"Agent Morse, how are things progressing on your end?" Commander Hill called Barbara Morse, who was on an infiltration mission, immediately after Zhou Yi brought the situation on the Brooklyn Bridge under control. Seeing his imminent return, Hill knew it was time to retreat.
"Officer, I've checked the computers, the vault, and all possible locations. I only found one suspicious area. In the Underground Room, I still need some time!" Agent Morse replied.
"There's no time left, the target is returning. Mission aborted, leave there immediately," Commander Hill issued the evacuation order.
Agent Morse rolled her eyes, responding helplessly. "Understood, Officer. I'm evacuating now." With that, she tidied up her traces and quietly exited Zhou Yi's Villa.
Just as she exited, Zhou Yi silently returned to the underground research lab via the underwater tunnel.
"Medusa, disarm armor." The nanometal slowly retracted into the external gear like flowing mercury. Mechanical arms unloaded the external gear from Zhou Yi's body.
Twisting his neck, Zhou Yi asked, "Medusa, can the size of the Dawn Mark I gear be further reduced? I don't want to carry these strange components around everywhere, all the time."
"Sir, given the self-compression capability of Alpha nanometal Type 7, Dawn Mark I still has a lot of room for improvement. However, doing so would significantly reduce Dawn Mark I's protective capabilities. I do not recommend this modification."
"To what extent can it be compressed, and to what extent will the protective capabilities decrease? Show me."
Medusa displayed a holographic image of a wide metal wrist guard and simulated damage on Dawn Mark I under various impact forces.
"According to calculations, the maximum compression of Alpha nanometal is to compress Dawn Mark I to 0.00012 cubic meters, roughly equivalent to the size of two watches. However, compressing it to this extent would make the nanometal armor's wearing layer too thin. Its maximum impact resistance would only be 7,400 pounds, only one twenty-seventh of the original."
"One-tenth the size, and the protective power drops so much?" Zhou Yi was somewhat dissatisfied.
"Because there is no internal structure, in order to form the external shape, most of the nanometal will be fixed on the structural model. Other parts will only have minimal coverage," Medusa explained.
"Medusa, save the file. Create Dawn Mark II based on this standard. Also, add the research direction for the next type of nanometal, further increasing the compression ratio."
"Yes, Sir. It has been recorded. Dawn Mark II will take another 15 hours to complete. Are there any other requirements?"
"Let's set the compressed mold as a watch. Just make sure it doesn't look too unusual," Zhou Yi said, pushing open the door.
Zhou Yi's ground-floor Villa was decorated in a classical, warm style, featuring a solid wood bar, soft sofas, and landscape oil paintings—a sharp contrast to Tony Stark's cold, white, mechanical aesthetic.
Checking the time, 4:20 PM, Zhou Yi realized he needed dinner ingredients, but his refrigerator was empty. Driven by his desire for dumplings, he grabbed his car keys. Before leaving, his super vision noticed something amiss with the dust on the cars in his garage: differences in thickness suggesting they had been moved or accessed.
He realized someone had snuck into his private space.
Activating his super vision, Zhou Yi scanned the surrounding area for the lurkers. His gaze quickly settled on Barbara Morse, sitting in a car, ostensibly looking at a map while staring at his home. He noted her obvious presence and, with a playful mood, drove his Cadillac out of the Villa.
He pulled up next to Agent Morse's vehicle, got out, and tapped on her window. As the bewildered tall blonde rolled down her window, he immediately asked, "Young Miss, I believe you're the one who secretly snuck into my house, aren't you?"
Barbara Morse forced a sarcastic smile. "Sir, is it really appropriate to accost a lady in such a strange way?"
Ignoring her pretense, Zhou Yi continued. "Who do you work for, the CIA, the FBI? No, given the capabilities of those two agencies, it's unlikely they could have found me. So, is it that strategic bureau with the long, unmemorable name?"
Morse's heart tightened, but she attempted to maintain her cover. "Sir, do you think playing strange Agent games will attract ladies, or are you still a high school student immersed in a fantasy world?"
Zhou Yi shrugged, made a slight gesture, and Agent Morse felt a discomfort in her ear. She was horrified to see the miniature communication device hidden in her ear already in Zhou Yi's palm.
"This is your communicator. I've already received its signal source. It looks like you're with those guys in the sky. So the six people lurking around are also with you?"
At this point, Agent Morse could only nod, giving up her pretense. "I didn't expect this target to be a special ability user. My mission has failed. But I won't reveal any intelligence."
Zhou Yi smiled and rubbed the car window glass, effortlessly kneading and grinding it into dust to demonstrate his strength. "I don't want anyone disturbing my life, especially those who have no say in their own organization. So I don't want any intelligence or assurances from you. Now, get out of the car and come with me."
Barbara Morse wisely chose to obey.
Upon arriving at a shopping market's parking lot, Zhou Yi gave Barbara Morse a list of expensive groceries:
20 pounds of prime A-grade beef (short rib portion).
4 large French blue lobsters.
A few pounds of New Zealand crayfish.
2 dozen eggs.
A larger sea bass (fresh).
Barbara Morse looked at him in disbelief. She had expected interrogation, brainwashing, or worse, but never being ordered to shop for gourmet ingredients. Despite the cost, she got out and walked towards the market.
Zhou Yi then patted the car door and addressed her: "Hey, Agent. I know you're looking for an opportunity to slip away or wait for rescue or something. But trust me, you'd better not do that. Because it won't be of any use. You won't have any other choice until I agree to let you leave. You can confirm this with your Superior. Finally, one more thing: take your time. I'll be back here in an hour."
Watching Barbara Morse force a smile and leave, Zhou Yi drove to a small supermarket specializing in Chinese ingredients, owned by the Liu father and son.
Zhou Yi spent half an hour buying a large assortment of Chinese ingredients, including:
Air-freighted Sichuan bamboo shoots, bamboo fungus, wood ear mushrooms, yams, white radishes, shiitake, matsutake, and lion's mane mushrooms.
Scallions, cilantro, and tofu from the Liu family farm.
Staple items: rice flour, soy sauce, sweet bean paste, and broad bean paste.
A free-range Chinese native chicken for soup.
After filling his trunk, Zhou Yi drove back to the first supermarket. Barbara Morse had already been waiting for over an hour.