Qingshui and Lex Luthor's collaboration was quite pleasant.
The business discussion lasted over a day. At one point, Qingshui called Cisco and, within moments, Barry used the Speed Force to bring Cisco to Metropolis.
Cisco had been very helpful throughout the process, and it was only right that he receive a share of the profits. It would be best to use financial incentives to secure this engineering genius.
The parties agreed to jointly invest in establishing TSL New Energy Company. Qingshui and Lex Luthor would provide capital and technical support, while Victor and Cisco would contribute their technical expertise as equity.
Qingshui and Luthor would hold 45% and 30% of the shares respectively, with the remaining 25% split between Victor (13%) and Cisco (12%).
The company would be registered in Metropolis.
It was at least much safer there than in Gotham.
The registered capital was $500 million, with Qingshui investing $300 million and Luthor $200 million.
Even though Qingshui's net worth was nearly $2 billion after extensive operations, committing $300 million at once still meant utilizing most of his available cash flow.
However, to secure a controlling stake and the chairman position, Qingshui gritted his teeth and paid up.
Next would be the establishment of a research and development center in Metropolis and other follow-up matters, with Victor overseeing it.
He would serve as TSL's CTO, or Chief Technology Officer, responsible for key R&D initiatives.
Victor would also primarily live in Metropolis from now on.
The air quality and environment there were much better than Gotham, and the safety conditions were several levels higher, making it more suitable for Nora's recovery.
Qingshui truly needed a highly skilled scientific mind whom he could trust implicitly to oversee things.
Mr. Freeze had decent combat power, but the most crucial part of his cryogenic technology had already been mastered by Qingshui and integrated into Puppet. Coupled with the Grundy Puppet and lesser Titan Enhanced Humans, Hogg United was not particularly lacking in high-end combat capabilities.
Besides, treating a scientist of Victor Fries's caliber as a mere thug would be a true waste of talent.
Cisco Ramon was taken back to Central City by Barry the night the contract was signed, and Qingshui also returned to Gotham with them.
Although Cisco's shares were theoretically worth over $50 million, they couldn't be converted into actual wealth until TSL went public.
However, given the pure-hearted nature of superheroes, even if he became a billionaire, he would likely continue to fully support Barry and his heroic endeavors.
Upon returning to Gotham, it was already late at night.
It was a rare clear day, the night sky bright and densely dotted with stars. The usually thick clouds seemed to have largely dissipated that night.
Despite being in Metropolis, Qingshui had been receiving updates from Gotham online over the past few days.
Gotham seemed calm these days, with the only minor incident being a small earthquake. The city center experienced a noticeable tremor, but there were no casualties, only a portion of the underground sewers collapsed.
Before Qingshui could even rest, his Accountant rushed over.
"BOSS, Harvey Dent is here to visit."
"Visit? Are you sure he didn't just call or something, but actually showed up in person?"
Qingshui asked the Accountant who delivered the news, curious.
With Penguin dead, how dared Harvey Dent come to see him in person?
Even though the Two-Face Gang was now a subordinate of Hogg United, if Qingshui were to kill Harvey Dent right there, he could easily destroy or annex the Two-Face Gang.
"His schizophrenia seems to have worsened, or he's gotten into some major trouble, which is why he came."
Qingshui raised an eyebrow.
If he was in trouble, wouldn't it be much safer for Harvey Dent to go to Batman than to him?
At least Batman definitely wouldn't kill him; at most, he'd beat him up and lock him in Arkham Asylum.
"Let's go see."
Qingshui stood up and headed towards the reception room.
It was currently guarded by over a dozen armed subordinates, two of whom had Titan III Enhancement Serum in their pockets. In case of an emergency, two lesser Titan Enhanced Humans would be enough to handle most situations, unless a relatively strong superhuman combatant appeared.
When Qingshui saw Harvey Dent, he was clutching his head in pain, mumbling something to his reflection in the floor-to-ceiling window.
"I can't find that bat!"
"I told you! I can't find him, and I know there's danger, but maybe Batman is also tied up with this, or something else. I've robbed civilians several times this morning, and Batman still hasn't shown up!"
"This guy should be able to solve this problem. He's fought the Bat more than once and never lost. I know you don't have this person here, but what does that have to do with me!"
Harvey Dent, eyes bloodshot, yelled maniacally at his reflection in the glass.
The reflection silently mimicked Harvey Dent's movements, not saying a word.
After shouting, Harvey Dent took a few gasps, then heard footsteps and turned around.
"You're finally back."
Harvey Dent said with a sigh of relief.
"Did you develop a new personality?"
Qingshui waved his hand, and the surrounding subordinates quickly retreated. After pouring two glasses of wine for them on the table, the Accountant also left, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.
"No, that's not a new personality. My mind is perfectly sound."
So said Harvey Dent, who suffered from severe schizophrenia.
"That was another me, a ghost-like version of myself. He found me and told me something big was about to happen. He said only someone with a dual personality like me could receive signals from another me."
"That's quite incredible. Tell me more."
Qingshui placed a glass of red wine in front of Harvey Dent and asked.
The latter drained the glass in one gulp and replied:
"That was me from another world, a world on the brink of destruction, already plunged into darkness. He found me and told me that the gate connecting our two worlds had opened, and the entity that dragged his world into darkness was now about to do the same to this one."
Qingshui's expression gradually grew serious.
Could it be that...
Meanwhile, on the top floor of a bar in Gotham.
The balding, elderly man in a suit, Arnold Wesker, sat on the ground, his face filled with terror. The suit puppet in his hand had been dismantled, leaving only its head.
He was another supervillain in Gotham with multiple personalities, the Ventriloquist. The puppet in his hand was called Scarface. Arnold Wesker was timid and weak, while Scarface was vicious and brutal. Together, they formed the Gotham villain known as the Ventriloquist.
And the entity they feared, naturally, was Batman.
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