"Silvija, it's rare for you to take the initiative to talk to me."
"Hmph~ How could I not greet the big sponsor?"
Silvija responded with a touch of pride.
She'd never admit that she was actually starting to like her boss, Ye Li~
All thanks to those devoted fans flooding her social media with praises.
They commented every day about how legendary her mercenary career was, and how gorgeous her unearthed personal photos were.
Even someone as cold and aloof as Silvija couldn't help feeling a bit smug amidst such endless compliments————
————'I really am exceptional~'
The harder the fans simped, the more favorable Silvija's impression of Ye Li became...
"You taking her out for a walk?"
Silvija looked at Alita's sparkling eyes and praised her with a smile.
"These big, pretty eyes are really unique~"
"Have fun out there~"
She leaned in close to Ye Li, and a kiss with silver lipstick was left on his cheek———smooch~
"It's getting late. Be sure to come back early, or your little girlfriends will get upset~"
"Whoa~"
Ye Li was a bit surprised, and thanked the silver-clad beauty, "Thanks for the kiss, Silvija. It really lifted my mood."
"Oh?"
Silvija, in a good mood herself, said, "Does my kiss really have that kind of magic~?"
"Of course~ I mean, when such a beautiful lady offers a kiss, anyone would be happy for a long time."
Compared to Silver Sable's fans and their over-the-top compliments, Ye Li's exaggerated praise wasn't much.
But Silvija still enjoyed it, licking her upper lip slightly with her pink tongue, "If it's your face, Ye, I could never get tired of tasting it~"
Westerners will be Westerners—even a cool beauty like Silvija got pretty bold when she liked someone~
"Then how about we…"
Ye Li felt like he might actually get a date.
He was just teasing her a little, didn't expect her to be so direct...
But then—
While the two were flirting,
Alita, who was watching, studied Silvija's appearance—silver clothes, silver hair, silver lips...
Then looked down at her own silver metallic parts, then back at the closeness between Ye Li and Silvija...
"Mama!"
The mechanical girl suddenly shouted at Lady Silver Sable!
??
Silvija: ???
Ye Li too: ???
"Don't call her that."
Ye Li patted Alita on the head.
"Hmm?"
Alita pointed at Silvija with her slender silver finger. "Isn't she my mother?"
Ye Li's face darkened. "No, she is NOT!"
"Hehe~"
Silvija recovered from her surprise, folded her arms, curled her fingers to her lips, and laughed lightly.
"Little one, I'm not your mother. Your moms are all back at the estate~"
Looking at Alita's doll-like face, her expression turned oddly amused. She thought maybe Alita and Ye Li were into some kinky role-play...
"My moms?!"
Alita looked surprised!
"Hey… Don't listen to her nonsense…"
Ye Li abandoned any idea of asking Silvija out and quickly drove off with Alita...
Vroom~—
Venica accelerated quickly, and in just a blink, they had left Sunnyvale…
"So urgent~"
The silver-haired beauty looked at Ye Li's departing figure, touched her lips where she had just kissed him, and her tongue flicked across her inner teeth as she murmured longingly, "Boss really knows how to have fun… if I were with him… wouldn't that mean I could experience all kinds of pleasures...?"
Well, a woman—no matter how beautiful—has needs too~
Especially someone like Silvija, a Western woman…
She was in her twenties after all, and thought Ye Li might be worth pursuing…
Just a little hormonal refreshment from time to time~
"Then who is my mother?"
As Venica sped down lanes lined with greenery, Alita was still fixated on this question.
[How the hell would I know who your mom is...]
Ye Li thought for a moment, then decided to just bluff.
"Your mom is called 'The System,' got it?"
"System?" Alita quieted down, seemingly thinking about something...
A moment later.
She turned to him and said, "You're lying to me, aren't you?"
"Oh-ho~ you're pretty smart,
Eh eh eh—! What are you doing?!"
Halfway through his words, Ye Li quickly grabbed Alita's head to stop her from kissing him. "What are you doing, little one? Getting frisky? I know I'm handsome, but not everyone gets a kiss."
"Huh? But that silver big sister did it earlier. I just wanted to try and see what it felt like…"
The mechanical girl's face was so expressive, her big eyes looked like they could talk~
'What's the point of testing with your synthetic face skin anyway...'
Ye Li didn't have the heart to be that blunt, so he looked around for something to distract her.
Just in time.
Vineca had driven itself onto the street.
"Alita, didn't you say you didn't like the clothes I made? Want to check out this clothing store?" Ye Li pointed to a high-end boutique.
Alita glanced at the display window and shook her head. "Not pretty, yours are better."
"Uh… then how about some lubricant…"
Ye Li pointed carelessly at a mechanical parts store—and instantly regretted it...
Sure enough.
From the way her large mechanical eyes stared at him, it was clear she was slightly mad...
But—
When she glanced at something nearby, curiosity lit up her eyes again.
"What are they all gathered over there for?"
Alita pointed to a large screen on a building wall.
There, passersby were all stopping in their tracks, eagerly discussing what was playing on the screen—
"'Ready Player One? A revolutionary holographic simulation game? What's that?"
"Wow bro, you sound like a fossil. Holographic simulation is basically virtual reality, man—it gives players an experience almost like real life."
"Virtual reality? No way, even the military hasn't widely adopted that tech yet. How could it hit the consumer market?"
"Maybe it's a scam to milk us gamers! My uncle's nephew's younger brother tried one of those so-called VR games and got dizzy and puked!"
"Wait a sec—your uncle's nephew...? Isn't that just your—you shady dude!"
"Yeah I don't buy it either… probably just another money-grabbing game company…"
"No wait, look at the sponsor's name—there's the Ghost Spider Club logo. That's a top rising corporate group."
"That's right, my goddess Ghost Spider would never lie to me!"
"Don't bring Ghost Spider into this! Maybe it was produced by my genius Goddess, the knight! She's the guild leader!"
"But I heard she doesn't actually do anything…"
"Nonsense! Where'd you hear that gossip? Scram!"
The crowd around the big screen was noisy—some believed it, some didn't.
After all, virtual reality was still way too new for most of them.
Vrrrrm~—
Suddenly, a white drone descended above the screen.
It began projecting an incredibly lifelike holographic image over the crowd———
[If you're a real bro—come slash me!]
A humanoid figure appeared, floating in midair—it was the standard image of a clone soldier:
[Want to experience a truly immersive game world? Want to know what it's like to become a superhuman? Then come to Ready Player One! —it will let you…]
"Holy crap! This hologram looks so real, it's like he's actually standing in front of me!"
"That's the Silver Sable Company's Fearless Mercenary, isn't it? So, the game's modeled after them?! I'm definitely buying it!"
"Will we get to see the Silver Sable Goddess in-game? I hope she's the kind of NPC that gives out quests—and you can interact with!"
As the bystanders chatted—
The clone soldier continued his sales pitch:
[... Closed beta time! VR goggles and simulation pods are available for a limited time! Not $998!! Not even $98!! Just $98,000 Dollars of Joy™!! Rent virtual goggles today!!]
Pfft————!
The guy who just said he'd buy the game almost coughed up blood!
$98,000!?
And it's rented!
This is a game only rich people can afford, right?
"Create joy with your paycheck"? Broke people can't even play this?!
No matter what those less well-off bystanders thought, these screens and drones were installed all across New York City.
It would later expand to other cities. The first closed beta of "Player One" was limited to the Beautiful Nuts Republic (a.k.a. America).
"What is that? So amazing!"
Alita stared for a long while before snapping out of it when a traffic officer came to clear the road.
"You interested in combat?... When the game launches, I'll take you to play."
Ye Li was pretty satisfied with the speed of the game's promotion—just that the slogans sucked… Definitely something Old Ma came up with...
Also... he needed to figure out how to lower the cost of those VR simulation pods.
His goal wasn't to make money—just to let more people experience joy...
'In such a restless era… sometimes I think I'm a damn hero...'
Ye Li was basking in his own glory when he saw a snack cart being pushed nearby.
Probably drawn by the crowd, hoping to make a few sales.
A few people were buying from the cart, but not many—it must've been selling niche stuff.
Ye Li asked Alita, "Wanna eat something? I'll take you."
Come to think of it, he hadn't bought street food in ages.
"Mm-hmm-hmm!!"
The moment food was mentioned, Alita's eyes lit up and she nodded wildly!
She had taste sensors, after all!
'Heh… another little foodie...'
Ye Li chuckled and took the mechanical girl toward the snack cart.
…..
But as they got closer—
Ye Li felt a bit let down.
The cart was selling handmade chocolates—which didn't really interest him...
But—
Alita was still staring eagerly at the cart.
So Ye Li spoke to the old woman running the stand.
"How much is it… uh…"
The moment he said that, he laughed at himself.
It had been so long since he bought something that he subconsciously used the tone from his past life...
With his current wealth, why would he even need to ask the price…
"It's very affordable, just…"
The granny, wearing reading glasses, smiled warmly and handed a small piece of chocolate to Alita.
"You're such a cute girl. Here, try it—this one's from grandma, it's free~"
"Thank you, Grandma~"
Alita happily took it, tasted it, and her expression instantly melted. "Mmm—! This is so delicious!!"
"What is this called?"
The mechanical girl closed her eyes, moving her soft pink tongue in her mouth, savoring it with bliss all over her face~
"This is way too tasty~! I hereby declare—it's my favorite food ever~!!"
"Heh~"
Ye Li laughed and ruffled her hair.
"Is it really that good? You're making faces like a Disney princess~"
"Hehe… such an innocent, cheerful girl—she is a little princess after all…"
Seeing Alita's sincere praise, the granny was delighted and handed her a bigger piece of chocolate.
"Oh… maybe calling you 'Heaven's Little Angel' would be even more fitting. Here, little angel~ If you like it, Grandma's giving you another one."
"Mm…"
This time, Alita didn't take it right away—she looked up at Ye Li first.
Ye Li nodded. "Go ahead."
He'd just have someone give the kind old lady a little reward later anyway.
"Okay!"
Alita accepted it happily and munched on it, swaying her head back and forth in delight~~
"Young man, here's one for you too…"
Thanks to Alita, the granny was in such a good mood, she gave one to Ye Li as well.
"Thanks."
Ye Li, seeing how kind she was, struck up a conversation.
"Granny, you're at this age and still out running a stall—are you having financial difficulties?"
If so, he didn't mind funding a chocolate shop for her.
"Hehe, no, no…"
But the granny just waved her hand and laughed cheerfully.
"My old man passed away a few years ago, and my kids don't have much time to visit me...
I get too lonely and bored at home, so I push my cart out and sell my homemade chocolates—chatting with customers makes me happy."
As she spoke—
She looked at Alita still chewing on chocolate and said with a tinge of helplessness:
"Speaking of which, I have a daughter named Sharon Carter—just a bit older than this girl...
She really admired her aunt, insisted on following her path and joined some kind of...
Sigh, forget it… Let's not talk about that...
Is this young lady your little sister, or...? Hehe, forgive me, my old eyes are a bit blurry…"
"Oh, she's my…"
Ye Li casually answered while thinking—
'Sharon Carter? Isn't that the niece of Peggy Carter—S.H.I.E.L.D.'s founding agent and Cap's old flame…?'
He spaced out a bit and didn't immediately answer Sharon's mom.
So, Alita tugged on his sleeve and helped answer:
"He's my daddy… Hmm, or should I say 'master'… Daddy said I should call him 'master.'"
The mechanical girl thought she was being clever and took the chance to ask:
"Then maybe 'master' also means 'daddy,' right Grandma? Daddy is master, master is daddy—isn't that right?"
What??
Granny: ???
Ye Li: ???
'Oh no… it's over…'
Ye Li saw———
The granny's whole expression changed. She looked at him like he was a world-class pervert...
…He'd totally been mistaken for one of those "evil fathers"...
Seeing that Sharon Carter's mom was reaching under the counter—likely to call the cops—
Ye Li hurriedly opened his mouth.
"Ahem… I think I can explain…"
He really didn't want George to find out about this...
Whooshhhh—!!!
Right at that moment—
A sharp gust of wind approached!!
An unidentified object whizzed past Alita, slicing the chocolate in her hand clean in half…
One half of the chocolate dropped to the ground...
The object didn't slow down—still flying toward the stunned granny...
"Watch out!!"
A silver hand shot out, blocking the weapon and grabbing it mid-air———
Clang~!!
"What is this?"
Alita pulled her arm back—and saw she was holding a perfectly round shield… with a star-spangled pattern…