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"I said, why don't you just go rob them?!"
Ben Grimm, with his fiery temper, clenched his fists tightly and roared, "You just want to take 70% of Reed's experimental results for merely providing a place for an experiment? You capitalists really devour people without spitting out the bones."
If Reed Richards hadn't desperately held him back, he might have actually lashed out at the hateful capitalist in front of him.
"Ben, forget it."
Reed Richards didn't say much, just shook his head helplessly.
But from the disappointed expression on his face, it was not difficult to see that the other party's demand far exceeded his psychological expectations, so much so that he simply could not accept it.
No matter how dedicated he was to research, he wasn't so foolish as to simply hand over his research results for nothing.
However.
Just as both of them thought this negotiation would end in failure, Victor Von Doom suddenly changed the subject, saying with an amused smile:
"Of course, if you think the conditions I've proposed are too harsh, you can also pay the commission in another, relatively more equal way!"
"Hmm?"
Reed Richards's face immediately lit up when he heard this, and he eagerly pressed, "Victor, quickly, what way is that?"
The smile on Victor Von Doom's face deepened as he answered with a question, "Reed, I'm sure you've heard of Einstein's Unified Field Theory, haven't you!"
"Hmm... of course."
Although Reed Richards was a bit puzzled, as a master in the field of physics, he instinctively replied:
"The Unified Field Theory is a physical theory that unifies the description and revelation of the common essence and intrinsic connections of fundamental interactions."
"Einstein dedicated the latter half of his life to this theory, but it ultimately ended in failure... But what does this have to do with our collaboration?"
"Your answer is only half right."
Victor Von Doom still didn't directly answer his question, but instead spoke astonishingly, "There's actually a hidden secret within it: at the final critical moment when the Unified Field Theory was about to succeed, Einstein suddenly halted the experiment and, along with his assistants, destroyed all logs related to the experiment."
"Ah? This... why was that?"
Reed Richards immediately became interested; this was a completely new version he had never heard of.
Meanwhile, Ben Grimm, beside him, was completely confused, not understanding a bit of it.
Victor Von Doom seemed to greatly enjoy the feeling of leading "the smartest man on Earth" by the nose, and the smile on his face grew even wider as he continued:
"That's because... during the experiment, he accidentally opened a door to another dimension!!"
"What?!"
Reed Richards's eyes widened sharply, and he exclaimed, "I clearly remember that all previous experiments to unify the electromagnetic field and the gravitational field ended in failure..."
His words suddenly trailed off, as if he had thought of something, and he stared blankly at Victor Von Doom, "Wait a minute, could it be that Einstein's final experiment was related to the Quantum Field Effect?"
Reed Richards was so surprised because he knew very well how difficult it was to open a "Quantum Gate" using the Quantum Field Effect.
Not to mention in the 1930s when experimental conditions were extremely scarce (Note: Einstein published the Unified Field Theory in February 1929), even today, with technological advancements, this experiment is still widely considered one of the impossible experiments to complete.
Victor Von Doom's smile stiffened slightly when he saw that the other party had guessed the answer so quickly.
He was clearly a bit jealous.
No matter how arrogant he was, he had to admit that Reed Richards's mind was indeed a tiny bit smarter than his.
However, fortunately, this guy's luck and wealth weren't as good as his, which was a small comfort.
"You guessed correctly. I previously funded a research team, and they have been researching related experimental projects."
Victor Von Doom stopped beating around the bush and said directly, "A few days ago, they finally succeeded in sending a drone to another dimension."
"However, due to energy supply issues, they can currently only bring back a little sand and dust, and cannot yet bring back larger matter from there..."
"Reed, I heard that when you were at the PPDC Organization, you co-developed a new type of Hunter Mecha with Tony Stark, so you must have also come into contact with the core energy supply device.
Therefore, if you can replicate that new type of high-efficiency energy and help me complete the Quantum Gate Project, I can completely charge a very low... no, even lend you the space shuttle and space station for free!!"
After speaking, he assumed a confident posture and looked at the other party, quietly waiting for a reply.
"Victor, are you serious?" Reed Richards swallowed, clearly very interested in this so-called Quantum Gate Project.
If it weren't for the impending solar flare, he would probably throw himself directly into this project's research, even if he received no compensation whatsoever.
"Yes, Reed, I believe that with your intelligence, you can definitely help me solve this problem, right?"
At this moment, Ben Grimm, who had been silent, finally found an opportunity to speak, leaning close to Reed Richards's ear and whispering a reminder:
"Hey, buddy, I hope you're not actually thinking of doing this?
This is stealing... no, it's infringing on Tony Stark's patent. If he finds out, he'll probably sue us into bankruptcy!"
Who would have thought that Reed Richards would argue with an indifferent expression, "Ben, think about it, if this project really succeeds, humanity might be able to start long-distance interstellar migration decades or even a century earlier.
This will greatly alleviate the increasingly severe resource crisis and help countless people escape hunger and poverty. This is a great thing."
"The most important thing is that we can finally use the space station for free!!"
Seeing that he couldn't persuade his friend, Ben Grimm could only helplessly purse his lips, muttering in a voice only he could hear, "Yeah, and it could also directly lead to the end of the World."
"Deal."
Ultimately, Reed Richards, despite his friend's persuasion, agreed to Victor Von Doom's request.
Just as the other party had guessed, during the development of Hunter Mecha 001, he had paid attention to the complete blueprints and data Tony Stark used when building the power core.
For Reed Richards, who possessed a photographic memory and a genius mind, replicating the Arc Reactor technology was not a difficult task.
As for whether such an act constituted infringement...
Please, I'm not the one using it, am I? Even if Tony sues, he'll be suing Doom Group, not me, Reed! What does it have to do with me?!
Upon receiving a satisfactory answer, Victor Von Doom's face once again showed a confident smile.
"Very good. However, to ensure that our future cooperation proceeds without any hitches, I will fully entrust the space station docking matters to Susan Stone, the head of my Technology Research and Development Department, to follow up on."
"At that time, she and another employee will accompany you to the space station."
"During this period, Reed, you can calm down and help me solve the energy supply problem!!"
Reed Richards's eyes flickered, and he readily agreed, not expecting that after many years, he would actually reunite with his first love here.
Is this what they call fate?
I just wonder how Susan is doing now?
She shouldn't be married yet, right?
Could she be waiting for me?
However, what Reed Richards didn't know was that the goddess he yearned for had long since become Victor Von Doom's plaything in bed.
"Mr. Victor, are you really going to lend them the space shuttle and space station for free? I'm afraid the board members won't agree, will they?"
After Reed Richards and his companion left, the male assistant, who had been silent throughout, finally asked in confusion, "And what if Dr. Reed can't replicate Iron Man's Arc Reactor technology?"
"No, he definitely can."
Victor Von Doom said confidently, "Don't worry, as long as the Quantum Gate Project proceeds smoothly, Doom Group's stock price will soar through the roof. Those fools on the board simply don't understand the hidden commercial value behind this!!"
Although he said that.
But in fact, what Victor Von Doom truly cared about was not making money.
Instead, he wanted to use the Quantum Gate Project to reclaim his mother's soul from the Demon Lord Mephisto.
His mother, Cynthia, was a Gypsy Witch skilled in various spells and Black Magic. To avenge the royal family who ruled Latveria with tyranny, she traded her soul with Mephisto.
As a result, Mephisto, that old schemer, used despicable means to turn Cynthia, after she gained power, into a demon who indiscriminately killed innocents, thereby harvesting a large number of souls for himself.
Only when Cynthia regained consciousness did she realize she had been tricked by the other party.
In the end, she not only died of grief, but her soul was also imprisoned in Mephisto's hell, suffering inhuman torment forever.
Prior to this, because the Quantum Gate Project had not made any substantial progress for a long time, Victor Von Doom's decision to increase subsequent investment was unanimously opposed by most board members.
They all believed that this research team was purely there to swindle money.
They also harbored suspicion and doubt about Victor Von Doom's obsession with "interdimensional teleportation," a "science fiction concept" that was deemed impossible to achieve.
Faced with the immense pressure from the board, Victor Von Doom ultimately had no choice but to temporarily suspend further investment in the Quantum Gate Project.
He would wait until the time was ripe before making further plans.
But strangely, ever since that day, for a long time afterward, he would repeatedly have the same nightmare whenever he fell asleep.
In the dream, his tormented mother continuously pleaded with him to rescue her soul from this hell.
Thus, Victor Von Doom, eager to save his mother, decided to pursue a dual approach, combining "magic and science"!
He sifted through the large number of Black Magic ancient texts left behind by his mother and prepared to teach himself magic from scratch.
Yes, you read that right, it was truly self-taught from zero experience!!
After all, his mother was once a Witch, so he was naturally born with some magic in his blood.
Even learning magic from scratch would be much simpler and faster than for most ordinary people at Kamar-Taj who are taught how to practice.
(Note: Witches/Wizards and Mages are not the same profession; there are fundamental differences in their essence.
The essence of a Mage is to borrow magic from elements, demon gods, etc., and then guide and release it themselves. Simply put, they do not inherently possess magic.
Witches/Wizards, on the other hand, are a special group who are naturally born with a certain amount of magic. Therefore, they are generally stronger than Mages in both communicating with elements and releasing magic.
It can also be simply understood as the Bloodline Limit in Naruto!)
Subsequently, among the many complex and obscure magic systems, Victor Von Doom immediately chose "Transmutation magic"—Tzeentch's magic—as his introductory magic, which possessed the power of destruction and could induce ultimate change.
And thus, the wheels of Fire of Fate began to turn!!
The first magic Victor Von Doom studied was a basic magic similar to "meditation" called Tzeentch's Blessing.
According to ancient texts, if the practitioner is pious enough or lucky enough, they can receive the blessing of the Lord of Change by calling upon him.
The bestowed response could be a permanent magical mutation, or the great power to learn a previously unknown piece of knowledge from any field of study within a single day!
And after his mother was deceived by Mephisto, Victor Von Doom harbored considerable vigilance and hostility towards all these so-called demon gods.
Even Vishanti, which symbolized White magic, was no different from Mephisto in his eyes.
So, piety was out of the question.
But he wanted to gamble on whether he was lucky enough.
The result was obvious...
Not only did he "teach himself" a Tzeentch's magic called Fire of Fate within a day, but good luck followed in quick succession!!
First, the nightmare about his mother stopped appearing, and then, a little over a week ago, the battle in Greenwich changed everyone's perception.
It turned out that magic and portals actually existed!
This immediately rekindled intense interest in the Quantum Gate Project among the board members who had previously strongly rejected it.
Thus, the Quantum Gate Project not only successfully resumed but also naturally received strong support from everyone.
But the good fortune did not stop there...
A few days ago, the head of the Quantum Gate Project suddenly informed Victor Von Doom that their experiment had achieved a significant breakthrough.
They had successfully sent a drone to another dimension and brought back some sand and dust from there.
However, due to energy supply issues, they currently cannot achieve stable quantum teleportation for extended periods, nor can they bring back objects larger than sand from the other dimension.
But Victor Von Doom was not worried about this.
Because he had already received "revelations" from the Fire of Fate!
This Tzeentch's magic called Fire of Fate can help the caster summon a pale orange flame from another dimension.
Within the flickering tongues of flame, there would often be glimpses of future scenes or revelations, and it would dissipate on its own within 1 to 3 minutes.
Simply put, Fire of Fate is a precognitive magic that can briefly foresee the future!
So Victor Von Doom made a series of "corrections" based on the revelations he received from the Fire, including the concession he just made to Reed Richards regarding the space project.
Compared to the wealth and benefits that "unlocking the human genetic code" could bring, he now wanted to personally go to another dimension and investigate!
Because just before the Fire of Fate ended, he vaguely saw a special temple that seemed to exist in an unknown dimension.
This conjecture was later confirmed by images transmitted back from that target dimension by another drone.
In the unseen, it was as if a voice was reminding him that there he could find a way to rescue his mother's soul from hell.
Victor Von Doom had a feeling... no, he was utterly convinced that the unknown dimension in the illusion was the space currently connected by the Quantum Gate Project.
This was the Lord of Change's favor and grace towards him!
Therefore, this time, no matter the cost, he had to ensure the next experiment would be a great success!!