Chapter 84: BOSS

“Logan, come in!”
“Alright, Boss!” Logan, who was standing by the elevator outside the office, moved swiftly. The moment he heard Kyle’s call, he responded immediately, opened the door, and stepped into the top-floor office.

Boss?

Seated on the soft sofa, Kyle was momentarily taken aback, but quickly realized that earlier in the car, he had treated Logan as his bodyguard, which made him the ‘boss.’

He cleared his throat and gestured to Howard, saying to Logan, who was now standing before him, “Howard is the founder of Stark Industries. Tomorrow morning, he’ll arrange an American citizenship for you. Your full name will be ‘Logan Carl.’ Do you have any objections?”

“No problem,” Logan nodded. As long as the surname changed but the first name remained the same, it made no difference to him.

“Howard, from now on, Logan will be staying in New York. I’ll rely on you to take good care of him,” Kyle said, clearly intending for Logan to remain in New York while further arrangements were made.

“I have a feeling that we’ll become friends in the future,” Howard said warmly, offering Logan a friendly gesture. Logan didn’t respond verbally this time, but his usually stern face softened as he nodded in return.

Howard took a check from his suit pocket and placed it on the low glass table. “This is your dividend from the shares in Stark Industries for the past two months—two hundred thousand dollars, handed over to you as a bank check.”

Two hundred thousand dollars—enough to easily purchase a skyscraper in the heart of New York at this time.

Kyle’s expression remained composed, and Logan stepped forward without any sign of emotion to accept the check. After all, both men had once emptied the German treasury.

When wealth reaches a certain height, it simply becomes a set of astronomical numbers, incapable of stirring any internal reaction.

Still, Howard’s bank check was genuine, enabling Kyle to avoid having to sell the gold and gems in his card space through underground channels for now.

Howard continued, “About the development of an island and the construction of a fortress, which you mentioned at the training base—I’ve found a highly professional engineering company here in New York. Once the Second World War is officially over, they can set sail and begin construction immediately.”

He took every matter Kyle had raised as seriously as developing a new product.

“That’s wonderful!” Kyle exclaimed, raising several glasses in Howard’s honor, far more excited than he was about the two hundred thousand dollars. The development of a fortress on the island was the true foundation and future of a private power.

Kyle patted Howard’s thin shoulder with controlled enthusiasm, saying, “The gravity magnet equipment you gave me inspired an idea. The fortress buildings on the island must include a gravity chamber, capable of freely adjusting the gravity inside to several times normal. If we could achieve ten times gravity, that would be ideal.”

“A gravity chamber? Sounds good for training, but ten times is excessive. Even you would be crushed under such weight, and the antigravity device can’t reach such levels,” Howard replied with a wry smile, immediately offering a technical correction. “With our current antigravity devices, by layering both positive and negative gravity fields on the floor and ceiling, we should be able to reach up to five times gravity indoors.”

“A gravity chamber with five times gravity—barely acceptable,” Kyle evaluated, nodding. For him, five times gravity would require some adjustment, but it was more than sufficient for nurturing operatives with superhuman physiques.

“Not just a gravity chamber. If you want to do better, install a supercomputer with an intelligent management system, voice control…” Howard continued.

Kyle immediately added, “An intelligent system isn’t enough. At least ensure the whole island and the fortress are integrated. The smart surveillance must cover the entire island, enabling precise targeted strikes…”

As they drank fine wine, the two launched into an intense, imaginative yet practical discussion about fortress construction, leaving Logan, standing nearby, awed and confused.

Neither man was ordinary—one was a traveler from another world, bombarded with advanced concepts, and the other a genius engineer from this Marvel universe, equipped with cutting-edge science and a brilliant mind.

Whenever they spoke, they quickly understood each other's ideas, expanding, upgrading, and fine-tuning the details as they went.

Essentially, Kyle was responsible for sparking ideas, while Howard handled the technical refinement and brought them to reality.

Their lively debate continued late into the night.

It finally ended when Howard, thoroughly drunk, collapsed onto the office sofa, mumbling, “Let the island soar into the sky? That’s impossible…”

He then rambled on about complex figures, Newtonian formulas, antigravity theories…

“Rest well, my friend,” Kyle shrugged, rising from the sofa, waving his hand, and quietly leaving the top floor office with Logan.

“Howard really has no defenses against others…” Logan muttered softly as they entered the elevator. His life had been marked by hardship, betrayal, and wandering, so he always approached others with caution and reserve.

“He’s not entirely without defenses. Otherwise, he couldn’t have started from scratch and navigated both military and private industry so freely,” Kyle explained with a smile. “It’s only when someone truly becomes his friend that he lets his guard down and reveals his true self, willing to place his trust in them.”

Logan’s expression showed a mix of understanding and confusion.

After leaving Stark Industries, Kyle and Logan booked a twin luxury suite in a nearby upscale hotel.

After washing up and changing into comfortable clothes in their respective rooms, they stood together on the open balcony, overlooking the dazzling city lights late at night.

“Logan, I took you to meet Howard just now—you probably know my intentions,” Kyle said, turning to face the silent Logan as the night wind brushed past.

Logan nodded, replying softly, “I can guess. You want to build a fortress on an overseas island and cultivate your own private force.”

“To be precise, a family power. ‘Carl’ will be the future family name, and the family crest will be—a playing card.”

Kyle smiled faintly. At some point, a card appeared between his fingers, which he toyed with, “You can be considered the first member to join the Carl family—the first to board this… ahem.”

He continued solemnly, “Just remember, I’ve never considered you a subordinate. If you choose to follow me, you’ll be part of the Carl family.”

“I understand,” Logan replied, moved.

He had expected Kyle to hand him over to the military or Howard for research as a weapon, but instead Kyle included him in the future family collective.

What a good boss!