The next day, after the house staff finished cleaning the courtyard, Lucas lay back on a lounge chair once again, basking comfortably in the sunlight.
At that moment, the company's Chief Financial Officer, Johnny, arrived to deliver his work report.
"Boss, these are the financial reports for the first two quarters of this year. Please take a look."
The loyal financial steward handed over a thick stack of documents.
Lucas accepted them, casually flipped through a few pages filled with dense figures—and without another glance, tossed the entire report onto the ground.
Johnny froze.
He instinctively glanced at Lucas's expression. After a second of thought, realization dawned on him, and he immediately adjusted his approach.
"Boss, for the first half of the year, the company's total net profit reached 181 billion dollars. Our current valuation has climbed to 236 billion dollars."
"If you decide to take the company public, its market value could easily surpass 400 billion dollars."
"Additionally, following your instructions to quietly acquire shares in major conglomerates, the total value of the equity you currently control has reached 370 billion dollars."
"Among them, the most notable holdings include:
– Stark Industries, where your stake has increased to 31.24%
– Luthor Group, now at 10.84%
– Queen Industries, 9.81%
– Kord Industries, 13.29%"
"The remaining investments are also generating steady returns. At present, annual dividends alone bring in at least 12 billion dollars in net income."
Lucas listened calmly, then asked, "There wasn't much resistance when acquiring Stark Industries and Luthor Group, was there?"
Johnny was momentarily stunned. "That's correct. How did you know?"
Lucas chuckled softly.
Tony Stark and Lex Luthor were clearly selling him a favor—while also trying to bind him to their shared interests network.
"If I'm not mistaken," Lucas continued, "Wayne Enterprises is still refusing to release its shares, correct?"
Johnny nodded with a frown. "Exactly. Wayne Enterprises has begun aggressively repurchasing shares from the market."
"According to insider information, the Wayne family is preparing to take the company private and delist it."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "That takes an enormous amount of capital. Where did Bruce Wayne get that kind of money?"
Johnny shook his head. "Boss, this is something many people overlook."
"After Gotham City was completely destroyed by Atlantis, most believed Wayne Enterprises had lost its foundation. The stock price plummeted, and many thought the company was finished."
"But that was when Bruce Wayne began aggressively buying back shares—he even reclaimed original equity from early partners."
Lucas recalled something. "Didn't Atlantis promise to send construction teams and equipment to help rebuild Gotham?"
"Yes," Johnny replied. "Wayne Enterprises has factories spread across nearby cities and industrial zones. They were fully capable of handling large-scale reconstruction."
"With strong backing from Gotham's new administration, they secured most of the city's reconstruction projects in one sweep."
Lucas snorted lightly. "Let me guess—the more profitable projects all went to Wayne Enterprises?"
Johnny sighed. "Yes. Including the ones we competed for. Gotham has always been Wayne territory. They had every advantage."
"A textbook move," Lucas said calmly. "If I'm right, at least 70% of Gotham's infrastructure and public facilities are now under Wayne subsidiaries."
Johnny answered immediately, "Correct. Compared to before the Atlantis war, Wayne Enterprises has expanded at least eightfold. Its current valuation has reached 243 billion dollars."
"Not surprising," Lucas said with a faint smile.
"My war with Atlantis wiped out nearly ninety percent of Gotham's entrenched old powers. I cleared the board for him."
"That's why Bruce was able to take full control of New Gotham so easily."
"Yet he didn't even bother sharing a slice of the pie with me."
Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly, then laughed.
"Like father, like son. Thomas Wayne used urban development to become one of Gotham's true rulers. Bruce has gone even further."
Johnny felt a chill run down his spine.
That smile from the boss was never a good sign.
"Alright," Lucas said, waving his hand. "Continue executing our original strategy."
"The company's core mission remains the full rollout of Phastos's technology."
"Give him whatever he asks for. No funding limits."
Johnny hesitated. "Boss, I won't question your direction, but from a business standpoint, our profit margins could be much higher."
"Our products outperform existing alternatives by ten to twenty years, yet we price them almost the same."
"That's wasting Professor Phastos's technological breakthroughs."
"With higher profits, we could reinvest more into research. That would be the ideal business cycle."
Lucas glanced at him calmly.
"Johnny, your focus is still on money and profit. I don't blame you."
Johnny quietly exhaled.
"My goal was never just to make money," Lucas continued, standing up slowly.
"These products span every industry. With our pricing and technology, we can rapidly occupy the market and squeeze out outdated competitors."
"If we raise prices, we'll only ever serve a small fraction of people."
"My goal is to pave the road."
"To raise humanity's overall technological and living standards."
"You've seen it yourself—beyond Earth, there are civilizations far more advanced than us."
"If we let capital and short-term profit lock our progress, humanity will eventually stagnate."
"I intend to be the one who breaks that deadlock."
"To push humanity onto the fast track of development—so we can catch up with, and one day surpass, those extraterrestrial civilizations."
"Even if that means sacrificing this company…"
Lucas's gaze sharpened.
"I'm willing to do it."
....
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