"I could even build my own weapons company."
He thought about it carefully.
"Still, having all this research isn't enough."
"I also need factories, manufacturing lines, employees, and a proper company."
He looked around the massive workshop again.
"I can't keep relying on a magical crate forever."
"If I want to build things on a large scale, I'll need industrial facilities."
That meant buying land.
Building factories.
Purchasing raw materials.
Hiring engineers and workers.
All of it required a huge amount of money.
Even after taking everything from the Hammer Industries, he was still far from having enough capital to build an industrial company from scratch.
After all most of the money from Hammer Industries is in asset form like guns, vehicles and such that.
Zayden smiled.
"I guess it's finally time to meet Kingpin."
James Wesley had already delivered Fisk's message.
Zayden had ignored it.
By now, Fisk was probably expecting either the return of his money or a frightened teenager begging for mercy.
Instead, Zayden planned to pay him a visit.
"Kingpin has spent years building his criminal empire."
"He has money, businesses, warehouses, and countless hidden assets."
"If I'm going to expand quickly..."
"He seems like the perfect investor."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"The only difference is that he won't have a choice."
He closed the storage crate and locked it.
"Before building my own company..."
"I'll borrow some startup capital from the King of Crime."
"And taking down some of his assets should earn me some good karma as well," Zayden said with a smile.
He walked over to a nearby table and picked up a standard semi-automatic handgun.
After checking that it was unloaded, he inserted a fresh magazine.
He looked at the weapon for a moment before activating Upgrade.
His right hand transformed into black-and-white liquid and flowed over the handgun.
Within seconds, the weapon began changing.
The barrel became longer and more durable.
The internal firing mechanism was completely replaced.
Conventional gunpowder was removed and replaced with a compact electromagnetic acceleration system.
The grip was redesigned to house a high-density rechargeable power cell.
Blue energy conduits appeared along both sides of the weapon, while the entire frame turned matte black with glowing blue lines running across its surface.
In less than a minute, the ordinary handgun had become a futuristic electromagnetic railgun.
"It looks much better now."
Next, he manufactured a set of specialized ferromagnetic ammunition designed specifically for the new weapon.
Each projectile was made from an advanced alloy and shaped for maximum penetration at extremely high velocity.
After finishing the railgun, Zayden walked over to a rack containing a tailored black three-piece Italian suit.
He placed it on the workbench alongside a military-grade tactical suit, a full-body ballistic armor set, and several advanced protective materials taken from Hammer Industries.
Without hesitation, he activated Upgrade once again.
Black-and-white liquid flowed from his arm and engulfed everything on the table.
The tactical suit was dismantled first.
Its flexible combat fabric was woven into the expensive Italian suit at a microscopic level.
Next, the full-body ballistic armor was broken down and redistributed throughout the entire outfit.
Instead of using bulky armor plates, Upgrade transformed the protective materials into thousands of overlapping microscopic layers hidden beneath the fabric.
The jacket, vest, trousers, sleeves, collar, gloves, and even the dress shoes were reinforced from the inside.
Advanced shock-absorbing materials were integrated between the protective layers to reduce the force of impacts.
The outer appearance remained completely unchanged.
From the outside, it looked like nothing more than a perfectly tailored luxury Italian suit.
There were no visible armor plates, no tactical straps, and no signs that it contained any protection at all.
Only Upgrade knew that beneath the elegant exterior was a fully integrated suit of body armor covering him from head to toe.
The hidden armor provided protection far beyond an ordinary bulletproof vest while remaining as comfortable and flexible as normal clothing.
Zayden adjusted his tie and looked at himself in a nearby mirror.
"Much better."
"No one would guess I'm wearing full-body armor."
"Now I'm ready for the negotiation," Zayden said with a smile.
He stood in front of the mirror and carefully adjusted his tie before neatly combing his hair.
Satisfied with his appearance, he picked up the electromagnetic railgun and concealed it inside the suit's hidden holster.
After one final glance in the mirror, he left the basement.
A few minutes later, he got into his upgraded Lamborghini Gallardo SE.
The engine started almost silently.
He drove out of the mansion and headed toward Hell's Kitchen, where many of Wilson Fisk's businesses and criminal operations were based.
After parking his Lamborghini a few streets away from Hell's Kitchen, Zayden stepped out of the car.
He didn't want anyone connecting the expensive vehicle to what he was about to do.
He locked the car and continued on foot.
As he walked, he took out a pair of ordinary black sunglasses.
He activated Upgrade.
Black-and-white liquid briefly covered the glasses before disappearing.
A few seconds later, the sunglasses looked exactly the same from the outside.
However, they had become a highly advanced piece of equipment.
A transparent heads-up display appeared across the lenses as soon as he put them on.
Targeting data appeared in the corner of his vision.
A thermal imaging mode allowed him to detect heat signatures through thin obstacles.
Night vision could be activated instantly whenever needed.
The glasses also included a high-resolution zoom function, facial recognition, directional microphones, and an environmental scanner capable of identifying nearby electronic devices and wireless signals.
"Not bad."
He looked around the street.
The display immediately marked nearby security cameras, mobile phones, and hidden surveillance equipment.
"This will make things much easier."
Keeping his hands in his pockets, Zayden calmly walked deeper into Hell's Kitchen.
His destination was simple.
He wanted to find one of Wilson Fisk's businesses and let Fisk know that he had come to negotiate—in person.
He continued walking through the streets of Hell's Kitchen at a relaxed pace.
People came and went as usual.
Restaurants and bars were still open, and traffic moved steadily through the neighborhood.