[David POV]
The holographic interface pulsed once in front of me, then exploded outward with a cascade of golden motes, each one swirling like embers caught in wind.
[General Lottery Draw Initiated]
This was not like my usual monthly draw where I picked the cards myself.
Now, ten of them began to materialize on their own. Each one spun in place, gleaming with its own distinct hue, like they had been waiting for this moment.
My heart kicked harder against my ribs as the final list took shape.
[CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE RECEIVED:
- Harold Allnut (DC)
- Sparring Bots x 3Nos (Psycho-Pass)
- Alex Mercer's Jacket (Prototype)
- ISIS Yacht (Archer Series)
- Hikage Shinomori (My Hero Academia)
- Ezio Auditore da Firenze (Assassin's Creed)
- Hal Emmerich (Metal Gear)
- Power Cell – T-800 x 10 Nos (Terminator)
- Red Dust – 10 Units (Black Widow)
- Darkwear (Young Justice TV Series)]
"Yes", I shouted after seeing the rewards.
I was extremely happy since these rewards were gold.
I didn't stop here since I felt my luck was good. So I decided to do his second lottery draw.
"System use my other lottery card too."
[Yes Host]
[General Lottery Draw Initiated]
It was just the same process like before. Then came the rewards.
[CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE RECEIVED:
- Art Rosenbaum (Invincible TV Series)
- Allison Argent (Teen Wolf)
- Simon "Ghost" Riley (Call of Duty)
- Night Blood Serum x 2 (The 100)
- Rosarita Cisneros (Black Lagoon)
- L Lawliet (Death Note)
- Zero Point Energy Gloves (The Incredibles)
- Minor Healing Potion x 5 (Overlord)
- Shin (Cowboy Bebop)
- Sneakers (Black Panther)]
"Damn. What a lucky day I have," I muttered to myself, grinning like I had just walked out of a casino with their vault under my arm.
The screen still shimmered in front of me, the second draw's results frozen mid-glow.
"System, display item descriptions for…"
One by one, the list pulled up beside me which I had named.
[Sparring Bots x3 (Psycho-Pass) - Autonomous combat drones modeled after the MWPSB training units. Each bot comes equipped with adjustable difficulty levels and combat routines designed to mimic both armed and unarmed combatants. Ideal for high-intensity sparring, stealth training, and muscle memory enhancement. Each bot is fully repairable and stores performance data after each session.]
[Power Cell – T-800 (Terminator) - a nuclear power cell.]
[Red Dust (Black Widow) - Red Dust is a counteragent released in gaseous form, specifically designed to free victims from mind control. It was primarily developed to liberate Black Widows from their psychological subjugation.]
[Darkwear (Young Justice TV Series) - It is composed of several key elements: a form-fitting black and gray jumpsuit with no identifying marks, a mask that covers the lower face, high-tech contact lenses, and utility pouches. It also incorporates a transmitter that is used not only for communication but can also emit counter-frequency pulses to disable wireless devices such as security cameras.]
[Night Blood Serum (The 100) - Genetically engineered serum capable of altering blood composition. Grants immunity to high levels of radiation and certain biological agents. Can be administered via injection.]
[Zero Point Energy Gloves (from The Incredibles): These gloves immobilize targets by suspending them in a gravity-nullifying field, effectively freezing them in place and making them easy to manipulate or throw.]
[Minor Healing Potion (Overlord) - Small vials of magically-enhanced healing liquid. Each potion restores your health fully. Can be consumed or applied topically.]
[Sneakers (Black Panther) - A Vibranium-based footwear prototype designed by Shuri. Allows complete silence during movement.]
The rewards were way better than I expected. But now came the hard part: figuring out who to assimilate first.
There were more than enough options to choose from, and each came with their own set of advantages... and complications.
Ezio Auditore da Firenze – The master assassin himself.
L Lawliet – A world-class detective with genius-level intellect.
Harold Allnut – A quiet mechanical genius.
Hal Emmerich – A brilliant mind in both programming and engineering.
Art Rosenbaum – Costume designer, forensic expert. Odd combo, but useful.
Simon "Ghost" Riley – Battle-hardened British operator.
Shin – A thug. Not much more to say.
Rosarita Cisneros – A killer in a maid outfit.
Allison Argent – Meh.
Hikage Shinomori – A hero with a danger sense quirk, though not the One For All version.
Reading Shinomori's profile bummed me out a little. Not so much. Still, beggars can't be choosers.
Ezio was my first pick. No question.
He was a legend—master of stealth, parkour, close-quarters combat, and infiltration. Assimilating with him would elevate my stealth operations to an entirely new level. Movement, timing, execution—everything would sharpen.
My second choice was Hikage Shinomori, mainly for his quirk: Danger Sense. The Quirk is able to sense one's intent and their negative emotions. But quirks often came with drawbacks, and his was no exception. I didn't want to inherit any lingering weaknesses. So I used a Weakness Removal Card on his character before assimilation.
Character Assimilation:
1. Snake Eyes – 95%
2. Ezio Auditore da Firenze – 55%
3. Hikage Shinomori – 40%
Now, it was time to plan my next steps.
I still had Detective Alan Sloane locked up. He was a loose end, but with the neuralyzer in my arsenal, I had a plan. If I played it right, I could use him to trigger serious heat on the Iron Serpents, shifting attention their way without it coming back to me.
Then there were the side missions. I needed to complete them for the next set of rewards. My monthly lottery draw was also approaching at the end of the week.
Beyond that, I had to start thinking long-term. I needed a base of operations, a brownstone or an isolated mansion would do. Something I could renovate, expand, and build underground labs into. I had tech, blueprints, and ideas. What I lacked was the space.
And then, money. I needed to multiply what I had and start laundering the stolen cash I had taken off the gangs. If I wanted to play in the bigger leagues, I had to clean my funds and grow them smartly.
So much to do. So little time.
I let out a slow breath and sat up straight.
Then my thoughts drifted to one of the items I'd claimed earlier, the sparring bots. I summoned one onto the suite floor, its sleek metal frame unfolding silently.
"Gideon," I said, eyes fixed on the bot. "Can you interface with it?"
"I will try, David," came the reply.
For a few minutes, nothing happened. The bot lay motionless on the floor where I had dropped it from my system inventory. Then, without warning, its fingers twitched. It lifted its arms, flexing them with smooth, calculated motion. It sat up, paused for a beat as if adjusting to its surroundings, then stood to its full height.
It stared at me for a moment—lifeless optics glowing softly—then raised its hands, mimicking a few basic combat stances. After a short routine of testing its limbs, it took a lap around the suite before returning and stopping in front of me.
"So, how is it?" I asked.
The response came not from the bot, but from the toolbox across the room—where Gideon's system was linked.
"Everything is functioning properly," she said. "No faults in movement systems. The bot includes a hologram projection function for altering external appearance. However, it has no vocal output hardware. No speakers or voice module. In simple terms, this bot has no vocal cords."
I nodded. "That's fine. I can handle that in a few days."
"Anything else?"
"No, David."
"Alright. What about the information I requested on Hammer Industries? Has it been collected?"
The bot, now under Gideon's control, turned and walked over to the virtual console embedded in the toolbox. A moment later, a large holographic display materialized in front of me, lines of data streaming down across multiple windows. Everything she had gathered was now projected onto the screen, ready for me to analyze.
"Gideon," I said, turning back to the main console. "Pull up all warehouse and factory sites linked to Hammer Industries—global and domestic."
The holographic display blinked, then restructured. A map of the U.S. took shape, dotted with glowing blue markers—each one representing a confirmed Hammer site. Some were public: weapons testing ranges, R&D labs, research campuses. Others… not so much.
"Filter for facilities dealing with logistics, fabrication, and prototyping," I added.
Three locations remained.
One near Albany. A fabrication plant registered under a shell corporation. It handled component assembly—circuitry, targeting modules, drone control units.
The second was in Nevada. A warehouse located off a dry freight line. Heavily secured. Satellite images showed inbound cargo crates offloaded in bulk every two weeks, no export manifests. Black-ops storage.
And the third—Brooklyn. Right under my nose. Hidden in an old industrial zone, repurposed under a tech-startup facade. Records indicated it was closed five years ago, but energy signatures and night-time delivery logs said otherwise.
Bingo.
If I pulled this off right, I would not only gut Hammer's operational capability but also bleed them financially—and cash in while doing it. They'd be too busy covering up the robbery to stop the collapse of their share value. Classic misdirection.
But before that happened, I needed recon.
Gideon could slice their networks. But I wanted to see how tight their security really was—human response, tech integration, guard patterns. That kind of intel only came from watching up close.
I exhaled slowly, tapping my fingers on the console.
Soon, I'd walk into one of their facilities and take what I wanted. Machinery. Weapons. Prototype tech. If I was lucky, a few pieces of stolen Stark tech they'd quietly tucked away over the years.
"Let me know the moment Brooklyn's site data finishes compiling," I said.
"Of course, David," Gideon replied.
But first, the nightclubs. The Iron Serpents.
It was time to clean them.
Only this time, I had to be more careful. If SHIELD caught wind that these hits were personal, I might have agents watching the gang's movements more closely.
And if that happened, I'd need to be ready for eyes watching me too.
To be continued...