Mark Palmer leaned back in his seat, eyes glued to the glowing HUD of his suit as he scrolled through lines of code. The plane incident yesterday still lingered in his mind, but he had no time to dwell.
"Nova," he said, voice calm but determined, "we need to start my game. But not full-scale yet. Let's do a mobile version first—get it out quickly, test mechanics, then expand later."
Nova's holographic form shimmered beside him. "Logical. Mobile devices have wide reach. You can gather feedback, optimize the AI, and integrate features gradually. Shall I prepare the development framework?"
"Exactly," Mark replied, rubbing his hands together. "We'll make Shattered Realms the game everyone talks about—starting small, scaling fast."
As he typed furiously, Lena peeked over his shoulder. "What are you working on now?"
"Just a little side project," Mark said, winking. "Nothing that'll change the world… yet."
Aya grinned, leaning closer. "Oh, I bet it's something huge. You always work on huge stuff."
Mark smirked. "Bingo. You'll see soon. I'm starting with mobile—low barrier, high reach. Then we'll progress to consoles, VR, maybe even full neural interfaces later."
Rina, who had been observing quietly, leaned in, eyes narrowed. "You really think you can handle all this… and school… and hero stuff?"
Mark flexed subtly, the suit humming softly under his clothes. "Piece of cake. Just watch me."
Nova's voice whispered in his ear. "Confidence noted. Warning: rival energy signatures detected nearby. They're monitoring your activity. Likely trying to gauge the scope of your project… and your suit capabilities."
Mark's grin sharpened. "Good. Let them watch. They'll learn soon enough that I don't just play games—I dominate them."
Later that evening, perched atop the city's tallest rooftop, Mark tested the suit's new mobility upgrades while simultaneously running simulations for Shattered Realms. Nova guided him, integrating adaptive AI companions and procedural generation into the mobile framework.
As he flexed mid-leap, a sudden flash of movement caught his eye—a rival, cloaked and observing from a distance, scanning his suit's energy signature.
Mark landed lightly, suit glowing faintly. "You're bold," he muttered, voice low. "But I'm bolder."
Nova's tone was calm but serious. "Mark… be cautious. Their technology is advanced. Engage only if necessary."
Mark grinned, brushing off the warning. "Relax, Nova. Time to show them what a real hero—and genius—looks like."
Cliffhanger: As he prepared to descend toward the rival's position, another alert pinged on his HUD:
"High-level observation drone incoming. They're escalating."
Mark's eyes sparkled. Between school, his harem, hero work, and now game development, it seemed the world wasn't just testing him—it was trying to push him beyond limits.