Chapter 41: Lizardman Plasma Technology

The sound of Nathan's voice echoed with quiet authority, and Kurt and Martha immediately looked toward the door, startled by the unexpected presence.

There stood a tall man, rugged and imposing, wearing a fisherman's hat, a thick beard, and reflective sunglasses that obscured most of his face. But it wasn't his disguise that commanded attention—it was his confidence, the kind of confidence that filled a room the moment he entered it.

"Who... who are you?" Martha asked, shielding her husband slightly, sensing the unspoken power in the stranger's presence.

The man adjusted his sunglasses with one finger, then spoke in a calm tone.

"You can call me Li Luo."

He didn't step inside. Not yet. He remained standing at the threshold, but even without moving, his presence felt heavy, as if the room had tilted toward him.

Kurt gripped the glass vial of plasma tightly in his hand, still caught in the storm of his own desperation.

"You don't know what you're talking about. I've already succeeded once." His voice cracked slightly, more defiant than confident.

Nathan shook his head slowly.

"Success on a single rabbit doesn't mean you've succeeded. That's not science. That's gambling. And you're betting your life—and your wife's life—on it."

Kurt's eyes twitched.

"Science demands rigorous testing, replication, and refinement. Not blind injections based on hope. One test means nothing when the variables remain untested, and the long-term effects unknown."

Nathan stepped forward slightly now, his tone growing sharper.

"You're planning to flood your body with unstable reptilian DNA. Best case? Physical mutation. Worst case? Total mental collapse."

He paused for emphasis.

"You won't just grow your arm back. You'll become a creature driven by pure instinct. Aggression. Hunger. Madness. You'll lose yourself."

He let that sink in before adding, "And who's the first person you'll see after the mutation takes hold?"

Kurt followed Nathan's gaze.

He looked at his wife. Martha.

His grip on the vial trembled.

"That's right." Nathan nodded. "You could hurt her. Maybe worse. You're not just risking your life, you're risking hers."

The defiance in Kurt's eyes cracked. His face turned pale, and his fingers slowly relaxed. He placed the vial back on the coffee table with trembling hands, then slumped forward, pressing both hands against his forehead.

A quiet sob escaped him.

Martha immediately pulled him close, her arms wrapping around his shoulders. "We'll find another way, Kurt. We always do."

Finally, Nathan walked into the room.

He closed the door behind him and sat down across from them in a creaking wooden chair.

The room was cramped, filled with secondhand furniture and a lifetime of quiet struggle. But right now, it was also filled with hope.

"I'm here to help," Nathan said firmly. "And I'm offering you a way out of this mess."

Kurt and Martha slowly looked up, still unsure of what to make of this stranger.

"You'll have a job. A salary. A fully equipped lab. I want you to continue your work—safely, properly, and with the support you've never had before."

Kurt blinked in confusion. "But... who are you, really? Why do you know so much about my plasma research? My dismissal? My life?"

Nathan removed his sunglasses and looked Kurt in the eye.

"My name is Nathan. I am the largest shareholder of Oscorp. And by tomorrow, I'll be its controlling owner."

He opened a tablet and showed them the portfolio data—stock ownership, trading history, current percentage holdings.

Martha's mouth fell open. She turned to her husband in disbelief. "He's your new boss."

Kurt stared wide-eyed at the screen. The name matched the transactions he'd seen in whispers on investor forums—but he'd never imagined the buyer would show up here, in his living room, offering him a lifeline.

"Why would you want Oscorp? It's collapsing. It's barely functioning." Kurt asked, voice trembling.

Nathan replied without hesitation. "Because it's salvageable. And because with the right minds in the right positions, it can be profitable again."

He leaned forward, voice steady.

"I want you to return, Kurt. But not as a low-level lab tech. I want you to head the research division. Full authority, full resources. I'll assign a team to you. You'll have everything you need."

Kurt's heart pounded.

It was everything he had once dreamed of—and more.

But there was one question left.

"What do you need in return?" he asked cautiously.

Nathan didn't hesitate.

"Your plasma technology. And your commitment to continue innovating under Oscorp's banner."

Nathan already understood the theory—he'd reverse-engineered much of the concept—but he needed the original data, the raw formulas, the trial logs, the equations. Kurt's research was the foundation for the company's rebirth.

Kurt hesitated for a moment, then glanced at his wife.

Martha gave him a small nod.

Then he stood, walked over to a dusty drawer, and pulled out a USB drive sealed in a glass case.

"This has everything. All of it. The original sequences, test logs, data reports." He walked back and held it out with both hands.

"It's yours. And... thank you, boss."

Nathan took it and nodded.

The final key was in his hands.

With this technology, he could present a viable, safe product to the final major shareholder. With this product, he could secure the last 20% of Oscorp.

And now he had something even more valuable: a loyal, brilliant scientist by his side.

"Come to Oscorp tomorrow. I'll finalize your lab assignment then."

"Yes, boss!" Kurt stood straighter, pride returning to his posture.

But then, hesitantly, he asked, "Can Oscorp really make a comeback? Are you that confident?"

Nathan didn't speak.

He simply picked up a scrap of paper from the table and began writing out a short genetic equation.

Then he handed it to Kurt.

Kurt studied it.

His eyes widened.

He recognized it instantly. A derivation of his own work—but improved, refined, stable.

"This... this is incredible. You solved the instability!"

Martha stared at her husband. "What is it?"

Kurt looked up, eyes shining. "It's... genius."

---

Later that night, in his own lab, Nathan reviewed the plasma bandage prototype—a weakened version of Kurt's serum, safe for consumer use.

A new generation of regenerative medical products.

The product that would bring Oscorp back from the brink.

He held up the bandage, its inner lining infused with a faint green hue.

"Now... it's time to get the final 20%."

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