69novels Chapter 101 Norman-Osborn Cooperation
Chapter 101 Norman-Osborn Cooperation
Chapter 101 Norman-Osborn Cooperation
Connors suddenly remembered something and turned to walk to the storage shelf next to the lab bench.
Reach out and take a small, clear spray bottle from the shelf.
"By the way, we've developed a detection tool based on the characteristics of that alien from last time."
He walked up to Li En, grabbed the spray bottle, and sprayed Li En's hand twice.
A very thin, transparent liquid mist is evenly applied to the skin surface.
The liquid mist evaporates rapidly upon contact with the skin, leaving no change in skin color on the back of the hand.
"The longest reaction time after this spray comes into contact with human skin is three seconds."
"If the color doesn't change within three seconds, it proves that it's pure human skin."
"If it turns into any color, anything at all—that means there's a problem."
"I tried it on a vampire just now, but it didn't change color, so it didn't work."
"This thing is mainly designed to target the kind of aliens that could transform into other people's appearances and even perfectly disguise their clones."
"Can it be mass-produced?" Li En held the spray bottle in his hand and examined it over and over again.
"Sure, the formula is finalized, and the raw materials are all conventional chemicals, so the cost isn't high." Connors pushed up his glasses. "Make them, one for everyone." Li En put the spray bottle in his pocket.
Bruce Banner walked over from the lab bench, scratched his head, and spoke with a kind of weariness that had been suppressed for a long time and was finally able to let out.
"Li En, we are currently severely understaffed."
"Although Connors and I don't have to attend classes now, we can devote all our time to research and development."
"But the production line needed for pharmaceutical mass production—filling, sealing, sterilization, and quality inspection—can't be run by just two people."
"It's unrealistic to expect the two of us to do everything."
"My suggestion is that if you can find a mature company to partner with, directly connecting to their existing production lines is the fastest solution."
"Find a big company to cooperate with?" Li En leaned against the wall, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
Among the top companies in New York, the most famous is undoubtedly the Tony Stark Group.
But Stark Industries is already one of the richest companies in the United States.
After Tony creates the Mark armor and becomes Iron Man, he will rely on reactor energy and a product line that transitions from military to civilian use.
Stark Industries will become the most profitable company on Earth, and Tony won't need to cooperate with anyone.
Stark doesn't need money or technology partners. It's a company that can crush all competitors with its irreplaceable core technology, so it has no incentive to cooperate.
You can only choose the next-lowest tier of companies.
Moreover, the other party cannot be too small in scale; they must have their own independent production line and compliant pharmaceutical production qualifications.
With these two stringent requirements, the number of companies in New York that meet the criteria can be counted on one hand.
Connors waited a few seconds before tentatively making a suggestion.
"Actually, you could try Osborne Group; I worked there for a while."
He sat down and tapped his fingers lightly twice on his knees.
"The general consensus about Norman Osborne is that he only looks at the results and leaves no room for flexibility in the process."
"The requirement for the R&D team is always to produce a finished product before the competition, even if it means sacrificing everything that seems unnecessary."
"To put it bluntly, he treats everyone like a wind-up toy, winds them up, sets them in the right direction, and then waits to reach the finish line."
"But I could vaguely sense that he was very agitated because of something."
"I've seen him staring at the schedule during R&D meetings before. That kind of anxiety didn't come from the pressure from shareholders; it came from his body."
"He was always coughing and tapping his fingers on the edge of the table. During meetings, he would occasionally put his hand on his chest, a very subtle gesture, and his complexion would look even worse afterward."
"I think he's probably sick and doesn't have much time left."
"Osborn Group has always had a business line in the biopharmaceutical field, mainly exploring gene therapy and specific drugs for various rare diseases."
"If they can secure a mass production agreement for Dragon Blood Tablets, their production line scale is more than capable of supporting it."
Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin.
The code name popped into Li En's mind.
Based on the timeline, Norman should not have invented the Green Goblin potion yet.
His genetic disease is slowly pushing him toward his death, while the shrewd board of directors of the Osborne Group have already begun privately discussing personnel arrangements for the post-Norman era.
A dying billionaire, still holding onto all the resources he can mobilize, spends each day counting down the days until his death.
A good partner.
Li Enchao raised his chin at Connors.
Connors understood, picked up the phone on the table, dialed a number, and pressed speakerphone.
After a few rings, the call connected.
"Connors?" Norman Osborn's voice came through the receiver, speaking faster than a typical business call, with a slightly abrupt ending.
"Mr. Norman Osborn, this is Lee En."
Li En walked to the window and sat down, holding the phone in her left hand and gently tapping the windowsill with her right fingertips.
"So it's Mr. Lee En of the Hellsword." Norman's voice rose noticeably by half an octave the moment he heard the name Lee En, and he spoke even faster.
"Actually, I've wanted to meet you for a long time, but Mr. Li En seems to be very busy lately. I sent my assistant to the police station and the school three times, but we were both disappointed."
His wording still maintained the politeness expected of a CEO of a large company, but the anxiety in his voice was seeping out from between the lines.
"What would you like to talk to me about, Mr. Norman?" Lee's tone remained unchanged.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, then Norman's voice came through again, this time with a more steady rhythm, as if he was deliberately suppressing his emotions.
"I know that Mr. Li En's research team has developed a strengthening agent."
"Mr. Lee and that big green guy flew over Manhattan that day—leaving behind a lot of photos."
"I'd like to speak with Mr. Lee about this."
The other party didn't beat around the bush, so Li En didn't intend to either.
Are you free now? I'm at school.
"Ten minutes."
Click, the phone call ended.
Less than ten minutes later, the roar of propellers echoed over the wasteland where the Umbrella School was under construction.
A silver-gray helicopter hovered in mid-air, with the Osborne Group logo printed on the side of its fuselage.
The hatch was pushed open, and a pilot leaned out and threw the rope ladder down from the hatch. The rope ladder was blown violently by the propeller.
A figure in a dark blue suit appeared by the cabin door, gripping the rope ladder with both hands, braving the strong wind, and climbing down step by step from the hovering helicopter.
Li En stood at the entrance of the teaching building watching this scene.
A wealthy person who knows they could die at any moment is unlikely to be in the mood to wait for the helicopter to find a safe place to land.
Norman stepped onto the muddy ground, straightened his suit collar which had been blown askew by the wind, and strode over to Lee, extending his right hand.
His smile was as professional as any CEO of a large company, but the dark circles under his eyes betrayed him.
"Thank you for being willing to speak with me in person, Mr. Lee."
"Let's go inside and talk, Mr. Norman."
Instead of taking Norman to the lab, Li En led him directly to the principal's office.
Almost all the equipment in the laboratory was taken from the Osborn Group.
Centrifuges, spectrophotometers, gene sequencers—every piece of equipment still bears the Osborn Group's asset label; it would be too embarrassing to be recognized.
Although Norman probably doesn't care about a few pieces of equipment now, Lee doesn't like giving others leverage before negotiations even begin.
He poured Norman a cup of tea and sat down opposite him.
"I can see that you don't have much time left. The Dragon Blood Potion should be able to cure your illness."
Li En got straight to the point, speaking in a calm tone.
So how much are you willing to pay?
For someone like Norman Osborne, in his middle age, at the peak of his career, he held a conglomerate worth hundreds of billions.
The doctor told him that there was a bomb inside his body that was on a countdown.
At times like this, no groundwork is needed to discuss any business.
He would pay any price to survive.
This conclusion doesn't require business analysis; it's human nature.
Norman clearly agreed with this assessment.
He didn't even show any discomfort directly towards Lee.
"I need two. My child and I both have a family history of genetic diseases." Norman crossed his hands on his knees and leaned forward slightly.
"If it can be completely cured—two hundred million."
Outside the office door, Natasha, who was leaning against the corridor wall listening in, twitched her eyebrows slightly.
Two hundred million US dollars, not assets, not equity, but cash, which is no small amount.
This amount is enough to renovate Umbrella School from start to finish several times, and also to buy the two streets next door.
Li En put down his teacup, clapped his hands lightly in front of him, and smiled.
"I admire people like Mr. Norman who don't mince words."
"So I think we can discuss a deeper collaboration."
"Two doses of Dragon's Blood potion are provided free of charge to Mr. Norman and your child."
Norman's expression didn't change, but his fingers tightened slightly where they were clasped on his knees.
free.
A dying billionaire knows the weight of those two words.
In this world, free is more expensive than any price tag.
Money can be repaid, but favors can never be repaid.
A person who dares to push two hundred million dollars off the table in front of him must want more than two hundred million.
"So, shall we cooperate?" Li En extended his hand to him, palm up, fingers slightly spread.
The smile on her face was exactly the same as when she poured him tea earlier.
Norman cursed inwardly.
He has discussed countless business collaborations, starting with his first weapons development contract with the military when he was young.
When it came to acquiring competitors, he stood at the negotiating table and raised the price expressionlessly, a tactic he had never seen before.
They didn't mention any conditions, they just asked if we were willing to cooperate.
There was no framework, no terms, not even a title for a letter of intent.
This isn't negotiation; this is gambling.
He gritted his teeth and reached out to shake it.
If you lose your life, everything else is meaningless.
.