Stark Research Center.
This place had already turned into Howard's den of madness.
The air was filled with the heavy scent of coffee.
The walls and floors were covered in complex molecular structural formulas and calculations.
Howard's eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was as messy as a bird's nest.
Just a little bit more.
Just the last little bit!
He was infinitely close to that realm of gods!
The miracle created by Dr. Erskine was right at his fingertips!
But that crucial peptide chain structure always collapsed at the final step.
"No... that's not right! The ratio of the stabilizer is fine, and the catalytic effect of the orchid alkaloid is perfect..."
Howard had a crazy thought.
Could it be that this reaction could only be completed within living cells, constrained by a life magnetic field?
He glanced at the veins on his arm, a flash of fanaticism in his eyes.
"Howard, you look like you're preparing to launch yourself to the moon."
Lynn's voice broke the madness in the laboratory.
He walked in leisurely, carrying a bottle of fine Scotch whisky and two glasses.
"Lynn?"
Howard lifted his head from the pile of formulas; his bloodshot eyes took a few seconds to focus.
"Why are you here? I don't have time to drink with you; I'm about to... I'm about to succeed!"
"Is that so?"
Lynn walked to the bar and poured two drinks.
"Then why do you look like you want to use your own arm as a test tube?"
Howard, having his thoughts guessed correctly, walked irritably to Lynn's side, picked up the glass, and downed most of the strong liquor in one gulp.
"I'm stuck."
He scratched his hair irritably.
"See that node? Theoretically, it should completely stabilize the entire structure. But every time I simulate it, the rays tear it apart!"
Lynn looked in the direction he was pointing.
That node was exactly the small but fatal deviation he had left in that "forged manuscript" back then.
A trap.
"Maybe... you're trying too hard?"
Lynn held his glass and watched with interest.
"Trying hard?"
Howard scoffed.
"This is science, Lynn! Rigorous science! Not a date with some Hollywood girl!"
"Dr. Erskine once talked to me about the orchids he grew."
Lynn answered irrelevantly, his fingers dipping into the liquor and drawing casually on the smooth desktop.
"He said that some petal structures look incredibly fragile, yet they can withstand the most violent monsoons. Because they don't resist head-on, but rather guide and discharge the force in the direction of the wind."
He seemed inspired by his own words, looking up at the projection.
"What if this node isn't a hinge?"
Lynn reached out and tapped it.
"It's not responsible for locking the structure, but rather acts as a buffer, absorbing and converting the overflow energy of the Vita-Rays, and then guiding it to other more stable structures..."
The expression on Howard's face was somewhat stunned.
Hinge?
Buffer?
Guide?
This... this train of thought...
The expression on Howard's face went from stunned, to shocked, and finally turned into ecstasy!
He rushed to the computer, his hands typing on the keyboard like a blur.
The molecular structure he had regarded as a bottleneck transformed under his modifications into a more flexible, more resilient form.
He tremblingly pressed the "Run Simulation" button.
On the screen, the energy torrent representing the Vita-Rays began its impact.
This time, the modified "hinge" structure did not collapse.
"Hum—"
A soft sound.
A perfect, stable molecular structure of the Super Soldier Serum, emitting a faint blue glow, floated quietly in the center of the screen.
"Success..."
"I... I succeeded!"
Howard let out an uncontrollable shriek of ecstasy; he hugged Lynn, excited like a child.
"Lynn! You're a F--King genius! You're a god of science delayed by the journalism industry!"
"I have to call Phillips immediately! We can create an army of Super Soldiers! The war is going to end!"
He turned to grab the phone.
"And then what? Watch the tragedy of Dr. Erskine repeat itself?"
Howard's hand stopped in mid-air.
"Howard, what we have in our hands is the scepter of gods, but also the key to demons."
Lynn's expression became unprecedentedly serious.
"We've only finished half. Steve is a miracle, a one-in-a-million coincidence. Can you guarantee that the next person to receive the injection won't turn into a monster we can't control?"
"This technology must never be handed directly to the Military. Those generals only have victory in their minds; they will mass-produce it at any cost until a disaster occurs."
Howard remembered the sight of Dr. Erskine falling in a pool of blood.
"Then... then what should we do?"
"We need checks and balances."
Lynn stated the answer he had long prepared.
"This research cannot belong only to Stark Industries, nor can it belong only to the Military. It needs an independent third party with the highest technical capability and security clearance to conduct oversight and subsequent safety research."
He looked into Howard's eyes, enunciating every word.
"My pharmaceutical company just received the penicillin production authorization from the Military and possesses top-tier biological laboratories and security systems certified by the Department of Defense. The Military trusts us."
"Let's turn this into a formal contract, Howard."
"Foreseer Pharmaceuticals, in exchange for 1% of Stark Industries equity, offers 5% of our company's shares and priority cooperation rights in all future biopharmaceutical fields."
"We will form a joint project team, with me serving as the honorary supervisor, providing you with the safest experimental environment. We will jointly own the patent for this technology and also share this responsibility."
"This is to protect it, and also to protect ourselves. To fulfill Dr. Erskine's dying wish."
One responsible for technology, one responsible for security and resources.
To Howard, this technical genius, it seemed quite good.
Not only could he continue his own research, but he also gained a partner who could help him deal with troublesome matters.
At this moment, Howard Stark had no idea what 1% of Stark Industries equity would mean in the future.
"Good!"
Howard did not hesitate at all; he reached out his hand.
"For Dr. Erskine!"
Lynn shook hands with him, a sincere smile on his face.
The agreement was signed on the spot.
Howard excitedly took out the first batch of newly synthesized finished serum.
Exactly five vials.
"This is the first batch of finished products."
Howard's tone was full of pride.
"Leave it to me."
Lynn carefully put the five vials of serum into a specially made cryogenic suitcase.
"I will send them to Foreseer's P4-level laboratory in New Jersey for storage and stability assessment. It's safer there than anywhere the Military has."
Howard nodded, convinced of this.
Leaving Stark Industries, he got into the private car returning to New Jersey.
Lynn opened the suitcase, looking at the five vials of glowing blue liquid.
Foreseer Pharmaceuticals' P4 laboratory?
No.
That was just a facade on the surface.
The secret Base three hundred meters underground at this pharmaceutical factory was the true destination for these serums.
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