Chapter 71: We Meet Again, Jackie
In the world of The Tuxedo,
at night,
outside the Manhattan estate of Banning, owner of Banning International Bottled Water Company in New York,
two men in formal attire arrived.
It was the night of a gala hosted by the mogul Banning, and countless celebrities and socialites from across New York were flocking to attend.
"Should I adjust for the time difference?" Cobb asked Jake beside him. "I have to pick up the kids from school in four hours."
It was only noon in the Inception world.
"Being a stay-at-home dad is tough work," Jake replied sarcastically, ignoring Cobb's stiff expression, and stepped forward.
The two were stopped by a security guard in a black uniform.
"Please show your invitation." The guard appeared reasonably professional.
Jake nodded, discreetly pulling something from his pocket and placing it on the guard's podium. "This is my invitation. My name... Franklin."
On the desk were seven or eight hundred-dollar bills bearing Benjamin Franklin's portrait!
The guard's lips curled into a knowing smirk, and he gave Jake a subtle nod. "Please come in, gentlemen."
He appeared perfectly casual, clearly having received plenty of bribes for similar situations.
"I thought you'd use hypnosis, or something more high-tech," Cobb gestured, "like easily forging someone's credentials."
"I've always believed that money talks."
Meanwhile, the movie's plot was nearing its climax, because just moments before, Jake had spotted Jimmy Tong sneaking into the party in his signature tuxedo.
In the laboratory beneath the swimming pool, Banning slowly donned the tuxedo brought to him by the undercover agent.
He felt this wasn't just a simple suit—wearing it, he, a somewhat cunning ordinary businessman, had transformed into Superman!
Banning took a quick running start in the spacious basement, then launched himself upward, performing a flip at nearly seven feet off the ground!
Not only that, he also executed two mid-air somersaults, as graceful as an Olympic diver.
When his feet touched the ground, he landed with perfect stability, without even a tremor.
Nodding, Banning said with satisfaction, "That was quite impressive."
The rookie agent immediately offered her fake smile. "Happy to receive a gift from your girlfriend?" She was brimming with confidence in her feigned submission.
In reality, if this weren't a comedy, the humiliation and fear this rookie agent was about to experience would likely haunt her for the rest of her life.
"I'm curious why you're doing this?"
Suddenly, the alarm blared.
Initially intending to continue her act, Del Blaine suddenly changed her approach. "This was all a setup! And right now, fifty CSA agents are storming the building to arrest you. I'm just buying time. You'll be caught, sent to federal prison, and guess what will happen to you?" Del spoke her rehearsed—or rather, threatening—lines while listening to the sirens. "They'll only give you pure, uncontaminated water every day!"
She stared intently at Banning. No one understood the terror of pure water better than Banning, because he had released the water strider virus through his bottled water company's distribution network.
That's why she watched him so closely, afraid of missing even the slightest hint of fear in his expression. She was tired of playing the devoted girlfriend.
But reality rarely matches expectations.
Backup did arrive, but only one person—two burly henchmen carrying someone who could barely stand. "Mr. Clark Devlin has arrived!"
It was Jimmy Tong, who had been thrown down the metal staircase from the upper level, landing on the floor like a rag doll with a heavy thud.
"Did I mention how charming you look in a tuxedo?" Del's expression instantly shifted, and she smiled at Banning.
However, Banning didn't even glance at her, casually waving his hand to indicate she'd better behave—he didn't want to waste any more time.
"Prepare the release," he said, walking up behind Dr. Simms.
As a mad scientist, Simms would never refuse an insane request. He nodded frantically with his disheveled head and said, "At your service, sir!"
The mad scientist's hands flew across the keyboard, typing line after line of commands, and the water strider eggs began preparing for release.
While this was happening, Banning didn't forget to take revenge on his never-before-seen but constantly antagonistic rival, Clark Devlin.
He kicked Jimmy Tong, who was disguised as Clark Devlin, off the ground. The kick, amplified by the tuxedo, felt incredibly powerful—the weight of a hundred-pound adult male seemed lighter than a soccer ball.
"Looks like the legendary Devlin isn't so different from ordinary people after all—he can die too." With his foot on Devlin's chest, and water striders preparing to hatch behind him, Banning, dressed in his tuxedo, felt like he was about to rule the world.
But Devlin suddenly said seriously, "You're right, but my name is Jimmy Tong!"
With that, Jimmy grabbed Banning's legs, and with the tuxedo's amplification granting him superhuman strength, he spun Banning around three times!
Banning, dizzy and disoriented, collapsed to the ground.
Next, it was Jimmy Tong's turn to showcase his tuxedo's capabilities. A group of thugs surrounded Jimmy in a circle, all eager to take him down.
But was someone wearing a tuxedo really that easy to defeat?
Three seconds later, everyone except Jimmy Tong was lying on the ground, clutching their injuries and groaning.
"You're wearing a nice suit too," Banning said, straightening up as if he'd just been lying on the floor for a nap.
Without another word, the two charged at each other!
Just as their fists were about to collide, two bullets flew from an unexpected angle, striking their tuxedos with pinpoint accuracy.
As high-tech combat gear, the tuxedos provided basic bulletproof protection.
The two bullets only caused them sharp pain. Footsteps approached, and then two men appeared before them.
One was Caucasian, handsome, carrying a black leather briefcase.
The other was Asian-American, holding two sleek-looking handguns—clearly, the two bullets had come from this man.
The shots were incredibly precise. If the tuxedos hadn't been bulletproof, the bullets would have definitely hit their hearts!
The two men also shared another characteristic: they were both wearing suits.
"Hey, we meet again." Jake quickly retracted his hands, and the two pistols were instantly pulled back into his suit sleeves, leaving no trace that anything had been concealed.
"Jake," Jimmy suddenly changed his tone, "Mr. Devlin says he doesn't know you at all, and you robbed CSA headquarters!"
"What? It's you?" Even Del Blaine, who had been quietly trying to stay unnoticed, spoke up.
Jake remained silent, neither confirming nor denying. "I'm here to see someone. Could the rest of you step aside?"
"Looks like CSA's got enemies," Banning adjusted his tuxedo tie, appearing quite composed. The enemy of my enemy might not be my friend, but at least the pressure on his side had lessened.
Once the water striders were deployed worldwide, the world would be under his control!
"Never mind," Jake sighed, then suddenly leaped down from the seven-foot-high metal platform, landing smoothly on the ground.
"So, you're wearing one too," Banning nodded knowingly, noticing the sudden appearance of the circuit pattern on Jake's suit.
"Mine is different from yours. Such a perfect suit, used only for fighting—what a waste!"
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