Chapter 291: The Prelude to a New Era!
Luke's Double Life Exposed
By this point, the exhibition was a resounding success. The invited guests and reporters were utterly astonished by Luke's inventions: the mechanical bird, the energy vehicle, and the exoskeleton armor. Each one was capable of changing the world on its own.
Yet, Luke had unveiled all three at once!
This demonstrated the immense technological capability and innovative power of Tesla. Once these three products entered the market, the entire world would erupt in excitement. The exoskeleton armor, in particular, was bound to become the focus of pursuit for major military powers.
And Luke, the inventor of it all, would become the person who changed the direction of warfare.
On stage, Luke was speaking fluently. Freed from the curse, he finally rediscovered his artistry with words. His tone was witty and humorous but never tacky. He tossed out cold jokes effortlessly, eliciting hearty laughter from the audience.
Near the right exit of the venue, Zatanna watched the self-assured, charismatic young man on stage and rolled her eyes in disgust.
"This guy is such a poser!"
Linda stood beside her, silent, a look of agreement in her eyes.
Zatanna turned to her. "What's your name?"
"Linda Danvers! And yours?"
"Zatanna Zatara!"
The magician extended her right hand. Linda hesitated for a few seconds, then extended hers. As their hands clasped, Zatanna exerted a slight force. Feeling the steel-like hardness of Linda's skin, she exclaimed,
"Your body is so hard! It feels like alloy steel."
"Is that your superpower?"
Linda said coldly, "I am not a metahuman."
"Not a metahuman? Then how do you have such strength? Are you an enhancement witch?"
Linda didn't know how to respond. After a moment, she replied,
"It's a gift. An innate talent."
Zatanna immediately understood. Thinking back to her experience in the swamp forest, she sighed with realization.
"As expected of Young Master Shaw from Coast City. He has so many powerfully talented people around him. I thought his girlfriend was impressive enough, but now there's you."
"Girlfriend?"
Linda was sensitive to the word. "Have you met Carol Ferris?"
Zatanna looked confused. "Who is Carol Ferris?"
"The daughter of the Ferris Aircraft Chairman, and the current Executive Director of Ferris Aircraft. Luke Shaw's girlfriend."
"That can't be right. His girlfriend is Emily Song. I just saw her recently."
At that moment, both girls froze. A strange atmosphere spread between them, gradually morphing into confusion. The confusion deepened, becoming a consensus, which then evolved into a shared, angry sense of solidarity.
"L... u... k... e... Shaw!"
Linda ground out the name, syllable by syllable. Rage swirled around her, manifesting as an almost tangible wave of energy. Zatanna's expression drastically changed, and she instinctively took a step back. This girl is terrifying! The energy she's radiating exceeds even the demon Ghast! After a moment's hesitation, she whispered,
"Um... you're not his girlfriend too, are you?"
"I have no relationship with him, I never have, and I never will."
Linda spat out the words through clenched teeth, fire in her eyes. She gave the stage a cold look and stalked away without looking back. With every step her feet crushed the floor, leaving large, spider-web cracks in the tiles.
Zatanna's eyes twitched, and a cold sweat broke out all over her.
This girl is too scary. She's practically a human she-devil.
No, I can't stay here. If Luke Shaw found out she had exposed his two-timing behavior, he definitely wouldn't let her go.
The Grand Finale: Future Energy
On the stage, Luke had no idea that his romantic secrets had been completely exposed by Zatanna. He continued to enthusiastically promote the new products and Tesla's corporate culture.
"Matter, energy, and information are the basic elements that constitute the natural world."
"From ancient times until now, the history of human energy development can be divided into two main parts: first, the blessings of nature; second, the fossil fuel era. The awakening of scientific consciousness accelerated the process of energy revolution. Our ancestors took hundreds of thousands of years to pass through the first stage, allowing us to live in the second. So, I want to ask: how long will the second stage last?"
"The general scientific consensus is that the second stage will last four hundred years, to be replaced by a new form of energy by the end of this century. I strongly dislike this view. Life is short; we shouldn't waste time. Life without innovation is like dry bread with no seasoning. Who likes stuffing dry, hard bread down their throats?"
"The world needs innovation, and the source of every technological innovation is energy. I love energy, so I invented this."
Luke raised his hand, holding a small crystal chip that shimmered with blue light between his thumb and middle finger.
"This is the climax of tonight's exhibition: a battery. Unlike batteries in the popular sense, this is an energy block condensed and compressed using a special method. This small crystal piece is enough to power a family of three for an entire year."
"I have named it: Future!"
Luke held up the crystal chip, displaying it to the crowd.
Moments later, a few staff members carried something resembling an engine onto the stage.
"Allow me to introduce you. This is the engine of the energy vehicle, and the crystal in my hand is the engine's energy source."
Luke opened the battery compartment, placed the crystal chip inside, and flipped the switch. The engine began to hum, and energy separated from the crystal chip, converting into a continuous stream of physical kinetic energy through the engine.
The external wheel of the engine rotated rapidly, spinning at an extreme speed.
Luke continued, "I will leave the engine on the stage and let it run. Feel free to place bets on how long the crystal chip will last. One hour? One day? Or ten days?"
"Ladies and gentlemen, the exhibition concludes here. Thank you for attending. The charity gala will now begin. Please enjoy this rare autumn evening."
Luke did not elaborate on the development process or working principles of the crystal chip, unlike the energy vehicle and exoskeleton armor. He simply took it out and placed it in the battery box, saying nothing else, seemingly deliberately concealing information.
The engine spun continuously on the stage, and the audience's focus began to drift.
Excluding the reporters who just wanted a show, everyone else sensed it: relative to the mechanical bird, the energy vehicle, and the exoskeleton armor, that small crystal chip was the true focus of the night.
Energy is the source of all technology. Without an energy foundation, so-called technological inventions are castles in the air.
And what Luke had displayed was the technology for a new generation of energy.
Bruce Wayne took a deep breath and muttered,
"A terrifying young man."
Alfred whispered, "Should I call Blair?"
"No!"
Bruce shook his head, gazing intensely at the battery box next to the engine. "I will speak with him personally. ShowMe, Tesla, Bluebird—each company leaves me shocked, and also uneasy. I must have a serious talk with this young man."
🗒️NOTE:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 20 chapters in advance!