"The world's largest green emerald 'Sophia', mined in Africa, was sold this morning at the Yellowstone auction for a staggering one hundred and ten million dollars. The winning bidder was Bruce Wayne, owner of Wayne Enterprises."
I hate rich people. That was Liu A'dou's only thought after seeing the news. One hundred and ten million dollars—he'd be heartbroken to even spend a fraction of that himself. Was Bruce's money just flying itself into his bank account? Just to draw out Bane, Batman really spared no expense for justice.
Since that's the case, Kaitou Kid didn't need to be polite. By the afternoon, everyone already knew that Kaitou Kid had his eyes on "Sophia." The auction house finally breathed a sigh of relief. If Sophia had been stolen while in their care, the insurance company probably wouldn't have paid up, and they'd be left holding the bag. Good thing it already belonged to Bruce now.
Bruce, as one of the world's most famous rich guys, dropped nearly five hundred million in just two days after arriving in New York, snapping up several promising small companies. It shocked everyone. But Bruce's approach was always to cast a wide net. As long as even one of those companies succeeded, he'd make his money back. That's the mark of a true investor. Bruce wasn't throwing money around because he was foolish—he just had an incredible eye for opportunity.
All Liu A'dou could do about Bruce was admire him from afar, totally out of his league.
"Let's go rob him," Liu A'dou said, and fired up his fake Kaitou Kid. This time, he sent a robot disguised as himself to the set. He had to sneak onto the yacht before it left port.
Ada operated the robot. All today's scenes were up to her.
A big rough hand tossed aside the TV remote as Bane slowly stood up. He'd finally found his chance. He never expected Kaitou Kid to show up right after he arrived in New York. It was fate.
Bane stood, looking even bigger than before. He wore a belt with metal canisters and a plastic tube connecting the canister to the back of his head. In a fight, Bane would use his booster drug to instantly push his muscle power to the max, giving him strength in the hundred-ton range.
Prepare the boat. Check the yacht's route. Tonight, Bane planned to go wild on that yacht.
Bruce wanted as few people as possible on board, but it was impossible to have no one at all. So Bruce invited New York's elite to a yacht jewelry exhibition.
As for the police, Bruce refused their protection. He said if Kaitou Kid really managed to get on the yacht, he'd just give him the jewel—so no need for any guards.
The police couldn't do anything about rich people acting on a whim. It was out of their hands.
By three in the afternoon, guests were already starting to arrive.
"Father, do we really have to be this early?" Harry was sitting in the car, confused about why his father took Bruce so seriously. All he'd seen in the news was Bruce throwing money around New York like a clueless rich kid. Harry looked down on Bruce, which just showed how hopeless this kid was without a proper mentor—too proud, stubborn, short-sighted, and just mediocre at business.
Norman said, "Don't think Bruce is like how he's portrayed in the news. He and Stark are both extremely tough opponents. Actually, Wayne is even more formidable than Stark. Stark is all about his wild creativity—even scrap metal becomes a hot product in his hands. Bruce Wayne's strength is his vision. His investments almost never fail. Nearly every one of them brings him huge profits. That makes Wayne a stronger businessman than Stark."
"Is he really that good?"
"You're still young. Once you're involved in company business, you'll understand. I'm bringing you today so I can introduce you to him. We might have a chance to work together in the future." Norman didn't mention that he was hoping for some investment. This time, he'd staked most of the company to partner with the military in developing a brand-new gene serum. It was do-or-die. After the alien invasion, Osborn Enterprises was using this chance to try to become the military's permanent partner. But things hadn't gone smoothly, so we needed more funding.
Harry looked out the window, still wondering if Bruce Wayne was really that impressive. But he always listened to his father, so he decided to meet Bruce himself.
At the same time, Stark Industries' CEO was also invited. The original invitation was for Tony, but Tony didn't want to go. In his words: "I don't want to meet another version of myself."
Bruce and Tony were both playboys featured in the tabloids. Even though they'd never met, they already knew plenty about each other. Tony liked partying and flirting, but that didn't mean he wanted to watch someone else living the same kind of life.
They really did repel each other. But Pepper couldn't be rude. Even if Wayne Enterprises and Stark Industries didn't have any partnership, it wouldn't hurt to make some connections. Besides, Bruce had loads of experience in the consumer market—maybe Pepper could pick up a trick or two.
At the pier, Alfred welcomed the guests. "Welcome, Ms. Potts. Your visit truly honors us."
"You're too kind," Pepper replied politely, especially since Alfred was older.
"Please, board the yacht." Alfred offered his hand to help Pepper aboard.
"Darling, why didn't you wait for me?"
Pepper froze on the gangway—she heard Tony's voice? Sure enough, Tony, dressed in a sharp suit, was right behind her. "Tony?!"
"What, surprised to see me?" Tony walked up to her.
"I thought you weren't coming."
"I changed my mind. How could I let you face that wolf alone?" Tony said dramatically. "He's the only playboy who can rival me—I couldn't just leave you here with him."
Pepper didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and kept throwing apologetic glances at Alfred.
"Mr. Stark, Ms. Potts, please come aboard. The yacht will depart soon."
"Let's go!" Tony lifted his arm for Pepper to take.
The butler shook his head slightly—Tony really was just as outrageous as the news said.
Tony's arrival sparked a huge buzz. Unbelievable—Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne, together they could probably buy half of America.
Wow, it was wild. The meeting of two giant sharks—tonight could bring a deal that might change the future of the American economy. Totally epic.
Bruce hadn't even appeared yet and people were already crowding around, trying to figure out if Stark Industries and Wayne Enterprises were planning to team up. If so, they all wanted in.
Pepper even wondered if Tony was actually interested in making a deal. But Tony didn't mention any business with Wayne. He just said he was getting into the car business, so he was sponsoring the "Transformers" movie, talking all about turning cars into robots, and maybe even building a real transforming robot someday.
The yacht finally set off. Alfred entered the ballroom and everyone knew Bruce was about to show up. The crowd automatically parted to make a path, except Tony, who just stood right in the middle.
Everyone was excited—the richest men in America were about to meet. This was definitely a historic moment.
Bruce, in a black suit and smiling, came out. But as soon as his eyes landed on Tony, his eyebrow arched.
Tony, in a silver-gray suit, arched his brow right back.
The two men stood in the middle of the crowd, staring each other down. The ballroom went silent. Face to face, it was like the only two people in the room were these two tycoons, and their auras practically glittered gold.
The scent of money filled the air. All the socialites craned their necks and swallowed their envy. In their hearts, everyone was shouting: Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark were finally meeting.