CHAPTER 248: CONVERSATION WITH DOOM

Reed had gained nearly limitless intelligence through his superpower, but even so, he couldn’t make sense of what Doom had just said.

After getting his powers, he escaped from S.H.I.E.L.D. and had been on the run ever since. He had only used his abilities based on instinct and had no idea that it had granted him a mind far beyond that of even the gods.

"What do you mean by that?" Reed frowned slightly, but with so little information, he couldn’t come up with a real answer.

Thankfully, Doom didn’t intend to speak in riddles. He answered directly, "Think about it. With what you know now, do you really believe that an organization like S.H.I.E.L.D. could’ve taken the cosmic energy sample from LexCorp by themselves?"

"What?"

Those words struck Reed like lightning. If everything that had happened so far was based on a scenario deliberately set up by LexCorp, then with his current enhanced brain, he could instantly connect the dots.

"So all of this.. has been part of LexCorp’s plan? My failed experiment, you going to Latveria to start a revolution, the cosmic energy, my powers, even my decision to seek help from Vought... all of it?"

Reed’s face darkened. No one liked the feeling of being manipulated. Yet he couldn’t let out his frustration, because even after learning the truth, the most he could do was blame LexCorp for not telling him about his miscalculation, which had destroyed his scientific reputation.

Beyond that, he had no grounds to criticize them. After all, they’d even advised him to seek out Green Lantern for support. The safety measures had been in place. The accident and failure... had truly been caused by his own oversight.

"Then what about you?"

Reed quickly regained his composure and looked straight at Doom.

"Why did you stop me here, Victor? Let me guess. You want to offer me help, and then use that as a chance to invite me to join your revolution to overthrow Latveria’s current regime. Am I right?"

Doom’s expression twisted for a brief second when he heard his plan being revealed so plainly.

He had never been the generous type. Back in the university, he had always been jealous of Reed’s talent while grudgingly admitting how brilliant he was. Now, seeing it for himself, the genius the man displayed after gaining powers made him burn with envy.

But he held it in. If he could recruit Reed to his side, he’d have countless opportunities in the future to replicate his abilities for himself—and gain that same boundless intelligence.

"You’re correct. And you, aside from reaching out to Vought, you’re also thinking of finding Captain America. You’re looking for someone worthy of carrying the responsibility of your powers, aren’t you? You have no intention of becoming a hero yourself, right?"

Reed gave a nod.

Unlike other universes, this version of him had already separated from his old team. Ben wasn’t around, Susan had married someone else, and Johnny wasn’t there to nudge him toward the hero path.

By nature, Reed wasn’t someone who’d want to become a superhero. It had nothing to do with his intelligence. It was just who he was.

"That’s right. So, are you saying you can help me find Captain America?"

"Not just that." Doom extended a hand to him. "I can also show you exactly what kind of person Steve Rogers really is."

* * *

Meanwhile, after getting everything ready, Tony and Steve headed out together to visit Hank Pym’s company.

The result was just as expected.

The front desk dutifully passed on their request to meet Hank, who was busy in his chairman’s office. But as soon as the old man learned it was Howard Stark’s son at the door, he didn’t even bother to meet them. Instead, he immediately ordered security to throw them out.

"Unbelievable. That stubborn old guy won’t listen to anyone. There’s something seriously wrong with his head!" Tony was fuming.

He had never been turned away from anywhere in his life. This was the first time he’d been shut out so bluntly, and naturally, he wasn’t pleased.

Still, Howard had told him a lot about Hank Pym before he passed, so he managed to keep his temper in check and didn’t just storm off.

"I could get him to come out."

The Maximoff siblings were also with Tony and Steve. It was the Wanda who spoke.

"My magic can guide him anywhere you want, and he won’t even realize it."

Her chaos magic could indeed accomplish such a thing. But after thinking it through, both Steve and Tony shook their heads and declined.

"No. We’ll figure out another way. Even if we did manage to meet him like that, with the personality of that old man, he’d never help us after being tricked."

Wanda said nothing. Since they didn’t need her, she wouldn’t push it. Her deal with Tony was strictly business.

"So now what..."

As the group were wondering how to get through to Hank, someone suddenly approached them.

"Excuse me. Are you Mr. Tony Stark?"

Tony looked up and saw a man dressed in a sharp suit standing in front of him.

"And you are?"

"Let me introduce myself." The man smiled politely.

"My name is Darren Cross. I’m Mr. Pym’s protégé and have been studying under him. I overheard what happened with him turning you away. I hope you’ll forgive me for stepping in without permission, but I’d like to apologize on his behalf. Mr. Pym can be... rather stubborn."

Darren Cross. He was the enemy of the second Ant-Man, and in this universe’s future, he would use his influence and partnership with Hank’s daughter Hope to drive him out of Pym Tech.

But for now, he didn’t have such ambition. And Hank hadn’t shared the Pym Particle technology with him yet either.

At this stage, he was just a regular apprentice.

"I see." Tony nodded. "Do you know how to get that old man to talk to me? Since you managed to find me, you must know what happened between him and my family."

"I do," Darren replied. Being around his mentor every day, he had heard plenty of rants about the Stark family. Once he dug a bit deeper, learning the full story wasn’t hard.

He knew Howard Stark had tried to steal Hank’s research before, which ultimately led to the falling out between the two.

"From what I can tell, even if there was a misunderstanding back then, Mr. Pym probably doesn’t care about the truth anymore. So many years have passed; it doesn’t change anything for him now. If you’re here to talk cooperation, you’ll need to bring something real to the table. Technology, to be exact."

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