[3rd POV]
"Lucius, I heard you were in a car accident?"
Lucius Fox, CEO and Head of the Technology Department of Wayne Enterprises, received this greeting early in the morning.
Even though it didn't sound very nice, it still made him feel a little warm inside.
It's because the person asking was Bruce Wayne.
"Mr. Wayne, I am perfectly fine, and last night's accident was just a test of the car's self-driving system, and it didn't hurt me at all."
"That's good to hear."
On the other end of the line, Bruce's voice sounded like there were cars racing and women laughing nearby.
"I thought my most capable CEO might need to take some time off. I really don't want to manage Wayne Enterprises myself, and even spending an hour in the office is torture."
"You don't have to worry, Mr. Wayne."
"Beep—beep—"
Bruce hung up right away, stopping Lucius from saying more. This was just like how people usually thought of Bruce Wayne.
"That was really rude, Master Wayne."
Lucius sighed, hung up the phone, and began inspecting the wreckage of the wheelchair in the lab.
The wheelchair didn't have any particularly advanced or cutting-edge technology, but its origin was somewhat unusual.
After investigation, the identity of the driver was confirmed—an ordinary thug from Gotham's East End with a long criminal record at the GPD, including robbery, theft, aggravated assault, and even one homicide.
Given his level of knowledge and financial capability, it was basically impossible for him to have built such a device on his own.
The interesting part was that this obviously illegal, high-speed wheelchair had never appeared before in Gotham.
According to Gotham's surveillance system, it was only confirmed to have appeared on a fixed street route every night from 10:00 to 10:20 in the evening for a continuous week.
It seemed to start from a neighborhood in the Otisburg area.
...
"Hey, Tony."
Tony, who had just stepped out of a taxi and was about to enter a restaurant, heard the teasing voice of the newsstand owner next door.
"Why aren't you riding your precious wheelchair today?"
"It got stolen."
Tonny sighed and stepped forward, "You got any newspapers? Something I can use to defend myself?"
"A fresh batch—Beretta, Colt, and P229. You actually went out today without bringing a gun? That's not very smart."
"I brought one, but I was thinking of getting a backup—wait, P229? Made in Germany?"
"It's made in Gotham."
The newsstand owner chuckled, "Don't you want something with more power?"
"I don't want to die because of a cheaply made fake gun. Moreover, I don't have much money on me right now."
"You're underestimating Gotham, kid."
The newsstand owner grinned slyly, "It's locally made Colt Python; pick any parts you want. Just bring the money tomorrow. If the gun has any issues, I'll pay you triple."
"If I make it out alive and come back to find you, will triple the money be enough to buy your life?"
"Heh heh heh, I've got the real ones too, but they're not cheap. How about a little game? My guns come with a minimum price and a maximum price. You pick a number."
The owner said, handing over a pistol, "If the gun has any serious problems on the spot, like exploding or falling apart that could get you killed, you get your money back immediately."
"Those are the rules. You agree I agree—and goods exchanged up front, but no coming back to me if anything goes wrong later. Deal?"
Tony raised an eyebrow and called out to the food cart owner next door, "Hey! Val!"
Val was busy with his work, looked up and asked, "What's up?"
"How long has he been doing this?"
"Huh? At least two years."
Tony turned back, "I'll take Beretta and Colt."
"Heh heh, thanks for your business."
...
"Ding ding ding—"
While eating lunch, Tony heard his phone ring. He picked it up without thinking but saw it was a number he didn't recognize.
He paused for a few seconds, thinking carefully. He hadn't shared his number with anyone lately except his boss, his supervisor, and Drake.
Suddenly, Tony has a bad feeling in his guts.
'Did Drake change his number?'
However, Tony felt it was more likely that someone was watching him.
'Clinton? But how would he have gotten my number? Clinton probably couldn't find that out on his own.'
'Or maybe it had something to do with the stolen wheelchair causing trouble, and now someone had tracked me down because of it?'
'But... is the GCPD really that fast?'
He answered the call without thinking.
"Hello, is this Mr. Tony Smith?"
"Yes, that's me. Who's this?"
"I'm Lucius Fox. You can call me Lucius. I found a rather special wheelchair last night, so I wanted to call and ask if you've recently lost an electric wheelchair."
"Oh, yes! That's my wheelchair."
Tony responded casually over the phone, but inside he was feeling very surprised and excited.
'The person on the other end said his name was Lucius Fox. If that's really true, then he's one of the people who helps Batman with his gadgets. He said he found his wheelchair, but then what happened to the man who took it?'
'Moreover, according to the system's description, the wheelchair's modifications weren't even that high-tech or cutting-edge technology.'
'Then, why would he be interested in something like that?'
"Oh, here's the thing..."
Lucius continued, "That wheelchair crashed into my car yesterday. I've suggested to the Gotham Police Department to keep the matter as low-profile as possible, and you won't need to pay for any damages. In fact, I found a few things on that wheelchair rather intriguing. Do you mind having a private conversation with me about it?"
"Uh..."
Sensing that the person on the other end of the call was starting to hesitate, Lucius calmly added, "Sir, I'm the Head of Technology at Wayne Enterprises. You don't need to worry. I reached out simply because I believe there's potential for collaboration between us purely in technology."
"You already have my phone number. I'm guessing you've also pulled up the rest of my information, right?"
"That's correct. I apologize if it feels intrusive and we're just doing a standard background check. We have no intention of violating your privacy."
It was clear that Lucius was asking out of courtesy.
"I just don't quite understand why you'd come looking for me. It can't possibly be because of that wheelchair because its parts aren't even that impressive."
"We can discuss that in person, Mr. Tony Smith. This afternoon, tomorrow, or the day after—anytime between three and five in the afternoon. Once you've decided, call this number. I'll send someone to pick you up."
"What if I don't want to come?"
"I'll respect your decision but I do hope you'll consider it because a conversation would be beneficial to both of us, and I won't take up too much of your time."
"How about after ten this afternoon?"
"I will compensate you for any financial losses during your leave, but please make sure to come between three and five in the afternoon ."
"Alright, alright."
Lucius sounded very polite, almost too polite.
After thinking about it, Tony decided to ask Donald for time off. As for losing a few hundred dollars, he just had to accept it as bad luck.
The Wayne Enterprises is a huge family business that helps with things like hospitals, food, transportation, and buildings in Gotham.
Even the biggest mafia boss, like Falcone, wouldn't dare to mess with them.
So, at three in the afternoon, Tony dialed the number Lucius had left.
Donald was really easy to deal with and didn't even ask what he needed the time off for and just gave him the whole afternoon off.
...
3:26 PM, Wayne Tower.
"Mr. Smith, let's get straight to the point."
The middle-aged man in a suit sat across the desk from Tony and gently placed a small pouch on the table.
'Whoa, where did that pouch come from?'
Tony's poker face immediately faltered. He remembered he once drank tea, and his thermos was—
'Wait, where's my thermos?'
'The wheelchair had a little cup holder next to the seat! I even thought the design was clever and had put my cup in there.'
He never expected that the reason they came looking for him was because some leftover tea from his thermos had stayed in the cup holder, and it went through the crash with the wheelchair and ended up in Lucius's hands.
"This was found on your wheelchair. We're still conducting further analysis, but the preliminary results are in, Mr. Smith. The plant you brought to Gotham seems quite extraordinary."
Tony's mind was racing.
It would be the worst move to deny it now.
Since his DNA was in the thermos, Tony might as well admit it and play the part of an ordinary passerby.
"I thought you were contacting me because of that wheelchair."
"That illegally modified wheelchair is interesting too, Mr. Smith, but I would advise you not to use such a dangerous mode of transportation. As I mentioned before, the reason I'm reaching out is because of 'the thing on the wheelchair.'"
"Alright, actually, I only got that tea pouch after arriving in Gotham, and there wasn't much of it—I only have one sachet left now. Honestly, before yesterday, I had never even tried it. I didn't know it was supposed to be refreshing."
After hearing Tony's response, Lucius continued, "Refreshing? You mean it has a stimulant effect?"
"Yes, I drank a cup of tea yesterday at noon, and I didn't sleep at all that night. It wasn't until the afternoon that I managed to catch a ten-minute nap in the taxi. It feels way more effective than coffee."
"That's very interesting. So, where did it come from?"
"I found it on the train when I came to Gotham. I can't really remember exactly where. Anyway, it floated in front of me through the window. I thought it looked pretty and smelled nice, so I kept it."
"That sounds quite poetic."
"Yeah, anyway, here's the rest."
He took a small cloth bag out of his pocket, which indeed contained some sachet similar to those in the small pouch.
"I don't really know why you care so much about these, but they're not super useful to me. If you want them, I can sell them to you."
"Are you sure you can't remember where they came from?"
"Sorry, I wasn't awake much on the train, and I was mostly asleep."
"Alright then—I'll pay you some money, or you can choose another kind of compensation."
"What kind of compensation?"
"For example... you could join Wayne Enterprises and work in our technology department."
...
150 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
250 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
450 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
1000 Power Stones = 2 Extra Chapters
2000 Power Stones = 3 Extra Chapters