The next day.
At a private club, Trask arrived for his appointment on time.
He wore a custom-made suit. Although he was only one meter thirty tall, he exuded a powerful presence, followed by two bodyguards.
When they reached a door, several guards blocked their path.
"Only those who have been invited may enter."
The two bodyguards frowned and looked at their boss.
Trask waved his hand, his tone casual: "I'll just go in myself."
With that, he straightened his collar, clearly attaching great importance to this meeting.
Although Trask Industries was considered a significant enterprise in America, it was vastly inferior to the one he was meeting today: Marvel Industries.
This company had only been founded a few years ago and was originally unremarkable.
However, a year ago, it suddenly changed its name to the current one. Since then, it had been like a cheat code, achieving breakthrough progress in new materials, Military technology and equipment, biological genetic pharmaceuticals, electronic machinery, and many other fields simultaneously.
The results in any one of these fields would have been enough to sustain an ordinary company for decades, yet Marvel Industries produced new results every few days, as if technology were free.
In a short period, the company had surged into the ranks of America's top enterprises.
Trask Industries was more than a head shorter by comparison.
Of course, Trask himself felt the same way.
Recently, Marvel Industries released news claiming they had developed a brand-new clean energy technology that could reduce energy costs by over eighty percent.
Once the news broke, the entire industry was shaken.
People from all walks of life were eager to cooperate with Marvel Industries, but they were all rejected one by one.
Yet, just yesterday, the behind-the-scenes boss of Marvel Industries suddenly took the initiative to invite him to a meeting, and even asked if he was interested in exterminating Mutants together.
When Trask received this news, he was completely dumbfounded.
But the other party was the famous Marvel Industries. He would naturally not miss such an opportunity delivered to his doorstep, so he immediately decided to attend.
He took a deep breath and pushed the door open to enter.
The space behind the door was large, decorated in a low-key, luxurious style, with a spacious custom sofa placed in the center.
A black-haired man sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, holding a game controller. He stared intently at the large screen in front of him, operating his game character with a serious expression.
Behind him stood a mixed-race woman in office attire. She was tall, with long legs even longer than Trask's entire height, and her hands were gently kneading the man's shoulders.
"Psylocke, pay attention to my detailed operations. Watch how I clear the level perfectly without dying once."
"I roll, I roll, I roll again!"
"Good opportunity! Parry!"
"Execution! Hahaha! Perfectly taken down!"
"A mere boss, and it was still cut down by me in one strike!"
The man smiled contemptuously, his whole body exuding the aura of a pro gamer.
Trask looked at the screen curiously and saw the game character controlled by Darian taking damage from the boss without losing a drop of blood, then backhanding the full-health boss to death in one hit.
Trask: "..."
He didn't play games, so who could tell him if the game was really designed like this?
But Trask quickly realized that from the visuals to the fluidity of the gameplay, this game was absolutely far beyond all similar products of this era.
It was definitely not something that the technology of this time could possess.
As expected of Marvel Industries; it was truly full of hidden depths.
Even a game played casually could reveal such technological foundations that transcended the era.
Psylocke noticed his presence, lowered her head slightly, and whispered in Darian's ear: "My Lord, the guest has arrived."
"Got it."
Darian responded casually, but his hands didn't stop.
He activated his cheats, the game character spawned countless clones to instantly clear the surrounding minions, and only then did he put down the controller with satisfaction.
He took a glass of juice from Psylocke, sipped it, and turned his gaze to Trask.
"You are Tesla?"
"I am Trask, not Tesla." Trask squeezed out a polite smile.
Darian waved his hand: "It's all the same, it's all the same. I am the boss of Marvel Industries. I invited you here. You can just call me Doom."
Trask bowed slightly: "Mr. Doom, it is a pleasure to meet you."
"Oh? How much of a pleasure?"
Trask: "..."
He looked at the unpretentious young man in front of him, feeling that the other party did not quite match the image he had imagined.
"Just kidding, don't be nervous."
Darian gestured to the sofa on the right: "Mr. Trask, please sit."
Trask secretly let out a sigh of relief. After sitting down, he deliberated before speaking: "Mr. Doom, it is a great... ahem, thank you for inviting me to meet. However, if I may be so bold, may I ask why you invited me?"
In America, it wasn't as if there weren't companies more powerful than Trask Industries.
Those giants had racked their brains trying to get connected with Marvel Industries, only to be rejected. He really couldn't understand why Darian would take the initiative to invite him.
Darian said happily: "As far as I know, your Trask Industries recently submitted a new project to the Department of Defense called the Sentinel Program, right? I'm very interested in this project. Can you tell me more about it?"
Trask's pupils contracted slightly.
The Sentinel Program was a classified project. The only people who knew the inside story were himself and several high-level officials in the Department of Defense.
The fact that Darian knew about this project proved that the other party's network was already large enough to have their own people in the Department of Defense, and they were definitely not an object he could easily provoke.
Trask hesitated for a moment, then said helplessly: "Your sources are truly well-informed. That's right, we are indeed pushing the Sentinel Program with all our might."
"You also know about the existence of Mutants, so you should understand my concerns. Nowadays, Mutants have seriously endangered our human safety. The most terrifying thing is that our existing weapons are useless against them. Even the Military and the Department of Defense are just props in front of them."
It was the standard American threat theory.
Any race not under their control would be labeled a threat to the World, and then they would attempt to rally everyone to attack it together. Darian was not surprised; instead, he nodded: "Indeed, what you say makes a lot of sense. Mutants are truly terrifying."
Psylocke, standing behind him, was speechless upon hearing this.
You are the Black King of the Hellfire Club; it sounds like you aren't a Mutant yourself.
Trask saw that Darian agreed with his statement and felt as if he had found a kindred spirit. His eyes became hot: "So we need a new type of weapon, a weapon capable of truly confronting Mutants and protecting human civilization. The Sentinel Robots are the answer I've come up with."
"Their name comes from the guardians of ancient city gates, signifying the protection of humanity's home. Their flight capability is comparable to a Harrier fighter jet, their maneuverability is sufficient to track any target, and the equipped weapon system can fire thermal ceramic bullets at a speed of two thousand rounds per second."
"Of course, the most unique thing about the Sentinel Robots is that they are equipped with an advanced genetic identification and navigation system. They can precisely lock onto targets from half a mile away and will only launch an attack after confirming that the target possesses the Mutant gene, maximizing the avoidance of accidental injury to ordinary humans."
After speaking, Trask looked at Darian with anticipation, waiting for the other party to show an expression of amazement.
Instead, he saw Darian looking disappointed.
"That's it?"
"Huh?"
Trask's smile froze on his face.
What did he mean by 'that's it'?
Wasn't this already awesome enough?
Actually, one couldn't blame Trask.
Building such a robot in the 70s, even equipped with a genetic identification system that could be called black technology, was quite an impressive feat.
But in Darian's view, these Sentinel Robots were far inferior to the Iron Monger armor, and compared to the future Sentinel Robots, they were simply Worlds apart.
But come to think of it, the current Sentinel Robots were only the first-generation version. Before obtaining Raven's genes, it was difficult for the Sentinels to upgrade to the level where they could adjust their abilities in real-time according to the target.
The current Sentinel Robots were at most mobile cannons, still several versions away from being true Mutant killers.
"Forget it, it's barely acceptable."
Darian curled his lips and asked Trask: "Has the Department of Defense agreed to this project yet?"
Trask sighed and shook his head: "Not yet. They believe that Mutants are, after all, only a very small minority. Although individual threats are great, it is not worth investing astronomical funds to develop specialized anti-weapons."
Darian continued to ask: "Do you have any finished products of your Sentinel Robots currently?"
Trask nodded: "There are a few complete prototypes that have passed internal testing with stable performance."
"That will do."
Darian grinned: "In a few days, our Marvel Industries is going to hold an expo. Many people from the Military and the Department of Defense will be attending. I can give you a chance to demonstrate in front of them and let them see the capabilities of the Sentinel Robots with their own eyes."
"Mr. Doom, is what you said true?"
Upon hearing this, Trask's eyes lit up instantly.
He naturally knew the weight of this expo.
The Marvel Industries Expo, led by Marvel Industries and co-hosted by many technology giants, was a top-tier window to showcase cutting-edge technology to the whole World.
At that time, political dignitaries, Military high-ranking officials, Wall Street tycoons, and global media would gather here. Countless people would stare with wide eyes at that stage, waiting to witness the birth of the next technology that would change the World.
For any company, getting a chance to demonstrate at the expo meant a leap like a carp jumping over the dragon's gate.
Unfortunately, the spots for the Marvel Industries Expo were limited and had all been carved up by those giant enterprises.
Other companies couldn't even grab a booth if they wanted to. He didn't expect Darian to give him a spot directly.
As long as he could get the Sentinel Robots onto the stage of the Marvel Industries Expo, he could enter the field of vision of the Department of Defense.
Maybe the Department of Defense would agree to his Sentinel Program!
Darian nodded: "Of course, I never lie."
Trask took a deep breath, trying hard to calm himself down, and couldn't help but ask the doubt in his heart: "But... why would you help me? We don't even know each other."
Darian said seriously: "Didn't I say it earlier? I am very interested in your philosophy. For the sake of humanity, Mutants must be completely eliminated, which is why I am willing to help you promote the Sentinel Program!"
Trask suddenly realized.
So that was it; this Mr. Doom was also a member of the anti-Mutant party.
No wonder he was willing to help him proactively, and no wonder he was so interested in the Sentinel Robots.
Trask asked cautiously: "If I may be so bold, Mr. Doom, did Mutants do something to you? Why do you hate them so much?"
He developed the Sentinel Robots only out of concern that Mutants would threaten the human status of dominance.
But Darian looked different.
He targeted Mutants so much, wishing to eliminate all Mutants, it must stem from some unforgettable experience.
"I didn't expect you to see through it. That's right, I was indeed deeply hurt by Mutants."
Darian clenched his fist, as if recalling some painful past.
Trask held his breath, leaning his body slightly forward, preparing to listen to a tragic story.
"That was a summer three years ago."
Darian's gaze became distant, and he said in a low voice: "That year, I was playing a game against a Mutant. As a result, that guy actually secretly used his abilities to cheat, and eventually won the game. From that day on, I vowed that the World would have no more Mutants, and to return the game to a pure environment!"
Trask: "..."
Just because a Mutant cheated in a game, he decided to eliminate all Mutants?
Trask's mouth twitched: "Mr. Doom, isn't this a bit too..."
"You also feel very angry, right!"
Darian patted the sofa armrest angrily, filled with righteous indignation: "I hate two types of people most in my life: one is people who cheat in games, and the other is people who don't let me cheat in games!"
Trask: "..."
No, I think you are quite double-standard.
As an extremist humanist who had been committed to eliminating Mutants for many years, Trask could not help but feel a trace of sympathy for Mutants at this moment.
Just for cheating in a game, they had inexplicably brought upon themselves a disaster of genocide.
What could be more wronged than this?
Of course, Trask naturally would not defend Mutants.
The more Darian hated Mutants, the more beneficial it was for him. He only wanted the Sentinel Program to be implemented; as for the motivation of his partner, it didn't matter at all.
Thinking of this, Trask stood up and looked at the sitting Darian at eye level.
He said solemnly: "Don't worry, Mr. Doom. As long as you give me a chance to demonstrate the Sentinel Robots at the expo, I guarantee you that in the future, Mutants will no longer endanger humanity... and the gaming environment."
"Good, I'll wait for that day."
Darian sat and patted Trask's shoulder, saying with satisfaction: "Tomorrow I will have someone send you the invitation. You go back and prepare well. Be sure to let everyone see the power of the Sentinel Robots."
"Okay!"
Trask nodded heavily, his voice filled with suppressed excitement.
He felt like a piece of old manure that had been buried under an outhouse for many years, finally waiting for an expert who knew its value.
After Trask left, Psylocke couldn't help but ask: "My Lord, why do you want to help this human? If that so-called Sentinel Robot is really favored by the Department of Defense, wouldn't we be in trouble?"
Although Darian dismissed these first-generation Sentinel Robots, others might not think so.
For example, Psylocke, a Mutant with high attack but low defense.
She put herself in his shoes and thought that if she encountered a Sentinel Robot, she probably wouldn't be able to resist with her abilities. After all, she had no defense or flight methods, and the outcome would be either getting beaten or running away.
Darian said happily: "There is an old saying, which goes 'to make someone perish, one must first make them go crazy.' A certain Hammer Industries has already perfectly interpreted the final outcome for us."