Setting out for the first battle
Li Qi had gained a great deal from fighting those two, learning many subtle applications of kung fu and unique moves.
He nodded slightly and gently told Xu Wenwu to return to his room to rest, then took Ying Li straight back to the master bedroom. Xu Wenwu had no objections to his master's arrangements and respectfully withdrew.
Back in the master bedroom, Li Qi and Ying Li sat side by side on the edge of the bed and launched into a deep, animated discussion about the applications and techniques of kung fu.
As a kung fu master, Ying Li offered unique, profound insights, like a beacon illuminating new directions in martial arts for Li Qi.
Li Qi humbly sought her guidance, constantly absorbing knowledge like a sponge thirsty for water, and gained a great deal.
After their discussion ended, Li Qi considerately let Ying Li go spend time with her daughter.
Mother and daughter had not seen each other for years. The joy of their reunion surged through their hearts like a tide, and naturally, they had endless things to say.
Li Qi stopped intruding on this heartwarming scene and quietly instructed JARVIS to bring Dr. Maya to the master bedroom, intending to have a thorough, in-depth discussion with her about the direction of research into the Extremis Virus.
The bedroom door slowly opened, and Dr. Maya walked in with elegant strides.
She wore a finely tailored black women's suit over a simple black T-shirt, paired with black trousers. Her long hair fell smoothly over her shoulders like a waterfall, and a pair of delicate glasses rested on her nose. From head to toe, she exuded a scholar's elegance and competence.
The doctor treated Li Qi with great respect. Ever since being placed under mind control, she had devoted herself to obeying orders, guarding her master's will like a loyal sentinel.
When Li Qi took control of her, he had used his system cheat to copy her professional knowledge of biological gene splicing and cutting from her mind. Knowing full well that she was exceptionally talented, a rare scientific researcher, he resolved to cultivate her properly and have her work for him.
Li Qi smiled and gestured for the doctor to sit down. The two held a long, in-depth discussion about the progress of research into the Extremis Virus, its potential risks, and its future direction.
Drawing on her extensive expertise, Dr. Maya explained her views clearly and in detail. Li Qi occasionally raised precise questions and novel ideas. Their exchange was a collision of minds that gave them both new avenues of thought, like finding a glimmer of dawn in the darkness.
After their discussion ended, Li Qi solemnly asked Dr. Maya for the location of Killian and his Extremis Virus gang's headquarters.
This was crucial to Li Qi. He planned to take Xu Wenwu and the two female warriors at his side to destroy this extremely dangerous organization in one fell swoop, as though cutting out a malignant tumor.
Dr. Maya clearly remembered the headquarters' location, having escaped from there herself, and unhesitatingly gave Li Qi its exact coordinates.
Li Qi called up the AI, and a three-dimensional map instantly appeared in midair. The coordinates showed that the headquarters was in a country villa in another state, quite far from here.
Over the past two days, JARVIS had acted like an invisible cyberwarrior, successfully infiltrating surveillance access points on public networks, private networks, and secret lines across the states of North America. He had essentially gained control of surveillance in most areas.
Live surveillance feeds were projected into the bedroom. They came from local street cameras and cameras on passing helicopters, drones, and toy planes. Li Qi and Dr. Maya watched closely.
Pointing at the footage, the doctor introduced the enormous building converted from an abandoned theater and explained its personnel composition in detail, including the numbers of death warriors, research staff, and middle- and senior-level managers. She told Li Qi everything she knew about the Extremis Virus gang without holding anything back, spilling it all out briskly and directly.
After hearing her explanation, Li Qi had a clear understanding of the gang: it had between seventy and a hundred members, including over a dozen who had gained superpowers through injections of the Extremis Virus, and another twenty or thirty experimental subjects who had experienced explosive reactions after their injections.
This was a sizable gang. If allowed to grow, it would inevitably cause even greater harm, like a venomous spider lurking in the darkness, ready to extend its poisonous claws toward the world at any moment.
Li Qi decided to wipe out this headquarters as soon as possible, but he knew he had to ensure nothing could go wrong. He could not rush it; he first had to develop a batch of more powerful mechs.
After having Dr. Maya return to her room, Li Qi went alone to the basement. The first mech had been severely damaged in the day's battle. Like a gravely wounded warrior, it was no longer usable. He had to assemble the second mech as quickly as possible and improve it.
To improve his chances of victory, Li Qi planned to build several more mechs to bolster his fighting strength. He gave JARVIS the order, and JARVIS immediately began manufacturing and assembling mechs in batches in another room, busily working in an orderly fashion like a diligent craftsman.
In the basement, Li Qi and JARVIS used data from the day's battle to optimize and upgrade the mech's ammunition capacity, maneuverability, joint lubrication, and other aspects, making it better suited to the demands of combat.
The work continued until dawn the next day, when the upgrades to the second mech were finally complete. Li Qi left the basement, returned to the bedroom, opened the floor-to-ceiling windows, and gazed at the boundless sea in the distance and the fiery red sun slowly rising above it. The rising sun was like a burning ball of fire, bringing light and hope to the world.
Dressed in white pajamas, Ying Li lay languidly on the bed, watching Li Qi with a gaze as gentle as water.
She had returned to the master bedroom from Xu Xialing's room the night before. Finding Li Qi absent, she had gone back to her daughter's room. Mother and daughter had talked all night, and she had only returned to the master bedroom that morning.
Ying Li had strictly obeyed Li Qi's orders and had no private contact with Xu Wenwu, like a soldier who rigorously observed discipline.
Li Qi walked into the room, and Ying Li sat up lightly on the bed. He gently drew her into his arms, and they shared a tender moment.
Li Qi intended to take a midday nap first to replenish his energy, then assemble the mechs, Xu Wenwu, and the others that afternoon to attack Killian's Extremis Virus gang headquarters. The sooner he eliminated this menace, the sooner he could advance his own plans.
Despite working all night, Li Qi was still full of energy. After exchanging a few warm words with Ying Li, he lay down on the bed to rest. Like a thoughtful butler, JARVIS automatically adjusted the room's lighting and temperature to their most comfortable settings.
At noon, Daisy Johnson strode confidently toward the kitchen to supervise the cooking. She, Xu Xialing, and Xu Wenwu had all received their master's orders and knew there was an important operation that afternoon. They had to replenish their energy properly at lunch.
Once the food was ready, JARVIS quietly notified Li Qi. Li Qi brought Ying Li to the dining room, where everyone was already waiting except Shang-Chi and his girlfriend, Katy.
Xu Wenwu informed his master that those two had left the villa and gone to downtown Los Angeles to continue their lives. Li Qi nodded. He had never intended to involve Shang-Chi in the subsequent operations anyway.
At the dining table, Dr. Maya once again gave a detailed account of Killian's headquarters. Surveillance footage and a three-dimensional map appeared above the table, and everyone listened carefully with serious, focused expressions. Once her explanation was finished, JARVIS withdrew the projections, and everyone began eating.
After a hearty meal, Xu Wenwu reported to his master that the three armed helicopters and combat squad he had brought were standing by on the road leading down the mountain outside the villa's entrance. They could take the helicopters directly to the headquarters. Li Qi nodded and told everyone to make their preparations.
Both kung fu masters, Ying Li and her daughter Xu Xialing changed into their own combat uniforms. Li Qi handed the Ten Rings to Xu Wenwu, knowing full well they could serve a greater purpose in his hands.
Xu Wenwu carefully slipped the ten metal rings onto his arms. The Ten Rings could automatically adjust their size to suit their user's build. He had worn and used them for a thousand years and wielded them with ease, as though they were part of his body.
Once everyone was ready, Li Qi led the group, including Maya, out through the villa's main entrance. Happy, the villa's hired bodyguards, and its security personnel did not accompany them, which left the potbellied Happy somewhat dissatisfied.
Li Qi told him to stay behind to protect the villa and the people inside, and only then did Happy feel somewhat reassured. Li Qi was very pleased with Happy's loyalty.
Everyone boarded the three armed helicopters. Their rotors spun rapidly, whipping up fierce winds as the three helicopters slowly rose into the air.
Following JARVIS's navigation, they flew straight toward Killian's headquarters in another state, with an estimated flight time of roughly an hour and a half to two hours. Everyone maintained radio silence throughout the journey. The atmosphere was tense and heavy, like the calm before a storm.
Li Qi felt both a little apprehensive and a little excited. This was the first large-scale gang battle he had participated in since transmigrating.
Higher above the helicopters, six mechs controlled by JARVIS flew together. They would serve as the main fighting force in this battle, while everyone else provided support. This strategy had been decided long before.