World Martial Arts Tournament

In the institute's conference room, every researcher except Jiang Nan had arrived. Dr. Gero sat at the head of the table, presiding over the meeting.

"Let's hear your progress on the No. 6 robot project," Dr. Gero said to Fett.

Fett, his assistant, gave Dr. Gero a fawning smile before beginning his report. "Doctor, testing on the No. 6 robot has been going smoothly. Functional testing is nearly complete, and all of No. 6's metrics have exceeded our expectations. In tests across multiple scenarios, No. 6 has consistently made the correct decisions on its own."

"Excellent. Well done!" Dr. Gero offered his praise freely.

Fett seized the opportunity to raise the idea on his mind. "Doctor, our robot development technology is approaching maturity now. Could we start working on the android project next?"

Dr. Gero tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "Yes, we can begin preparations. But the robot project must continue too. We can't let it fall behind. Let's set a deadline. There are three months left this year, and within those three months, we need to complete our technical feasibility analysis and theoretical validation."

Fett followed up. "Dr. Gero, what about a test subject?"

Fett had never abandoned his malicious desire to have Jiang Nan killed. In his twisted mind, Doris would only give him a second glance once Jiang Nan was dead.

How could Doris not know what Fett was scheming? Taking Jiang Nan under her wing might have been an impulsive decision at first, but after spending so much time together, they had long since developed an unspoken understanding, like old friends.

Doris gave Fett a cold look and silently made her plans. If Dr. Gero really intended to use Jiang Nan as a test subject, she would secretly let him escape.

"We don't need a test subject!"

Unexpectedly, Dr. Gero chose a different approach. "At present, we still have too little experience accumulated from the robot project. And according to my research, modifying a human body is far more difficult than building a few robots with independent consciousness. For our first android, we should modify a robot as our base."

Doris relaxed inwardly. Fett was disappointed, but he did not dare defy Dr. Gero and could only grit his teeth and swallow it.

Dr. Gero continued, "There's another matter to arrange. Since we're building androids with formidable combat capabilities, we'll also need to collect human combat data to load into their chips later."

"I'll handle that," a male researcher wearing glasses volunteered. "I'm the one who coordinates with the Red Ribbon Army during weapons deliveries. I can collect their combat data."

"Good. Mark will handle the military combat data." Dr. Gero approved of Mark taking the initiative.

Damn it. Mark stole the spotlight again, Fett cursed inwardly.

Then Dr. Gero added, "Military combat data alone won't be enough. Soldiers have good combat skills, but those skills are designed for warfare. The androids we develop shouldn't have such rigid combat patterns."

"I have an idea. The World Martial Arts Tournament, held in South City once every five years, begins in half a month. This is a heaven-sent opportunity!" Dr. Gero added.

"I'll go!" Fett hurried to his feet. This was a chance to earn credit, and he could not hand it over to someone else again.

Looking at Fett's increasingly obese body, a trace of amusement flashed in Dr. Gero's eyes. He had already decided whom to send to South City, so he turned Fett down. "No, Fett. I have another assignment for you. Come to my office later. That's all for now. Doris, stay behind."

Once everyone else had left, Dr. Gero asked, "I'd like you to make a trip to South City. Would that be all right?"

"No problem!" Doris answered without hesitation.

Dr. Gero smiled with satisfaction. He was one of the few people who knew about Doris's unusual constitution. Even as a young girl, she had displayed formidable strength before him. He had studied her constitution too, but had found nothing abnormal.

Doris added, "I'd like to take Jiang Nan with me."

Now it was Dr. Gero's turn to hesitate. He had once ordered someone to secretly collect Jiang Nan's biological information for study, but had found nothing special. So why had the transporter experiment brought Jiang Nan over back then, while having no effect on anyone else?

Dr. Gero also suspected that Jiang Nan's constitution had something unusual about it. Once that seed of suspicion took root, it was hard to erase. Scientific experimentation was, after all, the pursuit of that single success amid ten thousand failures. Dr. Gero worried that Jiang Nan might be his one slim chance of successfully developing an android.

After an internal struggle, Dr. Gero decided to give up on Jiang Nan. If he truly intended to turn a human into an android, perhaps he already had a better candidate in mind. Deep down, however, he also hoped it would not ultimately be that person.

"Take Jiang Nan with you. Stay safe." With that, Dr. Gero slowly rose and left.

Doris remained seated alone. She did not know why she had suddenly wanted to bring Jiang Nan along. Whenever she thought of traveling far from home on her own, an indescribable feeling stirred within her.

Doris had complicated impressions of Jiang Nan. The boy always acted very respectfully around her, addressing her as "Lady Doris" at every turn. Yet she could tell that there was no fear in his eyes when he looked at her, only a confidence that treated everyone as equals.

That was something worth mentioning about Jiang Nan. Ever since childhood, he had enjoyed inexplicably good luck with women. His handsome face was part of it, but more importantly, he always unconsciously exuded a sense of warmth around them.

In his original world, people described that sort of indiscriminate warmth as being "everyone's boyfriend." It was hardly a compliment.

That warmth also meant Jiang Nan often attracted women without meaning to. But he was stubborn. Ever since meeting his dream girl, Wei Jun, he had fallen completely for her, devoting himself to winning her over and ignoring all the other women around him.

Two days later, Doris and Jiang Nan set off on their journey. Adjutant Black had prepared a small plane for them and generously given Doris a Hoi-Poi Capsule as well. Those were luxury goods at the time, not only expensive but also available in limited quantities.

South City lay in Earth's southern hemisphere. Its hot, humid climate reminded Jiang Nan of the tropics in his previous world.

The World Martial Arts Tournament venue was on Papaya Island, east of South City. Papaya Island was an isolated island surrounded by sea, with few residents. With the 19th World Martial Arts Tournament approaching, the normally quiet little island had grown lively.

On the beach, Doris wore a bikini as she lounged beneath a parasol on a sunbed, enjoying the sea breeze. Jiang Nan sat in a beach chair beside her, drinking chilled soda from a glass bottle.

"Wow, Lady Doris, look! Another flying car is coming in over the sea!" Jiang Nan pointed toward an antigravity car approaching across the distant water, calling out with excitement.

These cars were a new product Capsule Corporation had released that year. They were pure alien technology, developed from technology Dr. Brief had obtained from the Galactic Patrol.

At present, only the uppermost social elite could afford such cars. If the World Martial Arts Tournament had not drawn so many wealthy spectators, Jiang Nan would never have had the chance to see one in person.

This was Doris's first time leaving North City in three years. The hot, humid climate and carefree atmosphere left her restless, as though something wild wanted to break free from deep within her.

"Put some sunscreen on me," Doris suddenly requested.

Jiang Nan looked Doris up and down and could not help swallowing. She's seducing me. This is outright seduction!

"Lady Doris, putting sunscreen on someone is something couples do." Jiang Nan pointed at the other tourists on the beach.

A faint smile played at the corners of Doris's mouth. She raised an eyebrow. "What, are you that unwilling to be my boyfriend? I don't mind, so what are you, a grown man, afraid of?"

As she spoke, Doris rolled onto her stomach. Jiang Nan decided to throw caution to the wind. If you're not embarrassed, what do I, a grown man, have to be shy about? He squeezed out some sunscreen and began spreading it over Doris's back.

The instant he touched her, a flame flared in his lower belly.

She feels incredible! Her silky skin felt like a piece of translucent jelly beneath his hands, and Jiang Nan could not help pressing harder.

The intimate atmosphere grew thicker. Jiang Nan had not had intimate contact with a woman for three years. Living day in and day out with a stunner like Doris, he would have been lying to himself if he claimed he had never entertained any thoughts.

No, no. I have to stay calm!

Jiang Nan silently recited the Dao De Jing.

Doris's breathing grew uneven too. She rolled over and met Jiang Nan's eyes, and an unusual gleam suddenly lit her pupils.

Jiang Nan's mind went blank in an instant. As if bewitched, his breathing began to grow heavy too.

A blaze of desire rose from deep within him, and he felt an uncontrollable urge to make Doris his.

Doris gazed at him with smoldering intensity, as though she wanted to devour him without leaving even a bone behind.

The strange, dusky red glow deep within Doris's eyes gradually brightened, and her power level rose along with it.

120, 130, 140...

Just as the sparks between them were about to ignite, a jarring voice rang out.

"What a gorgeous beauty! Keh-heh-heh..."

The voice practically announced its owner as a villain. What decent person laughed like that?

The abrupt interruption startled Jiang Nan. Reason returned to his mind, along with the awkward feeling of having been caught in the act.

Not far from them stood a young man wearing only swim trunks, with two lean, sharp-looking lackeys behind him.

The man had a strong yet elegant build, his muscles well-defined without looking bulky. With thick brown hair and a sharply outlined jaw, he looked like a leading man in a movie. His only flaw was the dark circles beneath his eyes, making it obvious that booze and women had drained him.

"Beautiful lady, my name is Henry. Might I have the honor of inviting you to dinner?" Henry ignored Jiang Nan and extended his invitation to Doris.

Annoyed, Doris coldly snapped, "Scram!"

Henry took no offense and continued introducing himself. "You may not know me, but I'm the son of the president of South City's Silver Wolf Society. Surely you've heard of us? The Silver Wolf Society is also one of the sponsors of this year's World Martial Arts Tournament."

"Never heard of it." Doris had no interest in dealing with him and turned to Jiang Nan. "A fly has spoiled the mood. Shouldn't we chase it away?"

Jiang Nan was still wondering why Doris's power level had inexplicably risen again. Before he could process her words, he nodded reflexively. "Yes."

"Then go ahead," Doris said.

Me? Only then did Jiang Nan catch on. He checked their power levels again: Henry was at 44, and both lackeys were around 35. Doris, you're already a top-tier fighter at 147, but instead of doing it yourself, you're sending a weakling with a power level of 40 to fight three guys at once?

That was hardly surprising. As one of the World Martial Arts Tournament's sponsors, the Silver Wolf Society had an inside advantage, recruiting skilled fighters from every tournament. Most of those recruits were at the level of tournament semifinalists and would be considered experts anywhere in the world.

Still, he could not lose his nerve before the fight even started. Perhaps Doris would step in if he really got hurt. With that thought, Jiang Nan sprang to his feet and stiffened his neck, looking ready for a fight.

Henry gave another ugly cackle and rubbed his fists, preparing to beat Jiang Nan up.

At that moment, one of his lackeys suddenly whispered to him, "Young master, people from a lot of major organizations have arrived on the island these past few days. These two don't seem to care about the Silver Wolf Society's reputation, so they might have something backing them up. If we offend someone we shouldn't, I'm afraid we'll have trouble explaining it to the president."

Henry looked displeased at those words. "Even a powerful outsider has to bow to the local boss. Anyone who comes to South City has to fall in line. I've got a gorgeous prize right in front of me, and you want me to just watch her slip away?"

The lackey hurried to explain. "Young master, we'll have plenty of chances. Let's find out who they are first. If the kid is competing, we can have our fighters take good care of him during the tournament. If they're just tourists here to watch, and we find out they have no backing, heh-heh-heh..."

The lackey gave a lewd smile. Henry found the suggestion reasonable. He looked Doris over again, already imagining her naked in his bed.

"Keh-heh-heh. Until we meet again, miss. Let's go!" Wearing a smile full of ill intent, Henry left with his lackeys.

Doris had lost interest too and headed back to the hotel ahead of him. Jiang Nan packed up their things and hurried after her.