2B's Turn

Too bad Li Wei hadn't gotten to see anything good.

By the time he arrived, 2B and Eve had already hurriedly put on their dresses.

Eve wore a blue one-piece minidress today that showed off her figure perfectly.

Two ordinary spines lay nearby, one of them still bloody.

"Yikes!"

Li Wei immediately looked away. "Eve, I'll take you out for something to replenish your blood later."

Eve didn't seem any different. She blinked and said, "Okay."

They quickly hopped off the hospital beds and slipped into their heels.

Li Wei hurried over to steady them. "How do you feel?"

"No different."

2B blinked.

"I feel fine. I need to activate it and try it out," Eve said.

"Let's rest first, then test it."

The three of them rested for a while before heading to an open area.

"Red Queen, keep an eye on things," Li Wei instructed.

Red Queen appeared beside him, looking just as curious.

2B went first. She activated Sandevistan through her neural interface with ease.

Hum!

In an instant, the whole world slowed before her eyes.

But to Li Wei, 2B was far away one moment and right in front of him the next.

She'd clearly been so far away just now.

"That's practically teleportation."

Li Wei pinched 2B's cheek.

"More precisely, it's a slowdown in her perception of time."

Red Queen pulled up the surveillance footage. Only on video could Li Wei see that 2B had simply walked over.

To him, though, it had happened in an instant.

In essence, it drew out the user's potential and made them faster.

Especially in 2B's case.

"Eve!"

Eve was next.

She stood there, a little at a loss.

The auxiliary spines she'd used before had all been passive, providing benefits like better timing for dodges and energy recovery.

Sandevistan, however, required active use.

Fortunately, Red Queen had also installed a Brain-Computer Interface for her earlier.

Hum!

Eve blinked, and the world seemed to dim and slow around her.

Everyone else's movements became sluggish.

Soon, 2B returned to normal speed in Eve's eyes. She had activated her Sandevistan again.

Li Wei could only watch with envy.

Unfortunately, he was firmly in the flesh-and-blood camp. He had no interest in upgrading his body with tech.

He had nothing against external technology like an Iron Man Suit, but he didn't like technology implanted in the human body.

Just thinking of Adam Smasher, with barely an ounce of flesh left on his body, gave Li Wei the chills.

If he had to end up looking like that... he'd rather start over.

That was why Li Wei had only gotten a noninvasive Brain-Computer Interface. He returned to his office and tried playing games with it.

He had to admit, the thing was incredible for gaming.

It brought his reaction speed to its peak.

If a pro player got hold of one, wouldn't every game be a breeze?

ZywOo, donk—he'd crush them all!

At noon, Li Wei took Eve and 2B to a Chinese restaurant. Eve needed something to help replenish her blood.

He ordered red date soup, duck blood, lamb, and everything else that might help.

As for the adapted Chinese dishes, he just couldn't get used to them.

Eve had no such problem. She thought Earth was wonderful; everything tasted delicious.

She couldn't help wondering what her own Earth had been like before the war destroyed it.

After lunch, they returned to the company to continue testing.

Red Queen wanted to find out how long their bodies could withstand Sandevistan.

The results were astonishing. 2B's body was so resilient that she could keep it active for several minutes without trouble.

That made Li Wei wonder who was stronger, 2B or V.

After all, V was a "legend" who had defeated Adam Smasher with ease.

Eve fared a little worse. She still had flesh and blood, after all...

As it turned out, flesh and blood were what held Eve back.

"Red Queen, what did those agents say?"

"Two of them are willing to take part in Professor Connors's experiment," Red Queen replied.

"Then set it up with Professor Connors."

Li Wei nodded.

Prosthetics might be good, but some people still wanted their flesh-and-blood bodies back.

Professor Connors's experiment wouldn't have any trouble finding volunteers.

Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief.

He'd been ready to play the bad guy and make them "volunteer" if he had to.

Just then, his phone vibrated.

He opened his social media app and saw that Osborn Group had even made a promotional poster.

Tony Stark's face and Li Wei's were both on it. Tony was on the left, Li Wei on the right, and they stared each other down as if they were about to fight.

A line underneath read, "Las Vegas."

"Everyone knows the guy on the left loses a showdown. Tony Stark has already lost."

Li Wei had "won" before the fight even began.

He immediately shared the post, sending its popularity soaring even higher.

Until then, plenty of people had been debating whether it was all a publicity stunt or the two billionaires were actually going to fight.

Ordinary people were more than happy to watch billionaires put on a show for them...

"Master, there's something I need to tell you."

Red Queen floated over.

"What is it?"

"According to Tony Stark's schedule, he's about to leave for the Middle East. He'll miss the showdown."

"What?"

Li Wei paused, then said, "I knew it. What a coward!"

Li Wei wasn't too surprised that Tony Stark was avoiding the fight.

After all, the toughest thing about Tony Stark was his mouth.

He'd talked big, then dodged the fight.

It seemed perfectly in character to Li Wei.

Besides, Tony had legitimate business to attend to. He wasn't simply running away, so he had an excuse.

Li Wei felt a little disappointed.

He really had wanted to punch Tony Stark.

But when Tony returned from the Middle East, he'd be Iron Man.

Wait.

Wouldn't punching Iron Man be even more satisfying?

"Whatever. I'll mock him mercilessly when the time comes," Li Wei said.

"Should I notify Osborn Group?"

"No need. Osborn Group has already gotten what it wanted."

Li Wei shook his head.

Norman Osborn probably hadn't expected them to actually fight anyway.

By now, Norman Osborn had put himself in the spotlight and claimed a share of the attention.

Reporters couldn't get interviews with Li Wei or Tony Stark, so they went to Norman Osborn instead and asked what he thought.

As Norman answered, he also laid out his vision for New York, using the whole affair to boost his approval ratings.

No wonder Kingpin was furious.

Having lost interest, Li Wei left the company and took Eve and 2B home to rest.

Once again, nothing happened on the way.

Li Wei gradually put the whole matter out of his mind.

Now that both his bodyguards had Sandevistan installed, he was much safer.

And he still had Bumblebee, who could give any enemy a nasty surprise when it counted.

"2B, it's your turn to share my bed tonight!"

Li Wei called out as soon as they got home.

2B had been ready for ages. She really thought he meant close personal protection!