72

Hartley was in a lab nearby. He was working on some new invention, apparently related to Gideon. The cube itself was lying on a table nearby.

Hartley noticed me and nodded:

«You're here, great, will you check on Gideon?

«What's wrong with him?

«Everything is normal, I've figured out the whole structure of the computer. The processor, the chips, everything's top of the line. It's basically a small computer that supports Artificial Intelligence. So it's correspondingly very powerful. Even our most powerful computer falls short of this little cube. Our technology is still a long way off. I can't even replicate the circuitry of the shrunken circuit boards. It all requires painstaking study, which I don't have time for. But the program itself. - handing me the cube, Hartley said: - "I think you can handle it. There are some things I don't understand. Plus, Gideon's completely blocked all access. I've been trying to connect, but it's not working. Maybe you can. In the meantime, I'll take care of the guides. They're very curious and I think we have a chance to replicate them.

I accepted the cube and nodded:

«Good, if we have guides like that it will be helpful. - I looked at Hartley's watch and asked: - Decided to give up the gloves?

«Yes, thanks to Palmer's designs, I can totally do away with them. Doesn't draw attention and keeps multiple frequencies, a useful and discreet thing.

I hesitated for a moment, then asked:

«What about your hearing? Did you solve the problem?

The guy grimaced:

«Not yet, the new unit suppresses more noise, but it's still just as unpleasant.

«We'll have new technology soon, there's bound to be something out there, just wait.

Hartley asked interestedly:

«New technology? What are you talking about?

I grinned:

«You'll find out soon enough. - I turned around and said: - Soon you'll have a lot of work to do, even my suit will have to be rebuilt. Get ready, and, uh, get yourself an assistant.

Hartley hummed:

«I've got tons of them, but what good are they?

«Find a good one. - I waved goodbye and walked out.

The next two days were full of work. A lot of independent investment companies in Star City and Central City "suddenly" merged with us. Most of the stock holders simply "sold" their shares to me and I became their owner. Of course there were opponents of this, you could say that some of them feed the worms, and the other had to run away in a good way. Cruel of course, but more or less fair people, I gave a chance to leave. The strong eat the weak, that's the law of life I live by. They'll have enough money to live well in the future. But if they decide to open their mouths and do something, they'll suffer. Most of them had brains, and when they saw Hunger's mask, they realized their position. It was banditry, I was just taking everything they owned by force. But World needs money, and I'll give it to her. Of course, I didn't get too brazen and only took the weakest. Who knows what would have happened if I'd started taking over the giants' companies right away. Sometimes you have to be careful.

Of course it was a shock to many people that so many companies just took over and became part of a newly established company, a newcomer businessman. There must have been a lot of suspicions, people are not stupid. I think a lot of people realized what was going on, and some even linked the company to Hunger. But frankly, I didn't care. Let them say what they wanted, they had no proof. Military? The Argus? The government? Let them come. I already have enough power to fight even them. I'm wary of mages, but I doubt they have any. If they did, I wouldn't be sitting here right now. The ARGUS does not exist for beauty. If even they're powerless, the government probably is too. Of course I'm not entirely sure, but I've already placed my bet.

And I controlled myself, didn't take too much and didn't touch too many influential people. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened.

My past actions have already attracted attention, but my current ones... Now I'm not just a threat, I'm a major threat. I have shown by my actions that I intend to conquer everything, and I doubt the others will remain silent. Special measures will probably be prepared against me soon, if not already. It will be interesting to see what they try...

But I don't intend to just sit back and wait for who knows what they have. The company is growing and it needs to be protected. I'm its main pillar, the one who should be the strongest. Everything depends on me, so I need to get even stronger.

Everything's going according to plan, I was counting on this. I doubt I'll be attacked immediately, but there's still time. Elaina will be able to use the money properly, she has the plan I've made, but it's time for me to leave. I'm not likely to get stronger in this world, there aren't enough meta people. Of course Turtle's not a bad option, I should definitely eat him. But he's nowhere to be found, so I'll hold off on that. It's time for Earth-2... Although, that's not my main goal.

I was pulled from my musings by a voice:

«Mr. Green, are you all right? - The man across from me asked worriedly.

I was at the police station and I was sponsoring their department. Of course they couldn't refuse, since I was doing it for free. I didn't need much from them. Good connections, a good reputation and crime reduction. Equipment to replace their old junk would probably help with that. My doing this will help raise the profile of not only the cops, but the general public as well. Although many companies are afraid of me, but for ordinary people, I own a big company that makes good phones, consoles and other equipment. My actions can help sales, hiring new employees, and much more. I need to show that I'm not just expanding and building power, but that I'm also thinking about people. Crime is down thanks to the Flash, but so is Hunger. There's a reason a lot of people think Hunger's tough, but he's doing the right thing. I don't care about justice, but the fewer criminals in my city, the better. And the more of them that go to my new prison, which will be built soon, the better. Everything has an upside, so a couple million is definitely worth it.

I looked at the man and smiled:

«I'm fine, just thinking about work.

«Heh, a man like you must have a lot of it. It's most people who think rich people only think about money. But they don't think about how they earn it.

I grinned:

«Same with the police. When they're doing well, they're bastards, but when something happens....

«Ha ha, that's for sure.

I smiled and stood up:

«Okay, I gotta go. I'll send a man over to you to take care of it.

The man stood up as well and nodded gravely, extending his hand to me:

«Thank you. Rest assured, the police will not forget this.

I shook my hand, after which I walked out of the office.

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