Chapter 89: The Train Arrives, Stirring Desires

A notification from the system sounded in Luke’s mind.
System: Skye’s favorability +5

So, Skye is serious this time, Luke thought.

“Little Spider’s favorability always jumps by twenty or thirty points at a time. Winning the favor of an adult really isn’t as easy as with a child, is it? Shockwave powers... there’s so much potential in that.”

Luke wanted it, but he wasn’t in a hurry. Since Skye had already joined, there would be plenty of time. No need to rush.

With Luke’s permission, Skye took a tour of the warehouse he called the “organization’s temporary stronghold.”

Just from this large warehouse alone, Skye couldn’t deduce much more about the organization. However, judging by the presence of several technologies—oversized mechs, artificial intelligence, and a prodigy child like the Apostle—she could glimpse just the tip of the iceberg. This organization must wield enormous power and possess immense financial resources.

She didn’t know much about S.H.I.E.L.D., so she couldn’t make a direct comparison. But she imagined it must be on a similar scale.

Luke said he would introduce Skye to the other members of the organization, gradually, as her loyalty to the group grew.

“There are other members here?” Skye asked, surprised.

“Of course. Even at our weakest, our organization boasted over eight million members. We only recruit the most hardworking and the wealthiest. Not just anyone qualifies to join us. As the director of our New York office, naturally I have my own strict selection criteria.”

Luke spun his tales with abandon.

His selection criteria, first and foremost, required that he find the person pleasing to the eye.

People like Bald Nick? Forget it. This organization did not accept members with overly dark complexions. Ugly people were also out. Men need not apply.

Yes, only women. Luke found this entirely reasonable.

How could he have any enthusiasm for work if he had to face a bunch of rough men all day? Far better to recruit only girls; a “flower vase” was acceptable too, at least pleasing to the eye.

(Peter Parker: Meow meow meow?)

“Should I feel honored?” Skye asked with a laugh. “It sounds like your organization only accepts the talented and the wealthy.”

Luke replied with a straight face, “Trust me, one day, you’ll thank me for this.”

After touring the warehouse, Skye reached her conclusion: Luke was truly a super-genius child.

Touching the Lord of War mech up close, feeling the cold, solid surface, she was filled with awe.

The artificial intelligence was his creation too. As a top hacker herself, Skye knew exactly what that meant—Luke was a hacker a hundred times more skilled than she was!

The skills she prided herself on must seem like child’s play to this prodigy.

“Other than being a bit talkative…” Skye thought, perhaps all super-geniuses were like this?

Skye’s obsession with her origins was the reason Luke was confident he could keep her tied to his side. All her hopes rested on Christina.

After agreeing to meet Luke again the next day, Skye couldn’t wait to go home and take a shower.

“Wait a second,” Luke called after her.

“Is there something else?”

“Take that basin with you.”

“…”

“The basin is yours. I bought a lot of them.”

Skye’s face flushed red, then pale, as she silently picked up the basin and left.

“Hmm, this member is practical and hardworking, with real potential.” Luke was confident Skye would eventually blend into his team.

…

The next morning, Luke woke up dazzled by his own good looks.

He glanced in the mirror; still a little runt, short arms and legs.

As usual, he measured his height. “I think I grew a whole millimeter!” he said happily.

“You’re absolutely right, Master!” Christina replied with a cheerful laugh.

Lotus, on the other hand, barely lifted an eyelid. “It’s all an illusion.”

Luke shot it a glare. “You know, honest people always get bullied.”

After school in the afternoon, Luke entered the warehouse. Christina was already hard at work.

The internal materials of the Lord of War were of poor quality and had already proven inadequate for withstanding the violent maneuvers of the Phantom Sword Dance in combat. So, he had decided to go for a major overhaul.

Christina, following his instructions, was controlling the mechanical arms to replace the burnt and ruptured components.

The new parts were all high-end pieces salvaged from Hammer’s Iron Soldiers. Luke also reconfigured the transmission system so the mech would better distribute the forces during extreme movements.

Once the Lord of War’s interior was refreshed, he was sure the Phantom Sword Dance would pose no further threat to its integrity.

At that moment, Christina said, “Master, I want a body too.”

“Huh?” Luke was taken aback.

Has my assistant developed a sense of self and desire already? That was quick.

“What kind of body do you want? Technically, as a support program for the mechs, you can already remotely control the Tempest and the Lord of War. In a sense, those are your bodies too, aren’t they?” Luke asked.

“Master, I want a body like a human,” Christina said, her voice plaintive.

“A human one?” Luke nodded. “No problem. I can make you a body out of titanium alloy and secondary adamantium.”

“Thank you, Master!” Christina instantly beamed with delight.

For this request, Luke didn’t hesitate. In fact, he’d been thinking of doing this for a while.

Christina came from the system. Even if she developed into an artificial intelligence on the level of Ultron, the likelihood of her betraying him was virtually zero. No, not virtually—absolutely zero. It was impossible.

Ever since Christina appeared, his hands and his mind had been freed. The help artificial intelligence provided was immense. He was increasingly reliant on delegating tedious, procedural tasks to his assistant.

Just like Tony had Jarvis.

Christina’s presence had multiplied the warehouse’s efficiency by a hundredfold, a thousandfold. She was a source of boundless potential.

Besides…

“Life is so much less fun without giving your AI girl a body…” Luke chuckled to himself.

Ahem, he would never admit this was the real reason he’d agreed to build Christina a body.

Men are visual creatures, after all. Hearing an AI girl’s voice every day was nothing compared to seeing a living, breathing girl that he had crafted with his own hands.

That motivation alone was enough to spur Luke straight into action.

“The skeleton can be made with a combination of titanium alloy and secondary adamantium. The frame is easy—let’s use nine-head proportions for the body. The tricky part is the exterior. Should I use bionic silicone for the skin and fat? Or maybe outsource the work to a Japanese company? Hmm, it has to be as realistic as possible…”

Luke muttered to himself.

Lotus, watching TV, chimed in, “The train’s coming, be careful. Choo, choo, choo—”

As Skye walked in, the TV was showing footage of Luke and Tony’s battle at Fountain Square.

Several days had passed since the expo incident, but the buzz hadn’t died down.

Iron Man and the Apostle were the darlings of every media outlet, but neither was willing to show their faces. Tony flatly refused interviews. The Apostle was even more elusive, appearing only when major events occurred.

Editors everywhere were scratching their heads in frustration, endlessly re-cutting and replaying the available footage. Yet the audience never seemed to tire of it.

“There’s a peeping guy outside, built a treehouse across the street and keeps watching us,” Skye whispered to Luke as she sidled up to him. “Who is he? Another member of the organization?”

“Don’t worry about him. He’s with S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Luke replied casually, inspecting a handful of different pistons with careful attention.

“S.H.I.E.L.D.…” Skye gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth.

She couldn’t help but glance nervously out the window. “Please, please don’t come and arrest me. I just joined this organization,” she thought.

Then her eyes fell on Lotus, hugging the remote on the couch.