"The seventh live animal experiment begins."
"Reduce serum activity, transform bio-electrical energy to stimulate cell regeneration, and inject nutrients and serum simultaneously."
"Begin injection."
As soon as the injection of serum and nutrients was completed, Rory immediately pulled the switch. The motor let out a humming sound, and a large current passed through the converter to become weak bio-electricity, stimulating the mice inside the box.
*Squeak~ Squeak~*
The mouse squeaked incessantly.
The more excitedly it squeaked, the more excited Rory became.
It wasn't because he had any bizarre fetishes, but because a mouse squeaking meant it was still alive; all the previous experiments had ultimately ended in the death of the subject.
If even one could survive, it would indicate that his experiment had taken a step forward.
*Squeak! Squeak!*
*Clang.*
The iron box holding the mouse suddenly burst open, and a mouse larger than a cat panted as it crouched inside the tempered glass tank.
*Hiss~ Hiss~*
The mouse wasn't dead; half-dead, it crouched on the glass and panted heavily.
Its crimson eyes seemed to stare at Rory, and with a fiercely murderous look at that.
"Damn it!"
What Rory feared most was creating some kind of monster, so he had prepared for this in advance and immediately pressed a red button.
The humming sound of the machinery started, and several steel plates began to close slowly, preparing to trap the mouse inside.
*Thud!*
*Thud!*
*Thud!*
Just as the iron plates were about to close, the mouse suddenly climbed up and violently slammed into the tempered glass.
*Crack.*
A crack appeared on the tempered glass, giving Rory a start.
*Crash.* Fortunately, at the very moment before the glass shattered, the steel plates slammed tightly together, and the mouse trying to escape smashed headfirst into the steel plate.
Perhaps using too much force, the mouse knocked itself out cold.
Taking advantage of the mouse's unconsciousness, Rory took out a Vibranium needle and drew a tube of blood from it.
A portion of it was put into a test tube and refrigerated, while the rest was taken under the microscope for observation and research.
After recording the data and eating a hearty meal, he tidied up, picked up a briefcase, and left the laboratory.
These next few days were when his contract renewal with the Stark Industries investment department was scheduled, and the briefcase contained samples of antidepressant psychiatric medication he had prepared in advance.
It wasn't any great invention, but making a tidy profit for Stark Industries would be no problem at all.
He took a cab to the Stark Industries headquarters building and explained his purpose to the front desk upon entering.
In less than three minutes, the investment manager he had previously dealt with came running down in a flurry.
"Damn kid! You lied to me! Not only am I taking back all the investments, but I'm also going to sue you! You damned liar..."
The investment manager cursed as he walked. Rory calmly raised the briefcase and said, "The latest drug has been successfully developed. As long as it passes clinical trials, you and I, including Stark Industries, will become even wealthier."
"You lying... What? The research was successful?" The investment manager looked disbelief, asking, "I clearly went to your laboratory, and it was completely empty. How did you..."
Rory shrugged. "The conditions there were bad and the space was small. I just moved to another place and forgot to notify you, there's no need to be so furious."
"Ahem... You're right. Next, let's take a look at your research results." The investment manager's expression changed faster than turning the pages of a book.
The investment manager first arranged for an assistant to show Rory into an office.
As for himself, he ran off to report the situation to his superiors' office.
Ten minutes later, Captain America Steve received the news of Rory's appearance while at Peggy Carter's residence.
When Captain America arrived, Rory was reporting the efficacy and development costs of the antidepressant medication to the investment manager of the Stark Industries investment department.
"Sir, this is the data I've recently gathered. More than one out of every thousand people in America needs antidepressants."
"Currently, common antidepressants on the market include the following, almost all of which carry certain side effects such as obesity, sexual dysfunction, gastrointestinal discomfort, lethargy, or insomnia."
"Meanwhile, the side effects of this drug are minimal and can even be considered negligible..."
*Bang.*
Just as Rory was speaking eloquently, Steve Rogers suddenly barged in.
Steve was followed by Peggy Carter and Howard Stark.
Upon seeing the big boss Howard, the investment manager immediately stood up. Howard merely waved his hand casually, and the investment manager left the office like an obedient child, thoughtfully closing the office door behind him.
*Clack.*
Rory tossed the pen in his hand onto the desk and said speechlessly, "Steve, why do you always haunt me like a ghost? Since you're back, you should focus more of your energy on this Ms. Peggy, instead of following me around like a stray dog."
Before Steve Rogers could speak, Peggy Carter asked first, "You know me?"
Rory shrugged. "Of course, Agent Carter, one of the founders of the SSR, and also the first love of Captain America Steve Rogers..."
"Shut up, don't say another word!" Fearing that Rory would spill the beans about time travel if he kept going, Steve hurriedly interrupted.
Rory crossed his arms and leaned back against the desk, looking calmly at Steve.
Steve cut straight to the point and stated his purpose, "Rory, what have you been busy with lately?"
Steve possessed an absolute sense of justice within his heart; of course, many more people thought of him as a self-righteous hypocrite.
Sacrificing the interests of the minority for the interests of the majority—this was classic American rugged individualism.
He wouldn't consider why a bad person became a bad person; he only knew that since you had become a bad person, he had to take you down.
Rory chuckled. "May I ask who you are? Why on earth should I tell you?"
Peggy stepped forward at this moment and said, "Since you know I am an SSR agent, then you should also know I have this authority. Steve is employed by the SSR starting now, and he has the right to investigate you personally."
What is power? This is called power.
Being able to change the rules at any time and use state power against an individual.
If you were an ordinary person, how would you resist without the ability to change things?
When you possess the ability to resist and put it into action, these same people will stand on the moral high ground, slap a label called 'bad person' on you, and then crush you with greater strength—its formal name is 'punishing evil and promoting good.'
You fail to resist, and they win applause and flowers. Isn't that disgusting?
Just as a normal person has no way to prove they aren't crazy—whether you are mentally ill isn't up to you to decide; the doctor gets to say.
Rory took a deep breath, turned around, patted the briefcase, and said, "You've seen it all. If you want to make your life more comfortable, you need more money. I'm making money—do you have any questions about that?"
Steve couldn't understand the technical terms on the documents, but that wasn't what he thought in his heart.
"Rory, I know you are extremely clever in certain fields. Whenever you want, you can whip up some little gadgets anytime and anywhere, but you didn't. Instead, it took you three months to bring this thing out, and as far as I know, you even took a trip out to sea during those three months..."
"Steve, enough!" Rory's face darkened instantly, and he said coldly, "What do you want me to do? Do I need to immediately pull out all the technology surpassing this era for you to feel at ease, or should I bring out some extremely advanced tech only for you to jump out from the moral high ground and accuse me of changing this world—"
"No! Don't get so worked up, listen to me..." Steve also realized he had said the wrong thing by then; it was just his wishful thinking, and he didn't have any evidence.
Yet in Rory's eyes, Steve was simply trying to drive him into a corner.