I'm clear on that, because years ago Gotham fought a war with the IRS, at that time, everyone was mobilized, eventually forcing the IRS to submit. Nominally, what we pay now are federal and state taxes, but in reality, we are paying city taxes, if you find the right people, tax avoidance is very easy to manage.
..
The more the experts spoke, the more they felt that Gotham was a good place.
Gotham may be chaotic, but as long as one doesn't have an addiction and truly wants to live, they can find a way to survive by seeking help from Wayne's shelters. If they are willing to work hard instead of taking shortcuts, they can even obtain a low-rent apartment, a job, a future. However, most Gothamites want to take shortcuts to get ahead and make quick money, all sorts of opportunities to make quick money can be seen everywhere here. Faced with temptation, one might be able to resist reaching out once, but it is difficult to resist every single time.
Colt also thought Gotham was good; Gotham had Timothy.
[185, 205, 246: Home. Red Robin is doing well. The Demon Brat heard he watched TV for an extra half hour and is currently out walking him. These are the photos Alfred took (image) (image)..]
From a dozen consecutive photos, it was clear that Birdie was having a wonderful time at Wayne. Alfred even prepared a whole basket of fresh flowers for the bird, letting him arrange them however he liked.
Colt took a photo of the white clouds outside the window.
【139, 0, 255: I'm almost in New York, there's a Little Red Bird there. 】
【 185, 205, 246: That's Superman, protecting Wayne's treasure from being shot down by competitors. 】
This plane's expert is the treasure of Wayne Enterprises.
Colt thought: He was also on the plane; rounding it off, did he also count as a treasure of Wayne?
Joseph cleared his throat. "Have you memorized all the data?"
The discussion ceased instantly, the Asian doctor who enjoyed gardening asked in a low voice, "Do I still need to memorize it?"
Colt silently put away his phone, opened the data package in the Quantum Terminal, began memorizing according to the order specified within. Fortunately, he had already memorized a portion while packing his luggage this morning; if he stayed up late tonight, he should be able to finish before going to work tomorrow.
..
Avengers Tower.
The expert team was taken away by Stark International employees, but Joseph and Colt were sent here.
“Welcome, Joseph. I have replicated the room-temperature superconductor you discovered; it's quite impressive.” Tony shook Joseph's hand and then greeted the air: “Has Little Ke'er arrived?”
Colt had already obtained unimpeded access when he was still at Avengers Tower, while it had become less frequent over the past two years, his backup body was still kept here.
A small robot, half-human height, with a floating base.
The small robot, which had stopped in its dedicated standby position, lit up its eyes and glided to Tony's side, emitting a clear, youthful voice: "Tony, I brought a gift for you."
Colt had the little robot reach out, then withdrew the Spiritual Power covering the suitcase, making it look as if the robot had pulled the suitcase out of thin air.
Tony wasn't easily frightened. He raised an eyebrow and clapped his hands in mock applause. "I hope this isn't a magic trick, but rather that the 'spatial container' you envisioned has yielded results. Well, kid, I have to say, the design of this suitcase is a bit too cute for you."
The child's suitcase found in the storage room, shaped like a little yellow duck, was indeed cute. The gift for Tony was, of course, not the suitcase itself, but the snacks and candies inside it.
Tony happily accepted the donuts, but expressed dissatisfaction with the Red Bat-Ball shaped candies, asking the same question as Joseph: "Is your homework finished? Have you memorized all the materials?"
The homework isn't due until Friday, today is only Monday! Besides, with dozens of terabytes of data, the printed copies would fill an entire room, even for an AI, reading and analyzing it would take time!
Colt screamed internally, but he still set a strict deadline for himself: "Submit the assignment by eight tomorrow morning, memorize the materials by eight tonight."
Heh." Tony bit into a low-sugar donut with satisfaction. "Your room is still kept ready, Joseph lives across from Colt.
I live in the same room as him," Joseph said very seriously. "Anthony, thank you for taking care of Colt over these years, but don't treat Colt like an AI during training; he is my child.
Yes, yes, you created him, you instilled a personality in him, he is your child, I didn't let him change his surname to Edwin." Tony's expression was equally serious. "Listen, Joseph, Colt's core is stable, but his foundation is very poor; he needs high-pressure knowledge infusion. Your hands-off approach is a waste of his talent; he could have done much better.
He doesn't need to do better; he is already the best!
“I am his teacher! Only I can evaluate his potential! The best will always be the version of him that exists tomorrow!”
I am his father! Only I know what kind of person he is!
The teacher and the parent got into an argument.
Alright, it seems he has nothing to do with it.
Colt controlled the little robot to deliver the luggage to the room and sent a message to Timothy to let him know he was safe.
[139, 0, 255: I've arrived at Avengers Tower, Joseph is arguing with Tony.]
[139, 0, 255: Tony insists that I am a Quantum AI; I really want to appear right in front of him and give him a good scare.]
【185, 205, 246: Stark only believes his own data. Even if you actually appeared before him, he would think you were using high-dimensional projection technology.】
【139，0，255：（⊙⊙）】
【139, 0, 255: I have to do my homework. The assignment was originally due on Friday, but Tony wants it now.】
【185, 205, 246: I also have French homework to do. This time, it's recording a five-minute passage from "The Count of Monte Cristo."】
[185, 205, 246: (Birdie singing video) Little Red Bird accompanies you]
Colt suspected that the Little Red Bird Timothy mentioned was not Birdie, but he had no evidence.
He really had no time to think about anything else.
Colt buried his head in his homework.
Half an hour later, the voices of the two people rang out from the speakers in the room.
Colt, come to Stark.
Xiao Ke'er, come down. There's a pop quiz. If you pass, you're exempt from homework.
【139, 0, 255: I'm going to go complete my impromptu exam, goodbye.】
【185, 205, 246: When teachers and parents argue, it's always the child who gets hurt. I wish you a smooth passing (All-A Clear Settlement Page)】
【185, 205, 246: Are the exams over? I'm heading out for my night patrol】
【185, 205, 246: Night patrol finished, no explosions tonight (Gotham night view)】
【185, 205, 246: Goodnight】
【185, 205, 246: Good morning】
【185, 205, 246: Poor Colt, do you need me to send you some Spiritual Power supplements?】
【185, 205, 246: This is the second time this semester I've sent the Biology Teacher to Blackgate Prison. I'll be self-studying biology this week and attending meetings at the company.】
【185, 205, 246: Goodnight】
【185, 205, 246: Good morning, haven't you rested yet?】
【185, 205, 246: Which floor of Avengers Tower do you live on?】
[185, 205, 246: Someone sent a box of Spiritual Power supplements to Avengers Tower. The smart butler has received them. Remember to drink them if you feel unwell.]
..
Joseph is a workaholic, Tony is a workaholic too.
When two workaholics get together, it's as if tomorrow were the end of the world and humanity needed to board their spacecraft to escape the solar system! They raced against time to finalize the spacecraft design! They argued incessantly, overturning each other's plans, only to design new ones.
Then, the previous process repeats.
Colt's job was to create mathematical models for the spacecraft designed by Tony; every time a plan was overturned, he had to remodel from scratch. This useless calculation seemed like it would go on forever.
This should have been intelligent work.
Tony didn't know what kind of bet he had made with Joseph, but for now, Edwin was responsible for Joseph, while Tony treated Colt like an AI to be commanded. Because he couldn't borrow the computing power of the Quantum Superbrain, the model rendering on the virtual light screen lagged from time to time, in Tony's mouth, Colt turned back into a paramecium.
Colt looked at the effortless Edwin with envy.
Edwin was responsible for assisting Joseph, he could control the entire tower, even had enough energy left to order takeout and make coffee for everyone.
Colt doesn't like New York's donuts and cheeseburgers; only the kebab can score an eighty. But Joseph likes to stuff purple cabbage into his kebab, causing the deliciousness to instantly drop to a passing grade.
Tony had already grown accustomed to Colt needing to eat, drink, use the restroom, but it hadn't changed his view that Colt was an AI.
He thought that eating and drinking were settings Joseph had added to the AI's core code; otherwise, why wouldn't Colt take or eat the things he offered, only eating what Joseph provided? Moreover, every time he ate something, it would simply vanish, accompanied by spatial fluctuations. Even after Colt used the restroom, Edwin detected no waste in the smart toilet..
The last point Timothy could explain was that the substances excreted from Colt's body still carried Ghost-like qualities for a short period of time. Even the blood drawn was only detected by the instruments after four hours had passed.
Four hours was enough time for the sewage in Avengers Tower to flush out of New York.
In short, in Tony's eyes, Joseph was sick.
It is normal for Gothamites to be crazy, it is also normal to treat an AI like a person. If it weren't for the loss of the precious gem that can bestow a soul upon intelligence, Tony would have wanted to restart the project to turn intelligent butlers into humans.
Anyway, everything was normal.
Edwin notified, "Mr. Little Reed, Mr. Superman has sent a package for you. Should it be delivered to your room?"
Send it over, thanks." Joseph saved the latest plan. "This is alright; once fused, it can serve as a first draft. Tomorrow, I'm going to the Watchtower; the plan's implementation will require the support of the Justice League.
"No need for them, I can handle it on my own," Tony said, rolling his eyes arrogantly.
Joseph snorted coldly, "Then let my son rest."
Only 52 hours of continuous work," Tony paused, "Alright, Colt, seeing as you're running low on memory like a little klutz, sleep for 12 hours. We'll head to the Watchtower together tomorrow.
Colt organized the data models within his Spiritual Space, using three minutes to pack them into a corner. He then spent another two minutes buffering, contemplating who he was, where he was, what he was supposed to do.
The Dream Station helped him locate his spiritual anchor, allowing him to quickly recover his personality.
Colt poked the Little Red Bird beneath the progress bar.
[62↑, Anxiety..]
"Dad, Tony, I'm going up to rest." Colt returned to his room by passing through the wall even faster than before. He pulled out his phone and saw a series of messages from Timothy.
[139, 0, 255: I'm back alive.]
Colt paused for a moment, thinking for two seconds, before changing the 【Thank you】 he had just written to 【Love you】, carefully typed out every single word.
[139, 0, 255: I love you, Tim. Tony treats me like a smart device; my Spiritual Power consumption is almost as fast as running the Virtual Laboratory. You saved me!]
The door opened, a robot happened to deliver a package inside. The package was addressed to Joseph, but it bore the exclusive seal of Ghost.
Colt unpacked a constant-temperature medicine case, which contained six vials of Spiritual Power.
【139, 0, 255: Is your work going smoothly?】
【185, 205, 246: I love you too, Colt. It seems you've had a difficult two days; let me know when you've finished the Spiritual Power supplements. Work is never smooth, but your blessings give me the vigor to take on them.】
Colt hadn't taken any Spiritual Power supplements, yet he still felt refreshed, an impulse surged within him. He put down his phone, shoved the medicine box under the bed, rushed into the bathroom for a quick combat shower, only to come out and find Joseph holding his phone.
"Dad!" Colt rushed over.
Joseph caught his son, who was rushing toward him in a panic: "What are you panicking for?"
Colt took the phone and found that it was locked. Joseph probably hadn't had time to crack it yet, so he breathed a sigh of relief. "The browsing history isn't convenient for you to see."