This was all thanks to what Hulk and Abomination did in the Harlem District.
The tragic aftermath caused by the battle of the giants heightened public panic:
Superhumans? Enhanced humans? Whatever they were, a monster that appeared out of nowhere easily tore the Harlem District apart. Some people were left dazed; they had been eating dinner at home, only to find their homes turned into ruins a few hours later.
People were in desperate need of something to enhance their sense of security. Firearms weren't very effective; they needed something high-tech.
Congress passed a proposal regarding the promotion of civilian exoskeletons. Before this, only corporations, registered organizations, and government officials could purchase these items.
Simply put, only the rich—people rich to a certain degree—could possess these things.
Now that the bill has passed, The Group eligible for purchase has expanded to the middle class, though obtaining the purchase qualification is quite troublesome.
First, anyone purchasing an exoskeleton must undergo dual certification training from the government and the Osborn Group.
Besides that, regular civilians can only buy neutered versions of the exoskeletons; in short, their performance is mediocre.
The next day, the Osborn Group held a press conference.
"Do you remember when I first proposed the concept of civilian exoskeletons, back when it was only targeted at certain organizations or groups? Now, everyone can purchase these cool exoskeletons."
Harry introduced to the crowd:
"I call this general-purpose model of the exoskeleton the CAH-1. It allows a person to easily carry a 100kg load for a marathon, withstand 500kg of pressure, and jump two meters high."
Harry stopped halfway through reading his script.
Under the confused gazes of the crowd, Harry said, "Forget it. The prepared script doesn't seem to have much impact. Why don't we just demonstrate it directly?"
He waved his hand, and Frank's good brothers walked out, all wearing exoskeletons.
Compared to the armor they usually used for training, these exoskeletons were practically industrial waste. However, this was a requirement from Congress; the performance of these exoskeletons couldn't be too superior.
Osborn thought the same—releasing a product that was too excellent all at once wasn't the way to milk the market.
In fact, besides this, Congress had many other restrictions regarding civilian exoskeletons: for example, they could not be equipped with high-strength bulletproof steel plates, and illegal modifications would violate the law.
In short, it was quite lightweight equipment.
Harry bent down and opened the backpack at his feet.
"I'm sure everyone is very curious about what's in these backpacks at my feet. Now, let's reveal the answer: these are weights totaling 100kg."
"It seems everyone is disappointed—it's not Iron Man." Harry joked. Everyone knew that Tony had an Iron Man Suit that looked like a briefcase on the outside.
"Anyway, this demonstration personnel from the Osborn Group will show you what it can do."
The soldiers put on the weights and started running around the venue as if they were carrying nothing. Not only that, even with the 100kg load, the wearer could easily jump onto steps nearly two meters high.
Clearly, the maximum load of the exoskeleton was not 100kg.
"Mr. Osborn, I would like to know if the release of such equipment into the market will cause greater chaos?" a reporter asked.
"I don't think so. The audits by the government and the Osborn Group are quite strict, and they will not easily issue possession licenses to individuals with criminal records."
Seeming to feel that Harry's explanation wasn't complete, Hurley added from the side, "Not only that, the powered exoskeleton usage training will also conduct strict psychological assessments on applicants, and every person holding a powered exoskeleton will be registered at the police station. The license needs to be renewed annually, and those who do not meet the requirements will have their licenses revoked."
"If the city is equipped with ctOS, all exoskeletons will be connected to the network."
Harry nodded, "Yes, thank you for the addition."
In short, although the relevant bill was passed, the regulations were very strict—after all, there was the precedent of rampant firearm issues.
However, Harry felt that once they opened this door, it was destined to be uncontrollable; the proliferation of civilian exoskeletons was only a matter of time.
"Understood. So, how much does such a set of exoskeletons cost?"
"Key question." Harry smiled, and the screen behind him displayed various models of the exoskeleton.
"The standard CAH-1 is priced at 70,000 USD. There are also other models like the strength-enhanced type, speed-enhanced type, and complex terrain adaptation type."
Although they had expected that these powered exoskeletons wouldn't be cheap, the price of 70,000 USD still made many people gasp.
Harry wasn't worried about no one buying them. In the initial stage, he just wanted to sell them to those middle-class people who liked collecting high-tech toys. 100,000 USD was indeed not cheap.
And Harry didn't believe that people who could afford 100,000 USD to buy this thing wouldn't have a few guns at home.
Let these people buy them first. Once they show off their skills during the Battle of New York and create a demonstration effect, Harry would then consider lowering the price.
In fact, the cost of such an exoskeleton didn't exceed 10,000 USD, so the profit was quite considerable.
After the Battle of New York, these middle-class people would naturally promote Osborn, and then Osborn could take the opportunity to launch the next generation of civilian exoskeletons—cheaper and with better performance.
Once the sold exoskeletons reached a certain scale, there would naturally be various derivative industries like exoskeleton painting, maintenance, and so on.
In short, everyone must have an exoskeleton.
Perhaps in the future, these exoskeletons might become essential items just like mobile phones.
"Do you know why these exoskeletons are called CAH-1?" Harry said. "It's the abbreviation for 'Captain America's Hand'. We all know that Captain America is one of the greatest heroes in this country's history, but I hope that when needed, everyone can have the strength of Captain America to defend and protect everything you possess."
The audience applauded.
"—Or when you're moving, it lets you have the strength of Captain America to quickly move those damn boxes and protect your spine."
The audience burst into laughter, and Harry shrugged.
"Seize the strength of Captain America."
The press conference ended.
"Do you know how many times you mentioned 'Captain America' during the press conference just now? Now the Military is going to come to us for money again," Hurley said.
"I thought our endorsement agreement hadn't ended yet?" Harry had truly forgotten about this. "Anyway, General Ross is in charge of this now, so it shouldn't be hard to handle."
"Alright, alright, I'll go talk to them again. Also, your private squad is already waiting for you in the underground facility. Frank asked me to notify you."
The Battle of New York was about to begin, and Harry needed to upgrade the equipment for his squad.
It was time to launch the official version of the Osborn individual combat suit.
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