Marvel: A Lazy-Ass Superman Chapter 863: The Operation Put on Hold

"By the way, there’s the matter of Henry Brown," Ezekiel Sims said, remembering the assignment.

"How’s that going? Whenever I hear that name, I can’t help wondering whether the powers of persuasion you’re so proud of are really as effective as you claim. If I remember correctly, I entrusted this task to you quite some time ago."

"It’s been less than a month. Plenty of people have failed to accomplish what you’re asking for. What kind of results do you expect me to achieve in such a short time?"

"Stop. I don’t want to hear you complain. The fact that you’ve brought up his name again means something has changed, doesn’t it?"

Dr. Warren Vidic wasn’t some bookish nerd who spent all day cooped up in a laboratory. He could naturally pick up on the tone of the man in front of him. It suggested an unexpected complication.

"I saw that man at the Mellon family’s reception."

"At... the Mellon family’s reception?"

Ezekiel Sims nodded emphatically.

"Yes. And judging by what I observed, he’s on very good terms with Mrs. Mellon. It’s quite possible that Givenchy was the one who introduced them."

"So, what exactly are you trying to tell me?"

Ezekiel Sims adopted a relaxed, self-assured expression and spoke casually.

"You know what methods I usually employ. I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to make him cooperate without offending anyone. So, are you prepared for the consequences?"

"You think the Mellon family will protect him?"

"I don’t know whether that’s possible. But from his behavior alone, anyone could tell that he’s a man of considerable value. The question is whether he’s valuable enough for them to offend other people on his behalf."

Vidic propped his chin on his hand and thought carefully before asking, "If I remember correctly, the Mellon family’s reception was an art appreciation event. In what capacity did Henry Brown attend?"

"He brought along a rather interesting crystal. When light shines on it from different angles, it projects a three-dimensional image above the crystal. Nobody knows how he did it, but everyone seemed quite interested, including Mrs. Mellon herself."

"Even she was interested?" Warren Vidic was genuinely surprised.

According to the information he had, Mrs. Rachel Lambert Mellon was a master gardener who loved art and even supported certain contemporary writers. However, she wasn’t particularly interested in overly avant-garde forms of art.

Vidic found it difficult to imagine that a holographic crystal would capture her attention.

Ezekiel Sims quickly answered the question that had puzzled this senior member of the modern-day Knights Templar’s Inner Sanctum.

"The three-dimensional images projected by the crystal were of Mr. and Mrs. Mellon themselves, including images of them when they were young and when they were old."

What a sycophant.

Having formed his judgment, Warren Vidic made an immediate decision.

"Put everything concerning Henry Brown on hold. Switch to observation and reassess his value, along with the potential trouble he might cause us.

"If he’s merely some attention-seeking brat, there’s no reason to go to such lengths for him. Since you say he was also a guest at the reception, you had an opportunity to observe him up close. What’s your assessment?"

Ezekiel Sims carefully recalled their brief encounter.

"Perhaps because he’s acquainted with Stark and the Mellon family, the kid carries himself with considerable arrogance.

"His spending habits also suggest he has no financial vulnerabilities, which only makes him more conceited. On top of that, he doesn’t seem to have any clear ambitions of his own. If I had to identify a pattern... older women?

"All the women he’s on good terms with are considerably older than him. Audrey Hepburn, Katherine Hepburn, Rachel Lambert... And his behavior doesn’t exactly suggest he’s a womanizer who preys on widows."

Warren Vidic gave a cold chuckle.

"If all he wants is money, then he’ll be much easier to deal with."

Ezekiel Sims, however, looked thoroughly disdainful.

"Every story about this man is an unverified rumor, and they’re all wildly exaggerated.

"If he really could do all the things people claim, why wouldn’t he make them public? His achievements at Stark Industries are probably just another front for Tony Stark to use in public. Is there really any need to take him so seriously?

"That guy is like an over-the-top actor. If you ask me, that’s probably the only part of his background worth believing: a bit-part actor who never made it in Hollywood, but managed to climb to his current position by sweet-talking a bunch of old women."

Warren Vidic seemed unconvinced.

"We wanted to recruit him partly so we could observe him up close and determine whether he really has the abilities people claim. But it looks like there’s no need to waste too many resources on him after all."

Ezekiel Sims nodded in agreement.

"In that case, I’ll leave the surveillance to you. I’m not going to waste any more time on that guy. I’ve got my own business to take care of."

As he spoke, he picked up the disc Warren Vidic had given him and waved it slightly.

"I’ll say it again: if you need help, don’t hesitate to come to us. Abstergo can provide far more than you imagine."

"If you really want to help, then give me the contact information of a hacker I can buy off. Any further intelligence on Henry Brown should be worth something."

"You certainly know how to make sure you never lose out," Warren Vidic remarked with a mocking laugh.

He then used the telephone in the reception room to give his secretary an instruction.

Before long, his secretary entered the room carrying a document. She wore a fitted pencil skirt that accentuated her graceful figure.

Warren Vidic examined the information she had brought in, made one final check, and then handed the document to Ezekiel Sims.

"Amariah Mamed is a hacker active on the dark web whom we’ve been tracking. She’s one of the members of the Rising Tide organization whose identity we’ve been able to confirm. Everything we’ve managed to find is in this file. How you persuade her to cooperate is up to you."

Looking at the single sheet of paper that constituted the entire file, Ezekiel Sims frowned.

"Is this really all the information you have?"

"She is a hacker, after all—a federal criminal. You didn’t seriously expect her to have a scandal-ridden life like some celebrity who makes the tabloids every other day, with enough material to turn her autobiography into a short film, did you?"

Ezekiel Sims folded the sheet several times and slipped it into the inner pocket of his suit jacket. Then he stood up.

"Understood. I’ll handle the rest myself."

With that, he left in a hurry, without even finishing the coffee on the table.

After he departed, Warren Vidic remained seated in the reception room. He tapped his fingers against the tabletop, seemingly lost in thought, until another female researcher in a white lab coat entered.

"Dr. Vidic."

"Ah, Lucy. What is it?"

The blonde, short-haired researcher, Lucy Stillman, worked on genetic memory research as part of Warren Vidic’s project. She pointed toward the man who had just left the room.

"Wasn’t that Ezekiel Sims? Doctor, you didn’t consider bringing him into the organization? I’ve heard that the people in the Operations Division are very interested in his abilities."

"You said it yourself. The people in the Operations Division are interested in him. That doesn’t mean I am."

"All right. I’ve come to retrieve the painting and check whether it can be used to induce genetic memories."

"It’s on the table. Take it."

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