The Legendary Mechanic in Marvel Universe

Chapter 203 Erik Missing

TL: Kyous

As if on the back of a fleeting white stallion, time had galloped by, and a year and a half passed in the blink of an eye. It was reaching the end of the year 1994.

During this year and a half, lots of things of various sizes occurred. For example, the nine-story Erwin Research Center had been completed, and after Leo’s secret modification, it had officially become his private laboratory. He had relocated the lab in the basement of Hell’s Kitchen Erwin Building over and naturally, Steam had come along as well.

Moreover, thanks to Leo’s willingness to invest, he not only put all the profits from El-Gen series chips back into the company but also borrowed a sum of money from the bank in the name of the company.

Thus, the other buildings in Marvel Base were able to commence construction simultaneously.

Currently, the Marvel Base had been mostly constructed, with the main buildings already erected, including facilities such as the cafeteria and convenience store. Even outside the base’s gates, some private restaurants had already opened for business and two supermarkets had been established. The speed of construction impressed Leo, as it demonstrated the vast productivity and money-making capabilities of the people.

Meanwhile, Erwin Tech Company’s several new departments had been created and had started to operate smoothly. In fact, the three emerging departments eventually evolved into corresponding subsidiaries in response to market demands. Of course, the legal representative of the company was still Leo, who still held a 100% stake in the company.

Besides, Erwin Tech Company’s Chips Manufacturing Department had also been relocated to El Chips Technologies in Marvel Base.

Now, the Marvel Base had become a sprawling park of technology.

Located in Hell’s Kitchen, the Erwin Building now specialized in handling various sales orders and reception of customers and Matt’s wife Heather was responsible for it.

That’s right. Daredevil, Matt Murdock has been married, married to his college classmate, an ordinary person. As Kingpin had been disposed of by Leo early on, Matt didn’t have the opportunity to meet his “nemesis” Elektra. It was unclear whether this was fortunate or unfortunate for him.

In addition to Leo’s rapid development, the standard of the world’s technology had also made great strides during this year. As he had anticipated, the Internet industry had advanced the fastest followed closely behind by the electronic computer and mobile phone industry.

Consequently, numerous investors saw the potential for profit in these industries and rushed in to invest, greatly promoting their development. These investors undoubtedly still were a year behind Leo.

As the saying goes, “One step behind, always behind.”

Therefore, while the others were still learning current theoretical knowledge and design concepts, the Erwin Tech Company spearheaded by Leo was innovating and forging ahead, leading the world in technological advancements.

Inside a laboratory in the El Chip Technologies, filled with various types of instruments, two individuals in white coats were diligently conducting tests. 

A few sets of wires were connected to a small chip, with the other end of the chip connected to a square-shaped testing machine. The dense parameters finally appeared on the display of the machine, catching the attention of the two people in white coats who were carefully conducting the test.

“Awesome!” One of the younger-looking individuals exclaimed as he tightly clenched his right fist and gave it a triumphant pump. 

“Mr. Erwin, the overall performance of this chip has increased by more than 20% compared to the El-Gen 5 Chip. We finally nailed it with El-Gen 6 Chip! My team was stuck on this problem for three weeks, but you came in and fixed it in just two hours. Mr. Erwin, you’re truly amazing.” The young man’s eyes shone with admiration.

Leo smiled modestly and said, “It’s just a fortunate coincidence. When I was designing something new some time ago, I happened to encounter a similar problem…”

In fact, the upgrading and replacement of El-Gen series chips were all under Leo’s control. The current performance of the El-Gen 6 Chip was not even one-tenth of the performance of the chip used by Steam.

However, he didn’t tell Peter about this lest he poured a bucket of cold water on him.

Instead, he consoled, “Hey Peter, don’t blindly worship me and sell yourself short. If you and your team had more time, I’m sure you could’ve cracked this problem too.”

“Yeah, my team and I are pretty confident to do so. But Renovo[1] wants to drop a new computer early next year, and we’re a bit short on time. That’s why I had to come to you for help.” Peter scratched his head and said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Renovo, officially known as Renovo Technologies Co., Ltd., is a subsidiary of Erwin Tech Company. They mainly manufacture and sell various types of computers.

As for the name… Well, Leo was the one who came up with it.

“Since Renovo is in a rush, then you should get back to work. I also need to return to the lab.” Leo said before leaving. However, before he left, he added, ”Oh, and by the way, Peter, even though the company has just ventured into many new industries that require technical support from your team, I advise you not to overwork yourself as you did before when you were Spider-man. Being too responsible isn’t always a good thing, so remember to clock out on time when it’s time to go home. You just got married, so don’t let Mary Jane feel your marriage has become a graveyard of love.”

Repeatedly nodding, Peter felt deeply touched. It was rare to have a boss who encouraged their employees to take care of their families instead of pushing them to work overtime.

With a smile, Leo left the lab. As he reached the entrance of El Chip Technologies, he greeted the security guard with a nod and made his way to Erwin Research Center. Lately, he had been very busy building and perfecting his own mechanical army.

The outdoor environment was quite different from the indoor. It was 1:55 PM and the sunlight was too bright, causing Leo to involuntarily squint his eyes. Just then, a pleasant ringtone suddenly came from his pocket.

He halted his steps and pulled out his first-generation Daimi[2] phone from his pocket, looking at it quizzically.

Daimi phone is the latest product of another subsidiary company of Erwin Tech Company, Daimi Communication Co., Ltd.

Without a doubt, he also came up with this name.

There was another subsidiary company that focused on Internet technology, but its name… Well, let’s not mention it[3]. 

It was very trendy at the time. While other phones could only display numbers, it already had a contact list function and even came with customizable ringtones. Plus, it was a flip phone.

The best part was that its price was only slightly higher than mainstream phones, making it difficult to not become popular. Now, the Daimi Phone had become one of Leo’s primary sources of income.

Flipping open the phone, Leo saw it was Natasha’s name on the display.

“It’s Leo, what’s up?” He asked as he placed the phone to his ear.

“Erik is missing.” Natasha sounded urgent.

“What happened? Isn’t he supposed to be at school right now?” Leo frowned.

“I’m not sure of the details. I just received a call from his school, saying Erik went out for lunch and never returned. They thought he was skipping school and called me instead.” Natasha explained.

“I informed the school that Erik hadn’t returned home. They are currently looking through the surveillance footage at the school gates. If they can’t find him before the end of the school day, they’ll report to the police,” she added.

After hearing the news, Leo rubbed his forehead. As expected from the high school where Peter Parker had graduated, they were responsible.

“Leo, can you find Erik?” Natasha asked anxiously.

“Don’t worry, I have a plan,” Leo reassured her.

TL Notes:

A parody of Lenovo. The original word is 联翔, while Lenovo’s Chinese name is 联想.↵A parody of Xiaomi. The original word is 大米, while Xiaomi’s Chinese name is 小米.↵Sorry, I’ve no idea which.↵