Chapter 551 Best Hamburger, and Takagi Again
Stark Industries was a large and powerful corporation, but it would be difficult to find the culprit since it had too many enemies.
It was hard to guess who the mastermind behind the kidnapping was if their motive was unclear.
And even if they revealed their motive, it was still possible that this was a setup by someone else to take advantage of the mess. Mulling over this matter, Luke wandered around the Stark Industrial Park on the east side of Los Angeles with Selina.
There were many abandoned factories in this area.
This was where Starkâs first manufacturing base of operations was set up, until they relocated to a less costly site.
As a corporation that wasnât short of money, however, they kept the original base, and some of the R&D and production departments were still here.
At the same time, this place served as a site for all sorts of large-scale activities by Stark Industries.
Thanks to the companyâs affluence, this second-tier research and manufacturing site was clean and tidy, and had the best environment in the neighborhood.
The greenery, landscape, streets and facilities were even better than those in the city center.
This place was also pretty safe. The Eastside police department had deployed a large police force here, which came down hard on criminal activity in this area.
Coupled with Stark Industriesâ own security, this place was almost like... a white lotus flower in a swamp of mud.
Luke couldnât help but laugh when he thought that.
Selina was puzzled. âWhatâs up?â
Smiling, Luke told her what he was thinking, but Selina didnât laugh. She asked strangely, âI think itâs an accurate description. Whatâs so funny?â
Luke was amused.
Only he knew what an insult the phrase âwhite lotus flower[1]â had become in his previous life.
He didnât bother to explain, and drove straight to the restaurant not far away from the venue of the expo. âIâm going to buy lunch. The usual?â
Selina said, âAn extra ice cream today.â
Gold Nugget immediately whined from the backseat. That was Gold Nugget saying, âWhat about me?â
Luke said with a smile, âOkay, two large ice creams, right?â Gold Nugget let out a bark.
Luke and Selina got out and entered the fast food restaurant. They soon returned with a huge stack of food.
Thankfully, neither of them nor the dog was picky about food. Although Luke was fond of cooking his own food, he didnât mind buying out every now and then. He was okay with fast food like hamburgers, sandwiches and fried chicken.
Gold Nugget didnât complain as long as it had the same food as they did. They had just come out, when they saw a Rolls-Royce Phantom stop in front of the fast food restaurant, and a fat security guard got out.
Luke didnât greet him when he saw him. He simply went to his car.
The fat security guardâs expression changed when he saw Luke and Selina, but he didnât greet them either.
They passed by a few meters from each other.
Luke and Selina got into the car and went to a park not far away.
This park was directly opposite the main building complex in the industrial park, and faced the entrance.
There were many short trees in the park that didnât block the view but could still provide visitors sporadic shade.
It was almost noon. The L.A. sky was clear and cloudless. Nothing but the boundless blue sky could be seen.
Two people and one dog hid in a large shady spot under a tree, and took out the food.
Selina specifically reminded Gold Nugget to eat more slowly.
They were in public right now, and the dog couldnât eat dozens of kilograms at one go.
Gold Nugget had already grown used to it, but it could suppress Dollarâs urge to wolf down its food so that it finished every hamburger in three mouthfuls, which was really hard. Luke took out a hamburger and had a bite before he raised an eyebrow. âThis hamburger is definitely worth it.â
Although the hamburger, which was fifty dollars apiece, was pretty expensive, he tasted a lot of ingredients in it.
Both the bread and the meat in the hamburger were of top quality, and the portion was generous.
The cheese in the hamburger tasted great too. No wonder it sold for such a high price.
Although there were pizzas that cost two hundred dollars apiece, they were made of caviar, black truffle foie gras and edible gold.
They were expensive, but might not be as delicious.
This hamburger, on the other hand, used high-quality ingredients, but wasnât as costly as a âgolden pizza.â It was definitely worth it.
It was the most expensive thing on that restaurantâs menu and there was only a limited amount of it.
According to the waiter, the hamburger could only be bought before the lunch rush every day if you didnât want to lose out.
When Luke asked why, the waiter pointed at the Stark Industries building with a smile.
Luke vaguely remembered that it seemed a certain playboy was obsessed with hamburgers. After saving the world, the one thing he wanted was a hamburger. No wonder this restaurantâs hamburger was so well-known and pricey despite the lack of a gimmick.
Tony Stark didnât care about caviar, black truffle foie gras or edible gold at all; it just had to be the tastiest cheeseburger ever.
Selina ate very happily on the side and didnât complain at all, which was quite unusual.
Usually, she would complain that most fast food was pig swill, even including what she made herself.
She also infected Gold Nugget with this notion, but the dog was enjoying the food today as well.
Two people and one dog enjoyed their peaceful lunch.
Suddenly, a car pulled over not far away, and an old man followed by three other men got out.
When Luke noticed him, he found it a little odd, but got up with a smile to greet him. âHello, Mr. Takagi.â
The old man turned out to be Takagi, the president of Nakatomi Corporation, whom Luke hadnât seen in a while.
Luke voluntarily stretched out his hand, as he couldnât take the old manâs solemn bowing.
Takagi was free to bow, but Luke didnât quite like it.
After they shook hands, Takagi spoke in his typical serious manner. âDetective Luke, you must forgive me for never visiting you in person.âIt would be a pain if you did come! Luke murmured inwardly, but he said with a smile, âYouâre too kind, Mr. Takagi. Thank you for understanding that Iâm busy with work, and thank you for your gifts.â
Though they never met again after the robbery in Nakatomi Plaza, Takagi had sent Luke special and expensive food ingredients as gifts every major festival.
Other gifts might get Luke into trouble, but food ingredients were fine.
Takagi was definitely considerate and courteous.
Because of his politeness, Luke couldnât ignore him.
As they chatted, Luke learned that Takagi was here to attend the expo as well.
However, he wasnât here to purchase anything; he was just accompanying a major client. The client wasnât here yet, and Mr. Takagi saw Luke on his way here, so he stopped to say hi.
[1] Vicious women who pretend to be innocent