Chapter 891: The Shining Stars of Rotten (Part 36)
Added 2024-01-13 05:52:24 +0000 UTCIn DC World With Marvel Chat Group : Table of Content/Chapter List
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In the laboratory, Otto waved the tentacles behind his back and said, "I'm a physicist, completely unrelated to medicine and biology. If you want to research the technology of resurrection, I can only approach it from the perspective of quantum physics."
"But first, I'm not an expert in this field, and second, these materials you have are of no use to me. I would have to start from scratch, and such research usually takes a decade..."
"Three days? Are you kidding me? Physics is a rigorous discipline, just calculating a result would take more than three days. You'd better seek help from someone else!"
He put down the materials he was holding, and then raised one hand, while Yinsen and Reed gathered around. Yinsen shook his head first and said, "Although I have a Bachelor of Science in medicine, resurrecting humans? That's quite advanced."
Reed frowned and said, "Have you all noticed that the key doesn't lie in whether we can develop this medicine, but in the ingredients for this medicine."
He caressed the paper that had "Materials" written on it and continued, "Any slightly intelligent person can see that the key to resurrection lies in what's known as the Kree. Their bodily tissues possess miraculous properties, something completely outside the realm of existing human scientific research systems. Finding scientists won't help..."
The leader of the Agents stepped forward and asked, "So, you mean this can't be researched?"
Reed sighed and said, "I'm here for the money, so I don't mind analyzing it for you."
"Here's the deal: leave the samples with me, and I'll see if I can analyze the components inside. But don't expect me to crack it and reproduce it within three days. For something like this, you'll have to seek help from a higher power."
"How long will it take?" The Agent leader asked anxiously. "We're under a lot of pressure; we need it as soon as possible..."
Reed took the sample and walked to the nearby lab table, saying, "Give me two hours. Come back for the results in two hours."
Once the Agent left, he breathed a sigh of relief. These past few days, they had been going back and forth among various human scientists, receiving those intelligent members with puzzled expressions.
Anyone with a basic understanding of science knew that developing a medicine from scratch didn't take years; it took decades.
To the general and politicians who didn't understand the profession, the materials the Agents had salvaged might seem detailed, but to scientists, these materials were practically the same as having nothing at all.
Regarding the Tahiti Project's materials, they only outlined the concept of the plan and a rough experimental procedure. There was no information on the properties of any ingredients or the medicine's effects.
This might be useful to politicians and generals in understanding the plan's purpose, but for scientists, it was like starting from scratch.
After hearing about the plan, everyone shook their heads. Even with the Agents using threats and incentives, these scientists could only say, "You might as well ask God for this."
However, they had come to these scientists precisely to avoid seeking God.
About two hours later, Reed brought the analysis report and said, "I have two pieces of news for you: one good and one bad. Which one do you want to hear first?"
Before the Agent could reply, Reed continued, "The bad news is that we indeed detected an unknown component inside. It doesn't fall within the realm of current human medicine, and we can't even observe its molecular properties. This seems to be what the Materials referred to as the Kree's bodily tissues."
"But the good news is that, based on our observations, this tissue hasn't undergone overly complex processing and can already achieve the goal of resurrecting someone who recently died."
"So, I infer that to resurrect someone who died earlier, you'll probably need a larger dosage of the medicine, specifically the active ingredient. In other words, as long as you have a sufficient amount of the active ingredient, you should be able to achieve your goal."
Several Agents exchanged glances, unsure if this answer would suffice, but Reed shrugged and said, "My equipment here won't cut it. If you want to completely unravel the mystery, you'll have to go to Stark Tower's advanced laboratory."
The Agent took this information back, and the generals and politicians furrowed their brows. General spoke up, "So, if we can find these bodily tissues, we can resurrect these superheroes?"
"Dr. Reed's suggestion is that it's possible. However, he also suggested another path: if we can access Stark Tower's advanced laboratory, there's hope to decipher these components. Then, perhaps, we can synthesize it artificially."
"We need to proceed on both fronts." One of the politicians narrowed his eyes and said, "Finding the bodily tissues of aliens like the Kree isn't easy, and we need a substantial quantity for synthesis. If JARVIS is involved, it won't be a walk in the park."
"I recall that the Materials mentioned a mysterious item called the 'Obelisk' that's related to these Kree aliens."
"Here's the plan: you're responsible for tracing leads on the Obelisk while searching for the Kree's bodily tissues," General said. Without waiting for objections from the politicians, he added, "Stark Tower probably can't be breached through software hacking alone. If we need weapons, we're better equipped for that."
On the Congress side, they couldn't argue that the military had the upper hand in this situation. However, the vast amount of research within Stark Tower...
The Congressman gritted his teeth and began negotiations with the General. Before long, both sides reached a compromise: one would attempt to breach the defenses of Stark Tower, while the other would track down the whereabouts of the Kree.
Not long after that, Stark, who was in Heaven, received a signal from JARVIS on his wrist-mounted device.
He frowned as he looked at the screen and said, "What are they doing? Weren't they supposed to be conducting a network intrusion? It seems like... they're planning some physical breakthrough?"
Schiller leaned over, but the screen displayed data that he couldn't decipher. Schiller furrowed his brow and asked, "Isn't this supposed to be a piece of magic tech? Why is there so much data?"
Stark rolled his eyes and said, "Don't try to define science and magic with your narrow scientific perspective. This is a magic-powered mobile phone, you can think of it as a source of magic energy. That's why it can appear in my Soul state. But in reality, it follows Stark industrial logic, and its software system is created by JARVIS..."
"Alright, you don't need to explain all that," Schiller interrupted, covering his eyes.
"The conclusion is this: tell me, they were planning to use a network intrusion method to bypass Stark Tower Laboratory's locks, but JARVIS's message indicates that they seem to be attempting a physical breach..."
Stark looked at the screen's contents and said, "Let me see... isn't that the guy named Ivan? They dare to involve a Russian?"
Schiller leaned over again, and he saw that the screen was playing surveillance footage. Previously, Whiplash had attempted to infiltrate Stark Tower but had been unsuccessful. Now, he was squatting near the base of Stark Tower's wall, tinkering with something. Schiller furrowed his brow and asked, "Could he be planning to blow up your building?"
"From his actions and the equipment he's using, it seems like it. But JARVIS told me his bomb only has one casing."
"Perhaps Congress is controlling him, trying to use him to bypass Stark Tower's defenses. But I guess he's not too happy about it, so he's stalling here," Schiller speculated.
Stark shook his head and said, "What are these people thinking? Ivan couldn't even break in before I upgraded my technology and equipment. Now they believe he can blow up my building after I'm dead?"
"Moreover, based on my understanding of that Russian, even if he wanted revenge against me, he'd do it face to face. Destroying Stark Tower's defenses after my death? That's not his style."
Stark leaned back in his chair and said, "In some ways, we're quite similar. If he were to die, I might even mourn a bit. It would be a loss for the world of human science."
"Are you sure they can't breach your defenses?" Schiller asked.
Stark shook his head but didn't give a definitive answer. Instead, he held up the screen and said, "Keep watching; you'll find out."
After a while, there were many people gathered in front of Stark Tower: near the entrance, at the base of the building, near the elevator, and in front of screens. Among them were many familiar faces, including Otto.
Everyone was busy studying the building, but even Schiller, who only knew how to change light bulbs, could tell that something was off in their actions.
Otto's tentacles seemed to be acting strangely, tapping here and there, lifting bricks, or poking at the wall seams. It looked like they were searching for clues, but in reality, they weren't accomplishing anything.
Based on Schiller's understanding, Otto was an energy physicist, so if they were attempting a physical breach, it should involve energy-related aspects.
However, Otto remained in the lobby of Stark Tower, seemingly transformed into a building repairman. He was prying off bricks, sticking them back on, prying them off again, and then sticking them back...
Those advanced tentacles showed no superiority as their efficiency in removing bricks was low. In ten minutes, they had only managed to remove a few pieces, and Otto even pretended to inspect the wall's structure.
Yinsen, as Stark's good friend, was working diligently. He tried to explain Stark Tower's architecture to the Agents and even pulled out design drawings. Unfortunately, due to the education gap, it seemed that the Agents struggled to understand his explanations.
Another of Stark's friends, Rhodes, who had retired from the military, was also called in. He held a calling device for a Mech armor that had been phased out about a year or two ago. He was explaining how the device worked to several military personnel.
As he explained, the others listened attentively, unaware that the device was already outdated due to its advanced appearance.
Natasha, having had previous contact with Stark, was also called in. She leaned against the nearby wall, amusing Anton. It seemed like she had a keen interest in this robust and handsome fellow from her homeland.
In short, there were dozens of people on the scene, and all of them seemed to be wasting time. After an hour of research, Stark Tower remained unaffected. At this rate, they could continue to stall for many hours.
Schiller took a sip of water while leaning back in his chair and said, "If I didn't know for sure that I hadn't arranged for any of this, I'd think it was part of the plan."
"I guess everyone has realized that their entry into Stark Tower isn't innocent. Even after your death, those assets are valuable treasures for humanity. They shouldn't be stolen or destroyed by anyone."
Stark lowered his head, closed the screen, and said in a low voice, "You have to believe that you're not alone in wanting to protect the future of humanity. You're not fighting this battle by yourself."
Schiller smiled and said, "That's the reason why I want to protect the future of humanity."
[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]
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Next Chapter>>Chapter 892: The Shining Stars and Rotten (Part 37)