"I did it! I was the only one who wasn't foolish enough to fall for his lies! I am truly a genius!" Jason laughed out loud, tightly clenching the report in his hand.
"Thank you for becoming a stepping stone for me, Leo!"
He was grinning from ear to ear as he started dialing a few numbers. Within a few hours, the report had reached the tables of almost all high-ranking people in the Hero Tower.
"Is this true?"
"If this is true, then it would be quite embarrassing for our reputation. We can't let this thing be known to the public."
"Can we truly believe this report? Isn't it written by a mere junior alchemist?"
In different places, there were different reactions. Some were furious at the revelations, while others were looking at the report with skepticism.
There was only one thing that could be said for certain. One could either like it, or hate it, but no one could ignore it.
....
Unaware of the heating topic going through the Tower, Leo was completely relaxed in his bedroom.
He didn't need to worry about his food here. He didn't need to starve. Moreover, his plan was moving along smoothly.
He had already received a response from eight out of the nine people that he had invited to join the project.
Only one person hadn't answered yet, but Leo was confident that it was only a matter of time, especially since he had sent another message to them, telling them their monthly salary.
"Only a fool would ignore such a high salary."
There was only one problem, though. He was a guest in the Hero Tower. He couldn't run his shell company from here.
Moreover, most of the scientists that he had selected were rejected by society long ago. They weren't distinguished enough to be welcome in the city where only elites lived.
"Maybe that's for the best. If they aren't before my eyes, they can waste my money more effectively, right? Without oversight, their true nature should come out."
Leo had thought about using the labs of the Hero Academy, but it would've led to a lot of problems.
If he used the Tower's facilities, wouldn't the Tower be able to keep an eye on his projects? Wouldn't they find his project a little too stupid for a supposed genius?
For his own reputation, he had to maintain the separation of power. The Alpha Corp was his and his alone. Only he could invest in that company and waste money!
"There is also one more advantage, isn't there? The labs here are the most advanced that exist anywhere on earth. Even the machines that exist here are rare to find on earth, some of which were imported from other civilizations."
He didn't understand the function of the machines. What if they were so miraculous that even at the hands of the failed scientists, the research could succeed?
He didn't think that his 'Invisible Pants' were going to sell even if that project was completed, but why even take that risk? If the project was completed, then how could he burn his credits?
He had selected the worst scientists that were known across the galactic net. Shouldn't he select the worst equipment to keep them company and increase the chances of the project never being completed?
With that, he could keep investing money every month in salaries and rent of the lab.
"This time, I can't succeed! Even if the Goddess of Luck comes down to earth, she can't make me earn money! Hahaha..."
Leo could already hear the sound of credits rolling down from his system when he lost all his credits, even going far in debt. And debt was exactly what he wanted.
The first thing he did was to return to the galactic net. He started looking for places to set up the lab of Alpha Corp that would establish the foundation of his future endeavors.
Leo had only two criteria for selecting a place. The first was that it should be closer to his city, so that he could at least visit that place if needed.
As for the second criteria, it has to be as expensive as he could afford.
"Wait a minute, this...?"
Leo was going through the galactic net to find a suitable land when his eyes fell on another listing which made his eyes shine with greed.
"Aren't I too lucky? It's as if this opportunity was waiting just for me!"
Without any hesitation, he made the largest purchase of his life!
[Do you want to spend 75 Million Credits on acquiring Fleo Labs]
He had no idea what kind of wasteful equipment to buy for his lab. And even if he wanted to waste money on random machines, it would've taken a lot of time to curate the perfect collection of garbage.
Hence he took a shortcut, and bought a registered yet bankrupt lab called Fleo Labs, but not before checking details about the lab.
It was famous, or rather, it was infamously famous.
There were especially a lot of reviews about previous employees that worked in the lab, dunking on it. And honestly? The reviews were music to Leo's ears.
[Employee_404: Advanced Research Lab? Don't make me laugh. The Centrifuge was just a ceiling fan with duct tape on the blades. I got a concussion when my test tube flew off at Mach 5]
[Science_Guy_99: Their recruitment letter said we will be working with 'Cutting Edge Technology'. I found out the hard way that 'Cutting Edge' meant the metal casing of the reactor was sharp and gave me tetanus. Also, the Super Computer literally screams when you turn it on]
[Lab_Rat_Dave: I asked for a Bunsen Burner. They gave me a scented candle and a magnifying glass. I tried to synthesize a potion, and I accidentally summoned a demon]
[Chemistry_Karen: The safety shower dispenses pure vinegar. The eye-wash station is just a picture of a crying clown. I had to kick the 'Atomic Analyzer' three times to turn it on, and it printed a receipt for a pizza place that closed in 2080]
[Intern_No_More: They didn't pay my salary for six months. When I asked for compensation, they told me I could take the Quantum Teleporter home. I didn't even know we had one. Turns out it was a cardboard box painted silver. I got inside, and I'm still here. It didn't teleport me, but it did smell like feet]
[Bio_Hazard: The Microscope is just a kaleidoscope glued to a stick. I reported a new bacteria discovery, but it turned out I was just looking at my own eyelashes reflected in the cracked lens]
Leo read the reviews, wiping a tear of joy from his eye.
He slammed his hand on the table.
"Sold! It's perfect! No one could possibly invent anything in a place like that! They can only pretend to work while they waste my credits!"
With a swift motion, he finalized the purchase.
[Transaction Complete]
[Alpha Corp now owns Fleo Labs assets]
[Total Investment: 75 Million Credits]
Leo leaned back, feeling the sweet relief of 75 million credits vanishing from his investment account.
"Go forth, my dear credits," he mumbled in relief. "Go and ensure that nothing useful is ever created again."