Marvel: A Lazy-Ass Superman Chapter 651: Norman Osborn

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From Henry's perspective, the more appropriate course of action would have been to follow the brat in reverse, uncover the mastermind behind everything, and force out their intentions so he could prepare countermeasures or retaliate.

But being a Kryptonian who found such things troublesome, Henry decided to leave the difficult work to the American authorities.

After all, the kid was probably only around ten years old.

Henry was genuinely worried that if he got personally involved for too long, he might eventually lose his patience and twist the little nuisance's head off.

Literally twist it off.

Not merely as a figure of speech.

Whoever was behind all of this, if their efforts continued producing zero results, they would inevitably change tactics sooner or later.

Eventually, they'd expose themselves.

Henry understood something very clearly:

The people most anxious about the situation definitely weren't him.

And there were probably more than one or two people behind it all.

Picking off a handful of disposable pawns wouldn't accomplish anything.

Even if he skinned them alive and tore them apart, who exactly would be intimidated?

All it would do was hand useful leverage to the people behind the scenes.

No.

The real goal was to wait patiently for the big fish to bite.

Any true angler knew that fishing was ultimately a test of patience.

---

Far across the ocean, in India.

As one of the most populous nations on Earth, India possessed a rather mysterious form of great-power confidence.

The result was a collection of thought processes that many foreigners found impossible to understand.

For example, Sujay Patel, who had unknowingly become Henry's test subject, chose a path that left Jin Ge deeply disappointed.

He simply ignored the ten-percent profit-sharing agreement with Henry Brown.

Instead, he accepted kickbacks from the pharmaceutical company.

Not only that, but he repeatedly sent requests to the United States demanding additional "filters" and urging immediate delivery.

Both Sujay Patel and the pharmaceutical company believed that Americans cared enormously about profit-sharing revenue and would eventually compromise.

After all, the sums involved were substantial.

Unfortunately, this young man—who had only recently entered the workforce and had achieved little success in international trade—didn't possess the same understanding as his uncle.

Unlike Karan Patel, he had no idea what an Eternal was.

Nor did he understand what a Kryptonian represented.

As a result, these self-proclaimed sons of Greater Hindustan grew increasingly dissatisfied with the lack of response from America.

The pressure they faced wasn't driven solely by profit.

They were also being squeezed by other major pharmaceutical corporations.

Both Jin Ge and Henry had underestimated the appeal of a medication derived from Kree technology.

Especially since the company controlling the production process was merely a mid-sized pharmaceutical firm.

Even hostile acquisition attempts launched by India's own domestic giants had already pushed them to their limits.

Once internationally renowned pharmaceutical corporations joined the struggle, the pressure became far more than a mid-sized Indian company could withstand.

With no progress being made on obtaining additional "filters" from the United States, the company eventually lost patience.

They decided to take action against the only existing filter machine.

Reverse engineering.

Naturally, the original owners of the pharmaceutical company strongly opposed the decision.

But their objections meant very little when faced with entities far larger than themselves.

For the major pharmaceutical corporations involved, discovering the filter's secrets would be excellent.

And even if they failed?

Destroying this mid-sized company's ability to manufacture the dementia medication would still be beneficial.

Either way, they stood to gain.

As for potentially strangling a revolutionary advancement in medical technology before it could flourish...

Hadn't they done that countless times already?

Within a market economy, countless promising technologies had been delayed or buried entirely in the pursuit of maximum profits.

One more wouldn't trouble anyone's conscience.

A harsh reality remained:

Every pharmaceutical company was a profit-seeking enterprise, not a charity.

A responsible executive's duty was to maximize revenue, not advance medical science.

That was supposedly the scientists' job.

Talk about social responsibility was often little more than crocodile tears.

Anyone foolish enough to believe otherwise was setting themselves up to be exploited.

---

On a spring day that already felt like summer in South Asia, nearly every major pharmaceutical giant either sent representatives or arrived personally.

They gathered in secret inside the laboratory of the Indian pharmaceutical company.

A special workspace had been prepared.

At its center stood the filter machine, removed directly from the production line.

Various tools were neatly arranged on a nearby workbench.

Yet none of the technicians moved to begin dismantling it.

Instead, pharmaceutical executives and corporate representatives clustered together, whispering among themselves.

"What's going on?"

"Weren't they supposed to take it apart today?"

"Why isn't anyone doing anything?"

The machine itself was far from small.

Its footprint was roughly the size of a pickup truck bed and stood about as tall as an average person.

An average South Asian person, anyway.

Despite its size, however, it was surprisingly light.

A standard 3.5-ton forklift could easily carry it around.

Many attendees examined the machine closely, hoping to discern its secrets simply by studying its exterior.

Then the laboratory doors opened once more.

A group of visitors from the United States entered.

Instantly, the room fell silent.

Those who had previously been confused now understood why everyone had been waiting.

These newcomers weren't representatives of any pharmaceutical company.

They came from a level even higher in the chain.

Oscorp Industries.

One of the world's leading biotechnology corporations.

Leading the group was a man whose appearance seemed more suited to a military officer than a corporate executive.

His hair was cropped short.

His build was large and imposing.

His expression was dark and severe.

The pressure he radiated was unmistakable.

Norman Osborn.

Chairman of Oscorp.

One of the individuals in this world with the power to shape events through sheer influence.

The owner of the Indian pharmaceutical company immediately hurried forward.

His head bobbed repeatedly as he greeted the newcomer in heavily accented English.

"Mr. Osborn, we've finally been waiting for you."

"Hm."

Norman Osborn barely acknowledged him.

Offering only a casual response, he walked directly toward the machine that transformed worthless materials into immense profits.

That was how Oscorp's researchers had described it.

Earlier, when the Indian company had faced hostile takeover attempts from larger domestic competitors, Oscorp had stepped in as a white knight and blocked the acquisition.

Of course, Oscorp hadn't acted out of generosity.

The price of their assistance was access to the dementia drug's manufacturing process.

At the end of the day, everyone wanted the same thing.

Some simply pursued it more elegantly than others.

Oscorp had successfully duplicated every stage of the production process.

Yet they still couldn't create a dementia medication with the same effectiveness as the Indian version.

The only remaining difference was the mysterious black-box component known as the filter.

Norman Osborn, meanwhile, was under immense pressure from a U.S. military project involving the reconstruction and enhancement of the Super Soldier Serum.

He wanted to determine exactly what this machine was and whether it could be applied to his own research.

That was why he had personally made the trip.

The Indian pharmaceutical owner followed closely behind him.

Despite repeatedly being blocked by Osborn's bodyguards, he continued trying to approach, speaking politely and offering endless compliments.

After all, Oscorp now controlled enough shares of the company that he no longer possessed absolute authority.

If he wanted to retain his position as the firm's leader, he'd need to find other ways to secure Osborn's favor.

Suddenly, Norman stopped walking.

"You're planning to dismantle it here?"

The Indian executive immediately smiled obsequiously.

"Yes, Mr. Osborn. We've been waiting for your decision regarding whether the machine should be disassembled. After all, you know as well as we do that this is the only one we have. So... does this mean you've decided to proceed?"

As he spoke, he waved toward his researchers.

The technicians immediately picked up their tools, preparing to begin the reverse-engineering process.

Norman Osborn raised a hand sharply.

"Wait."

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