Anyway, with this new identity, Herman still had to visit his company. Today, a S.H.I.E.L.D. representative was scheduled to sign the contract, and as the majority shareholder, he had to be present.
He had barely finished dealing with S.H.I.E.L.D. last time, and now he was wrapped up with them again. This organization really was like a ghost that refused to leave him alone.
"Is the reason Umbrella Corporation got the Super Soldier Serum project simply because the company is tied to me?" Herman wondered silently.
Even though he had only just obtained this identity, the All-Seeing Eye possessed the power to reverse cause and effect. It could rewrite the history of the universe however it liked.
"The Super Soldier Serum—that's what Steve Rogers, Captain America, was injected with. And Banner turned green because of research on it too."
"The Green Goblin came about because Osborn Industries tried to reverse-engineer the serum… I can't imagine what results my company will produce from studying it."
Truthfully, Herman didn't think much of the Super Soldier Serum. At best, it created a slightly tougher enhanced human.
It couldn't even stop bullets.
How could it possibly play an important role in modern warfare? He couldn't understand why the military and S.H.I.E.L.D. were so obsessed with it.
Did they really think anyone injected with it would instantly become Captain America?
"Even if it's a useless enhancer, I'll still have Umbrella throw everything into researching it. The exclusive reward tied to this identity is no small thing."
Herman was very tempted by the reward: the Superpower Serum.
As the name implied, the Superpower Serum was an enhancer that, once injected, granted stable superhuman abilities. The powers acquired might not be earth-shattering, but stability and controllability made it priceless. The benefits could be beyond imagination.
Of course.
Money? That wasn't the important part.
Mainly, as a guy—
Who wouldn't want to command their own superpowered army?
"Skye!"
Herman figured that if he was going to the company to sign contracts, he might as well bring along a secretary to look the part. He called out to his assistant.
"What is it? Coffee?"
Skye poked her head through the office door, a crab still clamped between her teeth.
"Go get dressed. I'm taking you out to see the world." Herman had her change into a professional outfit—the kind with black stockings and long legs.
He himself put on his only suit.
"Why so formal? Don't tell me you sweet-talked another investor?" Skye tugged uncomfortably at her tight-fitting clothes.
"Hah, like I need to sweet-talk anyone?" Herman straightened his tie, admiring his reflection in the mirror.
"Today, I'm done pretending. Cards on the table—I'm actually a billionaire." He had to admit, saying it out loud felt damn good.
However—
"????"
Skye gave him a look of pure disdain. "Director, did you not get enough sleep? If you're still half-asleep, go lie down and nap some more."
A down-and-out director who just last week needed his employees to cover his meals suddenly claiming to be a billionaire? Skye wasn't buying it.
"So, the billionaire lifestyle is taking his secretary on the New York bus, huh?" she teased as the two of them left Stellar Tower and boarded a bus.
"I've got luxury cars. I just don't feel like driving them, okay?" Naturally, after gaining the [Top-Tier Tycoon] identity, Herman also had mansions and luxury cars.
They just happened to be in another district.
"I don't believe it! Unless you take me to see them!" Skye clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she nearly doubled over. Herman was just too funny today.
"Hm?"
Herman realized Skye was daring him to show off.
"Driver! Make a U-turn!"
Of course, the bus driver didn't take orders like that, so Herman had no choice but to get off with Skye at the next stop and hail a taxi.
"No need for this, boss. Don't put on a show. New York taxis aren't cheap, you know." Skye was laughing so hard she had to hold her belly.
When the taxi finally reached the neighborhood where Herman's mansion was located—
"This is where the investor lives?" Skye looked around like a wide-eyed tourist stepping into a palace, amazed at everything she saw.
She thought Herman had brought her to see where the drama's investor lived, and she couldn't help but marvel at how the wealthy truly lived.
Everywhere were sprawling estates and mansions.
Police patrol cars cruised the streets every few minutes, and the safety and serenity of the place were worlds apart from anything ordinary people could imagine.
"Investor? This is where your boss used to live. Got tired of it, you know? That's why I prefer eating takeout with everyone and sleeping in the office."
Herman strode up toward one of the estates.
At first, Skye thought he was still joking. But when the massive iron gate automatically recognized Herman's face and a mechanical voice said, "Welcome home," her eyes went wide, her face frozen in shock and disbelief.
"You… you're actually rich!?"
Skye's words stumbled out as she followed Herman into the mansion. Surrounded by the glittering, opulent décor, she wondered if she was still dreaming.
That director who couldn't even afford coffee… owned a house this massive?
God! What kind of hellish joke was this?
"What else?"
Inside the mansion, Herman changed into another high-end suit before leading the still-stunned Skye out of the estate.
Porsches were a favorite among the wealthy, and Herman's garage had several. At last, he understood the joy of the elite.
He sped along the highway in one of his luxury cars, a gorgeous woman sitting in the passenger seat.
Outside, passersby—especially young people—kept glancing their way.
This life… was undeniably beautiful.
"You really chose to live like a poor man just because you got tired of being rich!?" Skye finally snapped out of her daze.
It was absurd. Was the life of the rich really this unpredictable?
"Exactly. I've outgrown the shallow pleasures of wealth and wanted to relive the beauty of my struggling days." Herman, of course, couldn't admit this was just an identity he had drawn.
He played the role convincingly, enough to fool even the sharp-eyed Skye, who sat frozen for a moment longer in the passenger seat.
But then, as her eyes wandered over the luxurious interior, her expression darkened. She suddenly turned on Herman and shouted furiously.
"You bastard! Give me back my hard-earned money! Pay me this month's salary right now!"
If Herman hadn't been driving, she might have lunged at his throat.
She had thought he was a director at rock bottom, only to learn that what she saw as rock bottom was just his way of "playing life as a game."
Skye felt numb. How could the gap between people's joys and sorrows be this enormous? And worst of all, how could someone this rich still owe his employees their pay?
Her eyes grew increasingly resentful as she glared at Herman.
"Pay—"
Herman was about to put on a generous act, planning to declare that he'd pay double this month. But before the words could leave his mouth—
Boom!
An accident erupted ahead on the highway.
A bus came crashing down onto the road, flattening several cars that hadn't managed to swerve away. Terrified screams erupted as the crowd scattered in panic.
In an instant, the once orderly street dissolved into chaos.