I Became a Knockoff Arms Dealer in the Marvel World

Since Carl stepped into the arms trade, he had long abandoned any moral high ground. Half a month passed, and Black Widow seemed to have found no evidence linking Umbrella Corporation to the covert sale of Jericho missiles. One sunny morning, she quietly resigned and left the Umbrella headquarters.

Carl let out a sigh of relief. Avoiding confrontation with S.H.I.E.L.D. for now was the best outcome.

In a few years, Captain America would undoubtedly take action, rooting out Hydra from within S.H.I.E.L.D. and eventually disbanding the entire organization.

Carl had little interest in so-called superheroes. If the world truly fell into peace, it would pose the greatest danger to him. Without buyers for his weapons, how could he generate the U.S. dollars necessary to exchange for more advanced technologies?

Chuckling to himself, Carl decided to open the secondary system mall list to motivate himself.

[Spider-Man Gene Modification Technology | 100 billion USD]

[X-Gene Full Set Modification Technology | 1 trillion USD]

[Droplet Manufacturing Technology | 2 trillion USD]

[B-Particle Manufacturing Technology | 5 trillion USD]

[Proton Manufacturing Technology | 5 trillion USD]

The list displayed an array of enticing technologies, each with a hefty price tag.

"Looks like I still have to keep pushing my arms trade," Carl thought. "At this rate, how long would it take to gather enough money to buy these technologies?"

Though the prices were astronomical, buying single technologies was far more affordable. In the system mall, individual products cost only one-tenth of the price of a full set.

Becoming a superpowered individual like Apocalypse only required 100 billion USD. That was a goal Carl could easily attain.

Having already invested nearly all of his initial capital into establishing Umbrella Corporation, Carl now had around 12 billion USD in liquid funds. As long as the arms trade continued, he could likely accumulate enough money to purchase the X-Gene modification formula within six months.

The thought of gaining the powers of a being like Apocalypse lifted Carl's spirits. With those abilities, he would have basic self-defense in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Feeling cheered up, Carl decided to celebrate. He left his office and walked through the clean, white halls of the Hive Base, taking the elevator to the 15th underground level.

The 15th floor of the Hive Base spanned over 10,000 square meters, featuring a range of fully equipped rooms, lounges, a gym, a cinema, and more. Half of the space was dedicated to a massive 5,000-square-meter gym.

The gym's vast area served a dual purpose: it was a place for Carl to train and test his telekinetic powers. This floor was a private space for Carl and his women.

Thanks to the cloning technology and memory implantation, Carl could indulge in any beautiful woman he desired. Working in his line of business, Carl often found himself under significant stress. To relieve that tension, he would visit this floor to relax with a few of his obedient and attentive women.

Most of the people in the Hive Base were clones created by Carl—scientists, researchers, staff, guards, etc. With memory implantation, cloning someone with specific abilities was an effortless task.

While the cloned women were like realistic dolls to Carl, over time, he had developed some affection for them. They were not disposable soldiers, after all, but instead people he had invested time and care in.

Apart from the cloned humans, two individuals in the Hive Base were natural-born humans whom Carl had brought back from the outside world.

Once on the 15th floor, Carl made his way to the gym, where Red Queen, who managed the base, informed him that the woman he was looking for was there.

The gym was filled with all kinds of equipment. Passing by a series of machines, Carl saw two familiar figures sparring in the boxing ring. It was Wanda, the Scarlet Witch, and Ada Wang, the clone.

Walking up to the ring, Carl clapped his hands, interrupting their training.

"Hey, ladies, good morning. Wanda, when did you get interested in close combat? Weren't you always content being a ranged mage?" Carl teased.

Wanda and Ada paused their sparring, and Wanda removed her boxing gloves and stepped over the ring's barrier to greet Carl.

"Sorry, looks like I won't be able to continue my close combat training today," Wanda apologized to Ada before turning to Carl, explaining, "You said that if I don't improve my close combat skills, I might be caught off guard in a crisis if someone gets close to me. So I asked Ada to help me train."

Wanda continued, noticing Carl's unexpected appearance, "By the way, what brings you down here today? Aren't you usually busy promoting your advanced weapons to clients?"

Carl noticed a slight frown on Wanda's face as she spoke. For her, selling arms was a moral gray area. After all, most of the weapons Carl sold were copies of Stark Industries' designs. And it was Stark Industries' missiles that had killed Wanda's family.

Carl often found himself uncomfortably promoting Stark's missiles to his top clients in front of her. It made her uneasy.

However, after Carl's patient explanations and considering the years of war she had experienced in Sokovia, Wanda began to see things differently. As someone who had grown up amid chaos, she eventually understood that the problem wasn't with the arms dealers, but with the ones who used the weapons for destruction. The real enemy was the one who fired the missiles, not the one who sold them.

Wanda had come to terms with her past grudges, realizing that her anger was more about venting frustration with life than seeking true revenge.