Special Energy Source

It was almost two hours later when Rorschach appeared in front of Howard Stark's mansion.

He was a full hour late for their scheduled meeting.

"Howard Stark has never been stood up like this before, has he?" Rorschach couldn't help but think with a bit of wicked amusement.

However, given the sudden turn of events, who could have predicted Stryker would send people to attack Rorschach at this particular time? It really wasn't Rorschach's fault.

Ding dong!

Adjusting his mood, Rorschach reached out and pressed the doorbell in front of the large gate.

A moment later, Jarvis appeared.

"Mr. Rorschach? You're finally here. Mr. Stark has been waiting for you."

Jarvis hurriedly opened the door for Rorschach, looking incredibly relieved.

"I'm so sorry, Jarvis. I got held up by some unexpected business. Is Mr. Stark alright?"

Rorschach asked casually as he followed Jarvis forward.

"He hasn't smashed anything, and he hasn't been yelling curses. Considering all that, I'd say he's doing pretty well."

Jarvis thought for a moment, then said to Rorschach with a straight face.

Rorschach: "..."

"Jarvis, I suddenly don't feel like coming anymore. Is it too late to back out?"

"Mr. Rorschach, Mr. Stark won't eat you."

While they were talking, Jarvis led Rorschach into Howard Stark's mansion.

The playboy stood up, a mouthful of complaints ready: "Rorschach, I've met politicians, military bigwigs, and business tycoons, but you're the first person to make me wait this long."

"Then I'm truly flattered... My apologies. I had to deal with some unexpected circumstances at the last minute, which made me late."

"It's fine, I've already waited anyway. Besides, you saved me, didn't you?"

Howard Stark personally welcomed Rorschach inside and then instructed Jarvis, "Jarvis, tell the kitchen to start preparing."

Actually, Howard Stark's banquet had been ready for a while. But since Rorschach never showed up, he had to have it temporarily put away.

They would prepare it again when Rorschach arrived.

One could only say that the wealthy spared no expense.

"Mr. Stark, saving you was a huge favor. It's not something that can be repaid with just one meal, you know."

Rorschach said, half-jokingly and half-seriously, as he walked further inside with Howard Stark.

Joking aside, it was incredibly difficult to get Howard Stark to owe someone a favor, so he had to make sure it was properly acknowledged.

"Haha, of course. This meal is just to express my gratitude, nothing more."

Howard Stark laughed. "Come on, let me give you a tour of my home first."

"I'd be delighted!"

Rorschach said with great interest.

Whether in his past life or this one, Rorschach had never actually been to the mansion of a billionaire on Howard Stark's level. This was a perfect opportunity to broaden his horizons.

"Let's start with my collection room. I've got quite a few treasures stored here."

Howard Stark led Rorschach into a very luxurious room, with a hint of pride in his voice.

Opulent!

Inhumanly opulent!

That was Rorschach's first reaction upon entering the collection room. This was practically a small museum!

All sorts of famous paintings, antiques, fine wines, and watches were piled up in every corner as if they were just everyday items.

It was all so casual.

"Giotto's 'The Kiss of Judas'. It primarily shows the moment of psychological confrontation between Jesus Christ and Judas. Honestly, I don't really like this painting; it's too heavy."

"But you know, some gifts, even if you don't like them, you can't refuse them. You even have to pretend to like them."

"Oh, the Great Scottish Sword. A man's favorite. As expected, Rorschach, you prefer this too. What man doesn't like a sharp weapon?"

"That's right, that's right. This old antique is the world's first bicycle. Although it looks quite crude now, it was the crystallization of wisdom at the time."

Wherever Rorschach's gaze landed, Howard Stark would be there to introduce it to him.

Just as Rorschach had expected, everything inside was extraordinary and undoubtedly a rare treasure, leaving Rorschach in awe.

"Come on, I'll take you to see my garage!"

After showing off his various collections, the playboy excitedly led Rorschach to his luxurious garage.

Luxury cars of all colors and styles were lined up in two long rows, making one wonder if it was a 4S dealership.

"How is it, Rorschach? These are treasures I've collected over the past fifteen years, all here!"

Howard Stark's eyes gleamed as he began to introduce his dazzling collection of luxury cars to Rorschach, rattling off details like a proud parent.

"The Cadillac V-16, production stopped in '40. This was the world's first mass-produced car with a 16-cylinder engine. It took quite some effort to get my hands on it."

In front of a red convertible sports car, Howard Stark once again chattered excitedly, showing off to Rorschach.

However, Rorschach wasn't particularly impressed.

Limited by the era, to be honest, the cars from this period looked incredibly outdated to Rorschach, like something straight out of a dusty museum.

[Special Energy Source Detected!]

Just then, a prompt from the System suddenly echoed in Rorschach's mind.

This made Rorschach freeze for a moment.

Simultaneously, Rorschach's vision transformed, courtesy of the System, into something resembling a computer scan.

Within that scan, the Cadillac that Howard Stark was so enthusiastically introducing was highlighted with a digital projection.

A red dot blinked incessantly on it.

It was clear that the Special Energy Source the System mentioned was located within that very Cadillac.

"Special Energy Source? What does that mean?"

Rorschach couldn't help but ask, utterly bewildered. Unfortunately, the System, as usual, offered no response.

[Analyzing Energy Source...]

[Energy Value: 37 Origin Points, Status: Non-extractable.]

This series of prompts completely confused Rorschach again.

The energy value was measured in Origin Points, and it was displayed as non-extractable. Didn't that imply there was an extractable state?

And if he could extract it, could he directly replenish his Origin Points?

"It must be like this!"

Rorschach's eyes lit up. After all, the logic was quite simple and easy to understand.

The only thing Rorschach couldn't figure out for the moment was why this energy source was in a non-extractable state.

And why would a car be hiding some kind of energy source?

Although Rorschach didn't quite understand what the System identified as an energy source, he was certain it wasn't the car's fuel. That would be too lame.

Besides, fuel was everywhere, hardly special.