Victor only realized this problem when he mentioned Pepper just now.
After Pepper handed the two bottles of biochemical virus to Tony, Tony would definitely have to test them, otherwise he wouldn't inject an unknown liquid into his body.
It's hard to say.
Tony wouldn't be interested in the "Pufferfish Virus" and "Self-Healing Virus."
Although Tony's character setting doesn't include a "bio-pharmaceutical" skill tree, and he couldn't master it in a short time.
But he has money!
With plenty of cash, why would he worry about not being able to hire top bio-pharmaceutical experts to work for him?
Moreover.
While Stark Industries, Oscorp Industries, and Hammer Industries each have their strengths, all three conglomerates are extensive, and they all have bio-pharmaceutical research laboratories, though Oscorp's is more focused.
In the Marvel universe, a black technology universe, analyzing a "Self-Healing Virus" might not be a piece of cake, but there's a chance.
What if the formula is reverse-engineered?
Logically speaking, this matter should have nothing to do with Victor.
But thinking about Raphael, he only overlooked some customer experience, with no intention of harming Victor, yet he was still fined a set of "Super Combat Suits"?
And being fined wasn't the end of it; a "record" would be kept, and Victor could sue at any time.
This is a platform that only looks at "results" and ignores "processes."
Comparing this.
If the "Self-Healing Agent" formula were reverse-engineered by Tony, Victor would almost certainly be caught in the crossfire.
So it was very necessary to confirm with Royce.
Sure enough, Royce's answer confirmed his analysis.
[Royce: Oh, little brother, if you hadn't mentioned it, I almost forgot. This stuff really has restrictions. It's called something like "Planar Intellectual Property Protection Law."
[Royce: Three years ago, I bought a giant python from "Anaconda" for an experiment, and damn it, they fined me 3 E-level vouchers! My heart aches just thinking about it!
[Royce: You know, this platform started with just one adventure rule, and I thought it would be easy to operate. Who knew there were so many pitfalls inside.
[Royce: Hey, little brother, you haven't leaked it already, have you? Is it the "T-Virus"? Then just make up some product, and we'll settle it privately quickly. If the platform gets involved, then it's not up to us anymore.
[Royce: It's also my fault, big brother. I forgot to tell you about such an important matter. Little brother, please don't misunderstand!
As always, a barrage of words.
As Victor read on, for some reason, he felt like the words had a sound, carrying an lingering Northeastern accent.
As for the issue of scheming, Victor didn't suspect it.
Based on Royce's current performance, he was still trustworthy, and Victor believed his judgment was correct.
[Victor: It's okay, big brother. I just thought of this and asked. Since it's a misunderstanding, it's fine once it's cleared up.
[Royce: Oh my goodness, little brother, you scared me, big brother.
[Royce: That's why I say your brain works well; you can think of it yourself. If I were as smart as you, I wouldn't have suffered that loss.
[Royce: Well, if there's nothing else, I'll stop talking now. The research lab has another problem. I think they don't want to eat corn buns anymore; they just keep causing trouble for me all day long.
Eating corn buns?
In "Resident Evil," they only give scientists this?
The conditions are really tough!
Closing the dialogue box, Victor began to ponder the pros and cons of this rule.
The benefits were most direct.
Similar to a "patent protection law," it allowed every planar merchant to sell goods with confidence, without worrying about being deciphered—they even hoped you would decipher it.
Even if it was a settlement, the profit would be higher than the formula, and the other party would also have to buy the corresponding [Knowledge].
Also.
Because it was unitized by plane, with clear boundaries, there was no such cancerous growth as "patent trolls."
The drawbacks were also quite significant.
For lower-level planes, they couldn't afford expensive [Knowledge], nor could they reverse-engineer it through relatively cheap goods. The later bottlenecks would likely make progress impossible.
No wonder the "Douluo Continent Plane" was willing to offer "free" terms; this probably wasn't even their lowest price.
However, there wasn't so much information at the time, so it couldn't be analyzed.
I agreed too hastily!
That Raphael guy didn't even give a hint. He probably took at least a portion of the price difference, or even all of it!
[(▼へ▼メ)]
Thinking about it this way, Royce was indeed more adorable!
After labeling Raphael as a "scheming merchant," Victor began to consider another issue.
Should Tony's rescue plan be changed?
The leakage of the two virus formulas was a minor matter, and the compensation probably wouldn't be too high. It was just that if this "record" was made, would it be like a bad review for a Taobao store, significantly affecting the store's reputation?
Considering Tony's stubborn personality, who never listened to advice... While he was hesitating.
Alice reminded him that Pepper was visiting, and Felicia was bringing her towards the beach.
Victor pulled out his phone and checked the time.
[09:05]
Most Americans would have started working by this time; it was the earliest time for a polite visit.
Pepper had probably been waiting for a long time, only coming over at the exact moment.
The attention to detail was truly thoughtful.
Perhaps he could... As he was pondering.
Felicia and Pepper walked from a distance, each holding a parasol. When they were about 10 meters away, Pepper consciously stopped, and Felicia continued to approach.
"Mr. Victor, Ms. Pepper is here. Would you like to see her now?" Felicia bent down, her voice slightly louder to avoid being drowned out by the sound of the waves.
"Hmm, let her come," Victor said lazily, showing no intention of getting up.
Basking in the sun, he was already exerting all his effort just to think. Physical labor could wait until evening.
With permission, Felicia straightened up and nodded to Pepper.
Pepper quickly scurried over, leaving her high heels behind, just to avoid making Victor wait too long.
What if he changed his mind?
Noticing this, Victor couldn't continue lying down. It didn't matter if his body was weak; psychic power would make up for it, lifting him to his feet just as Pepper arrived in front of him.
Pepper's face wore a professional smile, and she said very politely, "Mr. Victor, we meet again. First, I hope I can apologize for Tony's attitude yesterday. His temper is too bad; sometimes even I can't stand him."
As fellow personal assistants, Felicia was somewhat puzzled by Pepper's complaining about her boss.
Victor, however, understood Pepper's mindset.
Grinning, he said, "I can tell you love Tony very much, don't you?"
Pepper's face showed no shyness or surprise; instead, it was filled with obvious tension.
She almost reflexively said, "No, he's my boss, and he's a playboy. How could I like him!"
Victor shrugged indifferently and said, "Since Ms. Pepper, you're so distant, then I don't think we need to..."
Seeing Victor's tendency to dismiss her, Pepper inwardly cried out in dismay.
At this critical moment, she not only didn't panic but instantly calmed down and immediately changed her words.
"Yes! I do like Tony," she brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and looked into Victor's eyes sincerely, saying, "But he is my boss after all, and I hope Mr. Victor won't reveal it."
Tsk tsk.
This woman, capable and deeply devoted to Tony, gave up her composure in an instant for him.
What virtues does Tony possess?
Smiling and shaking his head slightly in admiration, Pepper thought Victor was about to refuse and quickly tried to salvage the situation.
"Mr. Victor, you see, we..."
Victor raised his hand to interrupt her.
Under Pepper's uneasy gaze, he said, "I really think highly of you. Are you really not considering coming to my company? It's destined to be the focus of the world in the future! As long as you nod, you'll be the CEO, and Norman will be your subordinate."
Pepper didn't refuse immediately this time.
She pursed her thin lips, thought for only two seconds, then firmly said, "If that's your condition, after Tony recovers, I will..."
Victor raised his hand to interrupt her again.
Such a good woman, he shouldn't fight Tony for her. Otherwise, their relationship wouldn't be "at loggerheads," but "hatred for stealing a wife, irreconcilable."
So now the question was.
He believed that Pepper's visit this time represented only herself, not Tony at all.
For Victor, besides her as a person, Pepper seemed to have no other value worth trading.
He couldn't just give it away for free, could he?
Victor had been in Marvel for so long and had never made a losing deal. This record couldn't be broken!
Hmm... Speaking of which, Pepper had been with Tony for so long, she should still be a virgin, right?
Then... fine.
It's decided, it's you.
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PS: 2667-word chapter, today's update is 5100 words. Please give me some recommendation votes! If you think it's a cliffhanger, then I'll just cut off the extra 1100 words next time before posting [(o?▽?)o ]