After leaving Blade Technology Industries, Norman had witnessed the World Serpent's fully operational super-soldier Beast Soldiers. Seeing them, he silently gave up on the super-soldier serum that had never progressed in his labs.
At the same time, the prospect of actually surviving made him eager to join the World Serpent. If this organization had super soldiers capable of shaking the world, following them was undoubtedly the path to a promising future.
Zod spent only a single day creating a drug to counter retrocellular hyperplasia. He didn't give it to Norman immediately, instead letting a few days pass before having it delivered.
When Norman finally received the briefcase, he eagerly opened it. Inside were a syringe, three vials filled with blue liquid, and an instruction manual.
The instructions were clear: inject once a month to suppress retrocellular hyperplasia. To prevent the disease from adapting to the inhibitor or mutating, a check-up every three months was recommended.
No medicine could take effect instantly, especially for a hereditary disease—a genetic defect is not something cured with a single shot.
Norman wasn't surprised. He took the briefcase straight to Connors, needing him to monitor the effects of the injection. Connors didn't know the origin of the inhibitor and didn't exactly endorse its use; who knew what side effects might occur?
But Norman could not wait. Reluctantly, Connors administered the inhibitor while Norman lay on the examination table.
Under the drug's effect, Norman drifted into a deep sleep as the inhibitor began repairing his defective genes.
When he awoke, the fatigue and weakness that had plagued him were gone. His mind felt sharp, his limbs powerful. For the first time, he felt fully alive.
A hereditary disease that Oscorp had struggled to cure for generations was now solved by the World Serpent.
This only strengthened Norman's determination to join them.
Norman had expected the next step to be merging Oscorp with Blade Technology Industries, expanding the industrial empire. But Zod insisted on maintaining the status quo. The reason was simple: Oscorp was not under Norman's sole control. Shareholders with influence and cunning populated the company. Forcing it through would waste too much time.
Zod's first order for Norman was simple: find Ivan Vanko in Russia.
With just a name and minimal information, Norman mobilized his capital. In under two days, Zod saw Ivan Vanko delivered to him—along with his still-living father, Anton Vanko.
Having them was straightforward. Zod ignored their wishes and put them straight into a brainwashing device, turning them into loyal World Serpent researchers.
To prevent Anton from quietly dying as he did in the original timeline, Zod injected him with the super Beast Serum, transforming him into a Beast Soldier.
Together, the Vankos created a miniaturized controllable cold fusion arc reactor and taught Zod the design. He quickly learned and improved upon it.
The reactor still relied on palladium. New elements—like those from Krypton—were mostly unavailable on Earth due to environmental differences, but the micro arc reactor's power was more than sufficient. Zod wasn't building a planet-busting device; he just wanted to beat Tony Stark to the punch and create his Iron Man armor first.
After patenting the micro arc reactor, Zod began his demonstration. Or rather, he built it first—Tony Stark's Mark I still had eight years before it would exist. From now on, Tony would be copying Zod.
"Urd, invite the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, as well as militarily capable nations' defense departments. Tell them Blade Technology Industries has another exhibition, but this time it's not materials—it's a weapon that will change the era," Zod instructed his secretary.
Urd froze for a moment. Another epoch-defining weapon so soon?
The countries that received Blade Technology Industries' notice took it seriously. Secondary Kryptonium had already transformed industries worldwide. Humanity had achieved unprecedented technological leaps thanks to it. Zod and his company were already recognized as the most influential men on the planet.
And now he claimed another revolutionary weapon?
Not just nations, but every military-industrial group and corporation was alerted. They speculated: could it be an electromagnetic kinetic weapon? A laser system? Or some even more sci-fi force-field technology?
On the day of the exhibition, countless dignitaries, executives, and military representatives gathered. Yet the star of the show—Zod Heath—was nowhere to be seen. Urd told inquirers that he would appear at the opening ceremony.
"I didn't know Zod had such a stunning secretary," Tony Stark commented, intrigued by the prospect of Zod's era-defining weapon.
"Mr. Stark, welcome to our exhibition," Urd said politely, already swamped with hosting duties for international representatives and high-profile guests. Zod had simply promised her a raise and left the event in her capable hands.
Urd had no clue what Zod's epoch-defining weapon was, but she knew that if he failed to deliver something impressive, Blade Technology Industries would suffer.
"Would it be possible to invite you to dinner afterward?" Tony asked, eyeing Urd with intent.
"Sorry, Mr. Stark. I need to attend to other guests," she replied with an apologetic smile before walking away.
Tony Stark was handsome and charming, but compared to her own stunning, brilliant boss, he didn't stand a chance.
As everyone settled in and waited for the exhibition to begin, the lights around the hall suddenly went out.
Though sudden, no one panicked—they had all seen large-scale events before.
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