C205

Kain returned to the Marvel world after spending more than a year in One Piece, harvesting many valuable resources.

The most abundant among them were the Sky Island shells. He planned to have researchers analyze their mechanisms to enhance their abilities or modify their forms.

He also brought back the flesh and blood of Sea Kings for research—hoping to discover their medicinal properties or whether they could be used to develop a genetic serum. 

However, Kain kept a significant portion for cooking, as Sea King meat had an exceptional taste. With just a little preparation, its flavor was already remarkable.

Moreover, Sea King meat had excellent restorative properties. If used as an energy supplement, Pietro could likely recover all his stamina in just a few dozen seconds—all while being completely harmless to the human body.

Beyond these resources, Kain's most valuable acquisitions were the Sand-Sand Fruit ability serum and the bloodline factor extracted from Monet.

Extracting Devil Fruit abilities couldn't be done frequently. If something happened to Monet, people might start suspecting the truth—there were many intelligent individuals in the pirate world.

 If they discovered that Kain could even strip Logia abilities, he would undoubtedly become a target of public scrutiny.

Additionally, Kain wanted to study the possibility of replicating Devil Fruit powers or, at the very least, developing a short-term ability potion. By using a Devil Fruit user's blood, he aimed to create a temporary ability serum. He had already assigned this research project to his team.

Currently, his biological research center housed hundreds of researchers, divided into five teams focusing on different projects. Once the underground Hive was completed, all research operations would be relocated there.

Meanwhile, Kain estimated that the war against Wakanda was about to begin. If Wakanda were just another African country, the U.S. Secretary of Defense could authorize military action within hours.

 However, this was Wakanda—an enigma. Even Hydra had little intel on them, aside from the fact that their technological advancements far surpassed those of the United States.

Thus, the U.S. had to be fully prepared. This war had to be won—and won decisively. Otherwise, America's international standing would suffer another devastating blow.

 Not long ago, the president had boasted that military assistance in the Middle East would last no more than ten days.

Yet, half a month later, the administration received a casualty report so horrific it was difficult to stomach—even the Super Soldier Squad had been completely wiped out.

Although the second military operation ultimately succeeded, the humiliating failure of the first attempt had already drawn widespread criticism.

If the U.S. stumbled again—this time against the small African nation of Wakanda—it wouldn't force the president to resign, but his approval ratings would surely plummet to historic lows.

Kain turned on the TV.

All mainstream news channels were covering the situation, painting Wakanda as the villain responsible for the deaths of American Air Force soldiers. 

The reports claimed that Wakanda was scheming in the shadows, plotting a war that would shatter the peace the U.S. was striving to maintain.

Among the reports, Kain spotted Tony Stark on screen—fresh from his escape from the Ten Rings. His facial wounds had yet to heal, but even so, he publicly opposed the war, calling for a peaceful resolution.

It seemed that Tony Stark had finally become Iron Man—but just a few words spoken during a live TV broadcast were enough to send Stark Industries' stock plummeting.

An arms manufacturer denouncing arms—how was that any different from Kain, a biomedical giant, being diagnosed with cancer?

Tony Stark had clearly matured after his recent ordeal, but his actions were sowing chaos for his company. If he truly intended to shut down Stark Industries' weapons division, then Kain would be the first to capitalize on the opportunity.

As soon as Kain saw the news, he immediately contacted Carl, instructing him to short Stark Industries' stock with full force.

There were many ways to profit from war.

What Kain valued most was Stark's weapons division.

If he bought enough shares when Stark Industries' stock bottomed out, he could become a major shareholder—perhaps even positioning himself to take over the company.

Tony Stark's only real hope for a comeback lay in developing new energy technology with the Arc Reactor and shifting the company toward that sector. 

However, Pent Group was set to announce its entry into the new energy market before Stark Industries even had the chance.

Vanko and his son had already made significant progress in their research.

Meanwhile, in the upcoming Wakanda war, elite military units were secretly being outfitted with new energy weapons—a fact completely unknown to Stark.

Once Stark Industries shut down its weapons division, breaking into the new energy market wouldn't be enough to save it. 

On top of that, Kain was already attacking the company's stock. Completely annexing the arms giant might be difficult, but carving out a massive piece for himself was well within reach.

Aside from Stark, Kain also saw Betty Ross and Laura being interviewed on TV. The Pent Group was a well-known military enterprise, and their stance on the war could influence public opinion significantly.

Unlike Stark, however, Betty handled the media far more intelligently.

When asked about the war, she simply stated that she stood with the American people. Regardless of whether war broke out, the Pent Group had already pledged $100 million for post-disaster humanitarian aid.

Although Laura was the CEO of Pent Group, the public was well aware of Betty's identity—and they trusted her to fulfill that promise.

At New York Airport, Kain was waiting near the landing site in his sports car. Not long after, Betty's private jet touched down.

Seeing the plane approach, Kain revved the engine and drove closer.

The moment the door opened, Betty spotted Kain waving at her from the car. A smile immediately appeared on her face as she stepped down the escalator.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"Your father is leaving the day after tomorrow. He wants you home tonight. I figured I'd come along."

Kain grinned, then gestured for her assistant and bodyguards to stay behind.

Without hesitation, Betty climbed into the passenger seat. The moment she shut the door, Kain floored the accelerator—speeding toward General Ross' house.

That evening, Thaddeus Ross personally prepared dinner.

Betty ate happily, but Kain found the food underwhelming. Ever since he'd amassed wealth and power, he'd rarely had to tolerate anything less than exquisite.

But tonight, the food was secondary.

Ross hadn't called Kain here for dinner—he wanted to brief him on the military's battle plan.

As mercenaries, Umbrella's forces had already boarded the Indian Ocean Fleet two weeks ago.

This time, the United States—alongside Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and seven other nations—would launch a coordinated attack on Wakanda from four different directions.

In this war, tanks, airstrikes, and missile bombardments would serve as the primary means of attack. If Wakanda's energy barrier couldn't be breached, then any offensive would be futile.

But Ross and Kain weren't worried. The U.S. government had gathered substantial intelligence on Wakanda, leading Congress to approve $60 billion in military funding—the first installment of what was likely to be a larger budget.

The sheer volume of missiles alone was enough to wipe out a large African nation. No matter how formidable Wakanda's energy shield was, it wouldn't withstand a month-long bombardment.

Once the barrier was broken, the military—along with Umbrella's Super Soldier Squad—would infiltrate Wakanda, carrying out hit-and-run attacks and decapitation strikes.

The discussion lasted until midnight, with Ross revealing nearly every military operation he was privy to. While this technically violated protocol, Ross knew that if he wanted to climb higher, he had no choice but to rely on his daughter and Kain.

Just a few years ago, Kain pent had been nothing more than a lucky kid in Ross' eyes—someone who had won the military's favor thanks to his relationship with Betty and the Extremis Virus Serum.

But Kain's influence had grown at an alarming rate.

He had become a biomedical giant and, after acquiring Oscorp, an indispensable military partner.

Ross wasn't sure if this war with Wakanda had been orchestrated by Kain, but he was certain Kain had played a role. Otherwise, why would Kain push him to sway key military figures into supporting the operation?

Now, Ross could only hope that Kain never slipped up.

If Kain's actions were exposed, even Ross himself would come under intense scrutiny—a risk he could not afford.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Surveillance

"There's not much new surveillance data," Sharon Carter said, removing her headset. "But we can confirm that the target has been aware of the Wakanda war for some time."

She leaned forward slightly.

"Coulson, why do you think Fury believes the target is involved?"

On the other end of the video call, Phil Coulson—recently promoted to Level 8 Agent—smiled.

He was now one of the highest-ranking agents in S.H.I.E.L.D..

With only two Level 10 agents and fewer than ten Level 9 operatives, the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s global operations fell to agents at Level 8. And Fury had personally assigned him—along with his entire team—to assist Sharon in this mission.

And yet… something felt off.

"I've already cut the signal, just like last time," Coulson replied. "The transmission was blocked after Betty Ross returned to Brookwood Manor—fortunately, I had a backup feed ready."

He paused.

"Still no breakthrough on why Brookwood Manor is so hard to crack?"

"Fury suspects several people, and the target is just one of them," Sharon admitted. "But if we want answers, we need eyes inside the estate."

Coulson chuckled, forwarding the latest intel to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s data analysts.

For this operation, he had secured one of the highest levels of support from S.H.I.E.L.D.—even going so far as to recruit two geniuses from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy.

"Be patient, Agent Carter," he reassured her. "Once our new specialists are onboard, we'll have a much clearer picture."

Sharon sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"We don't have time, Coulson," she muttered. "With our current equipment, I feel like we could be compromised any second. And honestly? I'm starting to think Pent Group has an AI on par with Tony Stark's J.A.R.V.I.S.."

Coulson's expression sharpened.

"You found something?"

Sharon glanced at her screen.

"Red queen , cross-reference this name against S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database," she instructed. "If Pent Group doesn't have an employee by that name, track where it originated. Figure out if it's a person, a program, or something else entirely."

Her eyes flicked back to Coulson.

"What about the Super Soldier Serum?" she asked.

Coulson hesitated.

"…We keep digging," he finally said. "Both investigations continue—simultaneously."

Sharon exhaled.

"Then we need more support," she said firmly.

…

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