Plans for the Future

"By the way, where were you during the half month you went missing?" Howard asked Kyle curiously.

Kyle hesitated for a moment before quickly answering, "Steve sank the out-of-control aircraft into the sea by himself. I parachuted out early and landed on a turtle-shaped deserted island somewhere in the Atlantic. I recovered there for a while."

"A turtle-shaped deserted island?" Howard murmured, gaining another question. "Then how did you get back?"

He had no idea that Kyle possessed something like Card Space. Let alone sea-crossing transportation, he had everything from planes and tanks to villas and food.

"There was a mutated giant eagle-like beast on that turtle-shaped island. After I tamed it, I had it carry me back," Kyle said with a shrug. Having concealed the existence of Card Space so many times, he had become exceptionally smooth with such answers.

"A turtle-shaped island and mutated monsters… looks like you really are lucky." Howard nodded with a smile and did not pursue the matter any further.

His industrial partner was no ordinary person!

Ever since he had thoroughly studied the phone and supercomputer system program chip Kyle had given him, Howard had become increasingly certain of that judgment.

That was also why Howard felt fortunate to be Kyle’s friend. Through him, he could avoid decades of detours on the road of technological advancement.

Kyle looked at the smile on Howard’s face and nodded thoughtfully, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

Old gentleman Howard was more than just a scientific genius. He could navigate between the military’s important scientific strategy department and his private Stark Industries. He was a man who understood what should be asked and what should not.

Their relationship had been built through their connection as comrades in the military, friends in daily life, and partners in private business. Bound together by both interests and friendship, neither of them would ever do anything to harm the other. Calling them close friends would not be an exaggeration.

It seemed there were certain matters he could safely discuss with the man before him.

Having made up his mind, Kyle met Howard’s gaze and said, "That turtle-shaped deserted island is in the heart of the Atlantic. Its location and environment are both excellent. Once the war is over, if you come across any decent construction engineers or construction companies, I might be able to make use of them."

"World War II is still raging, and you’re already thinking about what happens after the war?" Howard blinked, then quickly fell into thought. After considering it, he asked, "After the war, do you want to develop that place into something like a villa resort, or… something like a fortress?"

"A more leisurely sort of fortress. One that can casually withstand missile strikes and artillery bombardment would do. Money isn’t a problem—deduct it all from my Stark Industries dividend shares," Kyle said directly.

Howard nodded and readily agreed. "All right. I studied architectural engineering as a minor too. Once the war is over, I’ll go to that turtle-shaped deserted island with you. I’ll arrange all the manpower needed for construction."

"Then I’ll leave it to you." A trace of anticipation appeared in Kyle’s eyes. The war might still seem far from over, but once the upcoming Normandy Landings were over, it would not take long before the world returned fully to peace.

And the turtle-shaped giant island they had been discussing was naturally the Giant Ancient Dragon Turtle, the only purple creature card in Card Space.

Ever since drawing that card, Kyle had begun to entertain an idea—creating a fortress base and family power that belonged solely to him.

No matter how high his future military rank rose, even if he became a general at the very top, he would still only be an officer serving the United States and obeying orders. Even if he became the future Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., commanding a force that could be called the strongest elite combination, he would still be constrained and targeted by all kinds of treaties, with enemies lurking everywhere to hollow out his authority.

Although Kyle believed he would become even stronger in the future, he did not want to keep fighting alone. If he could build an elite force of his own in advance, perhaps even establish a legendary family that truly took root in this Marvel world—that would be a real future!

Therefore, the fortress construction Kyle had brought up with Howard was the first step toward creating his future family power.

Howard could guess part of Kyle’s intentions, but he would not reveal this information to anyone. On the contrary, while keeping Kyle’s secret, he would do everything he could in the future to help build that fortress base.

That was the tacit understanding and trust between two men.

"I’ll start keeping an eye out for construction crews from now on. You’ll be heading to the main U.S. military base soon to prepare for the operation, so I made you a new piece of equipment. It should come in handy," Howard said, waving a hand as he led Kyle into the storage area of the laboratory.

It was the usual airlift-style storage case. Howard placed it on the table and opened it, revealing two overlapping black circular objects inside.

"This is the product of my many years of research into anti-gravity. Making these two took half a month, and they can’t be mass-produced."

Before Howard could explain further, Kyle’s attention landed on the two magnet-like discs, and he instantly received the corresponding Item Card information.

Gravity Magnet: A pair of Gravity Magnets, one negative and one positive. Blue Item Card.

Gravity Magnet: Constructed from precision anti-gravity research components. When in contact with the ground, they can alter the Gravity Field within a small area.

When the positive Gravity Magnet lands on the ground, gravitational pull within a ten-meter radius doubles; when the Anti-Magnet lands on the ground, gravitational pull within a ten-meter radius is reduced by half.

When both positive and negative magnets touch the ground at the same time, their effects cancel out. The positive and negative Gravity Magnets attract each other. (If one is thrown onto the ground, the other can be used to pull it back.)

Kyle picked up the Gravity Magnet with mild curiosity and tossed one of them onto the empty ground by his feet.

"Smack!"

The instant the Anti-Magnet landed on the floor, the gravity inside the laboratory abruptly doubled. Howard had been explaining how to use it, but the sudden increase in gravity immediately made him lose his balance and drop onto the floor on his backside.

"Not bad." Kyle nodded in approval. Even he could clearly feel the slight resistance throughout his body. The increased Gravity Field indirectly doubled one’s weight; ordinary people really would not be able to handle it.

Kyle aimed the positive magnet in his hand at the magnetic disc on the ground. As the positive and negative magnets attracted each other, the Anti-Magnet immediately flew off the floor and returned to his hand, restoring the laboratory’s Gravity Field to normal.

Howard wiped the sweat from his forehead and got to his feet, summing up, "Increasing or decreasing the Gravity Field does not make much difference to someone with your Super Soldier physique. But if ordinary soldiers suddenly enter an area where gravity has doubled or been halved, they won’t be able to take it and will lose part of their combat effectiveness."

"I’ll take it. Also, I have something for you to research. Consider it a contribution to the country," Kyle said, placing the backpack he had been carrying on the table. The moment he opened the zipper, blue light slowly seeped out from within.

It was none other than the Tesseract, missing its core gem.