Marvel's Iron Lady

Sitting in the passenger seat of the sports car, Miss Stark crossed her arms, carefully examining the car that Dr. Helen Cho had driven to pick her up.

As part of the sports car world, Porsche, a brand under Germany's Volkswagen, indeed has a few models that are quite suitable for women.

Dr. Cho's personal car was an entry-level Porsche 718, a model with a moderate price and a vibrant feel.

"So, is this your own car? I thought with your income, you'd have a better choice for getting around."

"I just really like its style. Don't you think it's elegant? I'm very fond of it."

On this point, Miss Stark agreed and was quite certain of her girlfriend's aesthetic taste.

Compared to the more expensive 911, the more affordable 718 actually appealed to her more—she even had one in her garage.

In fact, both she and Helen had chosen the same model and color of the 718, perhaps a sign of the kind of tacit understanding that only the closest of friends share.

Dr. Cho chuckled lightly, shrugging her shoulders, but she still took a moment to glance at Miss Stark sitting beside her while driving.

Since graduating from MIT, although they occasionally met, it was certainly far less frequent than when they were in school.

Basically, it was only at scientific conferences that Dr. Cho could see Miss Stark, and the two of them would inevitably talk late into the night.

As for what might happen later at night, that was something only they knew—

When Dr. Cho learned that Miss Stark intended to tackle the Extremis Virus, the expression on her face suddenly became very complicated.

It wasn't exactly a smile, nor was it a grimace, but rather an expression that was very complex.

The name Maya Hansen was quite famous in the industry, especially in Dr. Cho's field.

Because although Maya's Extremis Virus project hadn't been completed, it had already made initial progress.

Ultimately, it was the cellular structural equation given to her by Miss Stark that allowed her to make progress.

The essence of the Extremis Virus was to induce tissue cells to self-divide, promoting the regeneration of wounds and even severed limbs.

Maya Hansen had already achieved success in plants and was moving on to animal testing.

Although she had been applying for human trials, she had yet to get approval.

But just the results she achieved with plants were enough to put Maya Hansen at the forefront of the field.

Of course, Maya never hid how she obtained the cellular structure equation from Miss Stark.

Even though the industry looked down on her for using seduction to obtain technical support, she didn't think it was a big deal.

Seduction is seduction—if others could do it, they were welcome to try.

The existence of the Extremis Virus had already destined Dr. Cho's research to directly conflict with Maya Hansen's.

Since graduation, Helen's ECM (Extracellular Matrix) technology had become a thorn in Maya Hansen's side.

Moreover, Helen's near-mature ECM technology could be directly used as a foundational base for the Extremis Virus.

Over the years, Dr. Helen Cho had encountered Maya Hansen countless times, and the forces behind Maya—

They had consistently expressed interest in acquiring the ECM technology.

Dr. Cho didn't want to sell her hard work and had been subjected to periodic harassment from the other side.

This harassment left her quite distressed, so she had no choice but to leave the United States and return to her home country.

Under the pressure of money and other threats, Helen found it increasingly difficult to withstand the pressure.

It wouldn't be long before she might have to reluctantly sell her research results due to the external pressure.

That was until, at this critical moment, Miss Stark straightforwardly came to her with the Extremis Virus data.

In the past, at least during their time at MIT, Miss Stark had always been somewhat dismissive of biotechnology.

Compared to biology, she seemed to have inherited Howard Stark's personality, being more interested in physics.

This was why Dr. Cho had never mentioned her work to Miss Stark even after graduation.

But now that she had brought the Extremis Virus data to South Korea, it meant that things had taken a turn.

Maya Hansen's Extremis Virus project was built on the cellular structural equation given to her by Miss Stark.

If Miss Stark completed the Extremis Virus first, it wouldn't constitute any infringement.

Therefore, it wasn't out of the question for Dr. Cho to share her ECM technology with Miss Stark.

Dr. Cho was even willing to be an ordinary lab technician, as long as Miss Stark could help her deal with the harassment.

"This is my research institute—also the largest biotechnology research center in South Korea."

Leaving Incheon International Airport, the silver-gray Porsche drove along a branch of the Han River towards Seoul.

The sports car stopped in front of an extravagant geometric building, located right by the wide Han River.

"At first, it was just a research institute for ECM technology, but the technology made a breakthrough."

"I received a two-billion-dollar grant from the Korean government to expand the project."

Dr. Cho's ECM technology could indeed be considered a miracle in the medical world, and the Korean government's investment was wise.

If the project advanced under Dr. Cho's leadership, it would likely bring much more than just a two-billion-dollar economic benefit.

"Then I thought, since we already had two billion dollars in research funding, why not integrate more?"

"And so, here you have this research institute, which brings together South Korea's cutting-edge biotechnology, situated right on the banks of the Han River."

Miss Stark stood beside Dr. Cho, quietly listening as she looked at the distant scenery and heard about her friend's experiences over the years.

It had to be said that although South Korea was a young nation, it had a group of young people open to accepting foreign cultures.

Well, that's not exactly a compliment, but at least this biotechnology research institute on the banks of the Han River was a lucky break for Miss Stark.

Dr. Cho's research institute was located by the river, and just beyond the nearby square was the Han River that ran through Seoul.

This area could be considered the suburbs of Seoul, as well as a development zone, with a large forest park not far away.

The nearest residential area was at least one or two kilometers away, giving the research institute a sense of seclusion.

Especially at night, sitting shoulder to shoulder on a park bench, one could look up and see the clear night sky.

"Technically, it's still a holiday, but I've already notified the lab to work overtime tomorrow, so—"

"So—you want me to help you complete the Extremis Virus because you want to use it as a weapon?"

Dr. Cho turned off her phone screen, looked at Miss Stark sitting next to her, and spoke slowly.

"Not just as a weapon—commercial, military, medical—do you realize how valuable it is?"

Of course, its value in combat was most important, but she certainly wouldn't tell Helen that.

Over the next week, Miss Stark deciphered a vast amount of information on the Extremis Virus.

This included Maya Hansen's research findings, as well as reports and citations from related studies at home and abroad.

The Extremis Virus was called a virus because its method of cell repair was very similar to that of a virus.

Not only was the repair method similar, but its essential mechanism was also almost indistinguishable from that of a virus.

The word "Extremis" was derived from "extremis" in Latin, meaning to find life in death—it could restore any damage, no matter how severe.

Similarly, the Extremis Virus also symbolized immortality and eternal youth, provided there was sufficient energy intake.

After being modified by the Extremis Virus, the lifespan of the original cells could be extended hundreds of times.

In other words, thanks to the Extremis Virus, human lifespan could also be significantly extended.

In ideal conditions, with sufficient energy intake, it could theoretically achieve eternal life.

In short, the Extremis Virus project was an enormous undertaking that required tremendous human and material resources.

It required collaboration across various fields, including biochemistry, condensed matter physics, computing, polymer structures, and mechanical engineering.

All of Maya Hansen's research was built upon the cellular structural equation given to her by Miss Stark.

Therefore, in reconstructing the project, Miss Stark found herself extraordinarily adept.

The ECM regeneration technology and the Extremis Virus project had a high degree of synergy and consistency.

Dr. Cho and her research team, after taking on the Extremis project, felt a sense of familiarity and comfort, as if returning home.

Research on the Extremis Virus project was far more complex than simple arithmetic—it was a result of multifaceted collaboration.

Perhaps it truly confirmed the saying that "collective wisdom is endless."

In just one month, the entire team successfully completed the project based on Maya Hansen's initial work.

Compared to the preliminary version that took Maya Hansen years to develop, the Extremis Virus project was now moving towards completion.

Finally—the project reached its final stages, moving from experimentation to clinical trials, with significant progress made.