Marvel: Master Of Role-Playing

"Mr. Luthor, do you have more information? I really want to know how you managed to push cells beyond their natural division limits and achieve limb regeneration."

Reed was still speaking excitedly, completely ignoring Victor's face, which looked like he'd just lost everything. Even Ben, who stood beside him, and Susan, next to Luthor, both wore speechless expressions.

At first, Susan had been genuinely surprised by Reed's research. After all, she had once been drawn to his talent.

But now, she couldn't help but feel she'd been blind back then. A man like this, so oblivious and emotionally detached, would have made life incredibly dull had they ended up together.

Luthor simply smiled at the man's reaction.

"Of course I have more data."

He took out a more detailed report from his briefcase. But just as Reed reached out to take it, he pulled it back and said, "You have the ability to take charge of this project. But first, you need to be a researcher at LexCorp. Are you willing to join us?"

Those words finally snapped Reed out of his excitement. Only now did he realize that he was already part of another company, officially working under Victor.

"Uh... sorry. I'm currently employed by Von Doom Industries."

"In that case, why don't you show a bit of concern for your boss's state of mind?"

Now that Luthor pointed it out, did Reed grasp the full picture. His experiment no longer held any investment value. That meant Doom Industries was finished. He could now understand why this was such a heavy blow for Victor.

"Victor, I..."

Reed tried to say something, to explain himself, but Victor wasn't in the mood to listen. He lifted his head and stared at Luthor in front of him.

"Mr. Luthor, you didn't show me that data just to make fun of me, did you? We've never had any personal grudge. There's no reason for you to waste time just to toy with me."

"You're right."

The man's reaction made Luthor nod slightly.

"Humiliating an opponent is meaningless—unless the humiliation itself is part of the plan. I have no interest in acting out some tired old revenge drama. The reason I showed you the data was simple. I'm willing to collaborate on the project. At the same time, I want to invest in your company."

"Invest?"

Victor frowned, but before he could ask anything else, Luthor turned to the others in the room.

"All of you, wait outside for a moment. There's something I'd like to discuss with Mr. Doom in private."

"Got it."

Even someone as socially oblivious as Reed knew that his position didn't give him the right to be privy to everything. So he and Ben left the meeting room without complaint. Susan and Johnny followed them out too.

As the door closed, only Luthor and Victor remained inside.

During that time, the latter had been thinking, trying to guess what the former really wanted to say.

But he couldn't come up with anything.

At this point in his life, Victor still dreamed of climbing to the top, of becoming one of the elite, one of the richest and most powerful men in America.

He wasn't the man who would one day become Doctor Doom. Naturally, he couldn't imagine what Luthor was about to say.

"Is becoming a successful capitalist really enough for someone like you, Mr. Doom?"

The sudden question caught him off guard, but it forced Victor to think. Was that enough?

He was born in a small country. Would becoming one of the powerful elites in a global superpower like America really be all he needed?

If he had been alone, pondering late at night, his answer would have been a firm yes. But the man asking him this now was Lex Luthor.

Chairman of LexCorp. Mayor of New York. A candidate for the next governor. The undisputed king of the entire city.

When someone like him asked that question, it was impossible not to reflect.

Was this really all there was?

With Luthor standing before him as the example, Victor, who had never considered himself any less capable, couldn't help but feel something stir inside him. Ambition.

"What are you planning to do?" He asked.

"I want to purchase all the shares held by Doom Industries' current investors and make it a part of LexCorp."

Luthor laid out his plan plainly. This time, Victor didn't explode in anger at the idea of losing control of his company. Instead, he calmly asked another question.

"And what about me? If I lose Doom Industries, am I supposed to end up wandering the streets of New York? As mayor, I'm sure you don't want to see the homeless population go up."

To that, Luthor responded with a voice that carried a strange, magnetic weight.

"Your shares will remain yours. But your stage shouldn't be New York. It should be your homeland—Latveria."

When he said that, Victor felt as if his eyes were finally opened. That's right. Why had he been so obsessed with America?

Still, even as the idea took root, he didn't lose his composure.

Luthor, however, continued.

"If you were sitting in my place right now… if eight years from now you were almost guaranteed to become the next President of the United States, what would you do? Would you shoulder your responsibility, build the nation up, and then hand it back to those incompetent fools when your term ends?"

No!

Victor had the answer almost instantly.

If Doom Industries were in the position LexCorp was now, he would never agree to live under rules written by ordinary men.

He would build a world of his own. He would become its ruler—God Doom.

"We're the same kind of people."

Seeing the spark in Victor's eyes, Luthor smiled.

"The world is always moved forward by a group of geniuses. 'Hard work can make up for lack of talent'? Those are lies spoken by geniuses to make themselves look noble. We were born to rule this world. And now, America is already within my grasp. You should have your own stage too."

He extended a hand forward.

"Join me. Let's take control and build a world that belongs to us."

Faced with that invitation, Victor could no longer hold back the excitement in his chest. By the time he realized it, his hand was already shaking Luthor's.

It was an impulsive decision, because in truth, Victor didn't even rank among the top players in New York City. Controlling the world sounded far too distant.

Even now, he wasn't sure if he could become what Luthor described.

But the problem was... he did have that potential.

Reid, the man from another world, knew all too well—God Emperor Doom was indeed capable of such greatness.

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