Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Two: Summer Beach

Over the next month, Sonia had to both receive visitors and go out to discuss various matters. Essentially, she was constantly shuttling back and forth between the island and the outside world. Fortunately, after a few days, Harvey arranged for Sonia to purchase a space fighter. Otherwise, she would have wasted countless hours traveling back and forth.

Of course, the space fighter wasn’t solely for Sonia’s travel; when not in use, it could be handed over to Tony for research purposes. Originally, Harvey had planned to buy a large space battleship outright, but Sonia persuaded him otherwise. Not only did she feel it was too extravagant for personal travel, but even if they bought such a massive ship, there wasn’t enough funding to support Tony’s research and development.

It was best to take a gradual approach, allowing Tony to start by researching space fighters first. Once Tony had thoroughly studied and produced these fighters and began turning a profit, the accumulated technology and knowledge would surely be substantial, naturally paving the way for funding future research.

A month later, Sonia invested 370 million to purchase a small island measuring only two hundred square kilometers, located fifty nautical miles from Void Island. She also established a factory, acquired the necessary equipment, and trained a team of technicians to collaborate on producing the delicate components required for gravity devices.

Once assembled, these devices were sent to Tony’s laboratory on Void Island. After Jarvis inputted the necessary programs, a gravity device was considered complete. The order, worth 800 million, required the production of 800 gravity devices.

Typically, gravity devices suitable for medium and small space fighters cost at least five million each. Tony Stark’s devices, however, were priced at just one million, slashing four million off the usual price. This was a loss on the surface, but considering the manufacturing cost was only around three hundred thousand, and with labor included, about four hundred twenty thousand per unit, it was still economically viable.

As a newcomer to the arms industry, Tony knew he had to offer superior performance at a lower price to carve out a niche among industry giants. Once his reputation grew, he could raise the prices of his technology.

***

With things now on track, Tony figured he’d have enough money for his own space fighter in just a few months. So he decided to relax a bit.

It was June 2010, the height of summer on the planet Sandal, a hot and sultry season. On the beach of Void Island, a crowd had gathered, mostly men, with only three women among them.

Women who dared to come to Void Island and steadfastly uphold their faith to receive blessings were always few and far between. Yet these three were like bright blossoms among the grass, wearing bikinis that showcased their striking figures, dazzling the men around them.

As Tony approached the sandy shore, a sudden “Boom!” like distant thunder erupted. A spherical object shot toward him like a cannonball. Tony’s eyes narrowed; he stretched out his palm.

“Bang!” The sphere landed in his hand, spinning and creating smoke from the friction. The force propelled Tony backward two meters, leaving a clear groove in the sand. His hand stung from the heat, but the pain quickly faded.

Looking down, Tony saw it was a volleyball.

“Tony, rare to see you here! Want to play a game?” came a voice from the side, inviting him.

Tony turned to see Renoli, who was beckoning him to join in a friendly match.

“Playing against you wouldn’t be fair,” Tony said, twirling the volleyball in his hands as he approached with a smile.

“It’s just for fun. No real strength—just control,” Renoli replied.

“Who’d dare go all out against Kyle, then?” Renoli added, pointing his thumb backward.

Tony glanced toward a thirty-meter volleyball court where Kyle, a towering figure like a mountain, leapt over ten meters high. His massive arm struck the ball with a “Boom!” — another thunderous sound. Yet the volleyball did not burst; it shot across the court like a blazing meteor.

Kyle’s opponent was Lacey, clad in a black bikini that accentuated her fiery figure. Her eyes were sharp and focused; she moved to the ball’s landing spot, kicking up sand as she caught it. The volleyball bounced, and Lacey sprang upward, slapping it down with a “Bang!” like a bullet fired from a gun.

Kyle landed like a charging bear, each footfall thundering deeply. He caught the ball again and smashed it back with tremendous force.

Their volleyball duel was fierce, yet the ball refused to burst, demonstrating their exquisite control over power.

“Sounds good. What are the rules?” Tony asked, spinning the ball in his hands as he stepped onto Renoli’s court.

“Miss a catch, minus one point. Ball out of bounds, minus one. Ball bursts, minus one. Loser buys the drinks,” Renoli explained, intrigued by Tony’s look.

Members of the Void Faith already possessed physical abilities far beyond ordinary humans. Even simple sports from the normal world became intense battles among them.

Various athletic contests were among the most popular activities on Void Island. Not only did they offer rewards, but they also honed control over power. Most importantly, winning proved mastery over one’s strength.

The damn competitive spirit meant no one wanted to lose, so every event was met with great enthusiasm.

Now, in summer, with beautiful women and water activities, more people gathered—some even placed bets on who would win. Of course, the stakes were modest, just enough to treat the winners a few times.

Everyone in the Void Faith was a foodie; no one wanted to risk large bets and end up short of money for meals.

“This is my first time playing. I need to test the ball’s hardness,” Tony said, feeling a surge of competitive spirit in the lively atmosphere.

After all, which man wouldn’t want to showcase his absolute prowess and bask in cheers and applause?

“Go ahead. You can serve first,” Renoli said casually.

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[Author’s note: Chapter four delivered.]