Emil

The cyberware testing process went smoothly, and the retired veterans who were the first to complete all surgeries can now run freely on the ground.

To him, this was nothing short of a new lease on life.

His gratitude was beyond words, and the fellow even wanted to introduce his daughter to him.

However, after looking at the photo of the man's daughter, Chen Nuo kicked him several times with a deadpan expression.

Damn it, that's no way to repay a favor.

This affordable, mature, and reliable cyberware technology was highly valued by the military. After Chen Nuo submitted the relevant materials, Commissioner Smith soon applied for a visit.

After all, the disability rate in the military is very high.

Many elite soldiers are forced to retire due to injuries and disabilities, which is a significant loss for the military.

Good soldiers are not so easily cultivated.

Spending over a hundred thousand dollars to get them back on the battlefield is undoubtedly a very profitable deal; after all, on the front lines, a bag of screws costs a hundred thousand.

Now, being able to trade less than the price of two bags of screws for an elite soldier is a steal no matter how you look at it. Commissioner Smith even felt that Chen Nuo should appropriately raise the price.

Otherwise, if he takes too little, how could the commissioners take a bigger cut for themselves?

Furthermore, the cyberware also enhanced the soldiers' combat capabilities in certain aspects.

Of course, taking Tony's requirements into account, Chen Nuo restricted the performance of the cyberware to civilian levels.

Chen Nuo naturally had no interest in hosting people from the military; almost all the liaison work was handled by Pepper or Natasha, while he went to a party with Tony.

By the time he climbed out from under several Victorias Secret models the next day, the contract between the company and the military had already been signed.

This greatly mended the rift between the company and the military caused by the closure of the weapons division.

Many previous breach-of-contract lawsuits were also temporarily suspended.

The change in the military's attitude toward Stark Industries Group could be seen from the shift in the stock market and media news.

This was, of course, a good thing.

Although America is a capitalist country where the power of capital has long permeated every inch of the soil and can easily influence politics, the military is another interest group that cannot be ignored.

Winning through cooperation is always better than a clean break and confrontation.

Chen Nuo came here to enjoy life. By offering just a bit of insignificant technology, he could win over a massive power—why not?

Now, even if someone had a screw loose and insisted on making trouble for Chen Nuo, Tony and the military would definitely be the first to step up and take them down.

Although Tony didn't say it explicitly, judging by the girls he found for Chen Nuo last night, he was still quite grateful in his heart for what Chen Nuo had done.

Natasha walked into the presidential suite and skillfully and efficiently ushered the irrelevant Victorias Secret models out of the room.

This experience was clearly learned from Pepper.

Once he put on his pants, Chen Nuo looked much more respectable.

Every time Natasha saw him like this, she would feel surprised by how massive the contrast was between a person with their pants on and with their pants off.

But now was not the time to think about that; she had come to find Chen Nuo for urgent business.

"Boss, General Ross suddenly reached out to you for help."

"General Ross?"

"Thaddeus Ross, a powerful figure in the military and our main point of contact for cooperation. His daughter is named Betty Ross, whom you've met before."

"Oh~ it's her. Miss Ross did indeed leave a deep impression on me."

At the mention of Betty, Chen Nuo remembered. He had danced with her at a previous military gala; she was a lady with an absolutely stunning figure and looks.

Unfortunately, Miss Betty already had a boyfriend.

Not the green one—that one was already an ex-boyfriend—but a psychiatrist.

Of course, if this current boyfriend didn't mind, Chen Nuo wouldn't mind making an exception for himself.

As for Betty's ex-boyfriend, that doctor was currently wanted by the military, and no one knew where he was hiding.

That's right, Betty's ex-boyfriend was Bruce Banner.

The two had originally reached the stage of discussing marriage, but an experimental accident exposed Bruce to Gamma radiation, turning him into the Hulk, which not only destroyed the lab but also severely injured Betty.

To obtain this formidable power, General Ross had been hunting Bruce.

"It might be related to this news report."

Natasha handed the latest news briefing to Chen Nuo.

"Military cordons off Culver University... Green monster reappears on campus..."

Chen Nuo glanced at the general content and knew what had happened; it turned out the timeline had progressed to this point.

"What does this have to do with us? One look and you can tell it's trouble stirred up by the military. What, they want me to help clean up their mess?"

Chen San casually tossed the newspaper aside, took a sip of coffee to clear his throat, and continued.

"How is the cooperation with the welfare agencies going?"

"Very smoothly. From now on, they will be given a hundred free cyberware slots every year."

"Keep an eye on it; I don't want to be treated like a fool."

"Then General Ross's invitation..."

"Get the car ready."

Chen Nuo thought about it and decided to give him this face. This certainly wasn't because General Ross had a beautiful daughter... Inside the military's affiliated hospital.

A large number of severely injured soldiers were undergoing emergency resuscitation.

The operation to capture Bruce at Culver University had been a total failure.

Even though General Ross's arrangements were meticulous enough and his preparations were quite sufficient, he had still underestimated the Hulk's strength.

General Ross paid a heavy price for this. If not for his deep roots in the army, he would likely be facing a court-martial by now.

Deploying the army into a university and turning the entire campus upside down—the public outcry resulting from this was easy to imagine.

When Chen Nuo's car pulled up to the hospital, General Ross was already there waiting for him.

"It seems you've caused quite a bit of trouble, General Ross."

Chen Nuo stepped forward to shake hands. The last time they met, this old man's attitude hadn't been friendly at all, wearing a sour expression as if everyone owed him money. He was never this proactive.

On this point, General Ross probably had something to say.

Any other father seeing a certain playboy with his arm around his daughter probably wouldn't have a very pleasant expression.

"That is not for you to discuss. I invited you here because my soldiers need help. Elite men like them shouldn't have to lie in bed for the rest of their lives."

General Ross couldn't be judged simply as good or bad, but as a leader, he was indeed very responsible.

"What's the situation? Let's hear it."

Chen Nuo followed General Ross into the hospital, with Natasha silently following behind them.

"I'll let a professional explain this to you."

General Ross summoned the attending physician and provided a detailed diagnostic report.

"Comminuted fractures all over the body? Was he run over by a tank? It's a miracle he's still breathing."

Chen Nuo clicked his tongue as he looked at the report for the most severely injured, Emil Blonsky.

No wonder this guy could become the Abomination; with this cockroach-like tenacity and life force, he truly possessed extraordinary potential.

Besides him, there were many other severely injured soldiers.

Even if they could be treated, they would end up disabled.

In the face of the enraged and out-of-control Hulk, these ordinary people were as fragile as potato chips.

With even a slight collision, their bones would shatter into dust.

"These soldiers don't seem to be on the list for the cyberware cooperation plan."

Chen Nuo glanced at General Ross. The cooperation agreement between Stark Industries Group and the military had strict regulations; not just anyone could enjoy the company's cyberware treatment.

"Consider this a favor I owe you,"

General Ross said in a low voice.

"Do you happen to have another illegitimate daughter you can introduce to me?"

Chen Nuo put his arm around General Ross's shoulder, his attitude becoming friendly.

"Who do you take me for?"

General Ross was a very old-school white American; an illegitimate daughter was naturally impossible, and he spoke angrily.

"Then how can you repay me?"

Chen Nuo spread his hands. It wasn't that he looked down on General Ross, but given the trouble he'd caused, there would definitely be a reckoning later. Once he lost his power and only had his honorary title left, Ross would just be a little old man.

"What do you want?"

General Ross remained calm; he knew that since Chen Nuo was still here, there was definitely room for negotiation.

"Look at the state this guy is in. Ordinary cyberware will definitely be useless. Why not just arrange for his discharge and send him directly to the Stark Industries security department? Even if he still can't stand up in the end, I can have people take care of him until he's old."

"..."

General Ross's eyes flickered, but he didn't speak.

"As for the other soldiers, I can give you a back door, outside of the cooperation plan's quota."

Chen Nuo continued to raise the stakes.

"I want fifty cyberware slots."

General Ross opened the palm of his right hand.

The old man was quite greedy; the total number of disabled soldiers wasn't even half that amount. Wouldn't the remaining slots all end up in his own pocket?

"Deal."

Chen Nuo reached out and shook on it.

Fifty or five hundred made no difference to him. He shot a look at Natasha, and the matter was left to her to handle.

"Hey, you, arrange a medical transport."

Chen Nuo called out to the attending physician, then left with Natasha... By the time Emil regained consciousness and woke up, he was already lying in a Stark Industries Group laboratory.

Looking at the dense array of needles and tubes on his body, Emil instinctively tried to move, and then a sharp pain swept through his entire body, making him groan in agony.

"Give him a shot of analgesic."

Chen Nuo said to a researcher in the lab.

After a shot of painkiller, Emil felt much better. His eyes darted around, looking at the unfamiliar environment and the cold instruments; he couldn't help but feel nervous and apprehensive.

"Where is this? Who are you?"

Chen Nuo was in no hurry to answer. Instead, he pulled out two documents and tossed them in front of Emil's eyes before speaking.

"This is your discharge certificate, and an employment contract for Stark Industries Group."

"What?! How come I didn't know about any of this!!"

Emil was very agitated; with comminuted fractures all over his body, he almost tumbled off the bed.

Chen Nuo simply continued indifferently.

"The position I've arranged for you is Head of the Security Department, with an annual salary of five hundred thousand dollars. I've also provided a two-hundred-thousand-dollar car and an apartment."

"..."

Hearing these numbers, Emil suddenly felt that his reaction just now had been a bit too intense. This wasn't good; what if it affected his image in front of his new leader?

"You currently have comminuted fractures all over your body; you can't even move a finger. Only I can make you stand up again. Do you have any other questions?"

Chen Nuo briefly explained Emil's situation.

"...What day is payday?"

"The first."

Emil had already stepped into the identity of a wage earner.

The glory and sense of identity brought by being an American soldier were still a bit lacking compared to a job with an annual salary of five hundred thousand.

Moreover, given his current physical condition, there was no possibility of returning to the army. He could only pray that Chen Nuo could indeed do as he said.

"Then when can I stand up again?"

Emil's voice trembled slightly. This was the question he was most nervous about. Even with his education, he knew what a comminuted spinal fracture meant.

"Today."

Chen Nuo smiled faintly. Without giving Emil a chance to ask further, he pressed a button on the experimental bed, flipping it over.

"Wait, what are you going to do?"

Emil, unable to see what was happening above, panicked. However, as the general anesthetic was injected into his body, he lost all sensory perception of the outside world.

When he woke up again, Emil could actually feel the existence of his limbs once more. The joy of being reborn made him unable to control his emotions, and he accidentally fell off the bed.

A slight sensation of something different on his back made Emil instinctively reach out to touch it. What his fingertips felt back was the cold texture of metal.

Emil turned his head to look at his back, clearly feeling that a change he didn't know about had occurred in his body.

"Don't be nervous. I replaced your spine with a cybernetic spinal column. This can greatly enhance your reaction speed. Once you get used to it, you'll be able to appreciate the benefits it brings."

As Chen Nuo spoke, he observed Emil's physiological data feedback. This guy's compatibility with cyberware was remarkably high; the rejection levels were outrageously low, to the point where he didn't even need suppressant injections.

One could only say that he was truly the Hulk's arch-nemesis. If placed in the world of Cyberpunk, he would undoubtedly be the next Adam Smasher.

"Indeed, I feel much better now."

Emil propped himself up and stood. At this moment, the way he looked at Chen Nuo was already different from before, filled with gratitude and respect.

"Put some clothes on. From now on, you'll be responsible for the company's security and mine. For the specific handover of work, find Miss Natasha outside."

As Chen Nuo spoke, he tossed Emil a lab coat. The man put it on, covering the cyberware on his back, nodded, and walked out.

Outside the lab, Natasha watched as Emil walked out all by himself, unable to hide the shock deep in her eyes.

It seemed she had still far underestimated Chen Nuo's cybernetic implant technology.