Vibranium, one of the four major metals in the Marvel Universe, is extremely rare and precious.
In a certain Marvel parallel universe, vibranium deposits exist not only in Wakanda but also in the deep sea off Antarctica.
However, in the Marvel Universe where Loren resides, he hasn't heard of this Antarctic source yet.
Even if such a deposit does exist, locating a vibranium vein in Antarctica would be like searching for a needle in a haystack—an endeavor of near-impossible difficulty.
Moreover, the only mature vibranium-mining technology currently exists in Wakanda's hands.
Even if the Antarctic deposit were real and somehow discovered, it would still take a very long time to successfully extract the metal.
It is precisely because of these obstacles that the fastest way to obtain vibranium is to take it directly from S.H.I.E.L.D.
The last time Alice hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s entire internal network, she gained a thorough understanding of the organization's current status.
Loren now knew exactly who their members were, what secrets they were hiding, and even what treasures they had collected.
This is also the main reason he knew S.H.I.E.L.D. possessed 20 kilograms of vibranium—not because Natasha had leaked the secret.
Of course, Nick Fury had no idea about this.
To this day, S.H.I.E.L.D. still believed that when Alice infiltrated their network, she had only copied some personnel files.
Twenty kilograms of vibranium isn't a huge amount—but it's certainly not insignificant either.
After all, one gram of vibranium can fetch $10,000 on the black market, making 20 kilograms worth $200 million.
Of course, given Loren's family background, $200 million was little more than pocket change—utterly insignificant to him.
Still, this amount of vibranium was more than enough to upgrade Miss 2B.
It wasn't every day that he could pull off such a major upgrade without spending a single cent.
Looking at the vibranium in his hand, his mood improved considerably—even enough that he regarded Natasha and the others with slightly more favor.
Besides, he'd already given Nick Fury—that arrogant bastard—a solid beating, which left him feeling thoroughly satisfied.
In that case, he couldn't be bothered to waste any more time with them.
His top priority now was to quickly upgrade 2B and synthesize the adamantium alloy he'd been planning.
With that thought in mind, he raised his hand and spoke in a cold tone:
"For the sake of this vibranium, I'll spare your lives this time.
But let me make one thing clear: if this happens again, your fate won't be so lenient.
When that time comes, I'll make sure you suffer a fate far worse than death. I mean every word. Now get out of here."
Upon hearing Loren's words, the group felt deeply resentful—and even reluctant to leave.
But remembering his ruthless methods, they swallowed their anger and dared not protest.
They knew all too well that if any of them dared speak out,
this seemingly harmless young man before them would not hesitate to kill them on the spot.
As the old saying goes: As long as the green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood.
Right now, staying alive was what mattered most.
How to deal with Loren in the future—that was a problem for another day.
Having reached this conclusion, the four of them silently left Morgan Manor, their faces dark with suppressed fury, without a word of hesitation.
2B was very confused to see that Loren had let them go so easily.
"Boss, are we really just going to let them walk away like that? Didn't you teach me before that we shouldn't do something reckless—like releasing a tiger back into the mountains?"
"Tiger?" Loren chuckled. "That ragtag group? At best, they're a husky—nowhere near a tiger!"
He gave her an approving nod. "Still, 2B, you're right to be cautious. It's good to see you've really taken my lessons to heart."
"Of course," 2B replied earnestly. "I've committed everything you've taught me to memory—tactical discipline, situational awareness, the principles of adaptive combat, and—"
"Whoa, whoa—hold on," Loren cut in, raising a hand. "Keep those thoughts to yourself. Some things don't need to be said out loud. They might be… misinterpreted."
"Boss," Tifa asked curiously, "what was 2B about to say? I don't understand. Can you explain it to me?"
Loren smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. When it's late and everyone's asleep, I'll go over it with you—step by step."
"Sister Tifa," 2B offered, "I can assist the boss and help teach you too."
"Really? That's wonderful!" Tifa's face lit up with excitement.
"Alright," Loren said, turning serious. "Now that we have the vibranium, it's time to synthesize adamantium and begin your upgrade, 2B."
"Tifa, you'll guard the lab. No one enters without my permission. Understood?"
"Yes, boss!" Tifa snapped to attention, her expression instantly focused.
With Tifa securing the perimeter, Loren could fully immerse himself in his work.
Without hesitation, he led 2B into his secret laboratory to begin the next phase of upgrades, enhancements, and experimental research.
Time flew by. A full week passed in the blink of an eye.
As always during intensive research, Loren lost all track of time once inside the lab. He wouldn't stop—not until he achieved results.
For seven days straight, he barely slept or ate, consumed entirely by his work.
Finally, on the seventh day, success.
In the dim glow of the laboratory, 2B stood motionless before Loren, eyes closed, completely still.
She was powered down—Loren had shut her systems off to perform the upgrades.
He had replaced her entire endoskeleton and dermal layer.
The materials? Vibranium—stolen from S.H.I.E.L.D.—and newly synthesized adamantium.
Over the past week, Loren had developed a revolutionary method for shaping vibranium. Despite its legendary durability, he could now mold it with precision, even weaving it into a lattice thinner than a cicada's wing. This nano-weave was embedded directly into her synthetic skin, granting it extraordinary resilience—impervious to blades, bullets, fire, and water.
Beneath the new dermal layer, he installed a microclimate regulation system, allowing 2B to maintain a natural body temperature—just like Tifa.
Her skeleton, now forged from adamantium, dramatically increased her physical output. Previously, her maximum strength peaked at around 6 tons of force. With the new frame, that figure tripled—to a staggering 18 tons, nearing the power levels of Spider-Man or a baseline Hulk.
But Loren's enhancements didn't stop there…