Chapter 37
With great power comes great power
Before this conversation, everyone, including Uncle Long, wanted to get Riley to officially join the search for the talisman, unlike this trip to Mexico where they were only brought in because of Jade's invitation.
However, after discovering from the conversation that Riley, who seemed like an honest man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, actually had a terrifying side like a modern-day Jia Xu, everyone immediately changed their minds and agreed that it would be good to let Riley stay in New York.
To prevent any foolish individuals from provoking Riley's family and leading Riley astray.
No sooner had Sheriff Black dropped Riley off at home than he immediately ordered the purchase of several houses near Riley's home. This was so that elite agents could be deployed, posing as Riley's new neighbors, to live there and take turns protecting May and Ben around the clock.
In addition, before parting ways with Riley, Uncle Jackie earnestly told Riley that inner strength is more important than external power.
Even Banner declined Riley's invitation to stay at his home, and under the pretext of "putting everyone at ease," he went back with Sheriff Black and stayed temporarily in District 13.
Clearly, they were all worried that after Riley turned to the dark side, he would not only become too powerful to fight head-on, but they might even be sold out by Riley and then have to be grateful, helping Riley count his money!
Of course, with his keen senses and the mind of someone who had lived two lives, Riley could also see what they were afraid of.
"Oh, come on, what do they take me for, a potential villain?"
This left Riley feeling both amused and exasperated. Seeing everyone's tense expressions, as if facing a formidable enemy, and completely ignoring his words, Riley could only shrug helplessly, temporarily abandoning the idea of explaining. Instead, he entered his home with a smile, carrying bags full of local specialties he had bought before returning from Mexico.
"Dad! Mom! Peter! I'm home! Look what goodies I brought you—!"
Meanwhile, on the other side...
Inside Dr. Connors' office at Osborn.
Norman Osborn, dressed in a sharp suit, was examining an exquisitely decorated metal cage with great interest.
And inside this cage are the mice that, not long ago, with Peter's help, were injected with the new version of lizard serum and gained complete limbs.
"The vital signs are stable, and as planned, the severed limb has successfully healed and grown back in a short period of time... I have to admit, Dr. Connors, you have indeed given me a pleasant surprise."
After carefully examining the mouse and watching the video replay of the experiment, confirming that the mouse had indeed adapted to the lizard serum and wasn't just a random mouse of similar size with all four limbs intact to deceive him, Norman, who had been frowning the whole time, finally smiled and praised Dr. Connors in a gentle voice.
Before Dr. Connors could even feel relieved and happy, Norman, in a matter-of-fact tone, pressed further.
"So, when do you plan to start the human trials? Ten minutes? Or half an hour later?"
"What? Human experimentation? Oh, no, no, Mr. Osborn, there's nothing on today's schedule."
Norman's sudden topic caused Connors' face to stiffen instantly.
He then met Norman's gaze and confirmed that there was no hint of joking in Norman's eyes.
Dr. Connors then waved his hand and quickly responded.
"In fact, even the little mouse you see now has only just received the serum injection. We haven't yet determined whether this foreign gene will cause any irreversible damage to its body. So, we need some more time to observe it carefully, and then..."
In fact, even setting aside personal moral values, Dr. Connors's proposed method is a basic procedure that the vast majority of scientists would strictly follow, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.
Unfortunately, Norman Osborn, who was standing in front of Dr. Connors at this moment, was a pure capitalist.
Capitalists, on the other hand, are often more concerned with how much profit they can gain than with the risks and costs.
Look, here it is.
"I think you've got something wrong, Dr. Connors. I'm not asking if you can do it. I'm asking when you can prepare the necessary serum dose for human trials."
Before Dr. Connors could finish speaking, Norman Osborn's smile vanished instantly.
With his icy gaze, Norman Osborn exuded an aura of authority. He simply patted Dr. Connors' shoulder lightly, and the renowned academic Dr. Connors felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles, obediently shutting his mouth and daring not to utter another word.
"Besides, it will take some time... How long exactly? A year? Ten years? Or twenty years? Forgive my bluntness, Dr. Connors, but I've heard this tired excuse enough. You should know that my patience is limited, and I have neither the inclination nor the need to keep playing house with you. So I'll ask you one more time: how long do we have to wait before we can begin human trials?"
"Uh... a month...? No, no, no! I mean, if it's just making the serum, one day is enough!"
Under the overwhelming pressure from Norman, he knew that if he couldn't give Norman a satisfactory answer, he would only face the tragic end of being discarded after his usefulness was over and forced to leave.
So much so that the pangs of conscience clashed briefly with the cold reality.
When Dr. Connors instinctively looked down at the wedding ring on his left hand, the image of his wife and children's smiles flashed through his mind.
Even though Dr. Connors was deeply opposed to Norman Osborn's proposal, he knew it was absolutely the wrong choice.
In the end, however, he was defeated by the cruel reality. For the sake of his wife and children's food and clothing, he bowed his head and responded obsequiously to a cold-blooded capitalist like Norman Osborn, abandoning his noble self as a scientist.
"But even if we have the serum, where are we going to find volunteers willing to participate in human trials?"
"You don't need to worry about that, Connors... Three-legged toads are hard to find, but cripples with missing limbs are a dime a dozen in this world."
Norman, however, seemed completely unconcerned about Connors' concerns and quickly offered a solution that sent chills down Dr. Connors' spine.
"For example, those wounded soldiers who have retired from the battlefield, if you tell them that they can have their limbs regenerated by receiving serum injections, they will no longer have to endure the cold stares and discrimination of outsiders..."
"They'll probably form a long line immediately, vying to be this great volunteer."
"Even if we tell them that they need to pay out of their own pockets to buy a testing slot to receive the serum injection, they will still pay without hesitation to support our research and development of more types of serum."
"In this way, we gain new sources of funding, and they gain good health... It's a win-win situation, everyone gets what they need, that's what we're doing, dear Dr. Connors."
"So, old friend, to hell with all that so-called morality and conscience. Let's face reality: in this world, the stronger the ability..."
"With great power comes great responsibility!"