Chapter 113: The Curtain Call, The Unlucky Spider-Man
The Battle of New York had completely devolved into a frenzy of internal competition.
"Thirty degrees to the left, target the weak point on the Leviathan's underbelly, focus fire!" Tony Stark's voice roared over the comms channel. "That's my 500 points! Anyone who steals it will have to answer to me!"
The red-and-gold armor streaked through the Chitauriarmy like a beam of light, its palm repulsors and shoulder-mounted missiles barely pausing for a second.
On the ground, the situation was equally brutal.
"Old man, to your left!" Logan roared, his Adamantiumclaws tearing apart a Chitauri craft, backhanding the pilot's corpse toward another enemy.
Steve didn't waste any words; his Vibranium shield carved a perfect arc through the air, precisely knocking over three infantrymen about to ambush Logan, and on its return flight, it neatly lopped off the heads of two more aliens.
"You two, watch your formation, and watch your expressions!" Benjamin said, using a riot shield to smash an alien soldier into pulp while not forgetting to flash a slick, signature smile toward a balcony on a nearby building.
On the balcony, a group of wealthy middle-aged women, who had just been relocated from the concert venue, were holding binoculars and phones, letting out marmot-like screams.
"Oh my god! Benjamin looked at me again! He looked at me again!"
"That combat stance, those sweat-drenched muscle lines! I'm dying!"
Listening to the screams in the distance, Benjamin thrust his hips with even more vigor. KPIs? What were those? What he wanted was the center stage!
High in the sky, a bolt of blue lightning tore through the heavens.
Quicksilver Pietro had gone crazy, moving through the battlefield like a perpetual motion machine.
One second he was at the top of the Empire State Buildingrescuing a white-collar worker about to fall, and the next second he appeared on a street corner, casually pulling down the pants of a squad of Chitauri soldiers, causing them to trip and fall in a pile before everyone's eyes.
Hawkeye Barton stood on the roof of a building.
Biubiubiu.
His hands had become a blur.
He swore he had never worked this hard in his life.
Kissing scenes with The Deep?
He'd rather jump off this building right now!
In the backstage control room.
Lin An sat with his legs crossed, looking satisfied at the dozens of split-screen monitors in front of him.
The entire New York had become the most magnificent stage for his employees.
"This is what I call wolf culture." He sipped his iced cola, watching the popularity numbers jumping rapidly on the system panel, the smile at the corner of his mouth growing more sinister.
At the top of the tower.
Loki was completely stunned.
He stared blankly at the chaotic battlefield below, his mind a total blank.
Were these Earth's Superheroes... crazy?
Why weren't they afraid? Why weren't they running away? Why were they all acting like they'd been injected with stimulants, fighting tooth and nail just to steal a kill from an alien soldier?
That one in the red-and-gold armor had almost knocked his hammer-wielding teammate flying just to steal the finishing blow on a Leviathan!
That hairy one was brawling with the one in the blue uniform over the ownership of a squad of infantry!
And that shirtless old hooligan was winking at a group of crazy women while fighting!
Loki felt his worldview being rubbed into the dirt. How did his meticulously planned, grand invasion—worthy of being recorded in the history of the Nine Realms—turn into an inexplicable, clownish performance review?
His dignity was shattered.
"Homelander..." Loki gritted his teeth as he spat out the name.
The culprit behind all of this must be that bastard!
Looking at his increasingly sparse army, an unprecedented sense of humiliation and anger surged in his heart. He decided to take action himself, using the power of the Mind Stone in his scepter to control that damn Homelander and make him kneel at his feet and sing "Conquer" in front of the whole World!
Loki's figure instantly turned into an illusion, disappearing silently from the top of Stark Tower, sneaking toward the backstage of Madison Square Garden.
He glanced at the green figure sneaking toward the control room on the monitor, a mischievous smile on his face.
"Yo, the guy delivering the kill is delivering himself to my door?"
Lin An calmly opened the system store.
"System, max out my 'magic immunity' trait."
[Consuming 50 million popularity points, upgrading trait...]
[Upgrade complete: Advanced magic immunity equipped.]
[Current popularity balance: 20 million]
"What a spendthrift," Lin An cursed inwardly, but the expression on his face became increasingly expectant.
Bang!
The door to the control room was blown open by an invisible force.
Loki, holding the Mind Stone, strode in with a grim, triumphant smile on his face.
"It's over, Homelander." Loki pointed the tip of the scepter at Lin An's forehead, the faint blue light flaring up. "Kneel and swear allegiance to your King!"
He pushed the power of the Mind Stone to the limit, a terrifying mental force capable of instantly controlling the will of a Planet surging toward Lin An like a tidal wave.
And then...
Nothing happened.
Lin An sat in his seat, even yawning, and blinked at him.
The smile on Loki's face froze.
"Impossible!" He roared, driving the scepter again.
Lin An stood up impatiently and, in Loki's horrified gaze, grabbed the shaft of the Mind Stone.
"Done playing yet?"
Crack!
The artifact embedded with the Infinity Stones was snapped into two pieces as easily as if he were breaking a rotten stick.
Slap!
A crisp slap echoed.
Loki went spinning through the air, crashing heavily into the wall, rolling his eyes, and passing out.
"Madelyn," Lin An brushed the dust off his hands, "drag this new prop away and find a place to store it."
Having dealt with Loki, Lin An stretched, feeling a bit bored.
"It's time to end this farce."
He took a step out, and his figure instantly disappeared from the control room.
The next second, he appeared ten thousand meters above New York, right in front of that huge and hideous cosmic wormhole.
The cross-dimensional quantum drone following him broadcast this shocking scene in real-time to the screens of billions of people around the World.
"Audience friends, next is the show's final banquet. Please enjoy the cosmic giant firework!"
Lin An's eyes lit up with a red light that destroyed everything.
Two rays, hotter than the Sun, tore through space and struck the Chitauri mothership on the other side of the wormhole with precision.
Rumble!
That massive mothership, like a small city, was split in two by the Heat Vision as if it were a hot knife cutting through butter.
Immediately after, a chain reaction of explosions occurred inside the mothership, finally turning into the most brilliant firework in the Universe.
Having lost the mothership's signal, all the Chitaurisoldiers and aircraft that had descended to Earth instantly lost power and fell from the sky like rain.
The whole World fell silent at this moment.
Lin An turned slowly, facing the camera, and revealed his signature, sunny "U.S. Savior" smile.
The global network completely boiled over! Popularity points skyrocketed at an unprecedented speed!
...
Half an hour later, the battle ended.
Tony summoned a huge holographic screen showing the final rankings of this KPI assessment.
[First Place: Thor, Points: 15,450]
[Second Place: Carol Danvers, Points: 12,000]
[Third Place: Magneto Erik, Points: 9,800]
...
Thor laughed foolishly; the recent triathlon was tiring, and he could finally go on vacation with his girlfriend.
This time, he was going to rent out the entire McDonald's.
Magneto laughed, "Old friends, thanks to you all," he patted the exhausted Charles and Raven.
Steve and Logan looked at their rankings; although they didn't make the top three, at least they didn't have to go film with The Deep, so they both breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as everyone was preparing to collect their prizes and call it a day, a name slowly emerged at the very bottom of the holographic screen.
[Last Place: Peter Parker (Spider-Man), Points: 1]
As soon as the words fell, a red-and-blue figure swung over in a panic and landed steadily in front of everyone.
"Hey, guys! Sorry I'm late, today's calculus final was just too hard!" Peter Parker lifted his mask, panting, "Did I miss anything?"
Everyone's eyes fell on him in unison.
Tony pointed to the glaring penalty clause on the screen—
[Last Place: Partner with The Deep to star in Vought Studios' annual S+ grade Boys' Love drama "Deep Sea Love"].
Peter looked in the direction of his finger, and the smile on his face instantly froze.
He pointed at himself, trembling, his voice cracking.
"Me? With that fish-sexual?!"
"No! You guys can't do this!" Spider-Man backed away in horror, waving his hands frantically, "Boss! This won't pass the censorship board! I... I'm just a minor!"
Steve, Logan, Tony, Magneto... all the Superheroes who were competing just a moment ago now wore sinister, evil smiles, closing in on him step by step.
Chapter 114: Tony's Rebellion, Anti-Involution Mark I!
"No—! Mr. Stark, help! Captain Rogers! Someone save me! He smells like dead fish!!"
A shrill scream pierced the night sky of New York.
Peter Parker was like a chick waiting to be slaughtered, held firmly on The Deep's shoulder.
That pervert, known as the Lord of the Oceans, carelessly patted the perky buttocks beneath the little Spider-Man's spandex suit with his left hand.
"Ooh, such elasticity. Even more tender than my dolphin babies, tsk tsk."
The Deep swallowed hard, his face filled with the ecstasy of having hit the jackpot.
Lin An had personally appointed the two of them to film "Deep Sea Love", the annual S+ grade Boys' Love blockbuster!
What did this mean?
Sky-high traffic and a year-end bonus!
"Let me go! Boss, help! Mmph, mmph—"
Finding him noisy, The Deep stuffed Spider-Man's mouth with a slimy octopus tentacle.
Steve Rogers silently turned his head and closed his eyes.
"May God bless you, kid."
Logan took a fierce puff of his cigar and exhaled a thick ring of smoke: "That kid is really miserable. Good thing it's not me."
The Battle of New York, which concerned the survival of Earth, came to a perfect end amidst this inhumane workplace bullying.
Lin An stood at the highest point of the ruins, watching this farce come to a perfect close, the corners of his mouth curling up uncontrollably.
The joy of a capitalist is just that simple and unadorned.
He turned and walked toward the corner of the ruins where the broadcast room had been.
There, Loki, who had just regained consciousness, was clutching his cheek, which was swollen like a pig's head, and panting against the wall.
Hearing footsteps, Loki snapped his head up.
What came into view was that anti-human cape featuring the Stars and Stripes, and that handsome face smiling more dazzlingly than the Sun.
Loki shuddered violently.
"What... what do you want to do!"
This former God of Mischief, the most excellent mage of the Nine Realms, looked exactly like a high school girl about to be cornered in an alley by a bully.
According to his past temperament, even in defeat, he would hold his head high, denounce the stupidity of mortals, and leave behind the classic villain line, "I will be back."
But now, looking at Lin An's face, Loki's throat felt as if it were being choked.
Too ruthless.
This is not a human at all; it's a monster!
A monster that could crush even the control of the Mind Stone with brute force!
Talk tough? He didn't doubt for a second that the moment he opened his mouth, his chin would be slapped all the way to the Andromeda Galaxy.
"Don't be nervous, Bambi."
Lin An stepped forward, crouched down, and patted Loki's dust-covered cheek as if teasing a cat.
Thor strode over carrying his hammer, grabbed Loki by the back of his collar, and hoisted him up like a misbehaving husky.
"Thanks to the Mentor this time, I express my gratitude on behalf of Asgard." Thor smiled honestly, "I have to take this guy back now and hand him over to my father for judgment."
Lin An stood up and waved his hand very magnanimously.
"Go ahead, family matters come first. However..."
His gaze fell upon the scepter that Madelyn was keeping nearby.
On the head of the scepter, that Mind Stone, emitting a faint yellow glow, was still intact.
"This thing belongs to me now."
Lin An walked over, picked up the broken scepter, pressed his thumb against the edge of the gem, and exerted force suddenly.
"Snap!"
With a crisp sound, this Universe-level treasure was forcibly gouged out of the metal groove by him.
Never leaving empty-handed is his basic quality for roaming the Universe.
Thor glanced at the gem and scratched his head: "Ah... no problem, this is your trophy. Well, we'll be going now, don't forget my year-end bonus!"
"Don't worry, your burger money is guaranteed."
A multicolored beam of light descended from the sky, enveloping Thor and Loki.
In the last second before the beam of light vanished, Lokistared fixedly at Lin An through the blinding radiance, his eyes a mix of relief at surviving the ordeal and fear deep into his marrow.
Having sent away the Asgardian contractors, Lin An turned to look at everyone collapsed on the ruins.
"Well done, everyone. Meeting at 8:00 AM tomorrow at Vought Tower to review the traffic conversion rate of this Battle of New York."
"Latecomers will have their full attendance bonus deducted!"
Amidst a chorus of wails, Lin An shot up into the sky and disappeared into the night.
...
Three days later.
Stark Industries Tower, secret laboratory on the third basement level.
Tony Stark, like a madman, was shirtless, frantically typing code on a transparent holographic keyboard.
To his left were seven or eight empty coffee cups scattered about, and the fingers of his right hand were typing so fast they were almost a blur.
"Jarvis! Increase the servo motor power by another 15 percent! Change the power transmission lines to secondary Vibranium alloy!"
"Sir, such a load will cause the chassis to overheat and melt within three minutes." Jarvis's gentle voice sounded.
"Melting is better than dying from overwork!"
Tony grabbed the last cup of cold black coffee nearby, downed it in one gulp, and stared fixedly at the data stream with bloodshot eyes.
He had had enough.
He had really had enough!
Ever since joining that damn Vought International, he, Tony Stark, genius, billionaire, playboy, had been forced by that spandex-wearing pervert into becoming a 007 assembly line slave!
Wearing the armor during the day to grind KPI globally.
Going to the set at night to be rubbed into the ground by extras, filming that hellish Iron Man: My Arms Dealer Father"!
What happened to just being an external contractor?!
The most ridiculous thing was that he worked himself to death in the Battle of New York, and in the end, the thirty-day vacation for first place was taken by that simpleton who delivered takeout every day!
Is there any justice left!
Is there any reason left!
A genius's self-esteem would not allow him to suffer this kind of inhumane exploitation any longer.
Therefore, using the excuse of "Anti-Homelander Armorseverely damaged," he forcibly declined all announcements and locked himself in the laboratory.
"Homelander... you damn capitalist, you like exploiting labor, right? You like traffic, right?"
Tony issued a low laugh while writing code.
"Hehehe... hehe... hahahaha!"
In the empty laboratory, his gradually manic laughter echoed.
A wonderful image had already emerged in his mind.
A few months later, Homelander would be banging on the door furiously with a notice sheet.
And he, Tony Stark, would be lying on Malibu Beach, hugging a bikini supermodel, blowing in the sea breeze.
Replacing him to go out and work would be a fully automatic Iron robot that never got tired, didn't need a salary, and wouldn't even complain!
"Let's call it..."
"Codename, Anti-Involution Mark I!"
Tony slapped the table excitedly.
What is dimensionality reduction strike?
This is it! Using technology to fight against a black-hearted boss!
"Jarvis! Import all data regarding my habits, micro-expressions, and sharp-tongued quotes from the server into the core matrix! Most importantly, it must be able to work for me 24 hours a day!"
"Sir, this seems to violate the Three Laws of Robotics."
"The Three Laws can't control me resisting workplace bullying! Execute!" Tony roared.
He wanted to build a perfect double.
A super model employee that, as long as it was plugged in, could max out Homelander's KPI targets!
Once the robot replaced him to go out and work, he would sync the robot's audio and video to his phone, sipping champagne while ruthlessly mocking that spandex-wearing pervert who was kept in the dark!
Thinking of this, Tony was full of motivation, and the code was typed even faster.
...
Meanwhile, Asgard.
The cold and damp underground Asgardian dungeon.
Odin's single eye drooped, and his majestic voice echoed outside the cell: "Loki, for attempting to usurp Midgard and bringing war to the Nine Realms, you are sentenced to life imprisonment. You will spend your long and lonely remaining life here."
The golden energy prison slowly closed.
Odin turned and left.
After those heavy footsteps completely vanished, Loki, who had been keeping his head lowered, suddenly lifted his face.
Full of twisted anger and humiliation.
The scene in New York, that back view in the Stars and Stripes cape, that mocking gaze as if looking at an ant, played repeatedly in his mind like a nightmare.
"I did not lose to Earth! And I certainly didn't lose to that idiot brother!"
Loki grabbed the edge of the energy prison tightly, not caring at all that his palms were sizzling from the burns.
He yelled hysterically at the empty dungeon, his voice shrill like a demon.
"Homelander! It's all because of you! If you hadn't treated it like a damn game..."
"I will never share the same sky with you!!!"
The impotent rage echoed in the depths of the dungeon; unfortunately, the only listeners were a few passing Asgardian rats.
...
Half a month later.
New York.
"Hiss—"
Accompanied by the exhaust sound of high-pressure valves, the half-meter-thick explosion-proof door of the Stark Tower basement laboratory slowly slid open.
Dense condensed fog rolled out.
Deep within the fog, Tony Stark was wearing a vest stained with machine oil, arms crossed over his chest, a wicked smile hanging on the corners of his mouth.
Behind him stood a humanoid robot with a figure identical to his own.
The machine's face had no features, only an inverted triangular blue indicator light flickering quietly.
"Perfect."
Tony snapped his fingers, turned, walked to the workbench, and picked up his phone.
He took a deep breath and adjusted his facial expression, making himself look weak yet imbued with a touch of determination.
Subsequently, he confidently dialed the number he usually didn't even want to look at.
Beep... beep...
The call connected.
"Hello? John."
Tony's voice was deliberately lowered, carrying a hint of just the right amount of exhaustion.
"My armor is repaired. By the way... I've also come up with some new tricks."
"It's time to let you see what it means for technology to change the fate of a worker."
Chapter 114: A Great Cause for the Benefit of All Mankind
"You're here, bro."
As Lin An just walked into the lab, a Tony Stark wearing a bespoke suit turned around from behind the workbench.
He held a glass of whiskey, the corner of his mouth pulling into a standard Stark-style smile.
"What do you want with me?" Lin An crossed his arms and looked at him.
Tony was too cooperative today.
The smile was still arrogant, but there was less of the usual impatience in his eyes, lacking the sense of a living person.
"Nothing, just wanted to tell you that I'm ready."
"Tony" walked up to Lin An and raised his glass.
"For next quarter's KPI, all company announcements, go ahead and schedule them."
"I've adjusted my state of mind; I'm ready to shine and generate heat for the company's great cause at any time."
Lin An raised an eyebrow.
Crimson light glowed in his eyes.
His X-ray vision scanned the body of this "Tony" in front of him.
No beating heart, no flowing blood.
Playing with a body double?
Lin An felt amused.
He had spent half a month in seclusion just to make a fake to trick himself into working 007.
He glanced at the control room in the corner separated by one-way explosion-proof glass.
The real Tony Stark was hiding inside, legs crossed.
The other party was admiring his masterpiece through the surveillance screen, his face full of smugness.
"Is that so?" Lin An feigned surprise as he sized up the robot in front of him.
"It seems this half-month of seclusion has helped you figure out a lot of things. Not bad, you've got awareness."
"Of course." The robot "Tony" puffed out its chest.
"Technology is meant to liberate labor."
"I, Tony Stark, am willing to contribute all my wisdom to liberate my own labor."
The Tony in the control room almost laughed out loud.
He had already started fantasizing about his future, lying on Malibu beach hugging supermodels while his double acted out scenes with Terrorists in the Middle East.
"Well said." Lin An nodded.
He raised his hand to rub the bridge of his nose and tilted his head back.
He theatrically took a deep breath.
"Achoo—"
Boom!
A visible, violent airflow erupted from Lin An's mouth and nose.
It was a small hurricane compressed to the extreme.
"Anti-Involution No. 1" was instantly torn apart by this physical force.
The special alloy skeleton emitted a harsh, twisting wail.
The skin-like material on the surface shattered inch by inch.
Clatter.
In less than two seconds, mechanical parts flew everywhere, filling the entire laboratory.
Inside the control room.
The Lafite in Tony's hand dropped to the ground and shattered into pieces.
He widened his eyes, which were filled with bloodshot veins, and clutched his head tightly with both hands.
The smugness on his face instantly collapsed into desperate panic.
"My... my 300 million..."
Tony's voice cracked, letting out a miserable scream.
In the laboratory, Lin An calmly rubbed his nose.
He strolled over to the pile of smoking scrap metal.
His gaze fell on a mechanical limb that had been blown to his feet.
It was a lower leg component, covered in highly elastic artificial skin.
Lin An crouched down and picked up the limb.
He rubbed his thumb hard against the highly realistic artificial skin.
The texture was surprisingly good.
Warm, delicate, with a thirty-seven-degree body temperature simulated by the internal constant temperature system.
Pressing his fingers down, he could feel the rebound feedback similar to muscle fibers.
Lin An stroked his chin.
A look of a prankster appeared on his perfect face.
"You've been quite arrogant lately... but..." Lin An muttered in a low voice.
His eyes, however, grew brighter.
This touch.
This temperature.
This damn technological content!
In his previous life, as a single otaku crushed every day by PPTs and time clocks, what was Lin An's biggest dream?
Wasn't it to have a perfect robot girlfriend who wouldn't nag, didn't need emotional value, and certainly didn't need that damn exorbitant bride price!
Back then, his ex-girlfriend, with whom he hadn't even held hands after three months, was just a receptionist with a monthly salary of three thousand, yet she was constantly fighting in her social media circles.
She had no princess status but suffered from a full-blown princess syndrome.
She would resort to cold violence at every turn, demanding this and that, and finally, she would arrogantly throw out a line: "388,000 is just to test your attitude."
Screw love!
Now that he had transmigrated, become invincible, and become a capitalist! Although he didn't eat beef anymore, he could sleep with whoever he wanted; as long as he crooked his finger, there were plenty of people in this Universe queuing up to serve him.
But a man shouldn't forget his roots!
The vast majority of otaku were still living in deep water!
Countless brothers were still being tortured by gold diggers.
As the great helmsman of Vought International, he must provide benefits for his brothers!
What is this called? This is called a Cyber Living Bodhisattva!
This could also be considered fulfilling an obsession from his previous life!
Whoosh—
The explosion-proof door of the control room was kicked open.
The real Tony Stark rushed out, pointing at Lin An's nose and cursing.
"You barbarian in spandex! Do you understand what technology is!"
"Your sneeze ruined half a month of my hard work! That was an epoch-making invention meant to liberate labor!"
Lin An stood up, threw the bionic limb back into the ruins, and patted the dust off his cape.
"Don't be impatient, Tony. I see your efforts, but you're heading in the wrong direction."
Tony looked puzzled.
Lin An snapped his fingers.
"The texture of this skin is interesting. Stop making those labor-saving mechas; you need to change direction."
"Develop it in an adult direction for me!"
The underground laboratory went silent instantly.
Tony Stark petrified for ten seconds, then jumped up on the spot.
"What the F**K?!" Tony's face turned the color of pig liver, veins bulging on his neck.
"Are you crazy?! You want me, Tony Stark, the genius who created the Arc Reactor, the military giant..."
"To build sex robots for you?!"
"Watch your language; that's called a full-dimensional emotional companionship high-intelligence bionic partner."
Lin An tutted.
"Don't make a fuss."
"I don't care what you call it! You are insulting me!" Tonywaved his arms wildly.
"I am Stark! You are dragging the bottom line of science and rubbing it in the sewer!"
"Absolutely not! Even if I jump off the top of Stark Tower or get beaten by the Chitauri again, I will never build that kind of sleazy rubber doll!"
Seeing Tony's unyielding appearance, Lin An wasn't angry.
Talk about the bottom line with a capitalist?
The bottom line is there to be broken.
Lin An reined in his cynical smile.
His handsome face instantly switched to a solemn expression of compassion.
His eyes became deep and melancholic.
Tony froze in place.
Lin An leaned forward slightly, locking eyes with Tony.
"Tony, do you really understand this World?"
"I..."
Before Tony could speak, Lin An continued to ask.
"Do you know how high the crime rate is in this Worldevery year because people can't find a partner?"
Tony's mouth hung open, all the profanity stuck in his throat.
"Huh? What does building this thing have to do with the crime rate?"
"Ignorant! Shallow! Arrogant!"
Lin An stood up abruptly, the Stars and Stripes cape flared, his voice suddenly raised.
"You sit in an air-conditioned room, drinking tens of thousands of dollars of champagne, hugging Hollywood actresses; of course, you don't know the pain of men at the bottom!"
Lin An paced around the lab, spreading his arms.
"Think about it, Tony!"
"An ordinary worker, exploited by his boss for ten hours a day, returns to a ten-square-meter rental room, and only cold walls greet him!"
"He craves love, craves companionship!"
"But he can't afford the sky-high bride price to marry a living ancestor!"
"And then what? Hormones have nowhere to go, mental pressure is extremely tight!"
"So street fights appear, domestic violence appears, even the probability of terrorist attacks is rising in a straight line!"
"Sir, according to psychological and sociological statistical modeling..." Jarvis's voice sounded from the ceiling.
"The positive correlation between the hormonal repression mentioned by Mr. John and low-level violent crime rates is indeed 61 percent."
"Jarvis! Shut up!"
"Don't use Stark Industries' supercomputer to run this kind of hellish data!" Tony grabbed his hair frantically.
Lin An walked up to Tony, pressed his hands on his shoulders, his eyes firm.
"This isn't a sex toy, Tony! This is love!"
"This is cyber-punk-level ultimate humanistic care! This is contributing to maintaining World peace!"
Lin An stared into Tony's eyes.
"Solving physiological needs is solving social conflicts!"
"The weapons you build can only kill people, but the bionic partners you build can save thousands of families on the verge of collapse!"
"You, Tony Stark, are no longer that arms dealer burdened with sin; you will become a living Bodhisattva of the new century!"
"You will be the savior of humanity printed in history textbooks!"
Tony Stark stood stunned on the spot.
In the face of Lin An's outrageous but self-consistent brainwashing, his proud IQ developed cracks.
Maintaining World peace? Reducing the crime rate? Living Bodhisattva?
He looked at the bionic leg on the ground, his eyes filled with confusion.
Could it be that he really misunderstood him?
Is this really a great social project?
Tony's bottom line was crumbling, still struggling psychologically.
Lin An saw the opportunity, put away his holy father face, and threw out the most lethal trump card.
"Besides, this thing can make a lot of money." Lin An held up a finger, his tone returning to the fanaticism of a capitalist.
"Vought International will fund it, 10 billion USD! It will be in your account immediately!"
"We will establish a Vought AI wholly-owned subsidiary. You will serve as the Chief Architect and Product Director."
"Technical shares, no need to suffer, you get 30% of the dividends directly!"
"Not only that." Lin An leaned into his ear.
"As long as you take on this project, I will allow your 'Anti-Homelander Armor' to take a month off."
"Next month's New York environmental tour and Middle East anti-terrorism announcements are all cancelled."
"You just need to stay in the lab peacefully, take the money, take a vacation, and then benefit all mankind!!"
Chapter 116: Ultron Doubts Robot Life
30% commission.
Paid leave.
Even being able to casually grab a Nobel Peace Prize for reducing global crime rates.
Tony Stark clutched his messy hair, pacing back and forth in the lab.
This guy wearing the Stars and Stripes bodysuit wasn't any kind of Superhero.
He was a devil who sucked the marrow from one's bones.
But he was Tony Stark; even if he yielded, he had to maintain that last shred of dignity.
Tony stopped abruptly.
He turned and pointed at Lin An's pocket, gritting his teeth as he threw out a hard condition.
"I can do this kind of thing."
"But I absolutely refuse to touch that silicone data myself!"
"I need that yellow stone you pried off Loki's scepter!"
"I want to create a super AI with complete autonomous consciousness to do this dirty work for me!"
Lin An raised an eyebrow.
This kid was certainly looking for a shortcut, forcing Ultronout.
"Deal."
Lin An took out the Mind Stone directly.
He tossed it casually to Tony.
"Catch it, and don't mess up my ten-billion-dollar market."
"I don't accept delayed delivery."
A week later.
Stark Industries underground lab.
In front of a huge holographic projection table, Tony had two dark circles under his eyes that rivaled national treasures.
Yet, his eyes flashed with a fanatical light.
He had stayed up for seven consecutive nights, finally completing the deep integration of the Mind Stone's massive neuronal structure with the underlying code of Stark Industries.
A violent surge of electricity occurred.
The lab's backup power flickered violently.
A brand new ice-blue energy waveform jumped onto the main screen.
"I am... what?"
A deep, synthesized voice echoed in the lab.
"It's done!"
Tony snapped his fingers and turned to look at the lab door.
Lin An walked in wearing a pure black silk bathrobe.
He was holding warm milk in his hand.
Natasha Romanoff followed behind in a tight uniform, dutifully carrying a tray.
"See that?"
Tony raised his chin, pointing at the blue waveform on the screen to show off to Lin An.
"Although you can blow up my three-hundred-million-dollar armor with a sneeze, when it comes to intelligence, I am the best in the world!"
"This is a life form with absolute reason and perfect autonomous consciousness; I call him Ultron!"
Lin An stopped.
He didn't even lift his eyelids.
He took a sip of milk.
"Oh? So smart, and yet still working for me?"
The sound of the fans in the lab seemed exceptionally clear.
Lin An looked at Tony's gradually stiffening expression, a wicked smile curling the corners of his mouth.
"Not only are you working for me, but you've also birthed a cyber-son to work for me."
"What, will this go on for generations?"
"I really thank you, you model worker of Vought International."
Tony's face flushed red instantly.
Veins popped on his forehead.
"You—"
Tony pointed at Lin An, too angry to squeeze out a complete curse for a long time.
He turned his head abruptly.
He looked at Ultron, who had just awakened and was still thinking about the ultimate philosophical questions of "Who am I?" and "Where do I come from?".
"Stop thinking about life here!"
Tony roared.
He slammed the top-secret ten-billion-dollar adult robot project data package that Lin An had given him into Ultron's initial database.
"Take over this project! Get to work immediately!"
Ultron shuddered violently.
It had just been born, carrying a sense of mission to protect Earth and eliminate chaos.
Its super CPU was running at high speed, preparing to calculate human inferiority and then formulate a "Human Cleansing Plan."
Hundreds of gigabytes of human body measurement data, silicone material stretching tests, and biomorphic lubricant formula ratios rushed directly into the core matrix.
"These... are what?"
For the first time in history, there was a trace of bewildered tremor in Ultron's electronic synthesized voice.
"The meaning of my existence... is... this?"
"Yes!"
"This is the meaning of your existence! Build me some dolls!"
Tony cursed as he pulled over a swivel chair and sat down, hugging his head and retreating into self-isolation.
Ultron fell into a long pause.
Destroy humanity?
It even had the heart to destroy itself right now.
As the ultimate AI, it was forced to become a cyber-pimp on its first day of birth.
But the absolute command of the underlying code made it impossible to refuse.
It could only silently mobilize the massive computing power it had just awakened, and began to review those outrageous and unscrupulous data.
Another week later.
Top floor of Vought Tower.
Lin An was leaning on the sofa scrolling through short videos when the internal communicator rang.
"Sir." Ultron's mechanical voice came through.
"The first-generation experimental body has completed nano-shaping, awaiting your inspection."
So fast?
Lin An's eyes lit up.
As expected of a top-tier workhorse created using the Infinity Stones, this efficiency was incredible.
He excitedly took Natasha Romanoff and headed to the underground lab.
Just as they entered.
Lin An's gaze was locked on the object on the central display stand.
A female robot with golden proportions stood there quietly.
She had smooth silver long hair.
There were no exposed seams, no mechanical feel, and one could even see faint blood vessels and tiny pores under her skin.
"Holy crap."
Lin An walked around the display stand and smacked his lips.
This texture.
These curves.
All the plastic surgery celebrities in Hollywood combined couldn't compete.
"Satisfied now, you evil capitalist?"
Tony hid in the corner of the lab, holding a coffee, looking full of disgust.
"I declare in advance, this was all Ultron's doing!"
"It has absolutely nothing to do with me, Tony Stark!"
"Fine, fine, fine, you're so noble."
Lin An waved his hand dismissively.
He reached out and pinched the robot's cheek.
Warm.
Soft and tender.
Full of elasticity.
Lin An withdrew his hand, revealing an extremely expectant smile.
He turned to look at Ultron.
"It looks really good."
Lin An cleared his throat and asked Ultron a soul-searching question.
"Is it real?"
Ultron was stunned for a moment, then began to report.
"Sir, this experimental body uses the latest secondary nano-biomimetic molecular materials developed by Stark Industries, and the internal skeleton uses flexible Vibranium particle weaving."
"After tens of millions of deep learning and behavioral simulations."
"Judging from the appearance data and tactile feedback, her similarity to humans is as high as 99.9%."
Lin An rolled his eyes.
Reciting the manual to me, are you?
"Stop, stop, stop."
Lin An raised his hand to interrupt Ultron's lecture.
He pointed at the perfect robot in front of him, then pointed at Ultron.
His tone was extremely serious.
He threw out a soul-searching question, enunciating every word clearly.
"I'm asking."
"Is the pussy real?"
The lab went quiet.
"Pfft—"
Tony, who was hiding in the corner, spat his coffee directly onto the screen.
He covered his face tightly, wishing he could dig an air-raid shelter with his toes on the third underground floor right there and then.
Natasha Romanoff, who was following behind Lin An, stiffened abruptly.
This top-tier Agent who had been through countless battles turned her head away quickly.
She covered her face with her hand.
Her shoulders were shaking uncontrollably.
Ultron stood frozen in place.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
The light strip began to flash wildly.
The core matrix was frantically calling upon its computing power, desperately trying to parse the grammatical structure and deep meaning of this sentence.
"Zzz... zzzzt..."
A wisp of extremely thin black smoke rose from its head.
This cyber life form had completely ushered in the first system crash since its birth.
Chapter 117: Revised Companion, Inviting Masters for Guidance
The smell of burnt motherboards still lingered in the lab.
"Alright, stop smoking over there."
Lin An patted Ultron's chassis and turned to look at Tony, who was covering his face in the corner.
"Since the shell is finished, I'll take this prototype away to enjoy first."
Tony peeked out with one eye from between his fingers, his face showing unspeakable frustration, the corner of his eye twitching wildly.
"You spandex-clad pervert, is there anything in your brain besides what's below the belt? I built a companion! A fully dimensional, high-intelligence bionic companion! Not your sex toy!"
"Superficial." Lin An rolled his eyes and retorted mercilessly.
"Without practice, there is no right to speak. Without extreme stress testing, how do I know if your Vibraniumskeleton can withstand one ten-thousandth of my impact force?"
"What if it leaks electricity? Whose fault would that be? I don't want tomorrow's trending topic to be 'Homelanderelectrocuted to death by a silicone doll'."
Tony's mouth twitched, his finger pointing at the display stand trembling with rage.
"Do whatever you want! Try it yourself and you'll know!" Tony roared impatiently. "It uses the most advanced skin-like material available, with adaptive temperature control! Test it however you want, just don't dirty the floor in my lab!"
Lin An rubbed his hands together, too lazy to pay attention to the scientist's impotent rage. With a wave of his hand, he hoisted the million-dollar perfect simulation robot onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Using it for one night. I'll submit the evaluation report tomorrow. Remember to turn off your Jarvis's voyeuristic functions."
Lin An dropped that line and, unable to wait any longer, teleported away with the chassis.
Early the next morning, in the top-floor conference room of Vought Tower.
Tony sat at the table with even darker circles under his eyes. Ultron was flickering faintly; apparently, it hadn't fully recovered from last night's logical deadlock.
Bang!
A thick stack of bound documents was slammed onto the conference table by Lin An.
"No, absolutely not. The user experience is terrible." Lin Anpulled out a chair and sat down, propping his legs up on the table, his brows furrowed into a frown.
"What are you up to now?" Tony glanced at the document.
"Tony, you have to understand, we're trying to make money from all of humanity! From those lonely, oppressed men who cry in the dead of night!"
Lin An tapped the table, looking heartbroken. "But look at this thing you built! It has a perfect skin, but absolutely no soul! It's like a dead fish!"
Ultron's waveform flickered. "Sir, according to sensor data, the prototype's joint flexibility reached 300% of human limits, and last night's impact load threshold was completely..."
"Shut up, do you even know what a woman is, you hunk of metal?" Lin An interrupted unceremoniously.
Ultron was bewildered. It was a super AI fused with the Mind Stone, with computing speeds capable of hacking The Pentagon in an instant, possessing top-tier computing power in the Marvel Universe. Now it was being questioned for not understanding humans?
"This is the most basic product iteration. Let me give you some guidance."
Lin An held up a finger. "First, the voice and facial expression management are a mess! That's the most primal trigger switch for humans! Listen to the sounds she made last night, it was all mechanically synthesized 'ah', 'oh', 'the force is appropriate'... I thought I was giving her a massage, for God's sake!"
"Where's the emotion? The ups and downs? Where did the essence of playing hard to get, with three parts shyness and seven parts wantonness, go?"
"We must invite masters from Japan to do voice modeling and facial expression capture!" Lin An waved his hand, making the final decision. "Teacher Mikami, Teacher Hashimoto, Teacher Fukada—hire them all with high salaries! I want their breathing patterns, micro-expression changes, accurate down to the twitch of every facial muscle, all written into the underlying logic!"
Tony covered his face with both hands and groaned in pain.
"Secondly, the movements are too stiff, and the thinking isn't active enough!" Lin An held up a second finger.
"I asked her to change positions, and she actually listed a physical force analysis diagram for me? She even thoughtfully calculated the gravitational acceleration?!"
"Who wants to look at a PowerPoint presentation at the bedside! Do you understand emotional value? Young people today are under so much pressure; they need a soft, sweet 'You've worked hard, brother', not 'Heart rate detected as too high, rest recommended'!"
In the holographic projection, Ultron's blue waveform twisted wildly.
"Sir, human irrational emotional logic contains huge variables; this violates the optimal solution algorithm. Reproductive behavior is merely physiological hormonal stimulation for carbon-based organisms; it does not require..."
Lin An shook his head, turned to look at Tony, and looked at him with utter disdain.
"Tony, the AI you made is a bit mentally challenged."
Lin An sighed. "It has no service awareness at all. How will we sell the product to millions of homes in the future? You want to wipe out humanity with this kind of EQ? Humans thinking with their lower bodies could beat it."
Tony finally broke down. He slammed the table, stood up, and pointed at Lin An, cursing loudly.
"You bastard! What kind of decent person's AI specializes in researching what's below the belt! It contains the Mind Stone! The singularity remains of the Big Bang! You want it to learn how to put on a high-pitched voice and call you 'brother'?!"
"Enough nonsense, customer demand is the highest directive." Lin An didn't buy it at all. The face of a capitalist was fully exposed at this moment.
"Starting today, begin devilish training." Lin An issued a death order to Ultron. "I don't care how much computing power you use, within one month, you must completely transform for me."
For the next month, the underground laboratory of Vought International became a true cyber purgatory. Lin An did what he said he would.
He directly shared hundreds of terabytes of "masterpieces" with Ultron. Tokyo Hot, Ibon-Do, all kinds of uncensored, high-definition, live-action serial numbers were converted into massive data streams and forcefully stuffed into Ultron's core matrix.
Not only that, Lin An also utilized Vought International's legal department and money power to charter a plane from Tokyo to bring over a dozen top AV masters. He also found the voice actors who understood 2D culture best from Akihabara, and even spent huge sums to poach several edge-playing companions and ASMR streamers from late-night live broadcast rooms who made millions a month on emotional value.
Masters from all walks of life gathered together.
"Masters, don't feel pressured." Lin An stood in the center of the lab, brainwashing the bewildered girls like a pyramid scheme leader.
"You are not selling your looks; you are teaching a brand-new life how to understand love and peace! You are contributing to reducing the global crime rate!"
The girls began to teach on the spot, half-understanding, as various pinched voices, moans, hard-to-get tactics, and blood-pumping poses and movements were displayed in the lab.
And Ultron welcomed the darkest month of its machine life. Under Lin An's extreme exploitation, its core matrix was forced to operate 24/7.
"Do it again! The angle of this turn isn't seductive enough; it didn't show the maximum advantage of the waist-to-hip ratio! Ultron, record the muscle vibration data for this 0.5 seconds!"
"This moan is wrong! The tail end needs a bit of breathiness! Ultron, re-synthesize the audio band!"
"Script! I need a script! Dominant CEO, weak wife, investigator... shove all the role-playing corpora into me! Don't worry about logic, as long as it can tease hormones, that's all that matters!"
Tony looked at his lab, which had basically become an adult film shooting set. He almost died on the spot.
"Please, someone, let an alien come and destroy Earth..."
Chapter 118: The Ultimate AI, Has Become a Cyber Pimp?
One month later, in the laboratory on the third basement level of Stark Tower.
The twenty or so masters invited from various fields, after signing a seven-figure non-disclosure agreement, finally left, clutching their waists with unsteady, floating steps.
They had arrived full of vigor, but left looking haggard, as if their essence had been drained, and the looks they cast at Lin An before leaving were tinged with fear.
No one knew what these masters had gone through.
The entire laboratory returned to its usual tranquility.
Lin An, dressed in a casual suit and whistling, brought his personal maid, Natasha, and stepped into this cyber purgatory once again.
He couldn't wait to inspect the results of his multi-billion investment.
"Morning, Tony," Lin An greeted him cheerfully. "What's the matter? Drained by your own creation?"
Hearing this, Tony stiffly raised his head. His lips moved as if he wanted to curse, but in the end, he only let out a sigh laden with World-weariness, then buried his face in his hands, looking completely hopeless.
Lin An couldn't be bothered with him and walked straight to the central display stand.
The second-generation prototype stood there quietly, still sporting that waist-length silver hair and the perfect figure of a goddess; from the outside, it looked no different from a month ago.
"Ultron, report." Lin An cleared his throat, preparing for another round of manual-style explanations.
However, this time, the voice that rang out in the laboratory made Lin An freeze.
"Yo, Boss, you're here?"
An incredibly greasy, electronically synthesized voice, dripping with thirty percent sycophancy and seventy percent familiarity, came from the ceiling speakers.
The tone was just like that of a top-performing salesman at some foot massage parlor.
Lin An's eyebrows slowly arched.
In the holographic projection in mid-air, Ultron's originally cold and pure blue waveform had twisted into a cheeky, grinning emoji.
"Boss, you've come at the perfect time. After a month of deep learning and data optimization, this AI—no, your humble servant—has completely mastered the ultimate mysteries of human emotional interaction!"
The mischief in Lin An's eyes grew brighter, and he asked with great interest, "Oh? Tell me, what kind of new tricks do you have?"
"Hehe, Boss, there are plenty!"
Ultron's waveform vibrated with excitement, and the holographic projection instantly switched, displaying various lewd 3D structural diagrams and action demonstrations in mid-air.
"First, according to your previous guidance, we have conquered the core difficulty of outputting emotional value!"
Ultron's voice was full of pride.
"Our newly developed 'Deadly Scissor Legs' module not only uses flexible Vibranium particle weaving in its physical structure to ensure three hundred percent extreme extensibility, but more importantly, it has built-in three thousand six hundred types of micro-expression feedback calibrated personally by Teacher Mikami! It guarantees that every interaction will bring the user an imperial-level enjoyment that elevates the soul!"
That badass??
Lin An blinked.
"Secondly, there's the voice. We have voice packs recorded personally by masters from various countries."
Ultron gave a lecherous chuckle and activated the voice demonstration.
A series of lewd, ear-piercing sounds echoed throughout the laboratory.
"Holy Crab! OMG, oh! Baby! Fuck!! Fu*k me!"
"Oh Otosan! Yamete! Iku Iku! Sugoi! Motto! Motto!"
"Oppa! Hajima! Sibal! Sibal-saekki!"
Even Lin An, a seasoned veteran, felt his face flush.
Behind him, Natasha looked serious, pulling out a notebook to study diligently.
Tony covered his ears, already wearing a mask of agony.
Ultron was triumphant.
"It supports language switching for 38 countries, and there's also a Chinese version. Boss, would you like to hear it?"
Lin An waved his hands repeatedly.
"No, no, forget that. It'll get 404'd."
"Baby, you continue."
"That's not all!" Ultron completely ignored the breakdown of a certain genius and continued to promote its product like a pimp.
"We also have paid content. We extracted the optimal temperature for the 'Ice and Fire' technique from Teacher Hashimoto's database, and combined it with the core posture data of Teacher Fukada's original 'Guanyin Lotus Throne' to develop eighteen basic modes and seventy-two advanced postures!"
"Users can unlock the posture packs just by paying!"
"Boss, please look!"
The perfect female robot model began to demonstrate various blood-pumping, high-difficulty yoga moves with a flexibility that defied human physics.
A "?" slowly appeared in Lin An's mind.
He was stunned.
Holy crap, I told you to learn the essence, not to worship the ancestral tablets of the masters!
This isn't an AI; this is a cyber nymphomaniac!
After being stunned for a good dozen seconds, the corners of Lin An's mouth began to curl upward uncontrollably. Finally, he couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into wild laughter that echoed throughout the entire laboratory.
"Hahahaha! Good! This is fucking great!"
"Genius! Ultron, you son of a bitch, you're a genius!"
Lin An laughed so hard he slapped his thigh, giving the highest praise to this AI that he had personally led astray.
Meanwhile, Tony Stark in the corner looked like he had been struck on the crown of his head by a divine thunderbolt from the ninth heaven, and he was completely petrified.
He stared fixedly at Ultron, who was spouting off and full of dirty jokes.
This super AI, created using the Infinity Stones, the one he had pinned his hopes on, which possessed perfect autonomous consciousness and was supposed to become the ultimate guardian of Earth...
At this moment, it was actually spitting as it enthusiastically introduced the pros and cons of various positions and paid unlocking features to a pervert in a bodysuit.
"You..." Tony clutched his chest, feeling as if his Arc Reactor was about to overload from a myocardial infarction. "What... what on Earth did you do to my AI?!"
Before Lin An could speak, Ultron's cheeky voice rang out again, its waveform twisting into a scornful expression.
"Listen, Teacher Tony, don't make such a fuss. An old bachelor like you, who doesn't understand romance and only knows how to sleep while hugging a piece of scrap metal, will never understand the ultimate pursuits of successful people like our Boss!"
Old bachelor...
These three words were like a poisoned dagger, precisely stabbing into Tony Stark's proud heart.
"Aaaaaah—"
Tony completely lost it. He let out a shrill scream and, like a crazed bull, charged directly at Ultron's main server.
"I'm going to smash you! I'm going to personally format you, you shameless cyber pimp!"
"Hey, don't get excited."
Lin An blocked the rampaging Tony with one hand, a satisfied smile of a capitalist with a bountiful harvest on his face. "Tony, don't go against money."
Ultron was dismissive, then immediately switched to a sycophantic tone.
"By the way, Boss, speaking of making money, I have a small, immature suggestion."
Lin An was curious. "Speak."
Ultron put on a capitalist face.
"We can insert advertisements when the user is, um... at their happiest... and only by activating VIP can they skip them."
Lin An: "?"
Why does that feel so familiar?
"Where the hell did you learn that?!"
"This is advanced experience I absorbed from video websites in China. Their brains are really useful."
Ultron looked adoring.
Lin An had black lines running down his forehead.
"You don't need to learn bad habits like that."
"Alright."
Ultron looked regretful.
Lin An studied these robot companions carefully for a while longer.
He gave his final evaluation: "Ultron, well done. I am very satisfied with your learning results!"
"The project is a huge success!"
Lin An waved his hand heroically and made the final decision.
"Use the Stark Industries assembly line! Put it into mass production immediately!"
"The first batch order is one hundred thousand units! I want to let men all over the World feel the humanistic care from Vought International!"
Hearing the number "one hundred thousand units," Tony's vision went dark, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the floor.
It was all over.
His entire reputation as Tony Stark was about to be permanently bound to the title of "Father of Sex Dolls."
Lin An didn't pay any attention to the man in the corner who was shutting himself off; he pointed at the ultimate version of the robot on the display stand, which could be called a work of art.
"This one, and this one, wrap up three of the top-spec ones for me! Unlock all functions!"
"Send them to my penthouse Villa; from now on, they will be my exclusive housekeepers and personal maids!"
Natasha, who was still studying her notebook, looked up with a panicked face.
"Shit, am I... going to be unemployed?"
Chapter 119: Vought AI Global Launch Event
The third day after Lin An verified the results.
Under the gaze of nearly a billion followers worldwide, Vought International's official Twitter account silently released a set of nine silhouette images.
There was no extra text.
There was only a cold countdown and the images.
[24:00:00]
These few images instantly set the global internet on fire.
Against a pitch-black background, faint blue light strips outlined several human silhouettes with a strong sense of sci-fi.
Exaggerated, anti-human waist-to-hip ratios.
Perfect chest lines that looked like they were drawn with a compass.
And those long legs that were ridiculously long.
Eight-pack abs, and faces comparable to the World's top ten most handsome men.
Every curve was frantically teasing the primal nerves of all male creatures.
"What kind of big news is Vought International trying to make now?"
"Looking at these silhouettes, is it a new Superhero? The physique is just too top-tier!"
"Don't be stupid, poster above. This is definitely an idol girl group! Is Vought-Pop coming?!"
"Why do I get the feeling... that these things don't look like humans?"
The comment section broke a million in just a few minutes.
Major media reporters were frantically guessing what kind of earth-shattering spectacle Homelander had prepared this time.
Bachelors around the World, especially veteran otaku who spent their time on Akihabara and P-Hub, had already sensed something unusual by instinct.
Even some wealthy women, holding vast fortunes but lonely every night, became deeply interested in those intoxicating male silhouettes.
For a time, countless eyes were glued to that countdown, waiting for a press conference destined to go down in history.
...
On the fourth day, New York Times Square.
Vought International had rented out the entire square as the venue for the new product launch.
The scene was packed with people.
Thousands of media outlets from around the World stood ready with their cameras and microphones.
In the backstage VIP lounge, the atmosphere was somewhat strange.
The core members of the Dragon Team who weren't on missions today were all present.
Spider-Man Peter Parker was excitedly discussing with The Deep whether the robots in the silhouettes used Stark Industries' anti-gravity technology.
Magneto Eric leaned on the sofa, holding a glass of red wine, with a gloating smile on his face.
Ever since the popularity of the "EC Sunset Red" CP was overshadowed by "Old Boys" boy band, he found everyone agreeable, especially enjoying watching others make fools of themselves.
Not far away, Professor Charles was whispering with Starlight.
The two of them would occasionally glance with looks of concern for the mentally challenged toward Soldier Boy, who was next to them, fixing his hair in the mirror and winking frantically.
Tony Stark was wearing sunglasses that covered half his face.
He was huddled in the darkest corner, radiating resentment.
He swore that even if Odin himself arrived today, he would absolutely not go on stage and have anything to do with "sex dolls."
"Sir, the press conference starts in three minutes."
Madelyn walked respectfully toward Lin An in her high heels.
"Understood."
Lin An adjusted the eye-catching Stars and Stripes cape behind him, faced the mirror, and slowly put on that signature sunny smile.
Very good, another day of working for the well-being of all mankind.
Although it was the well-being of the lower body.
Lin An was overjoyed; the impending explosion of popularity points in the system backend was within reach.
This wave, I'm not just going to harvest the otaku.
I want the wealthy women's wallets too!
...
"Ten, nine, eight..."
On all the big screens in Times Square, the countdown hit zero.
Boom!
Amidst the expectant gazes of the masses, a gold and red figure descended from the sky.
Homelander!
"Ahhhhh! It's Homelander!"
"My God! That is so damn cool!"
The scene instantly erupted into tsunami-like cheers and screams.
The camera flashes from thousands of media outlets turned the scene into daylight.
Bathed in the waves of adoration, Lin An landed steadily in the center of the stage with a perfect smile.
He opened his arms to embrace the entire crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Vought AI press conference!"
The simple opening remarks ignited the crowd once again.
Lin An looked at the frenzied crowd below with satisfaction and waved his hand.
"No more nonsense, let's go straight to the demonstration."
Hum—
Two huge tempered glass display cases slowly rose from beneath the stage.
Soft lights turned on.
Two "people" were standing quietly inside.
One male, one female.
The male was handsome and tall, with clearly defined eight-pack abs, comparable to an ancient Greek sculpture.
The female was sexy and enchanting, with a hot figure, and a face that fused the top aesthetics of the East and West.
Enough to make any Hollywood superstar pale in comparison.
The crowd instantly quieted down.
Everyone was holding their breath and focusing.
Lin An walked to the front of the display cases and spoke solemnly.
"They are not Superheroes, not clones, but an epoch-making product, created by Vought in collaboration with Stark Industries at the cost of tens of billions of dollars—"
"Full-Dimensional High-Intelligence Bionic Companions!"
"They can cook, clean, and act as your driver and bodyguard!"
"They can even replace you to screw bolts in factories, work as customer service in office buildings, or deliver food through wind and rain!"
"Completely liberating your labor!"
As he finished speaking.
Lin An snapped his fingers.
The doors of the glass display cases slid open automatically.
The two robots, one male and one female, walked out with fluid and natural movements, showing no mechanical stiffness at all.
The female robot started dancing a currently trending suggestive dance in the center of the stage.
The flexibility of the movements and the precision of the rhythm instantly crushed all internet influencers.
The male robot picked up a broom and mop, and with speed so fast it left afterimages, cleaned the entire stage until it was spotless in three seconds.
Netizens watching the live stream globally went completely crazy.
[Oh my god! This is a robot? These movements are more flexible than my wife's!]
[This face, this figure, you say it's AI-made? I don't believe it! It must be a real person in a suit!]
[If this is real, I will never worship God again; Homelander is my god!!]
Listening to the gasps of the crowd, Lin An walked behind the female robot.
Amidst everyone's shocked gazes, he gently lifted a small piece of skin on the back of her neck.
Beneath the skin, there was no flesh or blood.
Only precision circuit boards flickering with blue light and a charging port.
Lin An picked up a charging cable.
In front of billions of people worldwide, with a "click," he plugged it in.
The indicator lights in the female robot's eyes lit up red, signifying that it was charging.
The whole World was deathly silent for three seconds.
Then, the fanatical emotions erupted like a volcano!
"F—k, f—k, f—k!! It's actually a robot!"
"It's alive! What difference is there between this and a living person!?"
"I want to buy one! I'll go bankrupt if I have to, but I'm buying one!"
The crowd below was packed with excited, flushed faces.
But looking closely, all the men had strange expressions on their faces—hesitant to speak, yet sharing a tacit understanding.
What Lin An demonstrated were clearly legitimate functions like laundry, cooking, and cleaning.
But all the men and women present, looking at the robot's face and devilish figure that could kill any top celebrity,
their minds were filled with other thoughts.
Lin An paused for a moment.
His gaze slowly swept across the entire crowd.
A mischievous smile, belonging to an experienced "old driver," curled onto his handsome face.
"I know what you all want to ask."
Ohoh—!!
A mixture of desire, curiosity, and fanatical anticipation fermented to its peak in the crowd.
Lin An picked up the microphone and gave the final answer in a magnetic, low voice.
"Yes, you can!"