Although everyone disapproved of the comics Mindy read, they still felt that her suggestion made sense.
However, obtaining the copyright has become problematic. You certainly can't go to court in a mask and apply for it yourself; you also have to produce identification documents.
Jason, however, was very interested in this matter because he realized that he could gain prestige by publishing comics or movies as Night Walker, even if he was not personally involved.
Many of the operations he participated in were carried out in secret, such as the Hand and Society incident and the blood farm incident. Despite our efforts and accomplishments, our popularity remains low.
Mindy's suggestion is one way forward. Others said they weren't interested in getting involved in such things. Now, the star members of the team are Night Walker and Spider-Man.
The other three old men were too low-key, and they didn't wear cool tights. They were more accustomed to delivering fatal blows in the dark like venomous snakes.
While the team needs people like them who are willing to do the dirty work, it's difficult to make them stars.
A slightly absurd idea was born in Jason's mind.
. . .
It's almost the end of November, and winter break for Metropolitan High School will be here soon. The weather in New York is already cold, and people on the street have begun wearing thick winter clothes.
"Honestly, I don't think this is a good idea." Peter was wearing a gray windbreaker and holding a cup of hot coffee. His nose was slightly red from the cold.
"But I think this is a good idea." Jason ignored Peter and continued striding forward.
"Think about it. This could change our team's dire financial situation. We can't keep robbing gangs. Besides, aren't you always against gangs robbing gangs?"
The two are heading towards the Osborn Group. Now, Harry is officially the chairman of the Osborn Group.
Although the road ahead is full of difficulties, Harry has a trustworthy friend by his side to give him advice.
Jason has officially been hired as Harry's personal consultant. Although it is not a full-time position, he still receives a salary. Since he agreed to help Harry, Jason will come to the Osborn Group to listen to his ideas and analyze events.
The two of them walked into the Osborn Group building together. The pretty female receptionist at the front desk stood up and said to Jason, "Good morning, Mr. Jason."
"Good morning, Susan. Your bow tie looks really nice today." Jason greeted her. "Could you please give me a guest card?"
The guest card was for Peter. Originally, Harry wanted Peter to be a part-time researcher like Gwen.
However, Peter is overwhelmed now, and his last semester of high school will be very stressful. Gwen has even thought about resigning.
Furthermore, Peter Parker, who also works as Spider-Man, has even less time to come work here.
However, Peter agreed that he would have more free time in college and was willing to work as an intern in the Osborn Group's research laboratory.
After all, you can learn many things in laboratories of large companies that can't be taught in school.
"I still think this is too embarrassing. Do you really want to show it to Harry?" Peter lowered his voice, noticing that many people were coming and going in the building.
"It doesn't matter. At most, he'll laugh at us. But it will benefit our future development. Being a superhero requires more than a righteous heart and superpowers; often, you also need a thick skin." Jason patted Peter on the shoulder.
The elevator arrived, and they stepped inside to go to the office floor where Harry was.
"Wait, wait." A man holding a pile of drawings rushed toward the elevator.
A middle-aged man with black-framed glasses and slicked-back hair stood in the elevator and ignored the man, pressing the door-closing button to keep him out.
Jason frowned and put his hand on the sensor at the elevator door. "I don't think anyone in our elevator is in such a hurry, sir."
Jason is 1.85 meters tall, much taller than the middle-aged man. Being stared at by such a strong man made the middle-aged man dare not say anything.
He also looked at Jason's name tag and saw that he worked in senior management. He didn't know Jason's exact position, but he still didn't want to go against him.
"I'm very sorry. I don't think I heard you." The middle-aged man's excuse was weak, but Jason didn't care.
"Thank you for waiting for me." The guy holding a pile of drawings finally caught the elevator. The drawings he was holding looked like they were all about pipelines.
He looked like a technician responsible for the layout of the building's water and electricity pipelines.
"You're welcome." Jason nodded slightly, indicating that he didn't want to say anything else; he was preoccupied.
The technician seemed to want to say something, but when he saw Jason's ID card and realized that Jason didn't want to continue the conversation, he fell silent.
When the elevator reached the chairman's office on the top floor, only Jason and Harry remained inside.
This huge rooftop office originally belonged to Norman Osborn, but now it belongs to Harry. Jason greeted Harry's personal secretary and went straight into the office, knowing Harry was free.
"Wow, isn't this my personal consultant? Did he remember to help his boss today?" Harry looked busy, looking down at documents.
There was a hint of resentment in his tone. "You guys are so lucky to have plenty of time to go out and have fun every day. I'm so busy that I don't even have time to date Mary."
It seems that the new chairman of the board has not yet adapted to his job.
"Don't say that, Mr. Chairman. You hold tremendous power now, and your signature can change the lives of millions of people." Jason pulled out a chair and sat down across from Harry.
Peter couldn't make such a slightly flattering remark. He had always been the one to make comments, so he could only say hello to Harry.
"Well, now that you mention it, I suddenly feel that my work is meaningful." Harry smiled, showing that he accepted Jason's compliment.
"I have something I would like to ask your opinion on." After reading the document, Harry looked at Jason seriously and said,
"Stark Group is in trouble now. Congress has asked them to hand over the manufacturing method of the Iron Man armor." His tone was serious. "Someone encouraged me to put pressure on the Stark Group. What do you think?"
Jason curled his lips. Let's not talk about the movies he had watched in his previous life because the world line has changed so much that not even the screenwriter's own mother would recognize him.
Based on his own understanding of Tony Stark, Jason knew that Tony would never hand over such a thing.
"Harry, do you know that I have another identity besides being your personal advisor?" Jason asked.
"Night Walker?" Harry asked, smiling.
"No, not such a superficial character." Jason waved his hand. "He's Tony Stark's personal chef."
"Hey, man, I've never heard you say that before." Peter and Harry were a little surprised. They knew Jason was working as a private chef for a wealthy man, but they didn't know who.
"Wow, then you'll be the best corporate spy in the Osborn Group." Harry laughed.
"I have a certain understanding of Tony. In fact, I think we all know that his reputation is more important to him than his life," Jason said.
"Just like the last riot he had in New York and how much money he spent to settle that incident." The three of them laughed at this point.
"There can only be one Iron Man. Tony is a proud man. He won't let others have the same thing as him, especially his favorite toy." Harry and Peter both nodded.
"To be honest, I don't understand why people encourage you to do this. In fact, the value of the Iron Armor is overestimated."
"At least the current Iron Man armor is overrated. It still has many weaknesses. Peter, Tony, and I have fought together. Its actual combat performance is not as impressive as its appearance."
Peter nodded, indicating that Jason was right.
"In fact, the real core of Tony Stark lies in the Arc Reactor. That's the most important thing.
"There's no need to compete with Tony for the Iron Man armor. I think the Green Goblin armor, originally designed by Uncle Norman, is very good." Jason thought of the battle that day. Apart from the part eroded by the devil's power, Norman's armor was well designed.
Although it is not as versatile as the Iron Man armor, it is relatively cheaper and easier to operate. Don't forget that all MK series armor must be assisted by Jarvis's artificial intelligence system.
Otherwise, it is impossible for ordinary people to truly operate the iron armor solely by relying on their reaction nerves.
Maybe Tony will compromise and give the US military some Iron Man armor, but it's unrealistic to expect him to disclose all the blueprints. In fact, it's useless to disclose them. You should know that technology becomes obsolete very quickly."
Perhaps Moore's law for 3C products can be applied to Iron Man armor. Jason thought about the large family Iron Man would have in the future.
"The new energy system that Tony is researching will bring about a revolution. This is inevitable. I believe someone must have mentioned it to you." He was referring to the biomass power generation system that the Osborn Group had been researching.
The Osborn Group uses this technology to provide nearly one-third of the electricity generated in the greater New York area. However, biomass power generation technology is not yet very mature and has very high requirements.
Therefore, it has not been widely promoted. However, the new energy revolution led by Tony will inevitably cause a sensation around the world. It's an unstoppable technological leap.
Harry listened to Jason's words very seriously. He was also thinking about the group's next plan.
"I think the person who encouraged you to pressure the Stark Group to hand over the Iron Man armor drawings is either stupid or has other plans." Jason pointed out the core of the matter.
"Harry, if you spent a lot of the group's resources on something and failed, or if you succeeded but didn't gain as much as you expected, where do you think you would be?"
"Oh my God, Jason, what you said is too complicated." Peter is smart, but only in scientific research. He has never delved into power struggles.
Harry unconsciously broke the ballpoint pen in his hand. "You are right. If this is true, I'm afraid the board of directors will have to hold new elections for chairman."
Harry stood up and paced, biting his lip slightly.
"There has always been some competition between the Stark Group and the Osborn Group, but both have remained rational, especially since the Stark Group withdrew from weapons manufacturing." Jason continued to analyze the situation for Harry.
"There are actually only two areas where we can compete: One is the new energy field, and the other is military manufacturing."
"Currently, it's impossible for us to compete with Tony in the energy field. He is already the winner. It's only a matter of time before he's crowned the king of new energy."
Harry, if you want to maintain the group's competitive advantage, you should focus on the military industry. The Stark Group's withdrawal cost them a huge pie worth tens of billions of dollars.
Jason hasn't mentioned his own affairs yet. Instead, he has been wholeheartedly advising Harry because he knows Harry needs support the most right now.
"Yes, that's what the person who encouraged me said. He believes that, after forcing Tony to disclose the drawings, we can leverage our relationship with the military to secure a substantial order." There was a hint of annoyance in Harry's tone.
"Damn Settle! What a complete old bastard. I thought he was a good man." It seemed that the person Harry cursed at was the one who instigated him to do this.
As a large company, internal shareholders may not all be united. Even people you regard as family may betray you, like Tony Stark and Obadiah did.
"So, Harry. It's a waste of your time and experience to fight for this kind of thing." Jason shook his head.
"If Tony compromises with the military and makes the blueprints public, the Osborn Group will definitely get the order because of their capabilities. So, you don't have to worry at all. Someone is setting a trap for you."
Peter was confused, so he asked, "This is too complicated. Can someone please explain it to me?"
Harry took a deep breath, sat down, and said, "To put it simply, an old bastard set a trap for me and asked me to force Tony to hand over the Iron Man armor blueprints."
"This will waste a lot of our group's human and financial resources, and it may not succeed. If I make this decision and fail, there is a high probability that a board meeting will be held, and I will be removed from my position."
"Because of his connections, it's only a matter of time before Tony Stark compromises with the military. However, he will definitely have reservations, and this process will take a long time."
They are taking advantage of my anxiety to achieve results within the group and set a trap for me.
Then, after Tony compromised, some people ousted me and got the military production order. He will take my position as the hero who saved the group. By then, I'm afraid I'll only be able to work in Jason's restaurant.
"Hey, I don't think you'll be that miserable." Peter understood, so he smiled and said, "Working at Jason's restaurant is a good choice, though. You can try cutting onions and see how many tears you can shed."
"So, Jason, do you have any good suggestions?" Harry smiled at Peter and asked Jason again.
"Wait." Jason smiled. "The military couldn't possibly be interested in anything else unless Tony explicitly rejected it.
"But when they're really rejected, they'll definitely demand a replacement. The Green Goblin armor may not be as good as the Iron Man armor, but I think the price is much cheaper, which is completely in line with the military's preferences."
Instead of coveting Tony's Iron Man armor, you might as well improve the current Green Goblin armor. Harry, you could meet with Tony and Miss Pepper, the new president of the Stark Group, in an informal setting."
You can promise to support their decision or withdraw from the new energy market competition, since we can't win it anyway. In exchange, you can ask Tony to support the Osborn Group in front of the military.
It's mutually beneficial, and the Osborn and Stark groups can establish a tacit understanding. Jason's wording was very subtle; he didn't mention an alliance or even cooperation.
No government would want to see companies of this level unite.
"I know, I know. Asking you to be my advisor was the wisest decision I've ever made." Harry laughed out loud and seemed to be in a much better mood.
"Want some drinks, guys?" Harry asked as he walked over to the bar.
"Raspberry juice, please." Jason's mouth was dry after saying so much.
Peter raised his hot coffee to indicate he didn't need one.
"Harry, I came to you today not only to help you solve the problem, but also for another reason." Jason said this after drinking the juice Harry handed him.
Peter suddenly looked embarrassed, as if he wanted to hide. He curled up in his chair, not daring to watch what happened next.
Jason ignored Peter and walked directly to Harry, asking if he could use the computer. After receiving approval, he opened the website that Pure White had visited earlier.
He pulled out the comics about Night Walker and Spider-Man and showed them to Harry.
At first, Harry didn't feel anything, but the more he looked at Jason, the more he felt that something was wrong. After finishing a comic, he looked at Jason and Peter strangely.
"Listen, man. I actually support the gay bill and other things. If you need help, I can support you. The Rainbow Bill is being discussed in Parliament right now, and I can use the power of the Osborn Group to advance this bill." As he said this, however, Harry unconsciously distanced himself from Jason.
Peter looked like he was about to die. He had known for a long time that this plan was a bad idea. Now, he really wanted to find a place to hide. As Jason said, Spider-Man still lacked thick enough skin on his way to becoming a superhero.
"No, no, no, you misunderstood." Jason shook his head and tried to put his hand on Harry's shoulder, but Harry dodged it.
"I said I'm not gay." Jason said seriously.
"Really?" Harry's expression showed that he didn't believe him. "To be honest, man, I don't discriminate against that. I can help you get married abroad."
Peter was almost crawling under the table. He was roaring inwardly, and I knew this was a bad idea—a really bad idea!
"Listen to my explanation, Harry. I'm serious about discussing a business plan." Jason spoke in an extremely serious tone.
Harry raised an eyebrow and asked, "What plan?"
Jason took out the plan he had prepared and handed it to Harry. "It's a plan to set up a company in the superhero industry.
This will provide our team with a long-term financial source.
I said I could fully support your team's operations. Money is not a problem." Harry did not open the plan immediately.
"This is different, Harry. You can't use the Osborn Group's money for this. The superhero team is a bottomless pit. You can only see the input, not the output," Jason explained. Jason explained.
"We need a way to maintain a balance between income and expenditure so that the entire team can operate efficiently for a long time."
"And if—and I mean if—one day a team member has an accident, we can set aside money for compensation. It may not be a lot, but it's a fair reward for a hero who has contributed to society." Jason's tone was serious.
"We can reward those brave people—those ordinary heroes who may not have superpowers but who are still great."
For example, Sister Marian was willing to spend all her money to adopt orphans. I know a bakery owner who goes to the slums every week to distribute food. Their good deeds have been going on for decades.
They are all heroes, and their good deeds make them special.
These kind people should be rewarded. The world has become cold and indifferent because there is no reward for doing good. This coldness has also led to cruelty.
"Cruelty has led to the various tragedies in our world today." Peter and Harry are now listening to Jason very seriously.
"What we do should not be limited to one place; it should be more extensive. Maybe it's arrogant of me to say this, but people need role models.
"We are all born ordinary, but now we have the power to contribute to the world. Maybe it's just a small step, but what's important is that we've done something."
"We are working hard to change this cold and cruel world." After Jason finished speaking, an indescribable belief flashed in Harry and Peter's eyes.