Ryden took out a pitch-black object.
It was wrapped in a black plastic shell, with only two metal connectors exposed at the top.
It looked like a grenade.
But not quite.
You couldn't tell what it was.
Only that it was something metal-related.
Howard's eyes sharpened.
In that moment, he looked like a serious scientist.
He pulled a pair of gloves from a drawer and put them on.
Carefully, he picked up the grenade-shaped object and examined it.
The craftsmanship.
The structure.
After a long look, he placed it on the desk.
"Hm. The workmanship's a bit rough, but it's clearly metal-related. What is it? A radio? No... too small."
"Hehe. This is a good thing," Ryden said. "A new type of battery. Small size, but its capacity matches a water-heater-sized battery. It's also much more durable. No risk of explosion from violent shaking like liquid batteries."
He paused.
"If you don't believe me, test it with a light bulb. With this transformer, it can output 110 volts."
He casually tossed over another black attachment.
Howard's interest exploded.
He immediately pulled out experimental equipment.
First a light bulb.
Then a water heater.
Then-excessively-a microwave.
The more he tested, the more shocked he became.
And the more excited.
This was a real breakthrough.
With this alone, multiple industries could be affected.
Electrical appliances.
Furniture.
Everything could shrink further.
Tank batteries could become smaller while extending range.
It looked like just a battery.
But its impact was impossible to measure.
"Do you have the parameters?" Howard asked urgently.
He flipped through the data.
"Perfect. Perfect! This is outstanding! With this, we can dominate not only the military sector, but other industries as well!"
He tinkered excitedly.
When scientists saw something interesting, they turned into children.
He completely ignored everything else.
Pulling all-nighters during experiments was normal.
"Yes, everything's here," Ryden said. "This is just the early version. It can be improved-smaller size, larger capacity, standardized shapes."
He added calmly, "It's only a prototype. It can even function as a mobile power source. At the very least, if a car won't start, this works as backup."
He pulled out several sheets of paper from his bag and handed them over.
Like a lackey submitting documents.
Howard grabbed them and began flipping through them impatiently.
But this time, he read carefully.
Very carefully.
Occasionally, he stopped and subconsciously began deriving formulas.
You couldn't fake this in front of a peer.
Unless the other person knew nothing at all.
Howard was completely absorbed.
Ryden didn't rush him.
Instead, he looked around the office.
Stylish.
Personalized.
Photos of beautiful women were everywhere.
All over the desk.
He didn't recognize any of them.
Movies existed in this era, but most were black and white.
Technology was still thin.
Nothing like the explosion that would come later.
Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, he could see most of Upper Manhattan.
It felt like holding the world in his hands.
From a high place, everything looked different.
Below, traffic flowed endlessly.
Businessmen in suits hurried along with briefcases.
Uniformed patrol officers scanned the streets, determined to suppress crime.
After a long while, Howard finally exhaled.
"Genius," he said slowly. "This can only come from a genius. There's a magnetic field boost in here. Using permanent magnets to increase electrical capacity... I have to say, it's brilliant."
He looked at Ryden.
"Is this really your invention?"
Ryden nodded.
"Of course. Though my mentor, Ms. Jennifer, gave me many suggestions. She's very intelligent. And very charming."
Howard immediately grinned and winked.
A look only men understood.
"Hehe. Of course she is. And quite... flavorful, right?" he said. "Ms. Jennifer is a widow, you know. Young man, I have high expectations for you. Haha!"
Ryden raised his glass.
Clink.
Both of them smiled knowingly and downed the wine.
Their relationship shifted.
They were no longer just shareholders who happened to meet.
Or the son of an old friend.
Men's bonds were strange.
Just like women's.
Hard to explain.
Sometimes a look or an action was enough.
They got along.
To put it crudely-they were the same kind of people.
To put it nicely-they shared interests.
Howard poured another glass.
At this moment, it felt like real friendship.
Between scientists, age meant nothing.
Love was the same.
No age limit.
No gender limit.
Cough.
Of course, both of them were perfectly normal men who liked beautiful women.
"I thought you'd never enjoy life," Howard said, sipping wine. "Obsessed with experiments like your old man."
It sounded almost lonely.
He was nearly forty.
Still no family.
No children.
He gave off a shallow impression.
Ryden was different.
At the very least, he'd gotten a woman pregnant.
That counted as maturity.
"The past is the past," Ryden said calmly. "A close friend's father died in a gang fight recently. That's when I realized I couldn't stay silent anymore."
He lifted his glass slightly.
"I should live more freely. As long as I don't forget my responsibilities and treat myself well, life becomes better."
Clink.
"Well said," Howard nodded. "I feel the same. But marriage? That's suffering. With so many beauties out there, how could I give them up?"
What a shameless scoundrel.
No wonder Tony turned out like that.
Pure inheritance.
"It's not that simple," Ryden replied. "A family brings responsibility. My old man always said you'd never change-a lifelong rogue."
He paused.
"But responsibility still matters."
For some reason, his "cheap" father's words surfaced.
The resentment clearly hadn't faded.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have raised a genius.
"Hmph! Just like him," Howard snorted. "Always slandering me. Forget it, I won't argue."
He waved his hand.
"Your invention is solid. Leave it to me-I'll make it shake the world again."
He laughed loudly.
"Oh, right. There's a cocktail party tonight... let me think. Whose was it?"
He leaned on the desk, slightly drunk.
"Ah! Wayne Enterprises. Big company. Old money. Decades of history. Top-tier enterprise since last century."
He grinned.
"What do you think? Interested? Plenty of beauties there. If you're lucky, you might even get a date tonight."
"Oh?" Ryden raised an eyebrow. "When? Where?"
Not for the women.
Just the name alone.
Wayne Enterprises.
That was worth seeing.
Maybe he'd even meet Bruce Wayne's parents.
Before everything fell apart.
Every 100 Power Stones gets 2 bonus chapters!