After checking everything and confirming no issues, Merlin turned his attention back to Hammer's unmanned armor system. The sol had sneaked in quietly and found that Ivan had hidden a secret within the system.
As the saying goes, "A mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind." This system was like a matryoshka doll, with each party hidden within another.
"Just wait until tomorrow."
During this time, in addition to gathering the raw materials for vampires, Merlin had also taken control of the alien nest, using high-voltage devices to continually stimulate the alien queen into laying eggs. This would allow him to reach the required amount of synthesized materials.
With over three thousand alien eggs, he would soon start synthesizing them into Material 002 using the vampires. The 003 Deadpool Alien was still in development. Ever since Deadpool encountered the Alien Queen, he'd been transformed into a perpetual motion machine, continuously spawning aliens. Presently, he was contained in a tunnel, waiting for an opportunity to escape.
The 002 vampire alien was highly contagious, with notable weaknesses, making it a more common monster in the game. The rarer 003 Deadpool aliens were immortal elite monsters.
Of course, since it was a game, there had to be a main storyline. Unlike the Lizard Incident game, this time, there was a singular main mission: destroy the source of monster production — the alien nest.
As the game neared, Merlin continued refining his planning, determined not to overlook anything. This game, with extensive preparations, would match the scale of the Lizard Incident.
"Little Mute, how many skill chips have we produced so far?" Merlin suddenly asked.
"1,630 combat proficiency chips, 1,660 firearms proficiency chips, 530 swordsmanship proficiency chips, and 960 short dagger proficiency chips…" reported the Little Mute.
"A total of 5,900," it confirmed, one by one.
"Select 3,000 pieces for random testing."
"Okay."
Time was running short, but Merlin couldn't delay any longer; any more waiting would risk exposure.
By the time Merlin closed his laptop, it was already past one in the morning. He yawned, then washed up and was about to lie down when he heard a knock at the window. Instantly alert, he looked towards it.
Under the moonlight, clad in her black-and-white Spider-Woman suit, Gwen lay at the window. Merlin's face flushed as he realized he had forgotten a prior promise to watch a movie with her, thanks to his hectic schedule.
Gwen, obviously displeased, tossed a spider envelope inside, glared, and vanished. Merlin opened it:
"Meet in three days at the Lion Cinema in Queens at 10 p.m. Don't disappear again!"
Merlin smiled at her familiar handwriting, placing the envelope in the drawer.
"Three days… just enough time," he murmured, then fell asleep.
---
The next evening at McPherson Stadium:
"Merlin! Over here!" Pepper called from the corridor, spotting Merlin with two women in tow. She hugged Merlin, then looked curiously at the pair — one in a figure-hugging dress, the other in smart, secretary attire. Both had expressionless faces.
"This is Elna and Melinda," Merlin introduced. "Androids I've built over the last couple of months. Elna is a gift for Happy, and Melinda is a secretary android for you."
Melinda stepped forward and greeted Pepper, who was stunned at her lifelike appearance.
"I can hardly believe she's a bionic person," Pepper murmured, touching Melinda's face. She looked to Elna, the other android, a bit bemused.
Merlin explained, "Happy's been single for a while, so I figured… you know."
Pepper laughed, amused.
After settling in, they moved towards the exhibit hall filled with military and tech representatives.
"Ladies and gentlemen," announced Justin Hammer from the stage, "For too long, our brave soldiers have faced risk in combat… but today, I proudly present to you the Hammer Steel Soldiers!"
As enthusiastic music played, a row of Hammer's steel armors rose on stage, each unit equipped with various weaponry for the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
"Although this technology is revolutionary, soldiers are still needed," Hammer declared. "And now, please welcome the Air Force rapid response armor and its driver… James Rhodes!"
---
Pepper gasped, recognizing Stark's armor on Rhodes. Just as she was about to protest, a figure dropped into the hall with a resounding thud — Iron Man had arrived. The crowd erupted in cheers.
"It begins," Merlin grinned, as a familiar song from the Lizard Incident played.
The room darkened, and the screen on stage displayed a monstrous vampire alien, black and dripping with mucus.
*Event: The Prop League*
- *Location*: Los Santos
- *Objective*: Hunt vampire aliens, prevent the virus spread, find and eliminate the alien nest.
---
"I participated in a competition that was supposed to happen at 9 PM on Thursday but got delayed and ended up starting at 1 AM. I only reached home at 6 AM friday, which left me unable to upload a chapter. I apologize for the delay and appreciate your understanding! I also Lost
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