Compared to a tenfold acceleration spell, doubling time was already simple.
Xu Dan quickly mastered the rhythm of a twofold ratio. From there, he increased it step by step. As long as his mind remained focused and free of distraction, the adjustment could always be achieved.
Eventually, he succeeded.
A virtual world with a maximum time ratio of ten times.
Without hesitation, he released the news.
Once the world's top talents took notice, publicizing the announcement was only natural—and the reaction spoke for itself.
They had already experienced the benefits of "Jedi."
Now Xu Dan had developed a dedicated virtual research space.
In "Jedi," the time ratio was fixed at threefold.
But this specialized virtual world could be adjusted according to need—1.5 times, 5 times, even 10 times.
Naturally, different specifications came with different prices.
The standard triple-time space was the cheapest. After all, "Jedi" already offered threefold acceleration; price it too high, and no one would buy it.
Using threefold as the baseline, prices increased upward.
A virtual space with a tenfold time ratio could cost billions of dollars.
But most clients purchasing tenfold acceleration were national-level institutions.
They did not lack funds.
As soon as the news broke, major world powers rushed to place orders.
It was clear how much expectation surrounded this adjustable-time virtual world.
The logic was simple:
Look at technological change over ten years in reality.
Now imagine compressing that into one year.
Or stretching a single real-world year into a hundred years of research time.
What breakthroughs might occur?
National institutions bought the tenfold option without hesitation.
Private companies, eager to conduct research of their own, typically chose fivefold or sixfold acceleration.
One such buyer was a man named Darren Kraus.
Darren Kraus was talented and capable. Though bald, he was charismatic, and there were still many women who admired him.
In this world, a man who was wealthy, capable, and not unattractive—combining all three—was often regarded as a "male idol."
More importantly, Darren was no ordinary figure.
He had once been the prized student of the renowned Dr. Hank Pym.
Pym had appreciated Darren so much that he entrusted him with management of the company—Pym Technologies—and even considered pairing him with his daughter.
But everything collapsed after an incident.
Darren's questionable actions were exposed to Dr. Pym.
Old Pym reclaimed control of the company.
Out of past sentiment, he did not fire Darren outright. Instead, he demoted him to an ordinary employee.
But resentment, once rooted, does not vanish simply because it is cut back.
Often, it grows back stronger.
Old Pym's mercy was a mistake.
Like the tale of the farmer and the snake, sooner or later Darren would bite.
And this virtual space—
This was the opportunity he had been waiting for.
Though now only an employee, Darren had once run the entire company. His familiarity with Pym Technologies exceeded even Pym's own.
Quietly, he diverted a portion of company funds and purchased a fivefold virtual research space.
Since his demotion, one obsession had consumed him:
He would build a successful Wasp suit.
Having studied the early Ant-Man operations, he admired the warriors who wielded both ant-sized agility and giant-scale strength.
If he could mass-produce such battle suits and sell them to a national power, the profits would be astronomical.
Why cling to Pym Technologies at that point?
He would found his own empire.
That night, after returning home from work, he did not shower or rest.
He entered a hidden chamber.
At the center stood a suit of armor.
Not a Wasp suit.
If Xu Dan had been present, he would have recognized it immediately—
Chitauri battle armor.
Darren had acquired it through black-market channels.
This alien technology formed the foundation for his research.
"Beautiful," Darren murmured, gazing at the armor. "When I build the Wasp suit, it will be even more beautiful."
From the moment he learned Pym's secrets…
From the moment he witnessed a superhero wielding immense power within the body of an ant…
Perhaps destiny had already been set.
Yet even during his tenure as head of Pym Technologies, he had failed to produce a stable Wasp suit.
Pym Particles were dangerous.
Properly controlled, they enabled size manipulation.
Improperly handled, they became lethal weapons—crushing targets into ruin.
Old Pym had long mastered the technology. But the original Wasp had been his wife.
After her sacrifice, he chose to seal the Ant-Man suit away.
He wanted a normal life.
Darren disagreed.
To him, sealing such power was wasteful.
Thus, during his leadership, he launched a Wasp suit project.
When he was removed, the project was terminated.
But Darren's ambition did not die.
He relocated the experiments to his private chamber.
"From today onward, I'll accelerate the research inside the virtual space. At five times the time ratio, I'll succeed soon enough. My talent will be proven."
He picked up a specialized virtual helmet—one designed to connect directly to a private virtual space, ensuring confidentiality.
Conducting research inside accelerated-time virtual environments had become a global trend.
Nations that embraced it were advancing rapidly.
Darren intended to use that time advantage to conduct experiment after experiment—
Until the Wasp suit was perfected.
It was his obsession.
His vindication.
And the reason he had spent everything to purchase fivefold time.
-----------------------
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