"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Lee. I came without an appointment and disturbed you!" Norman Osborn said, his face full of apology.
That morning, Dr. Connors had finally finished analyzing the blood sample.
The special substance in that blood had a miraculous effect on treating gene collapse — it could almost be called a miracle cure for the hereditary disease in the Osborn family.
Upon receiving this news, Norman Osborn could no longer contain himself and immediately ordered his subordinates to take him to Li Qingyuan's small shop.
Indeed, Garrett had strictly instructed Ward to keep Li Qingyuan's existence a secret, but for someone like Norman Osborn — a top-tier tycoon — some things are impossible to conceal once he knows.
It's like Tony Stark: he got shown up badly by Egghead when he didn't know about S.H.I.E.L.D. But the moment he learned about S.H.I.E.L.D., he instantly transferred their entire internal database into J.A.R.V.I.S.!
The intelligence world might seem mysterious to the general public, but for the small circle at the top of the pyramid, it's hardly a secret.
A massive organization like S.H.I.E.L.D., with hundreds of thousands of employees — tracking every expense, meal, and daily activity — hiding everything completely? That's a joke.
The reason Norman Osborn was so urgent was simple: his heart could not withstand this stress any longer.
The hereditary disease of the Osborn family had always hung over him like a Damocles' sword. Three years ago, there had been a slight improvement, only for his top research scientist to destroy all the data and escape.
Honestly, when Norman heard that news, he nearly suffered a heart attack on the spot!
Even now, he didn't understand why he had to be punished so — was it because of Richard Parker?
Over the past three years, he had thrown all his resources into Dr. Connors, hoping to recreate the counterformula. But all the research data was gone. Connors hadn't even recovered one-tenth of it.
So when his old friend Garrett handed him a blood sample, claiming it might cure gene collapse, Norman Osborn immediately ordered his team to start research.
Norman knew a little about Garrett's work. His old friend worked for a mysterious multinational intelligence organization, dealing daily with the world's legends and mysteries.
The blood sample delivered to Norman's hands could even be alien blood for all he knew!
Of course, Norman had no interest in questioning the source of the blood. Right now, he only wanted to know how much of it Li Qingyuan had.
The sample was far too small — nowhere near enough.
April, standing nearby, covered her mouth in astonishment. What had she just heard?
Norman Osborn — the CEO of the Osborn Group — was apologizing to a small shop owner?
And the reason for the apology was… not having an appointment?
"The item you're looking for is on the top of the B shelf," Li Qingyuan said, pointing at the shelf with a slanting gesture, letting Norman fetch it himself.
"I'll get it for you!" April, fully embracing her role as the eager assistant, dashed to the shelf, tiptoed, and pulled down the box from the top.
Well, Li Qingyuan finally recognized her usefulness!
Though her figure wasn't extraordinary, her long legs and perfectly proportioned body made her ideal for errands and miscellaneous tasks.
Norman Osborn took the box from April and opened it, revealing a vial of frozen, sealed blood.
"I don't have that much cash on me. Mr. Lee, would you accept shares instead?" Norman said awkwardly, closing the box and glancing at the price label.
Even for someone like Norman, the ten-digit price on the box was impossible to pay in cash at once.
"That's fine," Li Qingyuan nodded. The Osborn Group's stocks weren't as explosively upward-trending as Stark Industries', but they were extremely stable.
Although he wasn't short on money, who ever says no to more?
"I'll instruct our finance department to transfer the first $200 million in cash into your account. The rest, in stock, will be completed by our legal department within three days."
Even Norman knew that such a massive sum couldn't be carried personally. The proper channels were necessary.
"That works."
Seeing Li Qingyuan nod with a smile, Norman felt reassured. He had come ready to pay whatever was asked.
After all, anyone who could deliver a blood sample through Garrett must know the full extent of their situation.
Not just his life — but Harry's too — was effectively in this person's hands. Even if Li wanted the Osborn Group, Norman knew he had no room to bargain.
Money is good, but life comes first.
And as for using force to control the person?
The materials stored in the Federal Archives were clearly fake, and Garrett had remained tight-lipped under questioning, insisting Norman tell no one else.
Clearly, Mr. Li was extremely complex and terrifying. If Norman acted recklessly, the situation could spiral beyond his control.
Now everything was perfect.
A mere $1 billion — pocket change for the Osborn Group — could solve the family's survival crisis. For him, it was an incredible bargain.
"I won't bother you any longer. Goodbye!" Norman said, intending to offer a few more polite words, but seeing Li Qingyuan didn't seem inclined to chat, he hugged the box and left.
"Oh my God!"
Only after Norman left did April scream in shock.
She had just held something worth a billion dollars in her hands?
"What was in that box? Why would Norman Osborn spend so much money on it?"
She leaned over the counter, half her body inside, her face full of fear and disbelief.
That kind of money — she had never even imagined it.
Her current salary was less than $2,000. Even if she got promoted for breaking a major news story, it wouldn't exceed $10,000.
A billion dollars… even if she became New York's most famous host, it would take her a thousand years to save that much.
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(End of Chapter)