Now that my work is done, I transformed back. Let's go down and eat something. Having been thinking for a while, so much knowledge in this much less time makes you hungry. I was through the stairs and saw my sister on the sofa watching the TV. It was a Captain America show; they were showing his exploits, all those things they did to defeat Hydra, but reality is often different.
"Mooom, I am hungry."
"Just a minute, it's getting ready."
My sister eyed me from the sofa.
"Oh, look who decided to show his face."
"Yours, one and only handsome brother."
"More like a scarecrow."
I felt an ache in my heart.
"Just you wait. Before college starts, I will have 10 packs."
"I have heard about 6 packs and some saying 8. Where did you bring the extra two, bro, you dummy?"
"Well, my dear sister, unlike you, who we adopted, I have our family genes, which can give 10 packs."
"Moooommyy!"
"Ben, stop it, or I will tell your father."
I suddenly had a chill in my spine.
"Mom, I will not say it again. Please don't tell Dad."
"You better behave."
My sister started laughing.
"Laugh all you want. I will show you."
I moved and sat at the dining table.
"Mom, Dad has not come yet?"
"No, Ben. There was a fire in a house, so he is late."
So, right, I didn't tell you. My father is a firefighter. We have a decent house with two floors. We don't live in luxury, but hey, that's why I am gonna start manga and move out from here.
"Brother, when did you get a watch, and why don't I see any time on it?"
I nervously looked at my sister and said, "That's my style."
Seriously, I said that.
"Dummbo!" Saying that, she started eating.
If you knew what it was, you wouldn't say that, I thought. At the same time, the door to the house opened, and father came. My sister came off the table and started running towards my father.
"PaPa!"
"Oh, my sweet darling."
Well, she is 10 years old.
Then I said, "Welcome home, Father."
"HaHa, so how was the day?"
"Just like every day."
"Okay, enough talking, you two. Honey, you should wash yourself," said my mother.
"Okay."
At the dining table:
"Dad, I want to build a computer."
My father stopped eating and looked at me.
"Ben, we don't have enough money to build a computer."
"Oh, no worry, Dad. I can build it through my savings. There are pieces thrown here and there. I can build from them."
"When did you learn that?"
"I am smart, Dad."
"Okay, do whatever you want."
"Thanks."
"Just be careful."
"Yes."
After dinner, I went to my room.
"Tomorrow is gonna be a big day. Let's get some sleep."
After dozing off, I woke up at 6 in the morning.
"Yeah, 6. Gotta make a body."
I got down, washed my face, came up, and started doing push-ups. My body may be skinny; it doesn't mean I don't have stamina. I play a lot of football (soccer) in college, so I have great stamina. What I need is muscle. And how do you gain muscle? You break muscle.
At the 5th push-up, I collapsed.
"Yeah, shit body."
So next: sit-ups, abs, and all indoor styles.
After 30 minutes of training, I am exhausted, feeling pain in my arms and legs. But you know what? I had a loophole. Yep, Omnitrix! You know what? When I transform back from an alien, it heals my body. Well, it doesn't apply in fights where you have spent all your energy and are exhausted, but by only transforming back, a little bit of the Omnitrix's energy heals you. So, I can break the muscle and build the muscle quickly with no muscle soreness or pain all night.
Aren't I a genius? (When he wants to be lazy.)
After 4 hours of gym montage—which is impossible on someone's first day—I go for a bath. It's a good thing I had brought food to eat, or I would have died from hunger. I found out later that Omnitrix doesn't give deposit energy; it just accelerates our healing faster, and it fucking hurts.
So much for a genius, I guess it's true: no pain, no gain.
After morning breakfast at home, I got out of the house, took the bicycle, and started to find a shop to steal. A rich shop. Can't steal from the poor; they cough up blood.
Why do I feel I am becoming not a hero but an anti-hero?
Nope, it's for the greater good (my greater good).
So, after searching for 2 hours, I got my spot. Well, I got distracted by beauties. Cough cough Gotta change that habit.
I opened the door and came to the reception.
There was this old man. Damn, I thought there would be a lady. Maybe next time.
"Okay," I muttered and asked for a graphics card. It took all my money. Yep, all of it.
After buying it, I noticed where the other things were stored. Not on display, obviously—the warehouse. I wasn't gonna take anything from the display; that's too obvious when it goes missing.
I stepped into an alley and dialed my Omnitrix. Time to choose an alien. As the light intensified, my body began to change rapidly.
My skin turned a sleek, dark blue with black accents, giving me an otherworldly appearance. My feet elongated into wheel-like structures, perfect for high-speed travel. My hands transformed into three-fingered claws, designed for agility and grip.
A long, whip-like tail sprouted from my back, aiding in balance and maneuverability.
As my helmet-like headgear formed, it covered my now reptilian face, complete with sharp, angular features. My eyes—bright green and cat-like—gleamed with a fierce intensity.
With every breath, I felt the surge of speed coursing through my veins. I had transformed into XLR8.
"Alright, time to move like a blur!"
I darted into the store, zoomed past the warehouse, and grabbed what I needed. Then, I rushed back home to the storeroom. Taking out the monitor and PC, I threw the cardboard into the dustbin.
Next, I took out some oil paints and, in a blur, painted over everything to make it look old.
"Yep, gotta show it's second-hand, you know," I muttered to myself.
I ran back to the alley, grabbed the RAM and DDR, stuffed them into my bag, and transformed back into my human form.
But as I stood there, shame hit me like a truck.
"Damn. I'll transfer some millions into his account when I'm rich. I swear!"
Cycling back home, I walked up the stairs when my mom spotted me carrying the PC and monitor.
She looked at me and said, "Where did you get this trash? Does it even work?"
"Yes, Mom. I can make it work."
Oh, XLR8 isn't just fast—he's a great painter. It really looks like trash now.
I started with the processor.
The existing one? Nah, it wasn't good enough for performance. So, I began making a Quantum Fluid Processor using old motherboards, cooling systems, liquid cooling kits, and other salvaged items.
I designed it so that liquid could flow through micro-channels on a custom-built motherboard, acting as both a coolant and a conductor for electrical signals.
Carefully, I modified an old motherboard to create microfluidic channels, soldering components I had scavenged. I filled the cooling system with a conductive liquid I formulated using household chemicals and cooled it to enhance its properties.
While I was working, my mother peeked from the kitchen and shook her head.
She probably thought I had gone nuts.