Marvel's Kryptonian Scientist Chapter 71 71

Deep inside a classified research facility, engineers were using components forged from secondary Kryptonite alloy with almost reckless extravagance.

Those components had finally allowed them to assemble a prototype engine that had spent years gathering dust in storage. The design had once been dismissed as too far ahead of modern manufacturing capabilities to ever beco reality.

Now, for the first ti, it worked.

Testing was proceeding thodically, and the results already looked astonishing. According to the current data, the engine's success had allowed their aerospace sector to leapfrog decades of developnt in a single stride, surpassing even the most advanced publicly known engines in the world.

There was only one problem.

The most critical materials required for several of the engine's core components ca from overseas.

Specifically, they ca from the creation of the genius who had beco a legend throughout the upper circles of global industry in just a few short months:

Drex Valen.

That ant the production and supply chain for this revolutionary tal remained firmly in soone else's hands.

For any ambitious power with global aspirations, that was unacceptable.

It was the kind of dependence nations would do almost anything to eliminate.

"The secondary Kryptonite alloy is unbelievable," one man said with a weary sigh. "You have no idea how many research institutes have been calling lately. Every day it's another request."

He rubbed his forehead.

"I've gotten to the point where I don't even want to answer my phone anymore."

"Of course I know the tal's valuable, but where exactly am I supposed to get more of it?"

"The fact that Drex Valen hasn't restricted exports already puts us ahead of the curve. Most of the supply still ends up in Arican hands. If the United States ever cuts distribution, the rest of us are finished."

He turned toward the middle-aged man with glasses seated near the conference room window.

"So Fifth Brother... you need to push harder."

"Even if we can't obtain the formula or production process, we need larger trade volus."

The man called Fifth Brother twitched faintly at the corner of his mouth. Still, he didn't dare argue.

"Yes, Minister," he said quietly. "I'll do everything I can."

By this point, most people within the upper levels of governnt and industry already understood that secondary Kryptonite alloy could be used to manufacture extraordinary tools capable of massively increasing the efficiency of elite technicians.

It was already being treated as a strategic national resource.

What the public didn't know, however, was that its usefulness extended far beyond specialized tooling.

Only a tiny handful of influential figures and top-tier scientists understood the truth.

Secondary Kryptonite alloy wasn't rely a superior industrial material.

It exceeded the known limits of modern materials science altogether.

For the first ti in human history, technologies that had once existed only as theoretical concepts or impossible blueprints suddenly had a realistic path toward becoming real.

That fact alone was enough to make every major nation in the world desperate to acquire it by any ans necessary.

As more and more organizations obtained samples of the alloy through various channels, research institutes and technology corporations across the globe fell into a frenzy.

So scientists even began making absurd claims that, given enough secondary Kryptonite alloy, they could achieve practical nuclear fusion.

That part was obviously exaggerated.

Fusion had never been limited to materials science alone. If it were that simple, humanity wouldn't still joke that viable fusion power was perpetually "fifty years away."

Of course, people like Tony Stark, Drex Valen, and the nearly successful Otto Octavius were exceptions.

Still, there was no denying the alloy dramatically raised the ceiling of modern technology.

Beyond manufacturing tools, using the material in key structural components made it possible to bring next-generation designs into reality.

Mass production remained impossible, naturally.

But even a single functioning prototype represented an enormous leap in technological capability.

That was why Drex Valen had begun to earn titles like the man who surpassed an era.

If not for certain political complications, people might already have called him the father of modern materials science.

Drex himself understood perfectly well what secondary Kryptonite alloy would do to humanity's technological future.

That was precisely why he had never sold raw Kryptonite or A-grade Kryptonite to the public after creating them.

New materials alone were enough to overturn entire industries and trigger a fourth industrial revolution. Humanity had once predicted artificial intelligence and robotics would define that revolution.

Instead, advanced materials threatened to rewrite the entire equation before AI ever got the chance.

And revolutions that happened too quickly rarely ended cleanly.

The benefits would be imnse.

The chaos would be just as severe.

That was why Drex had no intention of releasing everything at once.

As for the possibility of Arica attempting to restrict exports?

Drex almost laughed at the idea.

Once nations had tasted the advantages of secondary Kryptonite alloy, any attempt to monopolize it would unite the rest of the world overnight. Even the United States couldn't stand against global economic retaliation forever.

War Machine Industries was experiencing the sa explosive growth.

Blade Tech Industries products had already entered markets across the world. The company hadn't quite reached the mythical scale of Umbrella Corporation yet, but in terms of sheer market dominance, almost no existing corporation could rival it anymore.

Following Drex Valen's instructions, Black Queen quickly located the Arican "Poseidon" aircraft carrier project.

Blade Tech Industries had already delivered roughly ten tons of secondary Kryptonite alloy, and Drex had been paying close attention to where the shipnt ended up.

Sothing about the Poseidon project felt wrong to him.

Fortunately, Black Queen had no equal in cyberspace.

Even if Ultron eventually ca into existence, it still wouldn't surpass her.

Arica's cybersecurity systems and intelligence specialists never noticed that Black Queen had already breached their networks and begun browsing through classified files like a ghost drifting through unlocked rooms.

"Flying aircraft carrier?"

Drex leaned back in his chair.

The files only contained broad summaries. Detailed information was likely stored physically, or perhaps never written down at all. So projects were so sensitive that only select personnel were allowed to morize key data.

Still, the phrase alone was enough.

Drex tapped his fingers lightly against the desk.

"Project Insight?"

If they intended to use secondary Kryptonite alloy to construct a flying aircraft carrier, then everything suddenly made sense.

The new millennium had already arrived. Project Insight would naturally be underway by now.

Three massive airborne fortresses.

The amount of secondary Kryptonite alloy required would be astronomical unless they planned to use it solely for outer armor plating.

Hydra really was impressive.

Not that Drex intended to stop them.

On the contrary, the project would make him absurd amounts of money.

And realistically?

Would a flying fortress pose any threat to a Kryptonian?

Even without recklessly headbutting warships like so overconfident comic-book bruiser, Drex's electromagnetic manipulation alone would be enough to twist all three carriers into spiraling masses of tal scrap.

They weren't a threat.

They were custors.

"Urd," Drex said calmly, "adjust the pricing for secondary Kryptonite alloy."

"We'll announce that production capacity is limited. New price is ten thousand dollars per gram."

The previous price of eight thousand dollars per gram suddenly felt far too cheap.

After all, Hydra, the United States governnt, and S.H.I.E.L.D. were footing the bill.

Why not charge more?

Urd nodded in agreent.

Truthfully, she had been thinking the sa thing.

Lately, reports tied to secondary Kryptonite alloy had been flooding in from every direction.

Its influence was only beginning to erge, subtle at first, like cracks spreading beneath the surface of the world.

But compared to War Machine Industries or even the AIDS treatnt drug, the long-term impact of this alloy would be far greater.

A technological tidal wave had already begun.

Most of humanity simply hadn't realized it yet.