Chapter 115: The stars are shining tonight

Chapter 115: The stars are shining tonight

The morning sunlight in New York was bright, with traffic flowing on the road and the sunlight illuminating the floor-to-ceiling windows of Stark Tower. Schiller took a sip of his steaming hot coffee.

On the lab table across from him, Stark was organizing materials. After a while, he pulled out a piece of paper from the pile of materials, shook it, and said, "Well, I have to admit, this friend of yours has some skills. Is he interested in working at Stark Industries? I'll offer him a satisfying salary."

"That might be difficult, and he's still in college," replied Schiller.

"What does it matter? Peter is still in high school, right? By the way, which college is he attending? Harvard? MIT? It couldn't be Princeton, right?" asked Stark.

"That's not important. What's important is whether this technology will be useful to you," said Schiller.

Stark held up one of the design diagrams and said, "Liquid nanotechnology is indeed a good idea, but it is mostly constrained by materials science. Our basic materials have not yet reached that level of development. The gel you gave me is peculiar and feels familiar."

"You don't need to know the principle, just know that it works," replied Schiller.

"But I need to study the principle," said Stark. "You can't just give me a strange material out of thin air and expect me to use it blindly."

"This is a bit troublesome, you know, we're not charity workers, everyone needs to make a living," said Schiller.

Stark raised his hands and said, "Okay, okay, I know. Let him name his price. You don't have to beat around the bush with me, just give me a direct quote."

Schiller put down his coffee cup, turned his chair towards Stark, and said, "The problem is, he doesn't want money. He's very wealthy."

"Well, what does he want then?" asked Stark.

"He needs a certain technology. Of course, don't misunderstand, it's not your Mech armor technology. He needs a satellite navigation technology that can be popularized for civilian use, and more importantly, civilian communication equipment that can support this technology," explained Schiller.

Stark put one hand on his waist and leaned the other hand on the lab table, looking puzzled. "Civilian communication equipment? That's a bit strange. From what I can see... well, I admit he's a genius, but with his level of ability, he should be able to achieve civilian use. Is it difficult to make a portable GPS?"

"He's asking for more features, including a user-friendly display system, input-output system, interactive interface, communication capabilities, and some leisure and entertainment functions," replied Schiller.

"Isn't that just a mobile phone?" Stark took out his own mobile phone, which was still one of the old keypad phones.

"He wants something even better than that. Unleash your genius creativity, exhaust your imagination, and envision the pinnacle of what a mobile device can achieve."

"What does he need this thing for? Isn't a mobile phone just enough for making calls and maybe installing a navigation system? As for games and entertainment, can't you use a computer instead?"

"Just tell me whether you can do it or not," Schiller replied.

Stark opened his mouth to speak but then paused before saying, "Of course I can do it. What can possibly stump the genius Stark?" He snapped his fingers and added, "Give me a detailed list of product requirements and I'll come up with a plan for you. Then you'll give me all the materials for the liquid encapsulation and raw materials."

"Deal."

Two minutes later, Stark watched as Schiller continued to write furiously in his notebook. Stark started to feel uneasy but kept up his confident facade. He craned his neck to try to see what Schiller was writing. How hard could it be to list the requirements for a mobile phone? Why was Schiller taking so long?

After a while, Stark couldn't resist and tapped the table with his finger. "You're not trying to make me invent a spaceship, are you? What mobile phone features could take you 20 minutes to write down?"

"No, no, no. This is only a small part..." Schiller put down his pen and handed the pages to Stark. After reading them, Stark looked confused and said, "A tablet mobile phone, full-screen display, octa-core processor, portable charging, open-source system, U1 interactive interface...Are you sure this is a mobile phone? This is more like a mini-computer."

"Now is the time to test your genius. You need to condense almost all the functions of a computer into a handheld mobile phone and make sure that it runs perfectly while also being smooth and aesthetically pleasing."

"This is quite a tall order. I don't think the materials you gave me can fully compensate for this. You'll have to give me some solid resources," Stark said, rubbing his forehead.

"Don't try to inflate the price. I know that you just lack some inspiration. With your technical abilities, doing this is no problem at all."

"Can't you just hire him to work at Stark Industries? I'm even willing to share my laboratory with him. We can develop these things together..."

Stark paused for a moment before speaking hesitantly. "Alright, I'll tell you, but please don't tell anyone else. Your friend has the ability to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the great Stark."

"Of course, he's always going to be a little better than me, but only by a little bit. I think we could become good friends, especially in the field of research where we can have a lot to talk about. So, can't I meet him?" Stark's tone was urgent, and Schiller understood his desperation. If Stark had to find a best friend who was his equal in intelligence and strategic thinking, who could rival him in games of strategy, who would that person be other than Batman?

Although Schiller could transport living organisms between the two worlds, the risk was too high, especially with two protagonists involved. So he reluctantly crossed between the two worlds to carry out some under-the-table dealings.

Although there was a time difference between Gotham and New York, with DC still in the 1980s and New York already in the 21st century, Batman and Iron Man complemented each other in certain aspects. Batman was a master of all trades, from single soldier equipment to base construction and strategic planning. Meanwhile, Stark had achieved unprecedented heights in mechanics, and any invention related to machinery was no problem for him.

Bruce was results-oriented, and once he set his sights on a goal, his research and development speed skyrocketed. His completion rate was no less than 200%, like when Schiller brought Stark the liquid symbiote technology he had developed from studying Venom. He extracted a gel-like substance from Venom's body that could be controlled by bioelectricity, and the entire development process took less than a month.

Stark's advantage was his boundless creativity and his ability to solve problems with advanced methods. Combined with his advantage of being in a more advanced era, he could bring more cutting-edge methods and technologies.

So what was left to say? It was time to start!

After Schiller denied him once again, Stark felt disappointed. He really needed a partner with whom he could share common interests. Obadiah was still unconscious, Peter was too young and had already passed away, and although Pepper could provide emotional comfort, she knew nothing about scientific research. Although Schiller could provide him with life advice, he could only change light bulbs. Stark finally found someone with whom he might share common interests and knowledge, but the other person unilaterally rejected communication, which was why he felt so disappointed.

If given the chance, Schiller would not mind building a bridge of communication between Bruce and Stark. However, the biggest problem was the difference in the flow of time between the two worlds, so even remote communication was impossible.

He plugged the USB drive into the computer and showed it to Schiller, saying, "I have strengthened all the important joint parts with materials, but as you know, the final result depends on material strength. The vibranium in the Stark laboratory is not enough, so I can only make a relatively small model. You can show it to your friend, and if he has the money to purchase vibranium on a large scale, then I think there should be no problem with strength..."

Schiller looked at the model he was carrying, and to be honest, from the surface, he couldn't tell much about it. So he said, "Can I borrow this model for a moment? I may need to bring it to the professionals for analysis."

Yinsen said, "No problem at all. I don't plan to use it for bidding anyway. No one would spend so much money to make this kind of tool so durable. What's the point? Just replace it if it breaks."

It was difficult for Schiller to explain to Yinsen how Gotham had consumed tens of thousands of elevators and scaffolds in just one week. The people in this city were too simple-minded, to the point that everything placed on the streets would become consumables.

The model Schiller brought back was unanimously approved, but Roy raised other questions, "The high-power traffic lights in the city center are good, but it seems that they cannot be mass-produced and consume a lot of electricity. Do you have any good ideas?"

Yinsen quickly took out a USB drive and said, "I don't understand, are you planning to command traffic in the center of the battlefield? And more absurdly, as a traffic light, is the power you're requesting a bit too big?"

"Well, let me remind you, when this thing lights up, it can illuminate at least seven or eight streets, and the residents there won't be able to sleep."

"That's exactly the effect I want." Schiller was very satisfied, and he said, "Do you have a model? Can you show me one?"

"I don't have a model, but I can show you the real thing."

Yinsen walked out, and after a while, he pushed a small cart over. On the cart, there was a light bulb with a diameter of nearly three meters.

Peter came over in surprise and said, "Is this the bulb for the traffic light? Who is it for? Giants?"

Yinsen tinkered with the wires behind and said, "Cover your eyes! I'm going to turn it on!"

As soon as the power was turned on, a huge green light suddenly lit up on one side of the wall of Stark Tower.

The next day, Pepper angrily threw a newspaper magazine in front of Stark. It was the New York Global Times, and the front page headline read:

"Last night, a strange green light was emitted from the top floor of Stark Tower. Is this inhuman warmonger and mad scientist conducting some inhumane radiation experiment again?" (XD)

But the effect of this traffic light was indeed outstanding.

One night in Gotham, Catwoman returned home, humming a song, took a shower, and then admired her beautiful gems. Just as she was about to go to bed, she saw a strange red light shining outside the window.

In an instant, countless horror stories flashed through Catwoman's mind, and she screamed in fright, lit a cigarette and ran to the bed, hiding under the covers. Then she saw through the gap in the curtains that the red light outside the window turned green, and then red again. Catwoman was trembling with fear and couldn't sleep all night. The next day, when she saw Bruce and learned that it was the newly installed traffic lights throughout the city, Bruce almost got scratched by the furious Catwoman. (XD)

Later that afternoon in New York, Peter appeared at Matt's hideout. Daredevil welcomed him warmly, and Peter said, "Um, Mr. Matt, actually, there's something I'd like to ask you for help with.""What's the matter? Just tell me."

"It's... I need some detailed materials on the industry layout of King Pin, like his whereabouts and such."

"Oh," Matt looked at Peter in surprise and said, "Looks like you've made progress, knowing to gather intelligence first. Alright, I'll only help you this time. From now on, you have to learn to gather intelligence on your own."

Peter made a strange expression, while Matt searched for the materials and said, "I've been fighting with him for many years, there is no industry that can escape my eyes, especially the East Coast, you know, New York, Miami, Chicago, these three cities are the main focus."

"Yes, that's right. I want those three cities."

"Don't be too greedy, kid. You better focus on one city, or even just one block in a city."

Peter looked helpless and said, "Can you give me all three cities, even if I don't use them, I can keep them safe."

Soon, these materials were placed on Falcone's and all the gang bosses' desks. Falcone was also surprised and said, "How did you come up with such a detailed industry plan? Professor Rodriguez?"

"It's as if someone has already put it into practice."

"And this plan seems reasonable. I think we can persuade those people in Miami with this," Roy said.

[ShaneFreak: They are using King Pin's model in DC!]

Of course, it's reasonable, Schiller thought. It took King Pin several years to experiment with blood and life to develop it. If it wasn't reasonable, his East Coast criminal empire would have collapsed long ago.

After completing the cooperation in Gotham City and Chicago, Imperial City also joined in. Miami, of course, couldn't sit still. However, compared to the other cities, Miami's foundation was not strong enough, and its style was more conservative. Roy needed a more detailed plan to persuade them.

Schiller wouldn't just make up a plan out of thin air. He had already figured out who to reference - King Pin.

King Pin was indeed a bad guy, but you also had to admit that he was a criminal genius. He could create a criminal industry chain from scratch, radiating from the East Coast to the whole country. This criminal empire had stood tall for many years, even with various superheroes harassing him one after another. He was still the underground king of the East Coast.

So what else was there to say? Just copy it!

And Schiller could copy the homework without even notifying the original owner. Because King Pin's arch-nemesis, Daredevil Matt, had already studied King Pin inside and out, and he might even have more detailed industry distribution materials than King Pin himself.

The excuse for borrowing homework from Matt was also very reasonable. Spider-Man had just debuted, and he had already offended King Pin. He had only one way to go, which was to go all-in. However, it was normal for Peter to not know how to collect intelligence, as he was just starting out. Matt, as Spider-Man's mentor, would definitely be happy to help him.