Department of Electricity

The Department of Electricity was not a place requiring high security, so Lee Stein moved through it without obstruction. After wandering around for a while, he finally found the person he was looking for at a desk in the corner.

Most employees were still out for lunch, leaving the department feeling quite empty. However, at a workbench in the corner, a Black man was holding a half-eaten sandwich in one hand while sketching on a blueprint with the other.

"Hey, Max, do you work here?"

Lee Stein walked up to the workbench, deliberately feigning surprise.

Max froze, looked up in confusion, and then his face lit up with pleasant surprise:

"Mr. Lee Stein? You remember me?"

"Of course, Max. We introduced ourselves last week; we're friends now, aren't we?"

Lee Stein smiled.

"Yes, that's right!!"

"Oh no, I mean, it's a great honor."

Max was incredibly excited and, in his flustered state, set down his sandwich and pulled over a chair for Lee Stein to sit.

Lee Stein declined, standing by the desk to glance at the blueprints, and said in surprise: "Is this... the power grid for New York?"

"Yes, the entire New York power grid was designed by me. Designed by me, Max. I..."

Mentioning the power grid made Max even more agitated. His smile and pride were impossible to hide given his poor facial control, and he began to ramble on. Had Lee Stein not been standing at a distance, he likely would have been sprayed with spit.

However, Lee Stein listened very carefully.

His surprise just now had not been feigned.

Originally, he had only intended to offer a few compliments to build rapport, but after carefully examining the blueprints, even with his own knowledge, he couldn't find a single flaw.

The entire power grid layout was clear and logical, with a unique, orderly aesthetic between the various lines. In this massive and complex three-dimensional grid, it was nearly impossible to find a single redundant circuit. The data assessments for high-consumption areas were meticulous to the extreme, reducing power loss during transmission to the absolute minimum.

It was no exaggeration to say that Max's knowledge of electricity was top-tier. Listening to him explain the circuit layouts was highly beneficial for Lee Stein; at the very least, it would allow him to arrange the messy wiring of the Transformers more reasonably when he returned.

"Oh, sorry, I tend to talk too much once I start on circuits!"

Perhaps because he hadn't chatted with anyone like this in a long time, Max had been rambling for quite a while before finally realizing it, laughing awkwardly:

"By the way, Mr. Lee Stein, do you need any help here at the Department of Electricity?"

"Don't worry about it, Max. I've learned a lot from your words."

Glancing at the system notification indicating an increase in Mechanical Knowledge, Lee Stein smiled and explained his purpose: "Actually, I want to make a few little gadgets. I need some metal, some wires, and I'd like to borrow some tools."

"No problem, leave it to me. We have all the common parts here. If you find anything else you need, just let me know and I'll go buy it for you."

Max patted his chest with a beaming smile, then pulled a black tool bag from under the desk, which was packed with various metal parts, wires, and pliers.

Beyond that, he opened several drawers on the left side of his desk, which were filled to the brim with all sorts of components. After all, he spent years maintaining circuits and various pieces of equipment, so he kept a well-stocked inventory.

"Thank you very much, my friend. I don't need much; you have everything here."

Lee Stein thanked him politely, then picked out the parts he needed and began to work.

During the process, the usually quiet Max seemed to have transformed into a chatterbox, constantly offering exclamations and suggestions with even more enthusiasm than Lee Stein himself.

"Oh my god, what a genius design! Mr. Lee Stein, are you using this for self-defense?"

"That's not a good idea. Why electrocute yourself? Self-harm isn't a good thought; you should be more optimistic."

"Alright, I understand. Actually, you could lower the voltage by 2 volts; that's a safe enough level, and of course, it's still effective."

"Success! That's a brilliant idea. Maybe you could continue to refine it. The young people in New York would definitely love such a cool toy... er, I mean, self-defense weapon."

Although Max seemed a bit talkative, with his assistance, Lee Stein's progress was much faster than anticipated. After all, Max could easily calculate various parameters in his head, and in less than half an hour, the device he had designed was finished.

"Thank you very much, Max!"

Having finished his work, Lee Stein was in a great mood.

It had to be said that being friends with someone like Max was quite comfortable. Although his deliberate, forced chatter could be a bit annoying, at least one didn't have to worry about him scheming or betraying you.

He picked up his secret weapon and prepared to leave, but as he reached the door, a thought struck him. He stopped and turned around:

"Max!"

"Mr. Lee Stein, is there something else?"

Max was still standing where he was, watching Lee Stein leave. Seeing him turn back, he immediately showed a hint of joy.

"Just call me Lee. We're friends, aren't we?"

Lee Stein smiled helplessly: "I wanted to ask if you'd be interested in coming over to my place as a guest. I'm researching a project and might need your help."

"A guest?"

Hearing this word, Max's brain filtered out everything Lee Stein said afterward, and he replied with immense surprise: "Of course, I'd be delighted, Lee!"

Lee Stein said: "Then let's meet after work. Oh wait, I have some things to do after I clock out, so you might have to wait a little while!"

Max urged: "No problem, Lee. I have plenty of free time after work."

"Alright then, I'll see you at the company entrance once I'm finished."

Lee Stein gave a wry smile, waved his hand, and stepped into the elevator.