrous form.
While the event caused by Dr. Conners' reckless actions was suppressed, the subsequent effects didn't diminish with the calming of the storm.
When Norman Osborn announced the failure of the regenerative serum project and the impending closure of the entire lab, the other shareholders of the corporation erupted in protest.
Leaving aside the massive profits that the successful launch of the regenerative serum could bring to shareholders, the exorbitant funds invested in the project's initial stages alone made them unwilling to see it abruptly terminated.
Apart from Norman Osborn himself, all the shareholders who were in the dark about the truth expressed strong dissatisfaction and voiced their objections.
However, when faced with reality, even the most stubborn traditionalists had to bow to it.
The reality was that all data backups in the lab were gone, Dr. Conners was missing, and even if Osborn Group was willing to invest again from scratch, they couldn't find a qualified lab director to recreate the regenerative serum formula.
In the end, confronted with the reasons presented by Norman Osborn, the decision to shut down the project was passed.
Yet, due to this incident, a significant rift and conflict emerged between Norman Osborn and the other shareholders. It's important to note that while Norman Osborn was the founder of Osborn Group, after multiple rounds of financing, his shareholding was no longer enough to guarantee him absolute authority and control within the company.
The reason why Norman Osborn could confidently remain in the position of CEO was primarily due to the infighting and divisions among the various factions of the shareholders.
In such a factionalized scenario, even without owning over fifty percent of the company's shares, Norman Osborn didn't have to worry about his power and status within the company.
Not to mention, being the company's founder, he had consistently demonstrated excellence, bringing continuous profits to the company's shareholders. Thus, prior to this incident, the power structure within the Osborn Group could be considered relatively stable.
But this time, the turmoil was unlike any before. Norman Osborn's decision not only caused severe losses to the entire company and all shareholders, but also placed him in opposition to all shareholders.
This provided an opportunity for the previously feuding factions of shareholders to temporarily set aside their conflicts and unite. Mobilizing each other, they formed a cooperative alliance, utilizing their numerical advantage to strip Norman Osborn, the founder, of his position as chairman.
For Norman Osborn, losing the chairman's position was a significant blow. It meant he could no longer influence the judgments of other shareholders, and it redirected the company's research focus away from the hope of finding a cure for their family's genetic disease.
Therefore, this setback not only removed him from the center of corporate power and eliminated his absolute influence over Osborn Group, but it also foreshadowed a massive catastrophe for the Osborn family's future.
However, fate sometimes operates this way – troubles seem to come one after another, especially at your lowest point. Misfortune tends to knock on your door when you're most down on your luck.
Just as Norman Osborn lost his position as chairman, his son Harry Osborn's inherited genetic disease suddenly flared up, leading to life-threatening complications and unconsciousness.
In this situation, Norman Osborn decided to advance the research project on the regenerative serum through scientists secretly recruited within the family. Simultaneously, he took his critically ill son to the U-GIN Genetic Laboratory in Seoul, seeking Dr. Helen's help. He hoped that her Regeneration Cradle technology could improve Harry's condition.
...
"All my misfortunes are the result of you damned greedy capitalists and the high-and-mighty Avengers. Once I complete this long-prepared plan today, none of you will escape my retribution—Hi Hi Hi Hi!"
Within the dark and narrow underground passage, the Green Goblin lost track of how long he had been advancing. Finally, he arrived at the heart of the entire Hydra base – the highly classified chamber containing the massive biochemical gas dispersal device.
The chamber's entrance was old-fashioned, with a World War II-era, special steel explosion-proof door. However, due to years of neglect, the door's electronic control system and opening mechanism had all malfunctioned, requiring a violent dismantling approach to gain entry.
Fortunately, the Green Goblin had prepared for this. He raised his right hand and pressed the activation switch on his left-arm bracer. A high-energy cutting laser beam shot out from the emitter, striking the chamber's door and immediately leaving a red-hot molten metal.
Under the sustained output of the high-energy laser beam, this outdated special steel couldn't withstand such high temperatures. Following that, a hole appeared, large enough for a single person to pass through.
Entering through this hole into the chamber, it wasn't as dilapidated and defeated as the outside. Instead, it was clean and orderly, as if it had been freshly cleaned earlier that morning.
Various technological prototypes and important research materials were neatly arranged all around, and bore no signs of the passage of time. If it weren't for the design and decor of the entire space exuding an atmosphere reminiscent of the first half of the twentieth century, the Green Goblin wouldn't even believe that no one had entered here for decades.
But for the Green Goblin, this was good news. It indicated that the entire secret chamber was well-sealed and adequately protected. Under such conditions, the long-sealed machinery and equipment were unlikely to suffer from aging and malfunctions.
If the internal environment here wasn't too different from the outside, the Green Goblin would instead worry about whether the massive biochemical gas dispersal device, after years of erosion from dust and moisture, still retained its originally designed performance.
"Let me see where the treasure I've been searching for so desperately is placed—"
The Green Goblin began following the route within the secret chamber, searching for his ultimate target in this operation.
Soon enough, he confirmed his ultimate goal for this journey and walked towards the largest glass containment box in the secret chamber. Through the glass, he could see a mushroom-shaped metal mech standing over five meters tall.
The top canopy of the mech imitated the unique structure of fungi spore dispersal, designed and manufactured using principles of biomimicry.
The cylindrical body in the middle, which accounted for nearly two-thirds of the entire device's length, contained the pressurization and delivery structure for the release of biochemical weapons.
The most critical component, the nanoscale energy wave generator, was also located in this section.
It was through the accelerated action of the nanoscale energy wave that the released biochemical weapons could surpass their diffusion limits within a short period, covering the entire continent of Europe.
The rectangular apparatus at the bottom served as the loading device for the biochemical weapons and the liftoff mechanism for the entire device. Depending on the category of biochemical weapon, the liftoff height and release altitude needed to be confirmed, allowing the biochemical weapon to leverage atmospheric conditions for faster diffusion speed and a broader range of impact.
However, moving such a massive release device, which was over 5 meters tall, was an impossibility for the Green Goblin without mechanical assistance. "It seems that achieving my goal isn't going to be as smooth as I had planned."
Gazing at the large-scale biochemical gas dispersal device standing before him, the Green Goblin couldn't help but show a hint of dilemma on his face.
He gritted his teeth and let out a long sigh. Since he hadn't prepared for the transportation, he could only continue to explore the entire secret chamber to see if Hydra had left behind any useful tools for him.
He had meticulously designed a series of traps to lure the Avengers into the game, and with considerable effort, he had successfully executed his plan up to this point. Except for situations where there was no other choice, the Green Goblin was unwilling to falter at this critical juncture.
"Since the members of Hydra were able to transport such a massive and heavy contraption into the secret chamber, they must surely have corresponding transportation equipment and means."
With this thought in mind, the Green Goblin continued searching within the secret chamber...
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