Cat Poop?!

"Jarvis, look up the Emerald Dream plant shop."

"Certainly, sir. Here is the compiled data. The owner is Oaks Lin, a PhD in Biology from Cornell University. These are his resume and other highly relevant files."

Tony reached out, and a holographic display containing all of Oaks' public information appeared before him.

"Hmm... a talented enough biologist, but very low-key, and not as handsome as me."

"He is quite young, however, sir."

Resting his chin on one hand, Tony acted as if he hadn't heard Jarvis's jab. He swiped through the hologram with his other hand, then raised an eyebrow:

"He turned down research project invitations from six different professors, yet personally participated in the 1KP Project. A strange fellow, but he's growing on me."

"Indeed, sir. Additionally, Dr. Lin recently posted on a small forum, claiming to have formulated a concoction that can rapidly heal wounds, remove scars, and nourish the skin. Just moments ago, Dr. Lin uploaded over a dozen plant samples marked as originating from the Amazon Rainforest to a professional 1KP Project forum, where he has been engaging in preliminary discussions with other botanists."

"The Amazon Rainforest?"

Tony walked over to the coffee machine, the hologram following him. As he ground his coffee, his mind kept racing:

"When did he get back from the Amazon?"

"I cannot find any travel records for Dr. Lin, sir."

Jarvis's reply made Tony pause, though the coffee machine stopped automatically once the cup was full:

"No travel records? I don't mean exit records—I'm not bored enough to hack airline databases for that."

"No, sir."

Jarvis replied with absolute certainty:

"Aside from school-organized activities, Dr. Lin has no private travel records. Taxis are untraceable, but there is indeed no data for him on buses or subways, and no records for trains, planes, or ships. However, there are numerous records of his spending and lodging across the country, yet no records of him purchasing fuel at any gas stations. He does have a history of shipping packages to Manaus, a city in the Amazon Rainforest; the earliest record is from five years ago, and the most recent was half a month ago."

Tony fell silent for a long moment, a look of intrigue crossing his face:

"There's definitely something fishy here... This guy doesn't even take planes; how does he get to the Amazon?"

He strode back to his workbench, took a sip of coffee, and issued further instructions:

"Jarvis, pull up every piece of data you can find on Dr. Lin."

"Very well, sir. However, your specialty is not biology. Do you require any professional reference books?"

"I'm not planning on studying biology; I just want to see the reviews and ratings."

"Understood, sir."

Completely unaware that he had been thoroughly investigated, Oaks returned from his usual patrol of the Little Rainforest.

Things at the shop had been much easier since Zhang started helping out.

He had simply shifted his patrol time to the morning, explaining it to Zhang as a morning workout.

"Mr. Oaks, I'm heading out!"

"Mhm, are you comfortable driving the car yet?"

"Don't worry, I'm a very fast learner!"

Zhang slung his laptop bag over his shoulder, ready to head to school.

That's right—to avoid the frequent "performance art" of the New York subway and to stop being tortured by the old-school drivers of Brooklyn, Zhang had requested to drive Oaks' Smart car to school.

In exchange, he was responsible for all delivery tasks after class.

Oaks didn't drive much anyway; it was just sitting there, so he let the kid have it.

Might as well squeeze some labor out of him while he didn't have any lab projects assigned by his advisor.

"But Mr. Oaks, is there something weird about this car..."

Zhang hesitated for a moment before saying cautiously:

"The fuel gauge is always full. Even though this car is fuel-efficient, this is just too exaggerated! Is the gauge broken?"

"It's not broken. It's fine, just drive it. Don't worry about the gas."

Seeing Oaks' mysterious expression, Zhang rubbed his chin, and a moment later, he had an epiphany:

"Oh—Mr. Oaks, you've got connections. I've always heard that oil companies in the U.S. are private and gasoline is very cheap."

Leaving behind a "I get it" look, Zhang drove off briskly.

"...Right, sure, something like that."

Although it was a bit different from what Zhang imagined, Oaks couldn't be bothered to explain.

The more he explained, the more troublesome it would become.

After organizing the goods in the shop, Oaks turned on his computer and was just about to check the forums when he saw a Rolls-Royce Phantom pull up to the entrance.

"A rich guy is here?"

The smile that had just appeared on Oaks' face instantly froze.

Because the driver opened the rear door, and out stepped a guy radiating pure, unadulterated swagger.

Tony Stark.

"Wow, the air in here is fantastic!"

His driver and bodyguard, Happy Hogan, opened the shop door, and Tony walked in wearing sunglasses as if he were entering his own home.

"Happy, how do you think this compares to the air in the CEO's office at Stark Tower?"

"...There's no comparison."

"You're too blunt. Go back and tell them to scrap the production plan for the air purifiers."

"But the raw materials were already delivered yesterday..."

"Tell Pepper, she'll know what to do."

"Yes, sir."

Oaks rubbed his temples. This guy had been spouting nonsense with total disregard for anyone else since the moment he walked in—what an insufferable narcissist.

Though, I do like the content.

"Welcome to the Emerald Dream. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Ah, Dr. Oaks Lin, I trust I don't need an introduction, I..."

"Who are you again?"

Tony took a deep breath and removed his sunglasses.

"I..."

"Oh, so it's the billionaire Tony Stark. Welcome. I wonder what you could possibly find in my shop that would catch your eye?"

"Ahem, ahem..."

Tony glared at Happy, who was stifling a laugh, and gave a heavy cough.

"I like people with a sense of humor, but I prefer being called 'the genius Tony Stark' by another genius."

"Fine, Mr. Genius Tony Stark."

Oaks gave a wry smile. He had expected this the moment Tony walked in—it would be strange if this guy hadn't dug up every last detail about him.

"It seems you aren't here to shop. Shall we go inside and talk?"

"Hmm, you could say I'm here to talk business."

Oaks gestured for him to follow and headed to the lounge area first.

"Sit wherever you like. What would you like to drink?"

"Coffee."

"And for you?"

"Water is fine, thanks."

The coffee and water were placed in front of Tony and Happy. The former's eyes lit up.

"This aroma, what brand is it?"

"A rare variety native to the Amazon Rainforest, cultivated by myself. An exclusive product."

Oaks poured a cup for himself from the same pot and took a sip.

"The energizing effect is a bit stronger than regular coffee, but it's not harmful to the body."

"Hmm..."

Tony took a sip from his cup, unable to keep up his haughty facade any longer.

"You know, Dr. Lin, after drinking this, I feel like the coffee beans I have at home are just cat droppings."

"Meow~"

Goose strolled over, climbed onto Oaks' lap, and curled up.

"Ahem, ahem..."

"Happy!"