The "Midtown West" mentioned on TV was, in fact, the official name for Hell's Kitchen.
However, Luca hadn't expected the turmoil following Kingpin's death to spread so widely.
"These guys from Hell's Kitchen are starting to use Chitauri weapons?"
He looked at Shamila, who was equally puzzled. Neither of them had anticipated that the Hell's Kitchen unrest would become entangled with the aftermath of the Battle of New York.
I wonder which faction will rise after this turmoil, and how it will all end.
However, neither Luca nor Shamila were bleeding-heart saints.
Shamila and her Sokovian squad members couldn't care less if the American public lost their peace because of their actions.
And Luca, a soul from another dimension, certainly wouldn't beat himself up over the sins committed by gang thugs.
The two chatted casually for a bit, then continued to eat their meal in peace.
After breakfast, Shamila originally wanted to tell Luca to get some rest.
But Luca, having just finished the Haro Maintenance Mecha, was still buzzing with excitement. He just smiled, said "I'll sleep enough when I'm dead," and prepared to head back to the laboratory with the bouncing orange Haro.
However, Shamila suddenly remembered something and called out to stop him.
"Master, regarding the behind-the-scenes funder who sponsored the experimental treatment expert group at Wellhaven Hospital you asked me to investigate, we have a lead!"
Luca, who was about to leave, paused and turned back in confusion.
"Hmm? Wasn't that expert group just a smokescreen set up by the doctor Kingpin bribed?"
Indeed, the day before eliminating Kingpin, Luca had heard his mother Gina's attending physician at the hospital mention that Wellhaven Hospital was preparing to form an expert group to research and treat "Synaptic Cocooning Syndrome." He had asked Shamila to investigate the funder back then.
But during the interrogation of his cheap uncle that night, Dragan had said...
Kingpin had specifically bribed Gina's attending physician to create a false impression that there was hope for Gina's recovery, intending to delay Luca's inheritance process.
So, Luca naturally assumed this so-called "expert treatment group" was just an excuse fabricated by the corrupt doctor to stall for time.
After killing Kingpin, Luca had completely put the matter out of his mind.
Unexpectedly, Shamila not only remembered it but actually found something.
Hearing this, Shamila's expression turned indescribably strange. She organized her thoughts slightly and explained.
"Actually, this is what Green Bull got out of that corrupt doctor when you sent him to threaten and roughen him up later."
"Kingpin did bribe him, but the expert treatment group is also real. He just..." Shamila paused, not sure how to phrase it.
Luca followed up: "Took advantage of the situation? Scammed Kingpin on the side?"
Shamila: "Yes, exactly."
Luca was speechless.
Seems even insignificant guys have their own little schemes.
Seeing Luca understood, Shamila continued.
"According to that Dr. West, this expert group is actually sponsored by a company called Oscorp Bio-Technologies. This is an emerging biopharmaceutical company established just last year. You might not have heard of it, Master."
"However, this company has very substantial registered capital. And its predecessor, Osborn Biological Labs, was very famous in New York's biomedical field. The two founders, Norman Osborn and Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius—one an expert in genetics, the other specializing in neurology and mechanical engineering—are very influential in the medical community, known as the O-Brothers."
"Huh?"
In fact, halfway through Shamila's explanation, Luca was already stunned.
How could he not have heard of the famous "Oscorp"?
It's just...
Does the MCU have Green Goblin too?
But Luca immediately realized that the world he was in wasn't exactly the MCU to begin with. It just had so many similarities that he often had that illusion.
Even so, the rest of the information was enough to shatter his previous knowledge.
Fine, Oscorp just being established is one thing. But why was it founded by Green Goblin and Doc Ock together? And 'O-Brothers'? Is Doc Ock that impressive?
Leaving aside the shock-stunned Luca, Shamila continued recounting the information Green Bull got from Dr. West.
"Previously, the experimental treatment group could be established because Norman Osborn, the founder of Oscorp Bio-Technologies, used his own funds and connections to pave the way."
"However, even Dr. West wasn't clear on Norman Osborn's specific reasons for doing this."
"He only learned through hearsay that Norman Osborn's wife seems to be suffering from a rare genetic disease. Originally, because cases of this disease were extremely rare, Osborn could only rely on his own laboratory to research a cure."
"But after the Battle of New York, a large number of patients appeared with symptoms similar to his wife's. Although the two aren't the same disease, the manifested symptoms are very similar."
"So, that Oscorp company thought of forming an expert group to conduct trials on those patients who couldn't afford treatment or had given up, hoping to find a potential treatment plan."
Well, now Luca was even more confused.
He hadn't expected that in this world, the one with the genetic disease wasn't the Osborn family line, but Norman Osborn's wife. And her genetic disease had similar symptoms to his mother Gina's "Synaptic Cocooning Syndrome."
But this shock only flashed through Luca's mind.
Regardless of what this world was like, existence was reasonable.
Instead, he quickly started thinking.
Maybe, this is actually good news for me?
Before, because I lacked connections in biopharmaceuticals at home, I couldn't find a partner pharmaceutical lab to develop the special targeted drug for Gina.
Perhaps Norman Osborn would be a good partner.
Moreover, Luca thought...
The current Oscorp seemed to have just been established. Although reputable in the biomedical field, it was ultimately just a startup.
But Luca knew it was very likely to grow into an industry giant like the Oscorp in other universes.
If he cooperated with them now, could he also get a piece of the pie?
Thinking of this, a gleam of white light flashed across Luca's glasses. He looked up at Shamila and said calmly.
"Auntie Shamila, find a way to contact Mr. Norman, the founder of Oscorp Bio-Technologies for me."
"Tell him I have a drug that can cure Synaptic Cocooning Syndrome!"