Chapter 1794: Summer in Fools' Village (Part 7)_1

The Laboratory of High Energy Physics at Gotham University sits on the west side of the campus. It is the newest and largest high-energy physics research facility on the East Coast, funded by the Luther Group. All experiments related to Gotham's weather are conducted here.

Though it's hard to say whether using the Angel Halo to dispel all of Gotham's clouds falls within the domain of high-energy physics, the experiment process does indeed need some high-energy physics equipment. Therefore, Lex spent most of his academic career in this laboratory.

There is a whole team researching Gotham's weather here. Besides the more brilliant students from Gotham University, some climatologists, having been drawn in by Gotham's unique climate conditions, also joined the Luther-funded research team.

The research results aren't trivial- Gotham has basically completed artificial climate control. Last night's rain was the result of artificial rainfall. This morning, Lex rushed to the laboratory, donning a short-sleeved shirt and beach shorts, and buying a cup of coffee from a vending machine on the way.

This routine has been Lex's life for the past few years. After all, the challenge of enabling Gotham to see the sun is akin to opposing the entire world. Even for a prodigy like Lex, academic pressure remains high. Without long hours of research, these astounding results might not have been possible.

Having rained all night, the road was full of puddles. Lex, wearing a pair of flip-flops, strolled along the tree-lined path beside the academic building, drank the last sip of his coffee, and threw the bottle into the trash can at the door to the lab before pushing open the door of the research building.

People along the way greeted him. Lex, groggy with sleep, nodded left and right. He had been monitoring Gotham's indoor wind direction and humidity until about four in the morning, and now it was six thirty. Lex was tired to the point of disorientation.

Upon entering the lab, he continued looking at the data and checked the email that Pamela had just sent via the computer next to him. That was the plant survival data she had recorded.

Once Gotham started receiving sunlight, Mayor Roy embarked on urban greening. As we all know, besides tree planting, urban greening also involves constructing road-side shrubbery, ornamental flower beds, lawns, and planting sculptural plants.

Now, Lex and Pamela are actively discussing and deciding on a suitable sunlight duration for Gotham plants. As for whether it's suitable for humans- well, the Gothamites managed to survive under such harsh conditions; a little more or less sunbathing wouldn't matter.

Just as Lex was burying his head in research materials, there was a knock on the lab's door. When Lex looked up, he saw a bright smile. Clark Kent, wearing black-framed glasses, was carrying a video camera on his shoulder and a cup of iced coffee in his hand.

"Good morning, Lex, long time no see." Clark offered a perfect eight-toothed smile.

Lex rolled his eyes slightly and said nothing. Unfazed by his iciness, Clark put down the two cups of coffee and craned his neck to look at the documents in Lex's hand.

After a glance, realizing he couldn't understand it, Clark didn't comment. He just took two straws out of his bag, unwrapped them and threw the paper packaging into the trash. He then put the straws into the two cups of coffee and pushed one towards Lex.

"No, I've had some." Lex said without looking up.

Clark didn't seem the least bit embarrassed. He sipped his coffee while looking around the lab, at the lights above and the view outside the window — until Lex could stand it no longer. He put down the documents, turned to look at Clark and asked, "Do you need something?"

Clark immediately laughed, putting his bag on the table as he spoke. "Actually, I do have a favor to ask."

Lex's gaze fell onto the bag Clark just placed on the table — a grey laptop bag with a logo on it that Lex was very familiar with.

Sure enough, Clark took out a Luther-branded laptop from the bag and placed it on the table, saying, "This is the latest laptop model launched by the Luther Group that I bought a month ago. It's very useful, I finally don't have to run to the newsroom's multimedia room to check photos and edit images."

"The only problem is, I have a cat and a dog at home. They knocked the laptop to the floor when they were fighting. I know that ordinary pets can't possibly knock something so heavy to the ground, but they are obviously not ordinary."

"Little Kryptonite's tail swept the laptop to the ground. He feels very guilty, knowing how much I like this computer, it cost all of my savings..."

"Can you get to the point?"

"Can you help me fix it?"

Clark rubbed his hands together and looked at Lex expectantly. Seeing the innocent look in his blue eyes, Lex sucked in a deep breath, trying to suppress his anger. "Clark Kent, don't you think asking the person in charge of the Luther Group to fix a Luther Group laptop is a bit off? Wherever you bought it from, you should take it back there for repairs!!!"

After yelling, Lex resumed reading his documents irritatedly. Clark scratched his head, looking somewhat puzzled. "At first I didn't want to bother you, but when I found the guide who sold me the computer, he suggested that this was damage I had caused and hence did not fall under warranty."

"I took it to another computer repair shop, but the technicians said this model was the latest, they don't have the parts for replacement, and that once the machine was dismantled, I wouldn't be able to use the official warranty. So, they suggested I go directly to the official."

"I called Luther Group's repair department, but they told me I would have to send the computer to Gotham's electronics repair center. They would only make repairs after confirming that it was indeed a product quality issue..."

Lex paused his reading for a moment, sighed, and put down the documents in his hand, looking at the laptop.

Clark flipped the laptop over, revealing the powerful brush of little Kryptonite's tail; half of the laptop's back shell was shattered, its wires and components all exposed.

Seeing this, Lex could only stand up. He walked to the table, picked up the entire laptop and looked at it from left to right, frowning, "How could it become like this?"

"Hmm, my dog is kind of special." Clark said somewhat sheepishly: "I guess no electronics in the world could withstand its tail. It's not the computer's fault so I came to ask for your help privately. If it can't be fixed, so be it..."

Lex glanced at him with a frown, seemingly dissatisfied with the term "can't be fixed" that he used, but he still carried the laptop to the lab bench next to him and started checking.

While Clark explained: "The salesman didn't believe it when he heard that it was my dog who broke it, but I really didn't lie to him. Little Kryptonite is very upset right now, but it's a good dog, and I can't bear to scold it..."

"Can you just be quiet for a moment?" Lex impatiently brought over a toolbox and slammed it onto the table with a "bang".

Clark stopped speaking, sitting on the other side of the lab bench, propping up his cheek with one hand and holding a cup of coffee in the other.

After a while, Clark saw Lex's expression getting more solemn. Clark widened his eyes incredulously and couldn't help but ask: "Is it really such a hassle? Otherwise..."

"Shut up!" Lex yelled at him again, but his gaze remained fixed on the computer, saying: "The design I drew was not like this, the material of this case is problematic, and the internal structure is also..."

Then Clark watched as Lex brought over a pile of equipment. Lex hooked up cables, plugged in power, and dismantled the entire case. After about half an hour's work, he stood grim-faced in front of the lab bench, his gaze fixed on the remains of the computer.

What was on the lab bench now could hardly be called a computer anymore, as it had been completely dismantled. Clark, a bit hesitant, was just about to speak up when Lex preemptively said, "Don't speak, I'll give you a brand new one later."

"No, I just want to know, what's wrong with this computer?"

Lex raised his eyelids to look at Clark again, and seeing his sincere expression, he hesitated a bit, glanced to the side, and asked reluctantly, "Did you find this computer useful?"

"Very. It's the best computer I've ever used." Clark nodded his head vigorously, "The user interface is simply fantastic, I love the startup icon, especially the animation of the earth glowing for a moment. Did you design that?"

"That's not the point, I was asking about the performance."

"I wouldn't know then, I only use it to check emails and photos, occasionally do some photo editing, it runs very smoothly, never had a hiccup, much better than those big computers in our newsroom's multimedia classroom."

Lex rolled his eyes helplessly: "This is nothing like the design I drew in the first place, the downgrade is severe. Your computer broke when it fell to the ground because the casing material is not up to the standard."

"Aren't you the owner of the Luther Group?" Clark opened his mouth wide, somewhat surprised.

Lex appeared somewhat frustrated as he said, "Business matters are complicated, I don't have time to deal with the trivial matters, but I didn't expect them to have the audacity to fool me."

Having said this, he turned around and walked towards the telephone table, dialed a number, then asked the person on the other end some questions about computer products. Clark then heard Lex say angrily, "... Planned obsolescence? This about accounts for why you produced the Luther Group's products to be as brittle as soda crackers? Then combined with a large number of salesmen training to set up strict after-sales barriers, to get shocking sales within a quarter, and to dunk on me, a kid who doesn't understand anything?!"

"Just because Wayne Enterprises' contemporaneous product sales are less than half of ours, you assume that they can't walk this path, that we have no competitors?! Your shortsightedness truly shocks me!"

"They lack in software aspects, just because Bruce Wayne hasn't yet had an epiphany. He hasn't realized the importance of human-computer interaction, but once he improves in this area, do you think those electronics firm like military weapons won't outlast the soda crackers you made?"

"I don't want to talk to you anymore, don't bring up anything about qualifications with me, the potted plants on my office windowsill are smarter than you, you may piss off now!"

Lex hung up the phone with a "clack", giving Clark a start. Seeing Lex's gloomy expression, Clark placed both hands on the table and said, "It's not surprising, right? No one can be good at everything."

"This bunch of complacent fools only occupied their posts is the only inheritance my father left for me." Lex pounded the table: "Sooner or later, I'm going to make them..."

"Dingling!"

The phone suddenly rang, Lex turned his head to look at it, walked towards it again, picked up the receiver and said to the other end, "Hello? Bruce?...Alright, I'm coming over now..."

"Where are you going?" Clark asked as Lex began collecting his things to leave.

"Rodriguez Manor."