Oh, Isn't That Iron Man?

"Is this the Batwing? This is way too cool! It's absolutely awesome!"

Watching the Batwing descend vertically, 2B's eyes were filled with shock.

Because she had awakened emotions and self-awareness, her behavior was becoming more and more like that of a real human girl.

Her curiosity was no exception.

"It really is pretty cool." Loren smiled, then opened the cockpit and quickly climbed inside.

He then glanced at the seat behind him and said to 2B with a smile, "Get in. I'll take you flying!"

At his words, 2B beamed, looking incredibly happy.

"Okay, boss!" She nodded firmly, hummed in acknowledgment, and quickly sat behind Loren.

Then, like a curious child, she began scanning everything inside the cockpit.

In just a moment, she had completely learned how to operate the Batwing before her.

Although 2B's artificial brain could not compare to the super artificial intelligence, Alice, it was still far beyond anything humans could match.

Her learning speed was beyond imagination, and perhaps that was one of the reasons 2B had developed self-awareness.

"Fasten your seatbelt. We're leaving immediately!" Loren said as he pressed the start button on the control panel.

Immediately, a pleasant electronic synthesized voice rang out inside the cockpit.

"Good evening, boss. I am artificial intelligence Alice. How may I assist you?"

All of Loren's smart devices could now connect to Alice.

Not only the Batwing before him, but also his Batmobile and even his Batman Suit could call upon Alice at any time.

Thus, he could not only operate those devices manually, but could also hand full operational control over to Alice when necessary.

Naturally, Alice's operational ability was not something he, a human, could compare to.

And since this was a test flight, it was only natural to let Alice, whose operating ability was the most outstanding, handle it.

There was another advantage to doing so: she could analyze the flight logs in real time and make dynamic adjustments whenever necessary.

This would also be of great help in optimizing the aircraft later on.

"Begin the Batwing's first routine test flight immediately," Loren ordered.

"Understood. Conducting pre-flight inspection."

"Checking the Batwing's power system. Inspection complete. All systems normal..."

"Checking the Batwing's weapons system. Inspection complete. All systems normal..."

"Checking the Batwing's radar system. Inspection complete. All systems normal..."

"Overall inspection successfully completed. The test flight is about to begin..."

"The routine test flight consists of three phases: maximum altitude testing, maximum speed testing, and combat capability testing."

"Beginning maximum altitude testing immediately..."

As Alice finished speaking, Loren and 2B, seated inside the Batwing, immediately felt a powerful sensation of weightlessness.

Because the Batwing did not use a conventional engine but an antigravity device, it could hover with ease.

Vertical takeoff and landing were even more effortless. Thus, during the maximum altitude test, sitting inside the Batwing felt like riding a drop tower in reverse. There was no buildup at all; it shot straight upward at an unbelievable speed.

"Altitude continuing to rise. One thousand meters, two thousand meters, five thousand meters, ten thousand meters, fifteen thousand meters, twenty thousand meters, twenty-five thousand meters..."

"Warning, warning. Ice buildup detected on the aircraft's surface. Activate de-icing mode immediately?"

Just as the Batwing reached an altitude of twenty-five thousand meters, the entire aircraft began visibly trembling, and Alice's warning sounded.

"Activate de-icing mode immediately. The Batwing's intended flight ceiling is far higher than this. Continue ascending."

Loren was unconcerned when he heard Alice's warning.

The Batwing had been built by combining the most advanced fighter jet technology in the current world with an antigravity system.

When he had designed it, its planned maximum altitude had been fifty thousand meters. That altitude already surpassed every existing fighter jet.

According to official records, the highest actual altitude ever reached by a manned aircraft in the world was around thirty-seven thousand meters.

And that record had been set in 1977. To this day, no one had broken it.

The most advanced fighter jets currently had an actual maximum flight altitude of only twenty-seven thousand meters, while ordinary fighter jets remained below twenty thousand meters.

From this, it was clear just how astonishing it was that Loren's Batwing could fly as high as fifty thousand meters!

Upon hearing Loren's order, Alice immediately activated de-icing mode.

As de-icing mode activated, the ice that had formed on the Batwing's surface instantly shattered and melted.

With the high-altitude freezing issue resolved, the Batwing steadied itself after its earlier trembling.

Then it continued flying toward even greater heights.

Before long, it broke through thirty thousand meters and continued climbing all the way to forty-eight thousand meters, where it could no longer ascend.

"Boss, the aircraft has reached its actual maximum flight altitude. It cannot ascend any further for the time being," Alice's voice rang out in the cockpit.

Hearing Alice's report, Loren nodded in satisfaction.

His designed altitude had been fifty thousand meters, while the actual altitude had reached forty-eight thousand. That had far exceeded his expectations.

"Very good. Lower the altitude to twenty-five thousand meters first, then conduct the maximum speed test. My designed maximum speed is Mach 5. Let's see how close the actual performance can get," Loren issued another testing order.

Upon hearing Loren's command, Alice immediately got to work.

"Understood! Altitude has been lowered to twenty-five thousand meters. Beginning maximum speed test immediately. Countdown begins. Five... four... three... two... one!"

"Boom!!"

"Whoosh!!!"

As Alice's countdown ended, Loren and 2B immediately felt a terrifying force slam them back into their seats.

Their bodies were instantly pinned sideways against the seats as though a massive boulder were pressing down on them, leaving them completely unable to move.

Even Loren's facial features were slightly distorted by the pressure.

This showed just how terrifying the Batwing's initial acceleration was.

The overload generated by such flight speed was something ordinary people simply could not endure. They would probably faint instantly.

Fortunately, Loren had strengthened his body with the Perfected Super-Soldier Serum. Otherwise, he would not have escaped the same fate.

"Warning, warning. A humanoid flying object has been detected ahead. The target's flight speed is Mach 0.8."

"A humanoid flying object? What does it look like?" Loren froze upon hearing Alice's words.

Just as his words fell, a gold-and-red humanoid armored suit suddenly appeared on the screen before him.

"Oh, isn't that Iron Man?"