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In northern Hollywood, Burbank County, inside a laboratory belonging to Isodyne Energy Group, actress Whitney Frost—who just hours earlier had been dressed fashionably—had now removed all her makeup and outfits, donned a white lab coat, and was operating a variety of high-tech equipment from this era, her expression solemn as she busied herself. There was not a trace left of the Hollywood star.
Just as she was immersed in her work, the lab door opened, and a middle-aged gentleman with a flippant demeanor walked in.
He was Calvin Chadwick, the controller of Isodyne Energy Group and one of the great American tycoons of this era.
"Honey, I heard you went to the film company today and ran into a little trouble?" Chadwick didn't speak at first. He waited until Whitney had completed a task and her hands were free before he asked.
Interrupting this woman's research could lead to serious consequences—something he definitely didn't want to risk.
"A minor issue. If it weren't for that idiot of an agent of mine, there wouldn't have been any problem at all!" Removing her gloves, Whitney let out a sigh and proceeded to recount what had happened that day.
"Oh? Josh Kahn? Austrian? I think I've heard that name before." After hearing her out, Calvin clearly didn't think her failure to terminate the contract was a big deal, but he did show notable interest in Josh…after all, he too was of Austrian descent.
"You'd better not stir up any trouble. The club's top priority right now is the Manhattan Project," Whitney immediately warned, seeing through the man's thoughts.
Clearly, from Whitney's tone and demeanor, her relationship with Calvin was not simply the cliché of an actress clinging to a rich man.
In fact, Whitney appeared to be the dominant party in their relationship.
"Of course I know that. But to be honest, the military and the White House are keeping an incredibly tight grip on this project. It's been very hard for us to get close to any of the core secrets, even with all the crucial technologies you've provided," Calvin said with a shrug.
"Don't those old geezers have any other methods?" Whitney frowned.
"Nope. That bastard Schmidt caused too much chaos. We wasted a lot of our blood supply, and now the entire upper echelon of this country is on edge," Calvin shook his head.
"Hmph. That fool will eventually be destroyed by his own arrogance!" A trace of gloom passed over Whitney's face at the mention of Schmidt.
There was no doubt the "Schmidt" they referred to could only be one person—the Red Skull currently wreaking havoc in Europe.
"Heh, no kidding. From what I've heard, Captain America has been giving him a lot of trouble lately. I bet he's in deep water now!" Calvin said with schadenfreude.
"Alright, what are you really here for? You didn't come just to talk nonsense, did you?" Whitney shot him a glance.
"Oh honey, that hurts. We're about to get engaged, remember? Can't your fiancé stop by just to show a little concern about your work?" Calvin replied, feigning a wounded tone.
"Hmph, cut the crap. Your lousy acting doesn't work on me," Whitney said coldly, frowning.
"Okay, okay. The United Service Organizations is organizing a morale-boosting tour to the British front lines. The club wants you to go—as Whitney," Calvin said, shrugging off his earlier pretense.
"To the UK? Why?" Whitney asked, confused.
"According to intel the club received, Howard Stark developed a substance called 'Nightlight' in Britain. Originally it was a drug intended to improve soldiers' alertness and wakefulness during combat. But due to its side effects, it had been shelved. We weren't even aware it existed—until recently, when General John McGinnis stole it from Stark's lab and airdropped it to the Soviet troops at Fino," Calvin explained smoothly.
"What side effects? Did something go wrong?" Whitney asked.
"Oh yes, very serious side effects. It causes people to lose their minds, attack each other, and even if they're not killed, they eventually die from asphyxiation due to throat swelling. However, the club believes it could still be very useful to us, so they hope you can find a way to get your hands on it," Calvin nodded.
"Indeed, that stuff could be quite useful. Got it. I'll register with the USO team tomorrow," Whitney agreed after a brief moment of thought.
"Mm, one more thing. The Soviets recently established a new organization called Leviathan…If possible, try to gather some intel on it as well," Calvin added.
"Leviathan, huh…Got it," Whitney repeated the name softly, then nodded and turned back to her experiments. As she resumed her work, she glanced back at Calvin and said, "Why are you still here?"
"…Alright, I'm leaving now!" Faced with Whitney's attitude, Calvin could only shrug helplessly and exit the lab.
"Look into this Josh Kane!" But the moment he stepped out, Calvin summoned a subordinate and instructed them to investigate Josh's background.
Clearly, he hadn't taken Whitney's warning about "not making trouble" seriously at all.
After leaving the lab, Calvin quickly drove to a high-end club in the city. A sign hanging on the building prominently displayed the name: Competitive Social Club.
...
Naturally, Josh knew nothing about the conversation that had taken place in the Isodyne lab. At that moment, he was in the study of a manor villa in Beverly Hills, listening to Yuri on the other end of the communicator explain a new product.
"This is the Magnetic Storm Infantry Armor. It uses a portable magnetic storm coil as its power source. It may look bulky, but thanks to its mechanical exoskeleton technology, the wearer doesn't actually feel much weight. The exterior armor can withstand direct rifle fire, and all the joints are covered with treated dinosaur leather. It's well-sealed, so it also offers considerable protection against chemical attacks. Its only flaw is that it's a bit slow…and it doesn't fly," Yuri said as he gestured toward a suit of armor beside him on the screen.
Josh, watching the armor on the screen, felt a surge of excitement. This custom Magnetic Storm Infantry Armor from Yuri still bore that signature Soviet ruggedness, but compared to the in-game version, it looked a whole lot cooler.
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