Superpowered Heroes Team

Peter didn't want his aunt to go back to working as a night shift nurse, a grueling job with little pay. 

More importantly, when May became an official staff member at the shelter, he could see the genuine joy and contentment in her face.

So, when he learned that the shelter was on the brink of closing due to lack of funding, the still-underage Peter made a decision that echoed his youthful spirit.

He wanted to save the shelter!

After voicing his thoughts, Peter nervously looked at Russell, awaiting his response.

Though Russell hadn't expected that Peter's request for an advance on his salary was to save the shelter, he still chose to decline.

"Sorry, Peter, if that's the reason, I can't advance your salary."

As soon as Russell finished speaking, Peter's expression dimmed, and he looked like a frostbitten eggplant.

However, just as Peter was about to say something, Russell's voice sounded once again.

"While I can't advance your salary, you don't need to worry about the shelter. I'll take care of it, and your aunt will definitely be able to stay working there!"

Though he wasn't very interested in Martin Li's shelter, he couldn't deny that it was a good way to boost his reputation.

Spending a bit of money to earn the title of philanthropist was a good deal no matter how you looked at it.

Furthermore, through this, he could further strengthen Peter's trust and goodwill towards him—two birds with one stone.

Hearing Russell's words, Peter wondered if he had misheard, looking at Russell with a hint of disbelief.

"Don't look at me like that. You didn't mishear; I'll handle the shelter."

"Your salary, save it for when you're in love!"

Peter nodded, slightly embarrassed.

After Peter left the office, Russell picked up his phone and called a lawyer he had worked with before.

Though he had decided to save the struggling FEAST homeless shelter, he had no intention of keeping the name FEAST.

Martin Li was the founder of the FEAST shelter for the homeless.

As long as the shelter bore that name, some of the reputation he earned would inevitably be attributed to Martin Li.

Russell had no intention of using his own money to build reputation for a deceased person.

He indeed intended to save the shelter, but not by prolonging its existence; he wanted it to be reborn and rid of Martin Li's influence.

After finishing the call with the lawyer, he transferred five million dollars to the lawyer's account as funding for the acquisition of the shelter and compensation.

Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, five days had passed.

During these five days, Russell met Gwen twice, engaging in deep conversations and sharing their perspectives on various issues.

Apart from these meetings and his daily serum reputation tasks, he managed to accomplish two more things during these five days.

Firstly, HYDRA finally agreed to his request to establish an arms company for them.

In return, the lab would sell the Zaku battle suits they produced for a price of sixty million dollars per set to HYDRA.

The deep-pocketed HYDRA preordered twenty sets in one go.

Secondly, he successfully completed the acquisition and reconstruction of the shelter.

The shelter that once belonged to Martin Li was now a legal asset under his name.

The shelter's original name, FEAST, was changed to Stardust.

Moreover, the shelter wasn't just a homeless shelter anymore; it had transformed into a genuine charitable organization.

Stardust Charity!

Russell had initially considered continuing to use the name Octopus Monster.

But upon the suggestion of Peter's beautiful aunt, May Parker, he eventually gave up on that idea.

It was fine for the Detective Agency and the Military Technology Laboratory to be named Octopus Monster.

However, a charitable organization named Octopus Monster would be quite discordant.

While Stardust might be a common name, it still seemed more appropriate than Octopus Monster.

Though the matters of the arms company and the charitable organization were resolved, they weren't what made Russell happiest.

What he was truly looking forward to was Diana's imminent return to New York.

Calculating the time, Diana had been away on a business trip for over a month now.

During this month, Russell had been quite content. He had even developed a connection with the Spider-Woman, Gwen.

But how should he put it?

Diana was, after all, his main partner of several years. They knew each other inside out and had an unspoken understanding.

What's more, Diana's charm was a bit higher than Gwen's.

What others thought, Russell didn't know.

But in his eyes, Diana had a bit more charm than Gwen.

Just as he was eagerly awaiting Diana's return, while idling in his office, he suddenly received a phone call.

Glancing at the caller ID, his brows slightly furrowed.

It was General Ross again!

Since he had declined General Ross's request to capture Banner again, General Ross had contacted him once more.

Russell didn't know what General Ross was thinking, but this time, instead of entrusting him to capture Banner again, he was asking Russell to rescue Betty.

From the content of the task, it seemed that General Ross had indeed changed his request.

However, Russell didn't hesitate and promptly declined.

Betty was now with Banner.

Rescuing Betty would undoubtedly involve a confrontation with the Hulk.

In the end, the task to rescue Betty would likely devolve into capturing Banner.

After the phone had rung for more than half a minute, Russell finally answered the call.

Although he wasn't very interested in the Hulk now, considering General Ross's continuous referrals for military contracts, he intended to hear what General Ross wanted once again.

"General, what's the issue this time?"

Russell spoke calmly.

"Rest assured, this has nothing to do with Betty and Banner this time."

General Ross knew that Russell had lost all interest in capturing Banner, so he quickly explained.

"Since it's unrelated to them, let's continue."

"Go ahead, General. What do you want this time?"

Russell smiled as he spoke.

"The military plans to assemble a special forces team composed of superpowered individuals to deal with crises caused by superhumans. We've already selected a few candidates, and your name is on the list. Are you interested?"

Assemble a team of superpowered individuals?

Upon hearing General Ross's words, the name of an antihero team immediately popped into Russell's mind.

The Thunderbolts!

"I can't give you a definite answer without knowing the details."

Russell quickly responded.

"The general details of the special forces team will be sent to your laboratory later. If you're interested after reading them, you can contact me."

After saying this, General Ross promptly hung up the phone.

Before long, three American soldiers in uniform arrived at his office and handed him a top-secret file from a briefcase they were carrying.

After handing him the file, the three soldiers left the lab without saying a word.

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