Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 172: Ch.171 New Discoveries

Chapter 172: Ch.171 New Discoveries

Time flew by, and the wheels of history continued to move forward, day by day.

During one unspeakable year, Su Ming returned to his homeland, intending to help the people there.

However, when he arrived, he realized that the place was incredibly safe, without a single sign of distress or unrest.

It became clear that the differences between worlds were significant, and what had happened here was entirely different from what Su Ming had experienced in his previous life. But that was for the better.

Of course, the trip wasn't without gain. During his investigation and inquiries, he came into contact with a group of special individuals from this land, led by a man named Zheng Xian.

Su Ming knew of Zheng Xian, a mysterious figure whose birth date and age were unknown. Since the Ming Dynasty, Zheng Xian had been leading a special organization called "The Divine Spear." He was a disciple of Zhang Heng, following a path of cultivating internal energy.

Zheng Xian was quite welcoming, though at first, Su Ming was investigated due to his foreign appearance. However, when those following him were caught, Zheng Xian personally came to extend friendly communication, and they reached mutual understanding and agreement.

In the following days, Zheng Xian took Su Ming on tours of various historical sites and several high-end restaurants in the capital. Their relationship grew increasingly harmonious.

Of course, Su Ming didn't let Zheng Xian pay for all the meals. After all, proper social exchange requires reciprocity. Since he had accepted Zheng Xian's goodwill, he naturally reciprocated with gestures of friendly exchange.

For instance, he had Wilson Enterprises export some quality goods to China and helped with laundering some money.

The two spent about half a month together before bidding farewell at the airport. As Su Ming boarded his private jet, he looked back at Zheng Xian and the group of oddly dressed burly men behind him, joking that next time, he'd prefer to be greeted by some beautiful women.

"This was our first encounter, and the reception was already quite grand. Next time, it'll probably just be me, old Zheng, welcoming you," Zheng Xian laughed as he waved goodbye, watching Su Ming board his plane.

"Well, then, see you next time. I imagine it won't be too far in the future."

Back in New York, Su Ming, who had been expecting a battle but instead had a half-month vacation, found himself idle once again.

Sitting in his spacious office, looking out at the ocean through the large glass windows, he downed his drink. His corporate tower had long been completed and was operational. Though the building had only thirty or so floors and was just a hundred meters tall, it was perfect.

The view from the top, where Su Ming lived, was great. The building wasn't particularly conspicuous either, as many taller buildings had already sprung up in New York.

But what good is a tall building in the city center? If you asked which city on Earth was the most dangerous, without a doubt, it would be New York. In the future, if they had three peaceful days in a month, they would count themselves lucky.

Picking up the phone on his desk, Su Ming called Gin, ready to make a few adjustments to his plans. This wasn't just the MCU—it was a world that seemed to merge elements from both the comics and movies. The appearance of Zheng Xian had clarified that for him, showing him that he had been misled by the bald female Ancient One.

Gin's office had moved to the bar, where he now oversaw all the under-the-table businesses and intelligence operations.

Of course, with Prohibition repealed, the distillery workers had gone legit. As Wilson Enterprises grew, so too did the variety of businesses.

Not all the operations were entirely legal. While Su Ming wouldn't involve himself in truly dark activities, gray market businesses—like smuggling controlled goods overseas—were still on the table.

The Great Depression was still ongoing, and the United States was mired in a wave of deep isolationism, an extreme form of conservatism.

Society at large believed that war had nothing to do with America. As long as they could guard the Americas, that was enough.

"Britain and France dragged us into World War I, costing us tens of thousands of lives and a fortune, but they took all the benefits of victory."

"We don't want to do that again. What does the survival of foreigners have to do with Americans? We're busy trying to find jobs."

That was the sentiment among the general public. Whatever strategies or plans the people at the top had, ordinary people didn't care. All they wanted to know was what they'd eat that night and whether it would be enough to fill their bellies.

The Great Depression had led to a near-total collapse of industry. Besides alcohol, which helped people drown their sorrows, even milk wasn't selling.

"Boss."

Gin's voice came from the other end of the phone, sounding somewhat distant. The quality of phone communication in this era was poor, and Su Ming had already ordered his scientists to work on a solution.

However, there had been little progress. This Marvel world's history was diverging further from Su Ming's own. Notable scientists from his world were nowhere to be found.

No Einstein, no Oppenheimer. Su Ming was increasingly frustrated with his company's research outlook. It seemed he would need to implement Plan B.

The research budget was burning through tens of thousands of dollars a day, yet all that came out were household items, as if the field of research had been selectively stunted.

But that didn't bother him much. After all, this wasn't the only world he had access to. If he wanted to develop technology, he could always take what he needed from other worlds.

And if he was going to take, he'd take the best. Real cutting-edge technology wasn't just incremental—it was revolutionary. There was no need to mess with conventional Earth tech. In the future, he'd go straight for starships.

For his fallback plan, he'd need a supercomputer capable of coordinating and reverse-engineering technologies, as well as access to several advanced factions or worlds that could serve as technology providers. These worlds needed not only extreme advancement but also compatibility with humanity.

After all, it wasn't like he could just go to the universe of StarCraft and capture a Zerg Leviathan to figure out how to pilot it, right?

No need to mess with old-fashioned industrial machines. He'd go straight for 3D printing or mind-matter manifestation technologies.

But that was for the future. One step at a time. Sometimes, advancing technology too quickly could actually harm humanity.

Snapping back to reality, he said into the phone, "How's our infiltration of the military going? I'd like an update."

"With help from our friends, everything's going smoothly."

Gin answered seriously. Over the years, their investments in certain individuals had begun to pay off. These once-ordinary people had risen to positions of power.

He briefed Su Ming on the preparations and intelligence operations underway. Now that the company had some capital, infiltrating the higher levels was proving to be an effective strategy.

Once they had generals in their pocket, getting the colonels on board would be much easier.

Su Ming raised an eyebrow. Besides the historical military figures, had all the other famous people vanished?

He thought for a moment, rubbing his temples. From this point on, things were getting unfamiliar. And as time went on, his knowledge of the plot would become increasingly useless.

The understanding he had from the comics would only serve as a reference—it wouldn't necessarily reflect reality.

"Any updates on the Morgan and Rockefeller families?"

"The old guard is gone, and the new generation isn't up to par. They've fallen into decline. The big players replacing them are Stark Industries, Hammer Industries, Oscorp, and a few others."

Gin responded quickly. He was in charge of all the street-level intelligence, and the streets were always full of news.

Su Ming stroked his glass, letting it slowly rotate on the desk. The Marvel story was about to begin in earnest. It seemed even the world itself was starting to adjust.

"Keep an eye on the distribution channels too. That's all for now. I'd like to be alone with my thoughts."