"Ding Dong."
The door of Gotham's Port District Logistics Office was pushed open. Dr. Ethan hummed a song as he walked into the office filled with documents and data. The middle-aged man who almost died in the Afghan desert was already balding, but after two years of relaxing, his mental state seemed to be much better.
At least he was no longer the sickly and cynical person who wanted to explode on the spot.
He happily sat at his desk and ate a hot dog he bought from the street. He spread out the complicated blueprints in his hands, put on his high magnification glasses, and picked up a pencil to write and draw. Soon, he was immersed in this simple happiness.
Ethan Locke Maldini, an Italian expert in experimental physics, cryptography, and data science. This unassuming man had three Ph.D. degrees, and he could be considered one of the most knowledgeable people in Gotham. A person like him should be working in a lab instead of working as a manager at the port's logistics department.
However, the lack of talents in The Devil Gang couldn't be covered up, especially for highly educated people. They often had multiple positions. Even the veteran of The Devil Gang, Professor Hawkins, was a guild leader in the Port District. This couldn't be helped.
"I say, Old Ethan, you still haven't given me the Pier 14 sewer reconstruction blueprint I asked for last week!"
An angry middle-aged man in a suit slammed open the door to Dr. Ethan's office. He unceremoniously tossed aside the experiment reports on the chair opposite the desk and sat down angrily. He held a thermos flask in his hand and slammed it on the table.
"How many times is this? If you continue like this, I'll complain! "
Facing the angry middle-aged man, Dr. Ethan wasn't angry or afraid. He just shrugged and took a bite of the hot dog. He rolled his eyes and looked at the person in front of him.
"Relax! Ben, you're too impatient. I said I'll give it to you today, so I'll definitely do it today. "
He pushed up his glasses and threw the plastic bag in his hand into the trash can. He rummaged through the huge storage cabinet behind him and finally found a blueprint. He took it out, spread it out, and placed it on the table. He used the pencil in his hand to draw and said casually,
"Right, I saw you send your nephew out of Gotham on a boat yesterday. He's a handsome young man."
"You're talking about Peter."
The manager rubbed his belly that was getting rounder and rounder. Looking at the quickly completed blueprint, he snorted and his expression became gentler. Especially when he talked about his nephew that he was proud of, his chatterbox was finally opened.
"Peter came to Professor Hawkins' laboratory for an internship. Unfortunately, he hasn't graduated yet. Otherwise, he could stay in Gotham. His aunt and I don't feel at ease letting him live alone in New York. However, he seems to have grown a little in the past few months. This is somewhat comforting."
Yes, the manager was Ben Parker, "Little Spider" Peter Parker's uncle. He was now the logistics manager of the Gotham Port Authority. It was much better than his previous terrible position. He was worried about his nephew's future and moved to Gotham. However, he accidentally found that the living conditions here weren't as bad as the news reported.
Of course, this was an area under the control of The Devil Gang. It was very safe, but once he entered other areas, there would be some trouble. However, generally, no one would rob or harm the people in the port area. Everyone knew that this was the official status of The Devil Gang. Once touched, there would be big trouble.
"I heard from Professor Hawkins that your nephew is a real genius."
Dr. Ethan's fingers slid quickly on the blueprint. Talking didn't seem to affect his work at all. He chattered endlessly.
"Hawkins thinks that Peter may be recruited by other laboratories. I heard that he has been pestering the boss recently and sent an invitation letter to Peter in advance. I rarely see Hawkins value a young man so much. You know, that old guy is arrogant, old-fashioned, and has a kind of untimely stubbornness."
As he spoke, Dr. Ethan became a little agitated. He waved his arms and complained to his friend.
"I submitted 4 applications to him, but until now, my laboratory hasn't been approved. Look around, I have 3 doctorates, but now I can only stay in the office to study my quantum experiment. It's a mess."
"Bang"
The pencil in his hand was thrown aside. He reached out and picked up the blueprint on the table, handed it to Ben Parker, and shrugged at him maliciously.
"It's done, here! It's the best design you can find on the East Coast. For it, I think you should at least invite me to 'Black Cat and Gun' for a drink tonight. I heard that they have a new batch of cocktails that are very good. "
"You can have a drink with me anytime …"
Ben picked up the blueprint and looked at it. He was an experienced architect, so he could see at a glance that the blueprint was indeed perfect. However, after rolling up the blueprint, he looked around and lowered his voice.
"Ethan, don't you think it's a little strange that the board suddenly wants to repair Pier 14? I heard that the place has been abandoned for several years, and many people in this place regard it as an ominous place."
After that, Ben seemed to feel that this sentence was a little inappropriate, so he added, "Uh, I mean, if they want to renovate it, why don't they repair it together with the pier facilities? Why only repair the sewer? And isn't the length and width of the sewer a little too big?"
Ethan stopped picking up the pencil. He raised his head and looked at his new friend. He adjusted his glasses, and a strange light flashed in his eyes.
"I say, Ben, you haven't forgotten the confidentiality agreement you signed on the first day of employment, right? Think about the things stored in the warehouse at Pier 13 … In short, keep these questions in your heart. Don't go around asking them. We're just working for a salary. The most important thing is: don't get yourself into trouble."
Ben Parker's expression froze for a moment. He rubbed his forehead and nodded.
"Okay, I got it … I'll transfer some of the old people in the pier area to do this. Thank you for the reminder, Ethan. Let's go to the bar tonight, I'll buy you a drink."
The manager pushed the door open and walked out. Ethan chuckled and buried his head in his work again. In less than five minutes, the office door was pushed open again. Ethan looked up and saw a young man he had never seen before standing at the door and saying to him coldly, "Boss, I'm sorry."
He said with a cold expression, "Ethan Locke Maldini, Saber Hawk is looking for you in his villa."
After saying this, the young man turned around and left. Ethan was stunned for a moment. He quickly grabbed his clothes, adjusted his appearance in front of the dressing mirror in the office, pushed the door open, and walked down to the garage.
Ten minutes later, a restless Ethan appeared in the living room of Saber's villa. To be honest, Ethan's memory of Saber was still stuck at the time when he flew out of Afghanistan on the plane. Saber's ferocious look, especially his eyes, could stir one's soul.
Although he studied very materialistic science, after experiencing the pain of his soul being ignited, his fear of Saber came from the bottom of his heart.
Opposite the restless Ethan, Saber slowly put down the newspaper in his hand. He sat on the sofa with his legs crossed and reached out to put the newspaper aside. He looked at the nervous Ethan and smiled.
"What's wrong? Are you having a bad time here? I don't remember restricting your freedom. A few months ago, you brought your wife and children from your hometown here, didn't you? "
Saber took out a box of exquisite cigars from his pocket and gave one to Ethan. While smoking, he leaned lazily on the sofa and said to the silent Ethan, "Don't worry.
"Don't worry, I'm not the kind of person who will force you to do bad things. From tomorrow onwards, you'll have your own experimental physics laboratory in Ulsen Street. Stark Industries will provide you with at least 30 million dollars in research funding every year. You'll be in charge of this laboratory, and you'll be in charge of recruiting people. You can do whatever you want to do. I don't care about your research results …"
He paused and raised his head to look at Ethan. "Tony's bastard uncle ruined the first half of your life, so we're compensating you for the second half. Don't you have anything to say?"
Ethan was stunned. As a greasy middle-aged man in his forties, he had experienced too many things. From his research results being stolen, to being captured by the Ten Rings Gang and forced to work for them, to narrowly escaping death in Afghanistan, to finally living a peaceful life in Gotham. He thought that this would be the rest of his life and that there would be no more turbulence.
To be honest, he did not hate this kind of peace, especially after experiencing life and death. He enjoyed the feeling of being with his family … But suddenly, Saber threw out such a delicious bait.
Ethan knew that once he took the bait, there was no turning back. Saber was not the mysterious Mandalin, The Devil Gang was not the Ten Rings Gang, and this was not the chaotic Middle East. In Gotham, if Saber wanted someone's life, that person would not live to see the next day.
However, he was smarter than the Ten Abstinence Gang. He knew exactly what Ethan really wanted. He offered Ethan an irresistible temptation. That was something that every qualified scientist would want. It was the recognition of the mainstream of society and the honor that they deserved.
"Gulp."
Ethan gulped down a mouthful of tea and took a deep puff of his cigar. The greasy middle-aged man rubbed his nose and pulled off his tie in frustration. He looked at Seiber and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, but I'm sorry, but I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
"Then what do I have to pay?"
"This!"
Saber looked at Ethan's struggle calmly. His final decision was not out of Saber's expectations. He waved his left hand and a black metal scroll covered with complicated markings appeared in his palm. He placed it on the table and pushed it to Ethan.
"You are the best cryptography expert I can find. This is your first mission, and it's also an exchange for everything I've given you."
Saber's finger pressed on the black scroll. He looked up at Ethan and said in a serious tone,
"I want the thing inside undamaged!"
Ethan did not answer. He just held the scroll in his hand and looked at it carefully. Then, he frowned.
"This is a special physical encryption method. The combination of 128 keys will give the answer of four symbols. To be honest, this is the first time I've seen something like this, but … I can give it a try."
Saber shook his head.
"If you want to do it, then do it! If you don't try this option, I can only say that if you fail, I'll be very frustrated. "
He stroked his chin and a red light flashed in his eyes.
"You don't want to see me frustrated, right?"
Dr. Ethan hesitated for a moment. He silently took a puff of the cigar in his hand. In the end, he nodded and looked at Saber.
"I need a lot of professional equipment and my laboratory."
Saber nodded.
"You'll get everything you want tomorrow morning, and then you'll give me everything I want, right?"
"I'll do … Uh, I mean, I can do it!"
Ethan put the black steel scroll in the box prepared by Saber, carried it in his hand, and left the villa under the guidance of Sergues. Saber rubbed his forehead, sat on the sofa, and looked down at the newspaper. The content on it was meaningless. He was concerned about another thing.
There was a lot of interesting information in Mrs. Viper's soul. Saber saw the original reason why Hydra attacked The Devil Gang. It was not because of anything else, but because of this scroll, the scroll that Saber brought out of Stryker's dam base.
To be honest, this thing had long been forgotten by Saber, but now Hydra was willing to go to war to get it, which interested Saber. Yuriko, who brought back the scroll, only said that the scroll was connected to a mysterious place in Siberia. She couldn't figure out what was hidden in the scroll.
So Saber didn't know what kind of gains this scroll would bring him in the end.
Due to the headache-inducing situation, he urgently needed good news.
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