After making his request, he quickly explained, "Of course, I wouldn't just take your snacks for free. I'll trade you something for them." As he spoke, he opened the black plastic bag he was holding. "I figure you're not short on food, so you might be interested in this—it's a type of high-tech fabric. If you wear it, it keeps your body at a steady temperature. On top of that, it can protect you against cuts, too." Natalie was stunned by his words. Temperature regulation? Cut-resistant? She instantly thought of the time she raided Tyro Tech Tower. She had searched all over Tyro Tech Tower for something just like this ... and had come up empty. But even Tyro Group hadn't managed to develop this temperature-regulating fabric yet. So how did Harold get his hands on it? Natalie asked, "Where did you get this?" Harold grinned shyly. "I invented it myself. It took me three whole years to finalize it—and I finally finished it a couple days ago." Natalie could hardly believe it. "You invented this?" "Yep!" Harold nodded. "I used to work as R&D personnel at a tech company. This was my project. But I had a disagreement with the company, so I quit and started working solo." He scratched his head. "When I left, the fabric hadn't been completed. I think they kept working on it, but I don't know if they ever succeeded. I just figured it out myself a few days ago." "Was your company part of Tyro Group?" "How did you know? We were a tech innovation company under Tyro Group." Harold's eyes lit up. "Idol, do you know about this stuff?" Natalie was amazed—this was exactly what she'd been searching for in Tyro Tech Tower. She'd been searching high and low for something like this. The last time she looked, it hadn't even been invented yet. Now, it had simply fallen into her lap, without any effort on her part. As for Harold, he was clearly more than just a regular employee—he'd basically been the brains behind the project. Harold studied her face. "So, Idol, do you like it? If not, I can offer you something else." Like it? I love it! Natalie cleared her throat. "Let me take a closer look at it." She pulled out a piece, running her fingers over the fabric. It felt like silk, soft and cozy. She wrapped it around her right arm and immediately felt the dampness in the air disappear. Ever since the city turned into a waterlogged mess, everyone was constantly fighting off humidity. As soon as she wrapped the fabric around herself, she felt a comfort she hadn't felt in ages. Then, Harold took out a lighter and ran a flame over her right arm. Natalie gasped in delight. "I can't even feel the heat!" Next, Harold pulled out a fruit knife and tried to slice at her arm. Startled, Natalie quickly jerked her arm away. Seeing her tense up, Harold tried to reassure her. "Sorry! I just wanted to show off how tough it is against knives." Natalie let out a sigh of relief. "No need. The fabric is great, I'll trade with you." There was no way she'd let him test it on her for real. What if she got hurt, or worse, what if the fabric was tore? The cut-resistant feature was a nice bonus, but the only thing that mattered to her was temperature regulation. All she wanted was for the fabric to keep her comfortable if she ever had to go out in extreme heat or cold. Nothing else really mattered. Harold was thrilled that she agreed to the trade. "Idol, you have good taste! The temperature-regulating part may not look all that useful, but the blade protection function is seriously impressive! You can try it yourself when you get home." Not that useful? How could anything with temperature regulation possibly be useless? It's a lifesaver! Something like that will be priceless in the days ahead. If only you knew how extreme the weather would get ... She asked, "Do you have any more of this?" Harold replied, "Sure. I'm giving you about 10 yards here, and that's enough for four outfits. My family has about the same amount left. Do you want more?""No, this is enough." She wasn't about to take everything—Harold deserved to keep some for himself. Natalie tucked away the fabric and asked, "What kind of snacks do you want?" "I'm not picky. Whatever you can spare is fine." Natalie nodded, slinging the bag over her shoulder and heading home. She couldn't help thinking how wild it was to see something so valuable being carried around in a trash bag and traded for snacks. When this fabric was first rumored to exist, it was supposed to be packaged up nicely and sold in fancy displays at a sky-high price. She remembered hearing that it cost around 70,000 dollars per yard. She held about ten yards in her hands now—nearly 700,000 dollars worth. And Harold was trading it for snacks?Natalie felt almost guilty about the deal. Both times she'd traded with Harold, it felt like she'd gotten the better end of the deal. ... Lucky had been sitting on the ground the whole time, quietly watching them. When Natalie started heading home, the puppy hurried after her. Only then did Harold notice there was a puppy nearby.