"Haha, I told you you'd be interested! It's tomorrow night. Come to my office tomorrow afternoon. Oh-wait, no. Don't come. I'll set up an office and a lab for you downstairs. You're a meddling brat who always ruins the mood; you'd better stay away! Just wait for my notification!"
Howard grumbled with lingering resentment, like his "good times" had been interrupted by this guy more than once.
"Haha, fine. I have a suggestion. Show this battery to Wayne Enterprises. They'll be interested. When the time comes, we can outsource it-dump the risk on them and let them deal with it. They're an established firm with plenty of ways to handle underhanded tactics. We just sit back and collect the checks."
Ryden Hunt said it casually, voicing the thought that had just crossed his mind.
Howard stared at him in silence, long enough for Ryden to wonder if he'd said something wrong.
Then Howard slammed the table.
"Exactly! Why didn't I think of that?!" He roared with excitement. "That is brilliant! I was sitting here drafting plans for a press conference and an exhibition! Oh, what a masterful move! Ryden, you really are a genius just like me! Haha! Excellent! Excellent!"
Even while praising someone else, he didn't forget to praise himself.
This Howard guy was really something.
Ryden's mouth twitched.
Is he praising me, or himself?
Honestly, this approach was common in the twenty-first century. A typical example was game development companies. After finishing a product, they lacked the resources for launch, promotion, or distribution.
So what did they do?
They handed it to third-party platforms. Those platforms had professional channels and resources, far more efficient-and cheaper-than fumbling blindly on their own.
Outsourcing saved time, effort, and mental energy.
No need to waste brainpower on miscellaneous nonsense. Just focus on development.
It fit Ryden's habits perfectly.
Invent something, hand it to Howard, and let him handle marketing and sales.
Meanwhile, Ryden could focus on research, move a lounge chair to the second-floor balcony, brew a pot of coffee, hold his beautiful wives, and blissfully count money until his hands cramped.
That was life.
"By the way, do you know the people at Wayne Enterprises? How well do you know them?" Ryden asked, curiosity surfacing.
In his past life, Marvel and DC were independent-and outright rivals.
He wondered what it was like now that they were merged into one world.
"Thomas is the heir of the Wayne family. Wayne Enterprises was founded by them. He's also a former classmate of mine." Howard spoke casually. "A true gentleman. Always poised and refined. But he's a bit of a dreamer. He wants to build a peaceful Gotham City."
Maybe because he'd had a bit to drink, Howard didn't hold back.
"Oh?" Ryden leaned in. "Why's that?"
This wasn't in the movies.
Classmates?
Now that was interesting.
His inner gossip addict stirred. At this moment, this was far more tempting than running experiments.
"Gotham City is a melting pot of dragons and snakes. I did advanced studies at the Gotham Institute of Technology. That place is more chaotic than you can imagine. On the surface, it looks peaceful. Underneath, gangs are everywhere. The underworld families are tied to politics. Black and white are intertwined. It's a mess." Howard's tone darkened. "Just remember one thing. The citizens of Gotham are 'simple and folk-oriented.'"
Howard sounded gloomy, lost in memory.
Pfft!
Ryden spat out the mouthful of wine he'd just taken.
What the hell?
Hearing those words come from Howard's mouth was shocking.
It was like seeing Hela, the Goddess of Death, scream, "I love peace!"
The irony hit so hard he burst out laughing.
Howard ignored the wine spray and poured himself another glass, a strange glint flashing in his eyes.
"Kid, remember this. If you ever get the chance, go study at the Gotham Institute of Technology. You'll get plenty of inspiration. And don't trust anyone. You can only trust yourself." He paused. "In Gotham... well, except for those naive fools in the Wayne bloodline."
Ryden nodded.
Howard was looking out for him.
With decades more experience, his words carried weight.
And Howard wasn't just any man. He could run a business and lead experiments that produced cutting-edge technology. That alone said enough.
Not to mention, he would one day invent the element for the Arc Reactor.
A genius among geniuses.
"Why are they fools?" Ryden asked.
He knew he would live a very long time. Long enough to see the era where heroes emerged in droves.
Black Widow stayed young at nearly eighty. Steve stayed the same at nearly a hundred.
He was Sarah's husband, after all.
He couldn't afford to fall behind.
"Because they're both stupid and respectable." Howard chuckled. "Enough sad talk. Kid, I've got some good news for you."
He adjusted his mood instantly. Sadness was never his style.
Ryden had just gotten into the flow, right on the verge of uncovering the real gossip, when Howard abruptly stopped.
What a rip-off.
Dragged along only to be told the story was on hiatus.
Infuriating.
But if the other party wasn't willing, pushing was useless.
Ryden slumped slightly.
"What's the good news?"
Howard crossed his legs, holding his wine and slowly swirling the glass.
His posture turned unbearably pretentious.
The gloomy atmosphere vanished, replaced by pure smugness.
"The news is that Thomas's sister, Aisha, will also be attending the gala."
He winked, the meaning obvious.
Ryden looked at him, confused.
"What does that have to do with me? I don't even know her."
The atmosphere froze.
Howard coughed awkwardly, irritation flashing across his face as he glared at Ryden.
"Aisha is Thomas's sister and holds shares in the Wayne Group. Her husband died young. His family only had one younger sister." He leaned closer. "That sister's daughter is your chemistry teacher. Now do you get it? You idiot. Did you really think such a beautiful woman could stay safe with no one daring to bother her?"
Ryden froze.
So his "wife" had that kind of background.
No wonder no man ever dared to harass or pursue Dia.
It turned out she had a massive benefactor backing her all along.
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