Marvel - The Blood God

By the next day, news outlets across the United States and around the world were reporting on the events in Harlem. Live images and videos flooded the airwaves and the internet. Viewers were shocked to see the commercial district nearly reduced to ruins. Had a war broken out?

The news featured photos of the Abomination, and detailed explanations revealed that this creature was created by the military. General Ross's statements were broadcast repeatedly, fueling public outrage. The military had secretly created such a terrifying monster, which then destroyed a city street—how could this be tolerated?

Large-scale protests were imminent, and General Ross and the military became targets of public criticism.

In addition to the uproar over the monster and the military, there was another focal point: the new battle suit bearing the Osborn Group's dragon logo. Countless people debated whether the Osborn Group had truly developed a powerful new weapon.

This was confirmed on "Tracy Talk," where Tracy detailed the entire Abomination incident, shocking viewers and intensifying their anger toward General Ross.

Not only was General Ross responsible for the fiasco, but when he pursued the Hulk at Culver University, he hadn't even evacuated the area beforehand. This led many, including faculty and students from Culver University, to decide to protest at the White House.

Subsequently, the Osborn Group held a press conference to officially release their "Heroic" series of suits. They also unveiled photos showing the Heroic suits defeating the Abomination—photos that, perhaps intentionally, included images of Iron Man battling the creature.

These photos ignited the internet. Countless people debated whether the Heroic suit was stronger than Iron Man's Mark suits. Although Iron Man had many fans, it was hard to compete with someone adept at swaying public opinion.

The release of the Heroic suit caused the Osborn Group's stock price to soar, and countless inquiries poured in about purchasing the suit. Maverick's net worth increased by billions overnight, and this was just the beginning.

At the Osborn Group, Maverick personally led Senator Stern and General Slocum on a tour of the battle suit manufacturing facility. He had Frank put on the Hero II suit to demonstrate its various functions.

"Senator, General Slocum, I won't deny that my Heroic suit is slightly less advanced than Iron Man's," Maverick said with a smile. "But it'll improve over time. More importantly, I'm willing to sell my suits—he isn't."

"The question is, isn't your price too high?" General Slocum frowned. "Five hundred million dollars—how many people can we equip at that cost?"

"One battle suit can take on an entire battalion," Maverick replied. "Five hundred million dollars is well worth it. We need sufficient funding to continue developing the suit and make it even stronger. The current Heroic suit is far from perfect."

"It can get stronger?" General Slocum and Senator Stern were intrigued. Stern thought of something and asked, "Maverick, you're also using an Arc Reactor. Is there any issue with Stark Industries?"

"No problem at all," Maverick assured them. "I've reached a preliminary agreement with Tony. In fact, Ivan Vanko, the designer of the suit, isn't here today because he's discussing this with Tony right now. The suits are absolutely legal. Place your order now, and you can have them in three months."

Maverick added, "By the way, the NYPD and S.H.I.E.L.D. are also very interested in the suits. If they place orders first, you might have to wait."

"S.H.I.E.L.D.?" General Slocum frowned. The NYPD wasn't a concern—they couldn't afford $500 million—but S.H.I.E.L.D. was a formidable opponent. He said seriously, "Maverick, we can't let these suits fall into the hands of other countries."

"Even though S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded in the United States, it's now a global organization," Maverick said with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry—the Osborn Group will never sell the suits to S.H.I.E.L.D. unless Congress approves it."

"That's good to hear." General Slocum nodded with satisfaction, then asked, "Maverick, can we customize special suits?"

"Of course." Maverick smiled. "Whether it's melee, long-range, whatever functions you need—we can provide it. The Osborn Group will do its utmost to serve the military."

"The military is pleased to have a patriotic enterprise like yours," General Slocum said solemnly. Frank, standing nearby, secretly rolled his eyes. Weren't these the same people who recently said they'd never do business with vampires?

"These guys have no shame," Frank thought to himself. "I never got promoted because I couldn't be as thick-skinned as them."

"Everything for the country." Maverick smiled. After talking for a while longer, General Slocum left excitedly with a stack of documents.

Senator Stern stayed behind. In Maverick's office, he asked, "Maverick, the Hulk and the monster the media is calling the Abomination—they're both in your custody?"

"Yes, they're both in my hands," Maverick replied, pouring a glass of red wine for Senator Stern. He smiled and added, "General Ross has been saying a lot of bad things about me behind my back, hasn't he?"

Senator Stern took a sip and said, "More than just a few bad words. He's been urging top military officials to eliminate vampires and seize your suits. But few are paying attention to him. Both the government and the military are quite satisfied with your willingness to sell the suits."

He continued, "Maverick, you're much better than that guy who doesn't care about national security and only thinks about himself. Hmph, if you didn't have your suits, I'd definitely make that guy hand over his."

Maverick chuckled. "He won't compromise easily," he said. "Senator, the Council of Blood will continue to contribute to the country as always. As for General Ross, well, he should focus on protecting himself first. The White House gates are quite lively today."

"Indeed, it's quite a spectacle. The folks in the White House are having a real headache. With such a big incident, the military will have to give an explanation to the public and the soldiers' families. General Ross won't last much longer," Senator Stern said. "However, Maverick, I suggest you hand over either the Hulk or the Abomination to the military. After all, they were created by the military. While the military isn't forcing you now, it's best not to stir up too much trouble."

"I'm prepared for that, Senator," Maverick said. "Come with me—I have something to show you." He led Senator Stern to the underground facility of the Osborn Group, where the Abomination was restrained by numerous braces. Its head was opened, and the brain inside was missing.

"This is the Abomination?" Senator Stern marveled. "It's even more fearsome than in the videos. Good thing it's dead." He then asked, "What are you doing with its head opened?"

"He's not dead," Maverick replied. "Before he died, I turned him into a vampire."

"You turned it into a vampire?" Senator Stern was stunned. "Maverick, what are you planning?"

"I want to create a super war machine," Maverick said. He motioned for Lilith to hand Senator Stern a tablet. "At the Osborn Group, we have a project called the bio-electronic brain. I want to install one in the Abomination so we can control it and have it fight for us."

Senator Stern looked over the information on the tablet, surprised. "A bio-electronic brain? Has the Osborn Group's technology advanced this far?"

"We haven't completed it yet, which is why I turned the Abomination into a vampire," Maverick explained. "The abilities of the vampire can help the bio-electronic brain control the Abomination."

"Won't the Abomination be weakened as a vampire?" Senator Stern asked. "Vampires have many weaknesses."

"We've already addressed that," Maverick assured him. "We're going to equip him with battle armor that not only protects his weaknesses but also greatly enhances his strength. Besides, having weaknesses can be a good thing. The military can install an ultraviolet bomb in his heart. If he ever loses control, they can eliminate him completely at the press of a button."

"That's an excellent idea." Senator Stern's eyes lit up. "Maverick, your vampires continue to surprise us. I think it's time we gave you an award."

"I'll look forward to it," Maverick said with a smile. "The Council of Blood won't disappoint the government or the military."

"The country is very grateful for your support," Senator Stern said. "By the way, how much does this war machine cost?" He looked up at the Abomination, his eyes full of eagerness.

"Just the Abomination alone is $500 million. If you want the battle armor as well, it'll be a total of $1.5 billion. I'm not trying to rip you off—the armor for the Abomination will be far more advanced than our standard suits."

"One and a half billion dollars?" Senator Stern was taken aback. "Maverick, your products are really expensive."

"Good things don't come cheap," Maverick smiled. "Besides, it's not that expensive. An aircraft carrier costs at least tens of billions of dollars. Which do you think is more useful—an aircraft carrier or a war machine like the Abomination?"

"Hmm... it seems that the war machine is more useful," Senator Stern pondered, then nodded in agreement. "When you put it that way, $1.5 billion isn't too high."

"I'll go back and discuss it with Congress," Senator Stern said. "I'll bring back the information on the Abomination. As for the Hulk, you can keep him for now. I'll see what the military decides."

Maverick smiled and said, "Alright, I'll leave it to you then, Senator."

Senator Stern replied with a smile, "No trouble at all. Everything is for the country."

Maverick shook hands with Senator Stern, expressing his understanding, and then personally escorted the Senator out. The deal was essentially sealed.

"You'll never realize that control over the Abomination will always be in my hands," Maverick thought, narrowing his eyes slightly. "As for the ultraviolet bomb, there are many ways to deal with that."

"One Abomination isn't enough. The military will definitely try to create more, and then I can easily build an army of Abominations."

Using others' resources to build his own army—Maverick smiled at the thought.

Shaking his head, Maverick returned to his office. He poured two glasses of wine and said, "You know, if you sneak into my office like this, I have the right to shoot you."

"I didn't come here to listen to your complaints," came the cold reply.

Seated on the sofa was Nick Fury, wearing his signature trench coat. "I didn't come here to listen to your complaints," he retorted coldly. As the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., knocking wasn't exactly his style.

Maverick turned around, placed a wine glass in front of Director Fury, and said, "Then what do you want to hear from me? Offering you a discount?"

Director Fury picked up the glass and said, "Actually, that wouldn't be bad. How about that 50% off you mentioned?"

Maverick sneered. "In your dreams. So, what's the real reason you're here? You wouldn't bother coming just to buy a suit."

Director Fury took a sip and said, "I'm here because of you, Maverick. What exactly are you trying to do? Do you realize that the vampire race is one step away from war?"

Maverick sat down, his demeanor relaxed. "Is that how you secure funding from above?"

"The Council of Blood's acquisition of the Osborn Group already made some high-ranking officials uneasy," Fury said. "They thought your kind was overreaching. But since the Osborn Group was struggling at the time and you were actively reforming it, they reluctantly accepted."

He continued, "But now you've created battle suits—the most advanced individual weaponry available. Do you know that Washington, the military, and even S.H.I.E.L.D. are all proposing to eliminate the vampires and seize the suits?"

Maverick scoffed. "Director Fury, you're exaggerating to scare me. It's not going to work."

Fury shot back, "You think I'm lying? Want me to show you the proposals?"

"Sure, some are suggesting we eliminate the vampires—like General Ross—but they're a minority and largely ignored," Maverick replied. "Most high-ranking officials are eager to cooperate with us."

Fury looked at him with disdain. "Is that all you see?"

"It's true that this incident will make the higher-ups more vigilant, but it's just that—vigilance," Maverick said. "We're far from war. Even if there is dissatisfaction, they'll warn me first or pressure me to hand over the suit technology, not rashly start a war. The vampires have survived till now without relying on human mercy."

Fury fixed his one eye on Maverick and asked, "Since you know this will raise their vigilance, why are you doing something so reckless?"

Maverick was silent for a moment. "Director Fury, what I'm about to tell you, I won't explain further. Believe it or not."

Fury said, "I'm listening."

"There are many alien races in this universe," Maverick began. "The reason they haven't invaded Earth isn't because we're remote, but because the God-King Odin is protecting us."

Fury was stunned. "God-King Odin? As in Norse mythology?"

"Aren't vampires also part of mythology?" Maverick countered. "Odin protects us because Earth is a vassal of Asgard. I know what you're thinking—why hasn't Asgard interfered with us? It's because the Ancient One reclaimed Earth's autonomy from Odin."

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