Under Norman's personal arrangements, Du Mu's project laboratory was quickly set up.
This exclusive lab was not only spacious and independent, but it was also equipped with a large amount of professional research equipment and ample experimental materials for him to use at any time.
Norman had originally planned to assign Du Mu several researchers and assistants to help with the work.
But Du Mu decisively refused, requesting only Gwen, the Oscorp intern, to act as his assistant.
Time flew by.
A few days later, Norman came to Du Mu's lab, eager to find out about the research progress.
He pushed open the lab door, and a strong, peculiar smell immediately wafted out.
Du Mu and Gwen were gathered around the workbench, upon which a steaming hotpot was prominently displayed!
"Slicing tripe, you must follow the principle of seven up, eight down. Got it?"
"I got it!"
Gwen unskillfully used chopsticks to swish the tripe, her focused and absorbed expression making it seem as if she were operating some kind of precise experimental instrument.
The two were dealing with the hotpot with utmost concentration, completely failing to notice Norman at the door.
"What in the world are you two doing!?"
Norman finally couldn't stand it anymore and questioned them out loud.
Seeing Norman arrive, Gwen's hand trembled, and the piece of tripe she had just picked up nearly fell back into the pot.
Du Mu calmly looked up and replied, "Can't you tell? We're developing the Life Elixir."
If you didn't say it, I truly wouldn't have noticed!
Norman pointed to the boiling, divided Yin-Yang hotpot, veins pulsing on his forehead, and bit out, "Don't tell me this pot of stuff is the Life Elixir."
Du Mu explained earnestly, "That's right, Mr. Osborn. We're developing a hotpot flavored Life Elixir. In the future, we also plan to develop more flavors of the elixir so patients will have more choices based on their preference."
Norman: "?"
Are you out of your mind?!
Who would create so many flavors for a medicinal agent? This is medicine, not a snack!
But Norman was not in the mood to delve into that issue. He asked directly, "How much longer until you can produce one bottle of the Life Elixir?"
Du Mu could clearly sense the barely concealed urgency in Norman's voice.
Obviously, Norman's physical condition was getting worse and worse.
"Maybe one or two weeks, or possibly about a month," Du Mu said casually.
Hearing this answer, Norman's face turned ashen.
He took a deep breath and said gravely, "Can you speed up the process of developing the Life Elixir?"
Du Mu asked curiously, "Why, Mr. Osborn, do you need it urgently?"
"Don't ask questions that aren't your business."
"Fine, that's a bit difficult. Mainly, this thing depends on fate."
Norman: "?"
You're a scientist talking to me about fate, which is metaphysics. Does that sound right?!
Norman felt that Du Mu was somewhat unreliable, and he said with an icy face, "I don't care what method you use, you must produce one bottle of the Life Elixir within two days!"
"I'll do my best," Du Mu spread his hands. Norman snorted coldly and left the lab.
Gwen put down her chopsticks and looked at Du Mu worriedly. "Doom, is that really okay?"
She had been following Du Mu these past few days, eating, drinking, and having fun ahem, doing research, so their relationship had become quite familiar.
Gwen was worried that if Du Mu couldn't produce the Life Elixir, Norman would settle the score later.
"Don't worry, it'll be fine."
Du Mu waved his hand dismissively. He hadn't planned on genuinely working for Norman anyway.
An NPC who can't even issue a quest is useless!
"Looks like it's time to act," Du Mu thought to himself, pulling out a black access card.
Through his observations these past few days, he had discovered that a secret floor was hidden deep within the Oscorp tower, but only Norman's exclusive access card could unlock it.
Just now, when Norman approached, Du Mu had smoothly taken the card from his pocket.
After a quick word with Gwen, Du Mu also left the lab.
Instead of acting immediately, he first slipped into an empty restroom and put on a disguise mask.
Yes, that's right, the very mask of Stane.
Then, he swaggered toward the elevator, waiting for it to descend.
Just then, an employee carrying files happened to walk by and unintentionally glimpsed the highly recognizable face standing by the elevator, immediately becoming greatly alarmed.
"M-Mr. Stane?!"
As the former second-in-command and major shareholder of Stark Industries, Stane's reputation in the business and tech world was considerable, so being recognized was completely normal.
"Yes, it is I."
Du Mu mimicked Stane's arrogant and cold tone, giving a slight nod.
Just as the elevator door opened, he stepped in and pressed the access card onto the sensor area without hesitation, illuminating the button for the bottom-most floor, which was never available to regular employees.
As the elevator doors slowly closed, the employee outside breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest.
He had to admit, the pressure from a big shot like Stane was intense.
But soon, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Wait a minute, didn't the news recently report everywhere that Stane died in an accident?"
"So, that person just now was..."
The employee swallowed hard, a chill shooting up his spine.
Oh my god! I think I just saw a ghost!
Ding!
The elevator door slid open smoothly, having reached the mysterious final floor.
Du Mu stepped out and found that this place was distinctly different from the bright labs upstairs.
More than a lab, this area resembled a combination of a high-tech armory and a private research center.
In the most conspicuous central area, a cool-looking green flying glider was displayed, and on the shelves nearby, a dozen pumpkin-shaped metal bombs were neatly arranged, along with a dark-green tight combat suit.
"Well, look at that! The game designer hid so much treasure here!"
Du Mu's eyes immediately lit up.
He didn't hesitate, immediately activating the automatic loot feature and storing all the equipment and weapons in his game inventory.
After doing all that, he finally turned his attention to an encrypted computer terminal in the corner, which was connected to an isolated network.
Du Mu took out his hacker phone, easily cracked and infiltrated the computer terminal.
As the screen unlocked, a large number of encrypted files appeared.
Du Mu quickly found a secret file bearing the Department of Defense insignia.
Clicking it open, the file revealed that Norman was collaborating with the military to attempt to replicate a Super Soldier Serum project dating back to World War II.
The report indicated that after countless failures, two serum samples had been successfully replicated, but a prominent red warning indicated they were untested on humans and the risks were unknown.
The moment Du Mu confirmed the contents of this secret file, the System's notification sounded in his mind.
Mission 'Investigate Oscorp' settlement complete!
You received rewards: 1000 Experience Points, 20 S.H.I.E.L.D. Reputation, and the item 'Death-Will Bullet'.
Item: Death-Will Bullet (The head of the target hit by it bursts into flames, their body attributes are greatly enhanced, and they desperately strive to complete the action they regretted most right before being hit. The side effect is their clothes tear off, which may cause severe social embarrassment.)