Chapter Eighty-Eight: When It Comes to Petty Theft and Sneaking Around, It Still Comes Down to You

When he heard this, Zhong Shenxiu followed Ivan’s gaze.

The workbench was in utter chaos. Scattered across it were all manner of mechanical parts, which at first glance looked little better than a heap of scrap metal. Only the occasional high-tech chip made it clear that these were not merely junk.

Still, a fair portion of it was indeed useless—for the moment, at least.

That had to do with the policy Zhong Shenxiu had set for Ivan:

Secrecy came first above all else.

Under that principle, even when Ivan bought materials from the black market, he would not simply purchase rare and unusual substances for convenience. Instead, he would usually buy one or more devices that contained those materials.

Then, once they were in hand, he would take them apart.

It cost a bit more, but it was far, far safer.

Besides, Zhong Shenxiu’s secret base was now in the stage of rebuilding from the ruins, and most of the materials stripped from those devices could be put to use anyway.

So Ivan had not thrown them away, but piled them all together instead...

The moment Zhong Shenxiu approached the workbench, he keenly noticed, buried beneath the heap, a faint azure glow seeping through.

With a few quick motions, he brushed the clutter aside.

The miniature reactor in his memory, almost identical to the one he had known, was now in Zhong Shenxiu’s hand.

The azure light was the radiance produced as the anti-energy passed through ionized plasma. The reactor was tiny, about the size of Zhong Shenxiu’s palm.

The only real difference from Tony’s was that Ivan had wrapped its edges in black rubber, an eyesore of a design that instantly made it look cheap and shabby.

If Zhong Shenxiu had not known what an arc reactor looked like, he might have mistaken it for a low-quality LED lamp.

“How’s the power output on this thing?” Zhong Shenxiu asked after toying with it for a moment.

“If my calculations are right... about five billion joules per second...” Ivan replied, his fingers clicking rapidly over the keyboard, his eyes fixed tightly on the screen as streams of numbers continued to scroll upward.

Five billion joules... not bad.

If he remembered correctly, the one Tony built in prison was only around three billion joules.

After a brief pause, Zhong Shenxiu asked again, “And the palladium consumption?”

“Hmm... the palladium I brought from Russia should only be enough for this little thing to run at full power for about three hours,” Ivan said.

Three hours?

Zhong Shenxiu knew very well that the palladium Ivan had secretly brought from Russia was stock he had slowly accumulated during his smuggling days, and the most important thing was that there was quite a lot of it.

Yet it would only last three hours.

One had to admit, this arc reactor’s appetite for palladium was terrifying.

But on second thought, five billion joules per second, multiplied by three hours—just how much was that?

Zhong Shenxiu did not bother working it out in his head; he already knew the number would be enough to make anyone stare in disbelief. Compared with its power output, that bit of palladium truly was nothing. In his previous world, it would have been enough to dwarf nuclear reactors.

The arc reactor was indeed a technology so advanced it was almost impossible to grasp with ordinary logic.

As Zhong Shenxiu was lost in thought, Ivan paused with his hands on the keyboard and asked, “By the way, boss, since we’re on the subject, I have a question. About the palladium—have you found a solution?”

“I’ve been searching the black market recently, but I couldn’t find even the slightest bit of palladium. Let alone the enormous amount our giant arc reactor will need...”

Hearing this, Zhong Shenxiu gave a slight nod. It was actually normal that the black market had none. After all, palladium really did not have much use beyond the arc reactor. Production was already low, and with Stark Industries buying it up as well, there was naturally not much left on the market.

“Of course. Do you know where the most palladium currently in existence is?” Zhong Shenxiu asked in return.

Ivan thought for a moment, then suddenly seemed to realize something. He turned at once, eyes wide, and stared at Zhong Shenxiu.

“Stark Industries!?”

“Yes. Stark Industries’ weapons research division has a huge arc reactor underneath it, and there’s bound to be a substantial reserve of palladium there,” Zhong Shenxiu admitted.

Instead of relief, Ivan fell into thought at once...

After a long while, he gave a somewhat wry smile. “Trying to rob Stark Industries... that’s no easy task, boss.

“Their security, plus all kinds of heavy weapons, could probably turn any intruder into Swiss cheese... I imagine even if Captain America came back from the dead, he might not be able to pull it off.”

You’re underestimating good old Captain Fifty-Fifty.

Zhong Shenxiu glanced at Ivan and silently mocked him, then said, “Everything you’ve mentioned, I already know. Since I’ve set my sights on that tough nut at Stark Industries, I’m certainly not going in unprepared.”

“You don’t need to be afraid either. You won’t have to fight. When the time comes, I’ll draw everyone away, and you’ll just be responsible for loading the palladium.”

Hearing that Zhong Shenxiu already had a plan, Ivan immediately felt as though a calming pillar had been set in his heart, and much of his unease faded.

Then, thinking of the fact that he was about to rob the world-famous Stark... he even began to feel a little excited.

At that point, Ivan no longer sat before the screen. He stood up and paced a few steps, as though considering something. Then, suddenly looking at Zhong Shenxiu with hopeful anticipation, he suggested, “Since we’re robbing them anyway, wouldn’t it be a waste to take only a little palladium?

“The weapons research division at Stark Industries must be packed with all sorts of materials and equipment!”

Zhong Shenxiu’s eyes suddenly lit up as well.

Yes! Since they were making such a big move already, it really would not be cost-effective to take only a little palladium.

“Exactly. As expected, when it comes to sneaking around and stealing things, we really do have to rely on an expert like you,” Zhong Shenxiu said with a smile.

Ivan rubbed his nose at that... He knew Zhong Shenxiu was praising him... it was just that somehow, it did not sound very pleasant at all.

Still, Ivan did not mind too much. He added, “If we’re going after other materials too, then we’ll still be short one proper vehicle...”

As he spoke, both Zhong Shenxiu and Ivan turned in perfect unison to look at the large truck that had been stripped down until only its chassis and frame remained...

At the same time.

For the Stacey family, today was a day that was not especially remarkable, yet still rather rare.

It was the day off of George Stacey, the Police Commissioner of New York, and also the day off of Christine Stacey, the chief physician at the medical ward of Shengge Prison.

Because of their jobs, it was not easy for the two of them to take a normal rest together—mainly because George was simply too busy.

So, at the invitation of her sister-in-law, Helen Stacey, Christine had come to her brother’s home to enjoy a long-awaited, lavish dinner.

“Why don’t we see Gwen?” Christine asked, glancing around and finding no sign of the little girl who was usually closest to her.

George swallowed the chicken in his mouth at an unhurried pace and replied, “She’s in her room. Ever since last month, Gwen has been locking herself in there quite often for some reason...”