Marvel's Kryptonian Scientist Chapter 19 19

For a ti, Drex Valen beca one of the most watched n in Arica.

Not that he particularly cared.

Going public held little appeal when money had already stopped being a aningful obstacle.

Vibranium sold for ten thousand dollars a gram and remained nearly impossible to acquire in large quantities.

Secondary Kryptonite Alloy, by contrast, had fixed pricing, active production facilities, and virtually limitless demand.

That distinction made all the difference.

His blonde executive secretary had recently inford him that Blade Tech Industries' current alloy orders were already booked out for the next two years.

Two years.

Drex barely reacted.

"Keep secondary alloy production running at full capacity," he instructed coolly. "And start recruiting top-tier weapons engineers. Blade Tech Industries isn't just a materials company. We're entering military manufacturing."

"Yes, Boss."

Urd gave a professional nod before turning to leave.

She was a graduate of an elite private university, razor-sharp, stunningly attractive, and carried herself with the polished confidence of soone born for executive warfare.

Drex hadn't hired her for her appearance.

Her competence had been the deciding factor.

Though that didn't stop him from appreciating the view as she walked away.

He was well aware of her interest.

Drex's physical form made that almost routine.

Tall, broad-shouldered, devastatingly handso, and carrying the kind of dangerous charisma that made people notice whether they wanted to or not.

Won being drawn to him wasn't surprising.

But Urd, to her credit, remained disciplined.

Work was work.

Anything else belonged after office hours.

Drex respected that.

Still...

Blade Tech Industries had a talent problem.

Young, ambitious professionals were flooding toward his rapidly rising empire.

But true veterans?

Elite minds?

Industry legends?

Those were harder to secure.

Because Stark Industries still existed.

And for the world's best engineers, Tony Stark remained the gravitational center.

There was another issue.

Hydra.

Spies.

Governnt infiltration.

Corporate espionage.

Drex casually rolled a sphere of secondary alloy between his fingers, reshaping what had originally been a square block into a near-perfect orb through sheer strength.

"Blade Tech is almost certainly crawling with spies already," he mused.

He wasn't concerned.

At most, they wanted the alloy formula.

But without Drex's proprietary Kryptonian techniques, production was impossible.

Even full blueprints wouldn't save them.

Knowledge was only valuable if one could actually apply it.

And no one else could.

With Blade Tech's teoric rise, Drex established a new subsidiary:

Blade Security Solutions

Officially, it was a private military, security consulting, and logistics firm.

In reality...

It was Drex's version of Umbrella Corporation's private enforcent branch.

Without cloning technology, he couldn't mass-produce soldiers yet.

But he could still build infrastructure for future expansion.

anwhile, Vitamin Infinity's parent company was officially absorbed into Blade Tech Industries as its pharmaceutical division.

And just like that...

A corporate empire was born.

Public perception exploded.

Drex was now viewed as:

Creator of Vitamin Infinity

Revolutionary alloy developer

Industrial titan

Billion-dollar corporate founder

Over thirty percent of the U.S. population was reportedly using Vitamin Infinity, with adoption rates continuing to rise.

Secondary Kryptonite Alloy had already disrupted global materials science.

Blade Tech Industries' valuation surpassed ten billion dollars.

Though still behind:

Stark Industries

Osborn Industries

Hamr Industries

Its future potential was staggering.

dia adored him.

Ti Magazine placed Drex on its cover.

He was nominated among the "Top Ten Most Influential Figures of the Century."

And yet...

Tony Stark had ranked ahead of him.

Drex found that mildly irritating.

Tony Stark, at present, was fundantally still a glorified weapons dealer.

Drex had revolutionized industrial materials worldwide.

And he only got nominated?

Ridiculous.

"Fine," Drex muttered dryly. "When Stark becos the king of clean energy, I'll allow it."

But Blade Tech's expansion wasn't Drex's only priority.

His gaze had shifted toward another giant:

Osborn Industries

Specifically...

Dr. Curt Connors.

Connors specialized in:

Cross-species genetics

Reptilian regeneration

Advanced biological engineering

Exactly the kind of mind Drex wanted.

At present, Connors had not yet beco the Lizard.

Instead, he was still working under Norman Osborn on a super-soldier serum intended to cure Norman's hereditary disease:

Retroviral Hyperplasia Syndro

The so-called Osborn curse.

Connors' current stumbling block was critical:

He could not eliminate the serum's violent psychological side effects.

Drex imdiately saw opportunity.

"Osborn Industries may be the right target," Drex thought.

Norman was deteriorating.

The Osborn bloodline rarely survived beyond fifty.

Most died in their forties.

Norman's desperation was only increasing.

And desperation made powerful n vulnerable.

Could Drex cure Norman?

He didn't know.

He had never personally encountered Retroviral Hyperplasia Syndro.

But there was only one way to find out.

He called for Urd.

"Arrange a eting with Norman Osborn."

She paused.

"Reason?"

Drex's smile carried a razor's edge.

"Tell him... it concerns his family curse."

Norman Osborn received the ssage.

And imdiately understood the implication.

Soone knew.

Ordinarily, anyone uncovering that secret would vanish.

Disappear.

Sink into the Atlantic.

But this wasn't just anyone.

This was Drex Valen.

A rapidly ascending industrial juggernaut with resources, influence, and dangerous unknowns.

Norman chose caution.

He accepted.

"Boss," Urd reported the next day, "Norman Osborn has agreed. He'll arrive tomorrow at three PM."

Drex nodded.

"Take him directly to the biological laboratory."

That surprised her.

The biological research division was one of Blade Tech's most heavily restricted sectors.

Even Urd herself lacked access.

But she assud this was a corporate biotechnology negotiation between two industry leaders.

She didn't question it.

The following day...

Norman Osborn arrived.

At first glance, he appeared composed.

Healthy.

Controlled.

But Drex's enhanced vision imdiately saw through the illusion.

Beneath the expensive foundation and polished executive exterior...

Norman was deteriorating.

His body was already losing its war.

And Drex now stood at the crossroads of that fate.