Marvel: Little Genius - Chapter: 384 (Patreon)

Whoosh!

After being exposed by Mark, Hope no longer hid and immediately returned to her normal size, appearing in front of the two of them.

"Hope!? When did you come back? Why didn't you say anything to me?"

Seeing his daughter suddenly appear in front of him, Dr. Pym also appeared very surprised, clearly, this was not a premeditated plan.

"I just got back and saw someone standing at the door and, out of caution, I shrank and followed him."

Today was apparently the day when Hope was going to meet the black-market technology dealer, Sonny Burch. On her way back, she happened to run into Mark, who was waiting at the laboratory door for Dr. Pym's invitation. Out of caution, she shrank and followed Mark into the laboratory.

"However, I'm curious, how did you discover me, Mr. Mark Stark? In all my previous actions while shrunken, no one or machine has ever spotted me." Hope removed the mask from her Wasp suit and looked at Mark with curiosity.

"Just call me Mark. There's never an 'impossible' in technology, Miss Hope. Those people you encountered before couldn't find you because their technology was too outdated. But in my case, it's impossible for such a thing to happen.

Speaking of which, Miss Hope, your father, and your boyfriend seem to be troubled by some technology and materials recently. Maybe I can offer you some help."

"Are you monitoring us!?" When Hope heard Mark mention their troubles, her expression immediately turned hostile, and even Dr. Pym, who had originally let his guard down, became wary.

"No, you misunderstand, Miss Hope. It shouldn't be called monitoring; it's more like my diligent investigative work. In fact, you should have noticed that someone has been tracking your movements lately, or to be more precise, the movements of the new Ant-Man, Scott Lang. That person is actually Pete Maximoff from our Avengers.

Because of the 'Seoul Accords,' there have been some internal problems within our Avengers, and with the United Nations unilaterally breaking the promises made to us, the members of the Avengers are currently in a state of void.

Do you remember when you had Scott steal something from the new Avengers' headquarters? Because of that operation, we noticed his existence, so we sent Pete to invite him to join our ranks.

But unexpectedly, due to the formal promulgation of the 'Seoul Accords,' Scott and Doctor, you both started to keep a low profile, and Pete is a bit stubborn and doesn't use his brain, so he was always left trailing behind by you, playing around in circles. That's why I decided to step in and help him complete this mission quickly.

Dr. Pym, you've been an old acquaintance of S.H.I.E.L.D., and I found quite a bit of information about you in some old files. Plus, the recent anonymous transactions in the black market involving various materials, after some analysis and deduction, I believe the answer I've arrived at should be the goal you and Miss Hope are trying to achieve.

Dr. Pym and Miss Hope, you're building a quantum tunnel, attempting to enter the quantum realm through it and find Janet Van Dyne, who went missing over twenty years ago. I guess I'm not wrong, am I?"

After saying that, Mark tapped his smartwatch and projected the data he had collected in front of Dr. Pym and Hope.

The data clearly listed the details of transactions between Hope, Scott, and various factions in the black market under various aliases. It also included a list of companies and institutions they had targeted as Ant-Man and Wasp to steal special materials, making it very detailed.

Of course, Mark didn't deduce these conclusions from the materials, but in order to provide Dr. Pym and his daughter with a believable explanation, he had prepared this apparent groundwork very thoroughly.

Seeing Mark present the "evidence" and given Mark's reputation for high intelligence, both Dr. Pym and Hope quickly accepted the explanation he provided.

"So, you came here today to discuss what you call a 'transaction,' but it's actually related to Scott joining the Avengers, right?" After hearing Mark's explanation and considering their previous conversation, Dr. Pym, with his intelligence, quickly understood Mark's purpose in coming today.

"That's right!" Mark didn't hide it and directly admitted.

"I conducted a detailed investigation of Scott. He has a Master's degree in electrical engineering from MIT. After graduating, he went directly into a big corporation. However, due to his dislike of the company's deceptive practices and the failure of whistleblowing, he hacked into the company's system alone and returned the ill-gotten money to the deceived customers. But this led to his blacklisting in the industry and a prison sentence.

After his release from prison, Scott, with technical skills but no opportunities, returned to his thieving activities. However, by a twist of fate, he became your successor, Dr. Pym.

Honestly, while Scott's record isn't spotless, I can see that he's a good-hearted and just guy. Most importantly, from his actions, I see the potential for him to become a superhero.

But I'm well aware that inviting Scott to join the Avengers is not up to him alone. Because the Ant-Man suit technology he possesses belongs to you, Dr. Pym. So, I believe that to achieve this goal, starting with you, Dr. Pym, is the right choice."

Dr. Pym nodded, agreeing with Mark's analysis and judgment of Scott. This was also one of the reasons why he was willing to train Scott as the second Ant-Man in the first place.

"But why should I discuss this transaction with you? Scott has his own will, and even if he has my authorization, it doesn't necessarily mean he will join you.

And I don't see how I can gain any favorable leverage from this deal with you."

"Dr. Pym, don't underestimate your daughter's charm. As long as this future Mrs. Lang speaks up, I believe he won't refuse to join the Avengers.

As for what you can gain from this transaction, since it's meant to be a win-win, it won't be a one-sided benefit for me.

First and foremost, the most obvious point is the materials and technology you are struggling to obtain from the black market. I can provide you with a stable supply through the Mark Research Center.

Although you can obtain what you need from the black market, it's expensive, inefficient, and the source is very unstable.

When I was conducting my due diligence, I noticed that you recently changed your supplier because the previous provider suddenly became unreachable, right?

This is because the group that used to supply you with materials, led by Adrian Toomes, also known as the Vulture, got into trouble during the relocation of Stark Tower and is now in prison.

So, you have to search for a new supplier in the black market, which not only consumes your time but also poses some dangers.

I think you may not be aware that the new supplier you've found, Sonny Burch, is not a simple underworld figure. He has connections in the government and the FBI, and through these connections, he has already uncovered Miss Hope's true identity.

Now he is contacting various sellers and promoting the product, which is your quantum technology.

If we can make this deal, Dr. Pym, your experiment's progress will undoubtedly receive a significant boost, and I can naturally help you resolve the troubles on Sonny Burch's side.

Dr. Pym, you should know that for your wife who is trapped in the quantum realm, time and efficiency are crucial. If you miss this opportunity, after the quantum shift, you will have to wait at least a hundred years to have another chance to bring her back to the real world."

Mark's first reason directly struck Dr. Pym's core. Why take such a huge risk and have Ant-Man and the Wasp covertly collect materials even after the "Seoul Accords" were enacted? The reason was exactly as Mark stated: to gain time and complete the construction of the quantum tunnel as quickly as possible.

However, he was equally concerned about the safety of his daughter and Scott. If they could increase efficiency while also ensuring safety, it would undoubtedly be a win-win solution.

So, even though Mark had only provided the first reason, in Dr. Pym's mind, the scales had already tipped in Mark's favor.

On Mark's side, he could clearly sense from Dr. Pym's expression that he had been moved by his words. However, Mark didn't stop speaking because he hadn't yet presented the chips that could truly ignite Dr. Pym's impulse and make him unable to resist.

"As for the second point, Dr. Pym, I imagine it's not easy for you to handle data calculations, theoretical model construction, and the construction of the quantum tunnel all on your own.

But if you agree to the deal I've proposed, I can provide significant assistance to your experiments.

I have the only true intelligent artificial life form on Earth, Baymax, and the fastest data center in the world. Any data you need to compute and process can be handed over to Baymax.

Moreover, I will also participate in this experimental project. I believe with my limited expertise, I can still offer some help to you, Dr. Pym."

Sure enough, after Mark expressed his willingness to join the construction of the quantum tunnel, Dr. Pym's expression went beyond mere interest; his eyes widened as he was overwhelmed by this unexpected stroke of good fortune.

Although Dr. Pym had a strong aversion to the Stark family, he was well aware of the talents and intelligence that each of the three Stark geniuses possessed.

Howard Stark, the famous World War II hero-scientist, was his former boss and colleague at S.H.I.E.L.D. Tony Stark, before becoming Iron Man, had news about him flying everywhere, and after he declared his Iron Man identity, the news about him only increased.

Among these three individuals, if you were to ask Dr. Pym who he paid the most attention to, it would undoubtedly be Mark. Although Mark was the youngest among the three and didn't have as much media coverage and praise as the other two, in terms of contributions to the overall technological advancement and advancement of human society, Mark's contributions over his two decades exceeded the combined efforts of Howard and Tony.

Especially with Mark's various applications derived from the Nervegear, a brain-computer interface technology, and his invention of nutrient hibernation pods in the medical field, Dr. Pym felt that if he could be considered a genius himself, then Mark's intelligence was beyond words to describe.

If Mark could join the quantum tunnel project, not only would it greatly advance the progress of the entire experiment, but those challenging problems he was currently facing, the ones that had reached a dead end, could also be solved with ease.

"I agree. I accept the deal you proposed. I will grant authorization for the Ant-Man suit to Scott and help you persuade him to join the Avengers.

However, Scott has his own will, and I cannot make the final decision for him, so I cannot guarantee that the final outcome will necessarily align with your wishes."

In the end, Dr. Pym accepted the terms of the deal proposed by Mark, and he didn't harbor any displeasure about collaborating with a member of the Stark family. The only explanation for this outcome was clear: "Mark offered too much!"

"Of course, the chips I'm offering are limited to our trade. As for Scott, I believe I can also offer a price that he cannot refuse. Your agreement to grant him the authorization to use the Ant-Man suit is already sufficient."

For some reason, after hearing Mark's words, Dr. Pym and Hope could only think of one word to describe him, "capitalist!"

Although both of them were well-off individuals, they clearly hadn't reached the level of wealth where they could confidently offer a price that others couldn't refuse, like Mark.

"Dr. Pym, since the deal has been reached, let's not waste any time before Scott returns. I believe we can start discussing the construction of the quantum tunnel and the rescue plan for Janet Van Dyne.

Additionally, if you agree, I will have Baymax take over the data servers in your lab and begin data verification and computation.

Miss Hope, it would be helpful if you could compile a list of the experimental materials you need and provide it to Baymax. The rest of the procurement and transportation work will be handled according to the plan by the Mark Research Center."