No Weaknesses

Harvey came to the food area and, seeing the dazzling array of delicacies, picked up a tray and began choosing food for himself.

He had invested so much money in Stark Industries, so naturally he did not want to see Tony Stark suddenly suffer a disastrous setback.

That was why he had come to take a look, give Tony Stark a reminder, and fill his stomach while he was at it.

Other fine dining restaurants were still open, but their food was clearly not as good as the spread prepared for such a grand charity ball.

More importantly, he would not have to wait here. He only needed to eat to his heart's content.

Tony Stark walked toward the bar in a somewhat gloomy mood and casually ordered a drink.

"Hello, Mr. Tony Stark. I'm Agent Coulson. We met last time."

When Coulson saw Tony Stark heading for the bar, he immediately walked over and introduced himself.

"You're that... Homeland something, right?"

Tony Stark looked over, recalling something.

"The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."

"It's good that you remember."

A faint smile appeared on Coulson's face as he corrected him.

"You people really ought to change that name."

Tony Stark got a headache upon hearing that string of words.

"Many people have raised that issue. We are considering changing it."

"But let's put that aside for now. I came to see Mr. Tony Stark because there are some things I'd like to understand."

"Although I know you've had a difficult time recently, there are still some things we need to learn..."

Coulson did not mind and agreed before beginning to speak with Tony Stark.

"I'll consider it. I'm going to find my secretary first."

Tony Stark gave him a perfunctory response, then found an excuse to leave.

He went straight to his secretary, Pepper, though his gaze was fixed on the food area.

When he noticed that Harvey Anberaka really seemed hungry and was feasting over there, he was left somewhat speechless.

To him, holding a charity ball was merely a routine way of doing some good, earning himself a favorable reputation, and exchanging pleasantries with people he knew fairly well.

But that only applied to him. Few people could match his standing among New York's upper class.

For Harvey Anberaka, a newly risen New York tycoon, attending his charity ball was a good opportunity to meet other wealthy people and make connections.

If he managed to negotiate some major deals, he could make a great deal of money.

Although taking the initiative to approach others might lead to being looked down on or despised, such things were unavoidable before one truly became an important figure in others' eyes and integrated into that upper-class circle.

Yet after Harvey Anberaka came here, aside from Tony going up to chat with him for a few words, Harvey Anberaka had simply begun eating by himself, seemingly with no intention of making connections at all.

Tony Stark thought it over and realized he still could not understand Harvey Anberaka's logic.

As Pepper spoke with her boss Tony, she noticed that his eyes were not focused on her but somewhere else.

She initially thought Tony Stark had been drawn to another young and beautiful woman, but when she followed his gaze, she realized that was not the case at all.

"You care a lot about Mr. Harvey Anberaka?"

Pepper asked softly as she danced with Tony Stark.

"Not at all. I'm just thinking about something."

Tony Stark immediately denied it upon hearing the question.

"Agent Coulson seemed quite concerned about Harvey Anberaka earlier as well, but he didn't reveal many details to me."

Pepper knew perfectly well that Tony Stark was saying one thing and meaning another, so she said it with a smile.

Prompted by Pepper's reminder, Tony Stark's mind began racing.

Coulson had come to see him earlier because he wanted to ask about what had happened in Afghanistan.

Then when they met last time, Coulson's claim that he would visit again was probably for the same purpose.

But compared to asking about what had happened to him in Afghanistan, Coulson had prioritized going to Harvey Anberaka first to learn about something.

Although he still did not know why Coulson had sought Harvey Anberaka, Harvey Anberaka's priority seemed higher than his?

The thought that Harvey Anberaka had actually surpassed him in priority made Tony Stark feel strangely conflicted.

Before, he would definitely have been extremely displeased, but after speaking with Harvey Anberaka earlier...

Tony Stark knew Harvey Anberaka was too mysterious. He could not see through him at all.

So rather than feeling unhappy, he was more curious about why Coulson had sought Harvey Anberaka before.

Tony Stark turned around and found that Coulson had already disappeared. He tried to recall the contact information Coulson had proactively handed him and placed on the table earlier.

But no matter how hard he tried, because he had not paid much attention at the time, he could not find any memory related to Coulson's contact information.

"Why don't we go get some air on the balcony?"

Pepper noticed that Tony Stark seemed preoccupied, and she could also feel the gazes around them. She took the initiative to suggest it.

"Alright."

Tony Stark came back to his senses and nodded.

Harvey noticed that Tony Stark had still gone to the balcony with Pepper, but he did not care.

With elegant movements, Harvey ate all the food laid out across the long table before him.

This caused the people around him to unconsciously turn their eyes toward Harvey.

Some of the young women nearby watched as the food visibly disappeared under Harvey Anberaka's polite, graceful, and pleasingly elegant movements.

They curiously stared at Harvey Anberaka's stomach, trying to figure out where all that food had gone.

Harvey Anberaka had clearly eaten so much, yet his stomach did not swell at all. It was as though the food had entered a bottomless black hole.

But because Harvey Anberaka was so focused on eating, even if they wanted to strike up a conversation, they could not find a suitable opportunity. They could only watch as more and more plates became empty.

It created a strange scene: everyone else was chatting and dancing, while Harvey Anberaka alone was eating.

The other men noticed that their female companions, along with the women nearby, had all involuntarily turned their attention toward Harvey Anberaka.

For the sake of their bearing and the occasion, they showed nothing on the surface, but inwardly, they felt somewhat contemptuous.

This Harvey Anberaka, a newly risen nobody, had not taken the initiative to greet them and seek cooperation. Instead, he was pretending to be a big eater to attract attention.

Harvey paid no attention to the gazes around him.

This charity event had ten tables filled with all kinds of delicacies from land and sea, all of which contained a large number of Evolution Points.

Harvey ate four of those tables and gained 530,000 Evolution Points, then stopped eating.

If Harvey wanted to eat, no amount would ever be enough for him, but he could not be too excessive either. There were still several hundred people present, so he had to leave some food for everyone else.

The Evolution Points he gained on this trip were equivalent to three or four days' worth for Harvey, so it had not been a wasted journey.

At first, the women around him had merely been curious when they saw Harvey Anberaka eat one table's worth of food, but later, Harvey Anberaka ate seven tables in succession.

When food meant for nearly several hundred people had practically all gone into Harvey Anberaka's stomach, they no longer felt curious. They were utterly astonished.

Harvey elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin, poured himself the last bottle of wine from the table, drank it to moisten his throat, and then left.

The food from those eight tables, along with the wine set out there, had cost at least two million dollars, yet Harvey Anberaka had eaten and drunk it all.

It would have been one thing if Harvey Anberaka drank so much wine, but if he got drunk and made a fool of himself, they could at least laugh at him and have something to talk about afterward.

Yet Harvey Anberaka showed no signs of being drunk. His face had not even turned red.

That astonishing appetite and tolerance for alcohol made the eyelids of the men who had looked down on Harvey Anberaka twitch several times.

So Harvey Anberaka had not come here to make friends at all. He had come to eat them out of house and home.

With that appetite, anyone holding a party or celebration in the future would have to think carefully about whether they had budgeted enough for food before inviting Harvey Anberaka.

If they did not have that kind of budget, they really could not casually invite this big eater with such good teeth.

As for the women, seeing Harvey Anberaka standing perfectly steady, many of them had originally hoped he would get drunk so they might have a chance to approach him.

Some young women had watched him the entire time, but from beginning to end, Harvey Anberaka finished eating and drinking without showing the slightest sign of drunkenness, leaving them all deeply disappointed.

Harvey Anberaka's status was inferior to that of some major figures present, but he was young, handsome, tall, and wealthy.

Even setting aside his wealth, Harvey Anberaka's tall, upright figure, with his toned muscles still visible beneath his suit, was enough to stir certain thoughts in some of the young wealthy women present. They would not mind occasionally keeping him and sampling some asian flavor.

Unfortunately, they could afford to keep other young handsome men, but Harvey Anberaka was completely beyond their means.

The undisguised disappointment in the eyes of some women at the ball made the other men somewhat unhappy.

Harvey Anberaka had drawn most of the attention and stolen the limelight merely by being present.

It made them begin thinking about how they could make Harvey Anberaka suffer a little.

As long as someone was human, they were bound to have weaknesses. So what was Harvey Anberaka's weakness?

For example, family, friends, or perhaps some companies under his name.

By exploiting those weaknesses and using some of the power and wealth in their hands, it would not be difficult to strike at Harvey Anberaka.

The prominent figures began considering the information they had on Harvey Anberaka.

But no matter how they thought about it, they could not find any weakness of Harvey Anberaka's.

Although Harvey Anberaka was a newly emerged New York tycoon, he also existed apart from New York's other wealthy figures, completely alone.

There was only one place they could strike at Harvey Anberaka: the stock market.

But the bulk of Harvey Anberaka's holdings was currently in Stark Industries.

If they wanted to strike at Harvey Anberaka, that meant going up against Stark Industries.

What a joke. Weren't they currently attending Stark Industries' charity ball?

As for affecting the value of Harvey Anberaka's real estate, those prices would not fall so easily.

Even if they wanted them to, the authorities would not allow them to spread rumors recklessly and cause housing prices to plummet.

Second update