Shiller glanced at the model he was holding, and to be honest, he couldn't discern anything from its surface appearance, so he said, "Could I borrow this model? I might need to have it analyzed by professionals."
Ethan replied, "Absolutely no problem. After all, I'm not planning to bid it out. No one would pay a high price to make such a tool so sturdy. What's the point? If it breaks, we could just replace it, right?"
Shiller found it hard to explain how, within a week, Gotham City went through tens of thousands of elevators and scaffolding. The city's simple customs meant that anything left on the streets would be treated as consumables.
The model that Shiller brought back received unanimous approval, but Roy raised another issue, "The high-powered traffic light in the city center is pretty good, but it seems it can't be mass-produced, and it consumes a bit of electricity. Do you have any good ideas?"
Soon, Ethan returned with a USB drive and said, "I don't understand, are you planning to direct traffic in the heart of the battlefield? More absurdly, for a traffic light, isn't the power you demand a bit too high?"
"I must caution you, once this thing lights up, you could probably light up seven to eight streets. The residents there won't be able to sleep."
"That's exactly the effect we want," Shiller answered, completely satisfied. He asked, "Do you have a model? Can you show me one?"
"I don't have a model, but I can show you the actual product."
Ethan went out and after a while, he pushed a cart over. On the cart rested a light bulb with almost three meters in diameter. Peter walked over in astonishment and said, "Is this a traffic light bulb? Whose is it for? A giant?"
Ethan fiddled with the wires in the back and said, "Cover your eyes! I'm going to turn it on!"
As soon as the electricity was turned on, a large green color suddenly lit up one side wall of the Stark Building.
The next day, Pepper angrily threw a newspaper onto Stark's desk. It was the New York Global Times, where the front page headline read:
"Last night, a weird green light emerged from the rooftop of the Stark Building. Is it conceivable that this war instigator and mad scientist is conducting another inhumane radiation experiment?"
But, this traffic light was indeed exceptionally effective.
One night in Gotham, Catwoman returned home. She hummed a song and took a shower, then admired her beautiful gemstones. Just as she was getting ready to sleep, she saw a mysterious red light flash outside her window.
Instantly, countless horror stories flashed across Catwoman's mind. She screamed in fright, darted to bed and dove under the covers. Through the slit in the curtains, she saw the red light outside her window turn green, then red again, and again…
Catwoman shivered in fear, staying awake all night. The next day, after learning from Bruce that it was the new traffic light installed in the city, she nearly scratched his face in frustration.
One afternoon in New York, Peter showed up at Matt's base. Night Devil warmly welcomed him. Peter said, "Er... Mr. Matt, actually I have a favor to ask."
"What's the matter? Just say it."
"Well… I need some detailed information about Kingpin. I mean his business layout and such."
"Oh." Matt gestured to Peter in surprise and said, "It seems you've come a long way, learning to gather information first. Alright, I will only help you this once. After this, you have to learn to gather your own information."
Peter pulled a strange face while Matt retrieved the information and said, "I've been fighting him for many years. There's not one place of his business that has escaped my observance, especially nearby the East Coast. As you know, New York, Miami, Chicago, these are the cities of main concern."
"Right, indeed, I want those three cities."
"Don't bite off more than you can chew, kid. You'd better focus on a single city, or even a single neighborhood in one city."
Peter looked troubled and said, "Could you just give me information on all three cities? Even if I don't use it, I can save it for later. I'll take good care of them."
Soon, this information landed on the desks of Falcone and all the mob bosses. Falcone was surprised and said, "Such a detailed business plan, how did you come up with it, Professor Rodriguez?"
"It's as if someone has already put it into practice."
"And indeed, the plan seems very reasonable. I think it could definitely convince the people in Miami," Roy said.
'Of course it's reasonable,' Shiller thought. 'This was tested out over several years by Kingpin, paid for in blood and lives. If it wasn't reasonable, Kingpin's East Coast crime empire would have collapsed long ago.'
After Gotham City and Chicago succeeded in their collaboration, Emperor City also stepped in. Miami naturally couldn't sit still, but this city, compared to the others, had less foundational depth and a more conservative style. Roy needed a more detailed plan to convince them.
Shiller couldn't hatch this plan out of thin air. He had already identified Kingpin as a reference.
Although Kingpin was a baddie, you had to admit that he was also a crime genius. He was able to create a criminal industry chain that radiated from the East Coast to the rest of the country, out of nothing. This crime empire had stood unshaken over many years, despite repeated harassment by various superheroes. He was still the underground king of the East Coast.