Chapter 119: The Laboratory Expansion Plan

“Boss, I think your priorities are a little off...” Fitz hesitated before answering. “I’m not entirely sure. You should ask Simmons about that. I don’t know why she’s so sensitive about money; scientists aren’t supposed to be like that. Well, a complete set of equipment would probably cost tens of millions of dollars—not even the top-of-the-line kind.”

“Tens of millions?”

Skye’s eyes instantly filled with dollar signs. She imagined countless little bills flying out of her wallet.

The feeling was...

Awful!

“Buy it!”

Wang knew Skye far too well. He quickly sealed her mouth with his vital energy, then comforted her. “It’s not as if we’ll only use it once. We’ll recoup the cost soon enough.”

The titanium-alloy staff and titanium-alloy gauntlets were no longer particularly suitable for him, and some of them had been damaged. Wang planned to refashion them into a blind man’s cane for Matt Murdock, the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. He was a master with a staff.

Stick and Elektra, the Black Sky, also needed better weapons, as well as custom-made high-tech uniforms.

The only one who would save them money was Robbie Reyes, the Ghost Rider. Anything consumed by hellfire could serve as his weapon—or his vehicle.

“Place an order with S.H.I.E.L.D. in my name... Go directly to Director Fury.”

Wang spread the fingers of his left hand and gave them a shake. “I’ll give you fifty million. We can’t afford to build a first-rate laboratory, but a second-rate one is a must.”

The laboratory of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s science and technology division was, of course, first-rate. Leaving aside the construction costs, its annual research budget alone might run into hundreds of millions, or even several billion or tens of billions of dollars. Stark Industries spent well over ten billion a year on research.

Wang did not have that kind of money.

Pairing first-rate scientists with a second-rate laboratory was already doing them a grave injustice. Naturally, he intended to satisfy Fitz’s requirements as fully as possible.

If there had not been so few researchers and so few projects underway, with no need for such a massive investment, Wang might have thrown five hundred million into the laboratory without hesitation.

Money in hand was not real money.

Money spent was.

“The laboratory must be expanded, and quickly.”

Wang continued, “Ideally, it should be completed within a month. The site needs to be large enough to encompass the entire abandoned factory... No, that still isn’t enough. Buy the surrounding land as well. Get in touch with Director Fury and ask him to help. I dealt with the Winter Soldier and Crossbones, stopped the Obelisk from falling into Hydra’s hands, and saved Coulson and May. He owes me several favors. It’s time he paid them back.”

Fitz froze.

Boss, are you sure he owes you favors? And do you really think he’ll be grateful?

Why did Fitz feel that Fury wanted nothing more than to eat Wang alive?

“Recruit researchers and engineers publicly. They don’t necessarily have to be trustworthy, but they absolutely must be capable.”

Wang continued, “Contact your classmates and professors, as well as Lucy and Eli’s classmates and professors. Get in touch with your colleagues at S.H.I.E.L.D. too. No matter how much they earn from S.H.I.E.L.D., I’ll pay double—at least double. First-rate scientists can receive up to ten times their current salary. Tell them I have the best research projects available. That should be a considerable attraction.”

Fitz did not know what to say.

Boss, the director won’t just eat you alive. He’ll eat me alive too.

You’re the main course because of your size, while I’ll be the little dessert beforehand...

“Tony has announced that Stark Industries is shutting down its weapons division, and quite a few people have already been poached. We can try recruiting some of them as well.”

Wang thought for a moment before adding, “But we’ll leave that to fate. Stark Industries pays well. We can’t compete with them.”

At least the boss had some self-awareness...

Fitz hurriedly nodded.

“Laboratory security is extremely important. We need strong and reliable people to guard it.” Wang suddenly remembered a very important issue.

The Winter Soldier, the five fingers of the Hand, a section of dragon bone, a vast body of knowledge copied from the Darkhold, experimental equipment worth tens of millions, and these scientists—all of them were nearly impossible to measure in terms of mere wealth.

Strictly speaking, this laboratory, which had existed for less than three months, was already worth more than a multinational corporation barely clinging to the bottom of the Fortune Global 500.

“Uh, Dr. Eli hired more than a dozen veterans as security guards, and we purchased a million dollars’ worth of security equipment from S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Fitz hesitated, then said somewhat awkwardly, “Director Fury also sent over a special forces team. He said it was a complimentary gesture of assistance to an ally, so he didn’t bother notifying you... They arrived an hour ago.”

Wang gave a dry laugh.

Fury, what exactly is going through that bald, egg-shaped head of yours every day? Do you think I don’t know?

If you weren’t afraid I’d storm into the Triskelion and beat someone senseless, you probably would have simply tried to seize everything by force.

“These people can’t be trusted.”

Wang narrowed his panda eyes into slits. “I’ll send people over myself.”

Leaving aside the men Fury had sent...

Who knew how many of those veterans were actually S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and how many were Hydra operatives?

The entire world belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D.—but when all was said and done, it belonged to Hydra.

The laboratory was a prize morsel, and also bait.

They absolutely could not let Hydra devour it.

“It’s time to go.”

After drawing blood and collecting samples, Fitz returned to the laboratory to continue his research. Wang took Skye outside and headed for places far from human habitation.

He could not spend twenty-four hours a day sparring with Skye. Life had to contain loftier pursuits and pleasures. The fleshly body needed to be elevated; it could not remain forever at a primitive level.

Skye’s powers were a serious problem. One careless mistake could result in a disaster on a catastrophic scale.

They could only stay away from populated areas and reduce the potential damage as much as possible.

Of course, they would not leave San Juan.

The guests had yet to arrive. How could the host possibly leave?

Skye was clever. Three years of martial arts training had greatly strengthened her mind, and her control over her body had reached a level beyond that of even the finest athletes. In only a few days, she had already gained a preliminary understanding of her vibrational powers.

This ability was easy to learn but difficult to master. It required not only constant experimentation, but also a certain degree of scientific knowledge—

Without knowing the resonant frequency, how could she induce resonance?

Even if she could discover it through trial and error, she could not possibly test every frequency in the entire spectrum. She needed some idea of where to begin.

Fortunately, Skye was highly intelligent. With Wang by her side, she applied herself diligently to her studies.

The range of Skye’s abilities was astonishing. She could even manipulate ultrasonic and infrasonic waves. Such powers might have difficulty dealing with godlike beings such as the Hulk and Thor, but against somewhat weaker opponents—Black Widow, Hawkeye, and the like—they would undoubtedly be among the most powerful area-of-effect abilities imaginable.

In other parallel universes, Skye had even shattered Wolverine’s heart, knocked out Magneto, and fought against the Sentry.

Wang had high hopes for her.

But he would not rush her.

Neither his left nor his right arm was his head, much less his thigh. Whether she was Quake or the Ghost Rider, they were ultimately external forces—helpers.

In the end, the only person one could truly rely on in this life was oneself.

Day after day passed, and all sorts of strange people began filtering into the sprawling city of San Juan.

Through a secret channel, Daredevil, Stick, and Elektra, the Black Sky, quietly arrived at the Darkhold laboratory. Only Robbie Reyes and his younger brother remained behind to watch the place, while also maintaining order in New York during the dead of night.

S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and Hydra operatives were all investigating the underground ancient city that had suddenly appeared.

And among them, one crucial figure had already arrived.