Chapter 331: Conning the Flash!
Luthor and Lane's Deal
Lex Luthor was well aware of Sam Lane's predicament.
A single alien parasite had nearly caused A.R.G.U.S.—one of the three major governmental authorities—to fall apart, which highlighted how weak the department truly was.
Compounding this were the endless stream of negative media reports and the silence from higher-ups, all of which placed enormous pressure on Sam Lane, the director of A.R.G.U.S.
To retain his current power and status, he had to prove himself and prove the value of A.R.G.U.S.
He had no other choice.
Luthor smiled. "If the General still has doubts, feel free to raise them, and I can answer them one by one. If you can't decide right now, you can go home, think about it, and give me your answer later. We have all the time in the world."
Luthor had time, but Sam Lane did not. After carefully reviewing the document twice, he said solemnly,
"You're using the Parasite's cytosolic fluid as the raw material. Aren't you afraid of creating another monster?"
"You can rest assured on that point. The agent changes the cellular structure, not the DNA. The enhanced soldiers we cultivate will not possess the ability to steal others' life force."
Sam Lane put the document away. "Your research is unique and very bold, but it's not enough for me to risk my career and cooperate with you."
Luthor said seriously,
"What do you want?"
"Field testing!"
Sam Lane's voice was firm, like iron. "The usefulness of a weapon has nothing to do with the person who builds it; it depends on the soldier's perspective."
Luthor frowned slightly. After thinking, he said,
"I can provide three doses of the agent to create three super-soldiers for you, but the testing location..."
"Central City!"
Sam Lane turned around and said fiercely, "There's a group of people there who should have been dealt with a long time ago."
The Tesla Meeting
The December 30th banquet caused a huge stir within ShowMe and Tesla. Especially after it was discovered that the attending employees not only received clothing and watches worth tens of thousands of dollars but also engaged in "in-depth fluid exchange" with B and C-list celebrities, the remaining employees were hugely stimulated. Envy, jealousy, and resentment were palpable.
They were all "software dogs." Why did the others get to enjoy warm beds, beautiful women, and seven rounds of pleasure with actresses, while they had to hunch over their computers, coding like dogs? It was grossly unfair.
Even more infuriating was that those "bastards" even showed off their "trophies" with smug grins that made people want to step on their faces.
Luke typically ignored such matters.
Competition only thrives with disparity. If everyone were treated equally, who would strive to work hard?
The Tesla factory is located in the East District of Metropolis, close to the coastline. It was originally an abandoned textile mill. After Luke acquired it, reconstruction began, divided into three phases due to the massive scale.
Phase One: Build workshops to meet production needs.Phase Two: Expand the facility.Phase Three: Final optimization.
After months of overtime work by the construction company, Phase One was mostly complete. The main workshops were in use and had already produced the first batch of exoskeletons.
Naturally, the first batch of armor was earmarked for the military. Ordinary people would have to wait for the next batch, or the one after that.
Insufficient capacity was Tesla's primary challenge and Luke's biggest headache. He had no solution for it; the factory was only so big, the machinery was finite, and the workers were already on three shifts. What more could he do?
This was a problem only time could solve. Once Phase Two was complete, it should slightly alleviate the capacity shortage.
Inside the owner's office on the third floor of the Tesla factory, Luke, who had just finished checking various data, tapped his desk and called in Barry Allen, who had been waiting outside for half the day.
After months of working in a professional environment, Barry Allen was less timid than when he first arrived. He was thicker-skinned and had learned to read the room. Noticing the cup was empty, he immediately picked it up, went to the water cooler, poured a cup of hot tea, and handed it to Luke.
"Boss, what do you think of the blueprints?"
"So-so."
Luke took a sip of the hot tea and said casually, "I've looked at your revised blueprints. The materials are fine. The design has some flaws, but nothing major. However, there's one thing you need to explain."
"A special combat suit that is fireproof, ice-proof, and friction-resistant, includes nanosuction technology, but has no kinetic drive system. I don't understand the purpose of a suit like that. You're not a superhero."
The last sentence startled Barry Allen, and his face instantly changed.
Fortunately, Luke's attention was on the computer, so he didn't notice the change. Barry Allen took a deep breath, suppressing his nervousness, and whispered,
"I just wanted to run an experiment to test my abilities. Besides, a suit like this isn't entirely useless. It's still needed by certain specialized professions, like volcano workers, oil rig workers, firefighters... Heh... heh... heh..."
His explanation trailed off, getting quieter and quieter until he couldn't even convince himself, resorting to nervous laughter.
Luke was utterly speechless. What was going on in this guy's head? If he was going to lie, he should at least draft it out!
Seeing Luke remain silent, Barry Allen immediately panicked.
"Boss, please help me! I really want to test the results of my research."
Luke put down his teacup, thought for a moment, and said, "I can let you use the production workshop, but you'll have to compensate me for any losses caused by delays in the schedule. And one more thing: the nanosuction technology."
Barry Allen thumped his chest and said loudly,
"Don't worry, sir. I absolutely won't leak a single word. I stake my life on it."
"I'm not interested in your life. I'm talking about a practical matter."
"Nanosuction technology is my invention. If you want to use it, you have to pay for it. It's not standard practice to let you use my patent for free just because you're my employee."
Barry Allen looked distressed. "I... I don't have that much money!"
Luke shook his head with a mocking smile.
"Do you think I'm the kind of person who needs money?"
Barry: "..."
It's over, it's all over!
I heard the boss has a mob background and is a legendary crime boss. Is he going to make me his subordinate, swinging a machete at people?
No! The Flash can't turn into a bad guy.
Barry Allen's face was contorted in anguish. He really wanted the suit but couldn't cross that moral line in his heart. He stammered,
"Maybe... maybe I should forget it. I... I won't do it."
Luke said exasperatedly, "You're giving up just like that? Don't you want to reconsider? I haven't even told you my request yet!"
Barry cautiously peeked at Luke and muttered,
"I'm sure I can't meet your request."
"You can't, but your friend can."
Luke hinted pointedly, but Barry was completely confused.
"Friend? What friend!"
This blockhead! He can't even understand the most basic code language.
Luke sighed. "That combat suit you designed isn't for an ordinary person to wear. It's for a metahuman. If that friend of yours can help me go to a certain place and retrieve an item, I'll not only manufacture the suit for free but even upgrade it to give it more functionality."
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