Marvel: Master Of Role-Playing

The sensory enhancement serum, developed to complement the super soldier serum, was launched as a new project.

Norman also temporarily set aside his administrative duties and returned to the lab.

He knew that while administrative work was important, it was only a small part of the business, especially for a newly established company like Oscorp Industries. To truly secure his position within the company, he needed to prove his value in the lab.

This was Norman's plan.

Over the past six months, he had gained the trust of the company's management. Most of the leadership within the Oscorp were loyal to him. Although Luthor had a few subordinates in key positions, it wasn't a significant issue.

At the same time, Norman had realized something during their previous interactions. The researchers, who were completely obedient to Luthor, had made him aware of a fact.

While he had been cultivating his own influence within the administrative domain, Luthor had not been idle in the lab.

Thanks to his outstanding abilities and strong personal charisma, Luthor had managed to make nearly all of the researchers in Oscorp see him as their leader. The researchers didn't even consider Norman, the chairman, to be important.

The Oscorp Industries relied entirely on the research lab's results. If the lab faced problems, the whole company could collapse.

Norman wouldn't allow his company's future to be at Luthor's mercy.

So he came to bolster his image, to show all the researchers that he was not just the chairman, but also a skilled scientist.

The value he could create would far surpass Luthor's.

Only by creating this impression within the company could Norman secure his position as chairman and not be reduced to a mere shareholder.

Reid, playing as Luthor, could clearly see through Norman's intentions, but he remained steadfast, sticking to his strategy.

After all, in his view, the man wouldn't last much longer. Since he had given up on competing with Reid in the lab from the start, it was only a matter of time before he stepped away for good.

Reid also couldn't just force Norman out. The man's skills were still valuable, and his involvement did contribute to the research.

What made Reid truly confident, however, was another piece of news.

Norman's wife, Emily, was about to give birth.

'Norman's wife giving birth means Harry Osborn and the future Spider-Man, Peter Parker will soon be born.'

With that thought in mind, Reid set aside his work and headed to another laboratory.

In Oscorp, those who had personal labs were exceptional researchers, and the owner of this particular lab was a newcomer who had only joined the company a little over a month ago.

The reason he was given a personal lab was because both he and his wife were extraordinarily talented. Even with Reid's discerning eye, they were undoubtedly impressive.

"Hey! Richard, how's the research going?"

Richard Parker, that was his name.

Since joining the Oscorp Industries, Reid had been keeping an eye on this biologist. However, during the recruitment process, he hadn't encountered Richard and hadn't been able to find any information on him.

It wasn't until a month ago that Richard, along with his wife Mary, came in for an interview and with his outstanding performance, secured a position at Oscorp. Reid, in turn, arranged for him to have a personal laboratory.

However, during this period, Reid noticed that Richard's information had suddenly become more complete.

At that point, Reid was almost certain that Richard was a spy, likely sent by S.H.I.E.L.D. or the FBI. He leaned toward S.H.I.E.L.D., remembering Richard's backstory as a former CIA agent, and knowing S.H.I.E.L.D. had strong ties to the CIA.

"Hello, Mr. Luthor," Richard greeted politely, carefully putting down his work.

Reid wasted no time and handed him the sensory enhancement serum issue to resolve.

He wasn't one to hold back—some spies were employees too, so why not put them to use?

"This is the next major focus of the company. I know what you're capable of. You should be able to handle it."

Richard took the materials and quickly assessed the situation. Drawing from the intel he had gathered within Oscorp Industries, he grasped Reid's intentions.

"Mr. Luthor, you intend for me to achieve results before Mr. Osborn does?"

As a spy, it's crucial to build good relationships within the organization to gather intelligence. Richard had naturally heard that Norman had returned to the lab and taken over part of the work from Luthor.

And that part was the very issue in Richard's hands.

"It seems you know quite well."

Reid nodded, not hiding his thoughts. He was after power. The entire company knew about the ongoing rivalry between him and Norman, so what was there to hide? Was he supposed to present himself as a noble figure? Reid didn't have the luxury for that.

His goal was to defeat Norman as quickly as possible, completely take over Oscorp, and rename it LexCorp. That was his plan.

"I understand."

Richard was a little uncomfortable but still nodded. It had been a long time since he'd seen someone so open about their ambitions.

As Reid had guessed, everyone already knew about the power struggle between him and Norman, so there was no need to pretend.

After seeing Richard take the work, Reid smiled again and patted his shoulder.

"I heard Mary is pregnant?"

"Yes, she's four months along. So, I won't be able to come into work for a while."

Richard said this with a hint of unease. After all, they had only been with the company for a month, and now Mary was about to go on paid maternity leave followed by her full maternity leave.

They hadn't created any value yet, while their salary remained untouched, which did seem a little unethical.

"It's fine. I'm really looking forward to how smart you and Mary's child will be. With the timing of their births so close, maybe your child and Norman's child could even become good friends," Reid said with a smile.

"Haha, you're joking, Mr. Luthor. There's no way Mr. Osborn's child and mine would ever become friends."

Richard didn't take Reid's words seriously. After all, he thought he had kept his cover, and who could predict the future?

Maybe Peter Parker could even become the President of the United States, who knows?

...

Building a good relationship with Richard was just a small part of the plan. With that in place, Reid would be able to position himself in front of Peter Parker at the right time.

However, peaceful days didn't last long.

Not long after Norman gathered a group of assistants to show off his talents, the news of his wife's impending labor pulled him out of the lab.

And Richard, seizing this opportunity, solved the tough problem, shattering Norman's plans of gaining favor in the lab and making his image shine.

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