Chapter 20: 20
A few days had gone by since Liam had asked for a place to carry out his plans for the future. Until then, he had tried his abilities a bit, and suffice it to say, it was beyond what he had expected.
In the darkness of the night, he had tried to climb walls, and suffice it to say, he was now better at climbing walls than maybe Spider-Man himself. Of course, he didn't have the ability to stick to a single vertical wall, but traversing it was a piece of cake as he felt that his fingers were powerful enough to crush stones.
He then went to a 24/7 Planet Fitness late at night to check his strength with his normal body. He could exert immense force. With his original body now, he could lift 500 kgs quite easily, but with wraith enhancement, he could not calculate it because he didn't have the weights to counter his arm strength at all.
Soon, he realized that Planet Fitness couldn't measure his strength and impact strength either. Though he had a general idea of it since he had played the game long enough.
"Mr. Woodworth, we have found a place for you. The address is 84-20 51st Avenue."
"Okay. I will be there in an hour."
Liam was excited to see his workplace for the foreseeable future.
"Mr. Woodworth, I hope you had a wonderful morning today," Rachel said with a smile as Liam got out of his Audi A8.
"Rachel, I told you not to be formal. Call me Liam. Mr. Woodworth sounds jarring," Liam said.
"Hahaha... I will try to remember that next time," Rachel said as she led him to the place she thought would be appropriate for Liam. And Liam wasn't actually expecting the surprise that Rachel gave him.
Rachel stopped in front of a large, unassuming warehouse with a sleek black door that bore no signs or labels, only a keypad for entry.
"Here we are," Rachel said, entering the code with a flourish. "I hope you're ready for this, Liam."
The door slid open with a soft mechanical hum, revealing the cavernous interior. Liam's eyes widened as the scene unfolded before him. Polished concrete floors reflected the glow of overhead lights, illuminating rows of gleaming blacksmithing tools, both traditional and modern. There were anvils, tongs, and hammers arranged neatly alongside CNC machines and laser cutters. A forge sat in the far corner, its intricate design suggesting it was as much a work of art as a functional tool.
"Rachel... You are a boon. Thank you... Thank you," Liam said. He wasn't expecting a ready-made blacksmithing place when he had asked her to find a place.
"The Woodworth family spares no expense," Rachel winked at Liam, knowing full well that it was Liam who was paying for it, and it was also in the name of his father and not even Liam himself.
"Hahaha... Thank you again. You have just made my work much easier," Liam replied. Rachel actually was a bit surprised that Liam would want a blacksmith workshop for himself, but then again, rich people had different hobbies, and maybe this was Liam's. She didn't need to know anyway.
Liam walked deeper into the space, his fingers trailing across the cool metal of the machinery. The juxtaposition of old-world blacksmithing tools with cutting-edge tech struck him. But Rachel wasn't done. She gestured toward a side door, leading him to a cozy living area.
"And if you ever need a break, this should do the trick," she said, opening the door with a dramatic swing.
The room was small but impeccably designed. A minimalist kitchen with steel countertops flowed into a lounge area with a plush sofa and a wall-mounted TV. Adjacent to it was a compact bathroom and a bedroom with large windows overlooking the cityscape.
After a small tour, Liam was back in his home. He had received the codes and the rights to the property too, as Rachel didn't rent and just bought the place. Stark Industries had also provided an exclusive account to Liam for him to splurge money, which Rachel could use, and this was one of those.
As he was reaching home, he received a call from Tony.
"Yo, my man, what's up?" Tony asked.
"Tony, you are not a Gen Z kid, so stop trying to be like us, and I don't talk that way," Liam replied.
"And here I thought I would get close to you," Tony replied.
"I am not a beautiful female that you want to get close to me. How are the new product launches going?"
"That's not my circus to know. Pepper is handling it. But we did get a military contract from SHIELD and the USA for the use of Neuralink, as it would allow a pilot to maneuver a plane with just a helmet and get better control. And Marvel & Stark Industries are actively trying to look for a commercial use of the technology. I gotta say, the more I look into BT, the more surprised I become. By the way, I have made another version of the railgun for BT and have made a smaller version and gave it to BT, which he can mount on his other hand."
"Did you mount a railgun into that armor of yours too?"
"You bet."
"Did you find another source of energy for your arc reactor?" Liam asked, as that was more important now.
"Can you not parade on my wound right now? My heart can't take it... By the way, I called you because I saw that you gifted yourself quite the place. What are you going to make? Does the organization behind you want to learn blacksmithing?" Tony asked. Tony changed the topic, which meant he wasn't able to find a solution for his poisoning, and since the account was provided by Stark himself, he knew what transactions were taking place.
Tony was still thinking that BT and his suit were technology provided by a secret organization behind Liam because there couldn't be another explanation for the technology.