Compared to the president, who was being roasted on a fire, Bai Qi's environment was infinitely better.
At this moment, Bai Qi was comfortably sunbathing on a deserted island, feasting on seafood, sipping coconut juice, and listening to his subordinates' work reports.
During this period, Umbrella's momentum began to wane. Under Bai Qi's direction, Umbrella Corporation reined in its ambitions and began to consolidate its existing territories. With the joint efforts of Bruce and Duter, Umbrella Corporation had completely absorbed Osborn Group and was now on a healthy track of development.
As for Norman Osborn, who had turned into the Green Goblin, he was nothing more than a drug-addled lunatic, no match for Bruce and Duter, especially with the help of their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
Legally speaking, Umbrella Corporation's acquisition of Osborn Group was sound and flawless. Conversely, Norman Osborn, as the Green Goblin, was solely focused on eliminating all shareholders and regaining control of Osborn Group.
Spider-Man, naturally, would not stand for this, and he thwarted the Green Goblin's terrorist attacks several times.
Umbrella Corporation also took responsibility for the damaged buildings and streets, footing the bill for repairs.
Instead of suffering a decline in reputation due to the Green Goblin's rampage, Umbrella Corporation actually gained considerable public favor for its proactive approach, leading to a further rise in its stock market value.
It even went on to be recognized as the most popular enterprise in the city by New York.
Incidentally, during the acquisition of Osborn Group and the liquidation of Norman Osborn's assets, it was discovered that Norman had secretly been using company funds to maintain a clandestine private research institute. This institute housed only one person: Otto Gunther Octavius, also known as Doctor Octopus.
Upon discovering Doctor Octopus and the dead man's institute, Bruce did not handle the matter privately but immediately reported it to Bai Qi.
Bai Qi was greatly shocked to learn of Doctor Octopus's existence.
Among Spider-Man's villains, Doctor Octopus undoubtedly possessed the highest intellect.
Doctor Octopus's childhood was far from happy. His family background was not good, and his father, a factory worker, was prone to violence and alcoholism, often beating his wife and son without reason, casting a shadow over Otto's youth.
However, this did not lead him down a path of crime. Instead, Otto vowed never to become like his father, dedicating himself to his studies, not only to achieve success but also to save his mother.
As it turned out, Otto indeed possessed intelligence far beyond that of ordinary people.
In university, Otto majored in physical sciences and became an accomplished nuclear physicist, specializing in atomic energy physics. As he was always the top student, Otto held a profound disdain for so-called "assistants," believing he could handle everything himself.
He later invented mechanical tentacles, each capable of lifting eight tons. They were easy to operate, completely radiation-resistant, immensely powerful, and incredibly precise, enabling him to complete one astonishing experiment after another and formulate countless new theories, earning him global renown.
Up to this point, there was little deviation from the mainstream Doctor Octopus storyline that Bai Qi knew. However, things gradually began to diverge.
In the original timeline, after graduating from university, Otto would become a disgraced inventor, conducting experiments in his basement. A subsequent accident would lead to an explosion, thereby creating the true Doctor Octopus.
But the current situation was that after graduating, Otto did not become disgraced. On the contrary, he joined Osborn Group, was highly appreciated by Norman Osborn, and held a significant position in the research department.
However, during an experiment conducted simultaneously with Norman Osborn, the experiment took a drastic turn, resulting in a massive explosion.
When firefighters arrived, they only managed to rescue a severely injured Norman Osborn and found no trace of Otto.
Although it was later proven that Norman had intentionally bribed the firefighters, concealed Doctor Octopus's survival, and announced his unfortunate demise to the public, he then imprisoned Otto to conduct clandestine experiments for him.
It had to be said that both Doctor Octopus and the Green Goblin, as villains from the Spider-Man universe, harbored an almost inexplicable obsession with Spider-Man.
When Bruce took control of Doctor Octopus, the experiment he was conducting was precisely on how to replicate Spider-Man's superpowers.
In the Marvel universe, there were many superheroes and mutants with abilities superior to Spider-Man's, yet these two were fixated on unraveling the secrets of Spider-Man's genes.
Even though Spider-Man himself was a product of Osborn Group's mutated spider.
During a video call with Doctor Octopus, Bai Qi was surprised to find that Otto was not as depicted in the original works, but rather a purely dedicated scientist.
Upon hearing Bai Qi's promise to invest heavily in Otto's research institute with state-of-the-art equipment and access to magic, Doctor Octopus agreed without hesitation to work for Bai Qi, even knowing he was a demon.
Bai Qi was naturally delighted, as, being a transmigrator, he understood Otto's capabilities and value.
Otto was also overjoyed. Not only would he receive substantial financial support, but he would also gain access to mysterious magic, and he was already eager to investigate the principles behind this magic.
It could be said that, at this point, both Bai Qi and Otto were very satisfied with the current situation.
Let's return to Umbrella Corporation.
At this juncture, Umbrella Corporation was no longer merely a research and development technology company.
To ensure the smooth operation of this behemoth, Bai Qi also had Taskmaster lead, with Kraven assisting, and established a security company under Umbrella Corporation.
Of course, what was ostensibly called security was, in reality, a mercenary company.
It was well-known that in the United States, almost all mercenaries operated under the guise of security companies, and the politicians who benefited from this turned a blind eye, choosing not to intervene unless significant trouble arose.
The security company founded by Bai Qi exploited this weakness among politicians. Spearheaded by Umbrella Corporation, its establishment was marked by the presence of numerous local officials, creating an imposing spectacle.
The primary role of the newly formed security company was to provide comprehensive security services for Umbrella, equipped with the most advanced weaponry.
As for later management and personnel training, Bai Qi had no concerns. After all, Taskmaster was a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, a top operative, and was intimately familiar with training methodologies. Kraven, too, was a master of wilderness survival and an excellent hunter.
With such a powerful alliance, the soldiers they trained were bound to be exceptional.