At that, Doctor Octopus snapped out of his daze and hurriedly invited him in. "Please, come in. I'm terribly sorry."
"Um, the place is a bit messy. Please don't mind it."
With that, Doctor Octopus scratched his head sheepishly, while Tony shook his head to show he didn't mind.
But the moment Tony stepped inside, he regretted it.
The room was littered with liquor bottles and household trash. The smell of alcohol mixed with the stench was so overpowering that Tony's mouth twitched.
Once again, he regretted coming inside.
But there was clearly no backing out now, so he could only steel himself and find a clean spot to sit.
He had barely sat down when Doctor Octopus spoke before Tony could say anything. "How much were you planning to invest, Mr. Tony?"
"The Mechanical Arms are a revolutionary product I've poured my heart and soul into developing. They're essentially ready now. Once I adjust a few minor details, they'll soon be ready for production and start turning a profit."
Doctor Octopus praised his research as though nothing in heaven or on earth could compare, leaving Tony amused.
He still remembered the lofty air Doctor Octopus had carried at their last meeting-the particular pride of a researcher.
But now, he had thrown all of that to the dogs.
All he wanted now was to secure some investment from Tony. Nothing else mattered.
But Tony hadn't actually come to invest. He had come to ensure Doctor Octopus completed his transformation.
So, once Doctor Octopus finished speaking, Tony smiled. "I was at your last presentation, too."
"Someone died there because of your product."
"Have you fixed that problem?"
Tony pointed straight to the black mark on his research, though he avoided mentioning who had died to spare Doctor Octopus the embarrassment.
Still,