Reid knew exactly how much his specially made fragrance would affect Emily.
The scent would continuously accelerate the progression of her hereditary illness.
And this deterioration was irreversible. Even though she had left Oscorp and returned ho, the damage caused by the scent had already taken effect.
Right now, Emily might seem fine, but all it would take was a small trigger, a mont of emotional instability, and she would completely collapse.
As for Norman, Reid had been keeping a close watch on him.
He hadn’t yet determined which faction in Hell’s Kitchen was backing the man, but he was well aware of the weapons and serums leaking out from wothin Oscorp.
With Norman losing power under his constant pressure, it was clear he'd gone to great lengths to acquire them, and his intentions were unmistakable.
……
The Jeep ca to a stop in front of Stark Industries.
Tony pushed open the door and stepped out, turning to Reid and Rhodes.
"You two, I’m throwing a party in a few days. You better be there."
"Of course."
Rhodes nodded with a smile. Strengthening his relationship with Tony was always a good move.
"And you, Luthor?" Tony smirked, resting a hand on the roof of the Jeep. "You’re not the type to sit around like so stiff old man. I assu you’ll co too?"
Reid thought for a mont before nodding. "A party sounds fine, though who knows? Maybe I’ll be hosting one of my own soon enough."
“In that case, we’ll just have two back-to-back!" Tony grinned.
He didn’t care either way—he just wanted to have fun. If anyone else had invited him, he might not bother showing up, but for Luthor, he could make an exception.
"Then it’s settled."
The three exchanged smiles before parting ways. Rhodes restarted the engine, preparing to drive Reid back to Oscorp.
Just then, Reid suddenly spoke.
"Rhodes, do you have the Scarlet Serum on you?"
"Huh?"
Rhodes raised an eyebrow, caught off guard by the question. Still, he answered without delay.
"Of course. Given how important you two are, I always keep so on hand, just in case."
In fact, all important figures in the U.S. military now carry the serum with them. So even continuously inject the serum, except during rest periods, to maintain their superpowers, all in an effort to avoid danger as much as possible.
"Is that so? Good to hear." Reid nodded.
"Why? What’s going on?" Rhodes asked, still unsure why Luthor had brought it up.
"Isn’t it obvious? A portion of Oscorp’s serum and weapons has been smuggled out. Based on our intel, they’re still in New York. And, well, I value my life."
Rhodes’ fingers tightened slightly on the wheel.
He caught the underlying ssage—soone in New York was up to sothing.
Considering everything happening at Oscorp recently, there was one clear suspect: Norman Osborn, the man who had been ousted from power.
With that in mind, Rhodes kept one hand on the wheel while reaching into his jacket with the other, retrieving the serum, ready to use it at a mont’s notice.
Reid, however, wasn’t worried about an imdiate attack. Even in the 21st century, the United States, with its emphasis on freedom, had far less surveillance compared to more controlled nations.
This was especially true in 1994. Reid had no way to monitor all of New York, making it impossible to predict Norman's move.
Bringing it up to Rhodes was just a way to get the military’s attention.
He didn’t have the power to arrest Norman. If he could, he wouldn’t want to reveal his possession of such powerful technology either.
The best way to handle Norman would be with the military's help.
Taking the warning seriously, Rhodes decided that once he returned, he would send a few soldiers with the serum to ensure Luthor's safety.
......
“Alright, we’ve arrived at Oscorp Industries.”
Still in Manhattan, it wasn’t too far from Stark Industries to Oscorp Industries. Soon, the vehicle stopped at the entrance, and Reid got out of the car.
“Mr. Luthor, please rest assured. A team of soldiers will be assigned to ensure your safety.”
“Thank you, Major Rhodes.”
Reid returned to Oscorp and prepared for what was ahead.
The best-case scenario was using the military's strength to defeat Norman, who was likely to attack him. However, Reid couldn’t entrust his life to others entirely.
Instead of heading to the chairman’s office, Reid went to his personal laboratory.
In the center of the lab, in a huge display case, was a suit of armor primarily colored in green, with purple patterns for decoration.
Reid opened the display case, and imdiately, chanical arms extended from the surrounding floor and walls to help him put on the armor. Afterward, he lightly tapped the chest area, triggering its invisible ability, and in an instant, the armor disappeared from sight.
“Now, I can wear this armor at all tis.”
Luthor’s armor originally lacked this feature, as the comic book version never concealed his identity. But Reid was different. Given his unstable position, revealing the armor was not an option.
The world’s technological landscape was still behind. Even Tony's arc reactor hadn’t been miniaturized yet—and even if it had, Reid had no reason to rely on it.
If he wanted to use such advanced tech openly, he would have to push technological progress forward, creating an impact too significant to ignore.
After donning the armor and ensuring his safety, Reid left the lab and returned to his office.
......
After handling so pending matters, Harley Quinn, his secretary, walked in.
“Boss, do you have any plans for tomorrow?”
Hearing this, Reid suddenly realized he didn’t have to wait for Norman to make the first move.
He could create the perfect opportunity for Norman to take action.
'Sure enough, even with Luthor's intelligence, it was impossible to be without mistakes.’
Thinking of this, Reid imdiately made arrangents.
“Tomorrow, arrange a press conference for . As for the new product...”
The special weapons sold to the U.S. military couldn’t be introduced in a public setting, so he needed to find sothing new.
“The new product is a beauty capsule recently developed by Richard. It’s based on genes extracted from lobsters during molting. Although it hasn’t passed dical testing yet, now is the perfect ti to promote it.”
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