The call ended.
Only the slightly sour scent of cooled coffee remained in the private room.
William gently placed his phone on the table, his movements steady, without a trace of tremor.
But his own heart was pounding like a drum in his chest.
Two billion U.S. dollars.
This string of numbers swirled and exploded in his mind, almost burning his sanity to ashes.
He used a concept, a blank check.
And a grand blueprint, just drawn and not even a sketch, to pry a huge sum from Tony Stark, enough to make a small country envious.
This feeling was even more stimulating than his passionate night with Jessica in the apartment yesterday.
William slowly stood up, walked to the door of the private room, and snapped his fingers at the waiter outside.
"Bill, please."
The waiter respectfully handed over the bill.
William didn't even look at it, directly pulling out a hundred-dollar bill from his pocket and placing it on the bill.
"Keep the change."
He needed to confirm that everything he had just experienced was real in this simplest, most direct way.
Money, he now had it...
The next day, Stark Industries Tower, top-floor conference room.
The atmosphere in the conference room was very oppressive.
On one side of the long conference table sat three men and women in suits, with serious expressions.
They were the top elites of Stark Industries' legal department, each handling contracts worth tens of billions.
And opposite them, only William sat alone.
He was wearing a well-tailored dark casual suit today, looking as relaxed as if he were visiting a friend's house.
"Mr. Rodriguez."
The lead lawyer, a middle-aged man with impeccably combed hair, pushed over a draft contract several hundred pages thick.
"This is the preliminary cooperation agreement we drafted according to Mr. Stark's wishes."
"We investigated your company, 'Rodriguez Risk Management,' with a registered capital of five thousand U.S. dollars, currently no fixed assets, no formal employees, and not even a decent official website."
"With all due respect, using such an almost empty shell of a company to undertake a two-billion-dollar 'founding sponsorship' is, in the history of business, unheard of."
William still wore his harmless smile.
He picked up the contract, thicker than a brick, casually flipped through it, and then placed it back on the table.
"Gentlemen, I think you've got one thing wrong."
He leaned slightly forward, hands clasped on the table.
"What Tony is investing in is not my company with a registered capital of five thousand U.S. dollars."
"He is investing in an idea, a future. It's the World's top toy that will keep his genius brain from exploding out of boredom."
"And I,"
William pointed to himself.
"Am the only one who can build this toy and hand it to him. My company is just a vessel to carry this idea. Its value lies not in past financial statements, but in future potential."
The female lawyer frowned:
"Potential cannot be quantified, Mr. Rodriguez. We need risk assessment. Article seventeen, paragraph three of the contract, we require Stark Industries to hold three seats on the project committee and have a veto vote to ensure the reasonable use of funds."
"Veto."
William flatly refused.
"This project has only one voice, and that is mine. Tony is responsible for the money, and I am responsible for turning the money into what he wants. If everything needs a committee vote, then we can end this conversation now."
"What Tony wants is a fast-acting private team, not another bloated and inefficient S.H.I.E.L.D."
He directly brought up Tony as a shield.
He knew very well that no matter how capable these lawyers were, they were just high-level employees.
The boss's will was the ultimate decree they had to follow.
"Regarding intellectual property."
The third lawyer spoke.
"The agreement stipulates that all patents, technologies, and data generated during the project period shall be owned by Stark Industries. After all, all research and development funds come from us."
"This clause is even more ridiculous."
William laughed out loud.
"The things we will be researching in the future may include alien technology, magic runes, and even the genetic sequences of certain mythical creatures. You tell me, for the patents of these things, which country's patent office are you planning to apply to? The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or the Asgard Patent Office?"
He looked at the dumbfounded lawyers and spread his hands.
"We are facing a completely new field and cannot apply the rules of the old World. Intellectual property will be held and managed by my company on behalf of the project to ensure its absolute neutrality and confidentiality. Of course,"
He changed his tone, throwing out the sweetener he had prepared.
"As 'founding sponsors,' Tony and Stark Industries will have permanent, free, and highest-priority exclusive rights to use all results. He can put our research results on his armor, or use them to light cigars, I have no objections."
These words, both firm and conciliatory, emphasized the uniqueness of the project while fully satisfying Tony's practical interests and vanity.
The lead lawyer fell silent.
In his twenty years of practice, it was the first time he had encountered such a difficult negotiating opponent.
The other party didn't discuss terms with you, didn't nitpick words; he directly overturned the table and told you that they were not playing the same game.
Yet, every single one of his words precisely hit Tony Stark's sweet spot.
What was even more exasperating was that his own lawyers were acting like mere tools following a process.
And the guy opposite was a sycophant; as long as Tony Stark was comfortable, there would be no obstacles.
"One last question."
The middle-aged lawyer took a deep breath, making his final struggle.
"Two billion U.S. dollars, for the first phase. Including subsequent funds, we need a detailed budget plan. Every penny must have a clear destination."
"Of course."
William took out a piece of paper from his briefcase.
A napkin.
It was the nascent blueprint Lei Ling had frantically sketched on that day, covered with "Watchtower," "Abyss of Hades," and various wild ideas.
He pushed the napkin towards the lawyers.
"This is the plan."
In the conference room, there was a deathly silence.
The three top lawyers looked at the coffee-stained napkin, their expressions incredibly vivid.
They felt they were not facing a business partner.
But a performance artist, or a madman who had just escaped from a mental asylum.
"Are you joking?"
The female lawyer's voice was trembling.
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
William's expression was incredibly sincere.
"Geological modification, energy core, anti-gravity engineering, space stabilization technology... do you think these things can be found in corresponding accounts on financial statements? What I gave Tony is a promise. He gives me money, and I give him a miracle. It's that simple."
He stood up and straightened his clothes.
"You can slowly revise the details of the contract. But the core terms, what I just said, not a single word can be changed. You can call Tony anytime to confirm whether he wants a four-hundred-page perfect contract or an island that can imprison aliens."
Having said that, he turned and walked towards the door.
He completely threw the pressure back on the other party.
Just as his hand was about to touch the doorknob, the chief lawyer's weary voice came from behind him.
"...Please wait a moment, Mr. Rodriguez."
William stopped, without turning around.
"We... accept your core terms. But we need to add a supplementary agreement."
"If the project is ultimately proven to be a failure, or if funds are proven to be used for purposes outside the agreement, Stark Industries reserves the right to reclaim all investments and sue you personally."
"Agreed." William turned around, a triumphant smile reappearing on his face.
"Sign it."
An hour later.
William walked out of Stark Tower.
In his hand was a signed copy of the contract, worth two billion U.S. dollars.
The sun shone on him, warm and pleasant.
He took out his phone and dialed Lei Ling's number.
The call was quickly connected, and Lei Ling's clear, slightly expectant voice came from the other end.
"Mr. Rodriguez?"
William looked at the bustling city below and said softly:
"Miss Lei, the first installment of funds has arrived."
"Now, start digging."
-------------------------------
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