The next morning, Harry and Felicia arrived at Doom Enterprises to sign the acquisition contract.
Under the receptionist's guidance, the two went straight to the meeting room.
"Mr. Osborn, hello. I'm Ned Sissel, investment consultant for Doom Enterprises," said a man in gold-rimmed glasses as Harry entered.
"Hello, Mr. Sissel." Harry shook his hand lightly.
"Let's begin," Ned Sissel said, gesturing toward the head seat.
"Alright," Harry replied.
Once everyone was seated, Ned Sissel exchanged a few nods with the others, then took out a thick document and handed it to Harry.
"Mr. Osborn, this is the acquisition contract. Please take a look," he said.
"Okay." Harry passed it directly to Felicia, standing beside him.
His casual attitude made several directors exchange surprised glances. None expected him to treat the matter so lightly.
"No problem," Felicia said after a moment, handing the contract back to him.
"Then…" Harry signed his name, set the document down, and stood. "I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation."
"Bang!"
The conference room doors burst open. A sharply dressed man stormed in, face twisted in fury.
"No! I don't agree!" he shouted.
"This is?" Harry looked at Ned Sissel.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Osborn—"
"I'm Victor. Victor von Doom, founder of this company!" the man interrupted angrily.
"This company is mine!" Doom glared at Harry, voice sharp as steel.
"Oh?" Harry chuckled softly.
"Yes—about a minute ago, it was," Harry said with a mocking smile.
"But now…" He leaned in slightly, eyes cold. "You're too late."
He brushed past Doom with deliberate force.
"Let's go, Felicia."
"Yes, boss." Felicia grabbed the signed contract from the table and followed.
"No—!" Doom roared, but they were already gone.
...
Name: Victor von Doom
Age: 31
Physical condition: Healthy (undergoing transformation into a metal body)
Abilities: Electrokinesis (40), Metal Body (30)
Item: Metal Mask (5)
"Not bad," Harry murmured, looking at the system screen with a faint grin.
"Harry, where to next?" Felicia asked.
"Hmm… let's visit the Baxter Building. It's time to meet our new collaborators," Harry said.
"Okay," Felicia replied.
"Driver, to the Baxter Building."
...
"System, acquire Victor von Doom's electrokinesis ability," Harry thought in the car.
A faint blue spark flickered between his fingers.
"Bioelectricity… not bad," he said, smirking.
...
After stepping out of the car, Felicia closed her phone and walked to him.
"I've already notified them. Dr. Richards should be expecting us," she said with a small smile.
"Good. Let's head up," Harry replied.
"Ding—"
The elevator chimed softly.
Harry stepped into Reed Richards' home-laboratory. Waiting outside the lift were Mister Fantastic Reed Richards, the Invisible Woman Susan Storm, and the towering, orange stone figure known as Ben Grimm.
"Hello, Mr. Osborn. I'm Reed Richards." The gray-templed scientist greeted him warmly.
Harry nodded with a smile. As he stepped forward, he quietly activated the system's recording function.
Name: Reed Richards
Age: 30
Condition: Healthy
Ability: Elastic Body (40)
Items: None
"I'm Susan Storm," said a healthy, tan-skinned woman, smiling as she extended her hand.
Name: Susan Storm
Age: 29
Condition: Healthy
Abilities: Light Refraction (20), Force Field Manipulation (40)
Items: None
"You're beautiful," Harry said, momentarily forgetting to release her hand.
"Harry." Felicia pinched him sharply from the side.
"Haha." Harry let go quickly, smiling awkwardly while rubbing the sore spot.
Reed Richards' polite smile froze slightly as he adjusted his glasses.
"I'm Ben Grimm," the massive orange figure rumbled, stepping forward. He'd always been protective of Susan, but seeing a new rival stronger than Doom himself, he quickly sized Harry up.
Four massive stone fingers extended in greeting. Harry didn't take the bait.
"Let's skip the handshake," he said lightly. "By the way, where's the Pyroman?"
"Ah, Johnny? He's out," Susan said with a small laugh. "My brother's always playing around."
"Pity," Harry said, genuinely disappointed not to meet the Human Torch.
"Mr. Osborn, please, have a seat," Reed said, gesturing politely.
"Alright, let's get to business." Harry sat down, pulled out a document Felicia handed him, and passed it across the table.
"Since Doom Enterprises has been acquired by Oscorp, your previous contract with Victor Doom is now void," he explained as Reed began flipping through the papers.
"This is…" Reed looked up, astonished.
"Yes," Harry smiled. "I'm very optimistic about your research, so I drafted a new agreement."
"But this one splits profits seventy-thirty… isn't that too generous?" Ben Grimm asked, incredulous. Compared to Doom's old contract—where Doom claimed seventy percent and all patent rights—Harry's offer was almost unbelievable.
"I believe Dr. Richards' research is worth it," Harry said simply.
"Kid, I like you already," Ben said with a toothy grin.
"Haha." Harry chuckled.
"Felicia."
At his cue, she produced a stack of checks from her briefcase.
"This is funding for your experiments," Harry said, handing them to Reed.
"One hundred million dollars!" Reed gasped.
Harry smiled faintly, ignoring his surprise, and rose to his feet.
"We'll take our leave. Goodbye, all three of you."
"I'll see you out, Mr. Osborn," Susan said quickly, standing up.
"Alright," Harry replied with a charming smile.
---
A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
Support: patreon.com/Narrator_San