Legal Robbery

"Wow. Look what I found—a crate of Sodium Micro-lattice Purple Gold. It couldn't be more suitable for making cushioning pads."

Lucius frowned. Jude had taken a liking to another ultra-rare material. Micro-lattice metal was already a civilian-grade material that combined lightness and hardness, but Sodium Micro-lattice Purple Gold was more than ten times stronger than ordinary micro-lattice metal.

Moreover, this was an ongoing Wayne Group research project that had never been made public.

"Mr. Herbert, I advise you not to set your sights on that. Even within Wayne Group, we still haven't fully figured it out. It's an experimental product. If there's any danger..."

"It's fine. You can't figure it out because your hands are clumsy, but I'm not picky. Mark it."

"Well... all right."

After walking a few more steps and passing quite a few crates, Jude merely glanced at their labels without any intention of approaching. They were all common goods, of little use, until he reached the rare element storage area.

This area had been set apart in the southeastern corner of the entire plaza and sealed off with specially made glass. In the event of a leak, it could hold out for a while and buy time for rescue personnel.

Inside, long tubes lay horizontally on metal racks. The surfaces of the tubes were labeled Lithium, Rubidium, Caesium, Tantalum, Tungsten, Molybdenum, Vanadium, and other elements that were relatively rare on Earth or difficult to synthesize artificially.

After looking them over, Jude marked several that he needed. Some had extremely high melting points, some were exceptionally hard, some were highly wear-resistant, and some possessed superb ductility. There were also several dispersed elements for making neutralizing agents, allowing him to fuse elements and metals that current technology could not combine.

He then headed to the radioactive section. This was Jude's primary target—dangerous, yet alluring. There were relatively more elements in this area, all stored inside lead boxes.

First came the eight heavy hitters: Polonium, Radon, Francium, Radium, Actinium, Thorium, Protactinium, and Uranium. These eight elements were naturally radioactive. If ordinary people accidentally came into contact with them, their body tissues could be damaged. At best, they would feel unwell; at worst, they would lose their lives.

But compared with artificially synthesized radioactive elements, the eight heavy hitters were nothing special, because there were over a thousand synthetic varieties.

Naturally, Wayne Group could not possibly collect them all, but the hundreds of lead boxes before them were enough to demonstrate just how deep Wayne Group's pockets were.

"Mr. Herbert, forgive me for asking, but I can understand what you intend to do with memory nickel alloy and Sodium Micro-lattice Purple Gold. These radioactive elements, though, are far too dangerous. Don't tell me you want to build a nuclear bomb."

Jude glanced at him. "Lucius, I told you, broaden your horizons. What's so remarkable about a nuclear bomb? Besides, that thing has too wide a range. Only idiots looking to die together would use a nuclear bomb."

"Then what are you planning?"

"I want to make a weapon with great power that won't spread easily. Simply put, it's for one-on-one combat, so innocent people won't get hurt."

"Help me out. There are too many lead boxes, and they're all the same size. My eyes are getting crossed."

Lucius nodded helplessly. "All right. What do you need?"

"Polonium-210, Radium-226, Americium-241, Plutonium-238, Uranium-235."

The more Lucius heard, the deeper his frown became. "They're all elements that can serve as neutron sources, but it's not a nuclear bomb. What exactly are you trying to do?"

"What am I doing? You'll see the finished product soon enough. Don't be too surprised when you do. Also, prepare some Californium. It's an indispensable part."

Lucius's heart gave a thump. "How much Californium do you need?"

"Nothing too crazy. Five hundred grams will do."

Lucius's already dark face instantly turned black as the bottom of a pot, making his two rows of white teeth stand out all the more. At last, he could not help roaring, "Are you insane? Do you know how valuable Californium is? One gram costs thirty million dollars on the market, and nearly fifty million on the black market! Are you trying to bankrupt Mr. Bruce?"

Jude jumped at his sudden roar and quickly chuckled. "I was joking. Why take it so seriously? Actually, one hundred grams would be enough."

"Ten grams. There is no room for negotiation. Even if you bring up Mr. Bruce, it won't help. And you must leave this place. You can't stay here for even one more second!"

Lucius had been pushed to the limit. Since Jude came in, he had seemingly selected only a dozen or so items, yet every single one was extraordinarily rare.

If he kept this up, who knew how much more they would lose? So Lucius rudely showed him the door. After all, the things Jude had selected were already worth nearly a billion dollars.

The honest man had gotten angry, so Jude had no choice but to compromise. This trip had already been quite profitable anyway. Besides, Wayne Group was huge. As long as he worked with Bruce a few more times in the future, there would be plenty of chances to mooch off them. When it came to capitalist fleece, he had to shear it hard whenever he could.

Once they left the underground facility, Lucius shut the main door as if guarding against a thief.

"Come on, Brother Lucius, was that really necessary? If I wanted to get in, no door could stop me unless you moved everything somewhere else."

Lucius staggered. Remembering Alfred's words that the other man could turn invisible, he genuinely began considering relocating the place.

Jude watched the final door close with reluctance, dark thoughts surfacing in his mind from time to time. You filthy rich bastard. Sooner or later, I'll come redistribute your wealth.

When he had first crossed over, the news had reported that the Rogues had robbed two banks and four jewelry stores in a row, only making off with four hundred million dollars.

With a casual flick of his fingers, he had gained far more value than they did. This was the power of science.

Those rare elements in particular could be called some of the most valuable things on Earth. After all, Vibranium from Wakanda only sold for ten thousand dollars per gram on the black market.

"Mr. Herbert, what are you thinking about? You seem dangerous somehow."

"Hm? An illusion. That's your illusion. Hurry up and prepare a laboratory for me. That little Stephanie must have already started."

Lucius also wanted to send this legal robber away as soon as possible, so he quickly led him to the thirty-seventh floor.

"Mr. Herbert, this is Wayne Group's best comprehensive laboratory. It is now yours to use. How many people do you need?"

Jude spread his hands, his tone exaggerated and mocking. "Are you kidding? I'm enough on my own. Right now, you only need to do one thing: hurry up and send my things up. Add some good liquor, too. It's only been a day, but it feels like I haven't had a drink in ages. Then you can leave."

"Liquor? Are you sure?"

"Of course. The more I drink, the more alert I become."

After chasing off the somewhat bewildered Lucius, Jude excitedly embraced the laboratory equipment. Whenever he saw these treasures, the DNA in his blood danced.

Wayne Group's laboratory in particular was among the best even on this planet, superior to Cobblepot Technology Company. He could finally go all out.

"Ha ha... I am coming, baby!"