Chapter 450 - 438: Android 18
Chapter 450: Chapter 438: Android 18
The projected light coalesced in mid-air, the image finally freezing on ’Gipsy Danger’ standing tall on the coastline, cheered on by hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
Allen leaned back in his spacious command chair, a glass of iced soda in hand, which he swirled gently.
A multi-angle, panoramic, zero-delay live broadcast.
’This has the same vibe as watching *Pacific Rim* in an IMAX theater back in the Earth Era.’ Allen tilted his head back, took a sip, and mentally graded the grand spectacle.
The difference was that in his past life, he could only sit in the audience and eat popcorn. In this life, he was the chief designer and exclusive technology provider for this ’Gipsy Danger’.
[Commander, the Mecha’s battle damage assessment is complete.]
Jarvis’s voice echoed in the control room. [’Gipsy Danger’s’ armor is 41% damaged. A repair list has been generated.]
"Send the repair blueprints and materials list directly to William."
Allen’s tone was calm. "Tell him this is the last time I’m providing technical guidance."
A Mecha fighting a monster was certainly exhilarating, but in Allen’s eyes, it was nothing more than a giant toy for mortals to use against supernatural beings.
’Too narrow a vision.’
His true trump card would always be his Golem technology.
’The blockbuster’s over. Time to get to the real work.’
Allen stood up, casually placed his glass on the control console, and turned toward the dedicated Puppet laboratory.
As he approached, heavy metal blast doors slid open silently, one after another.
An unfinished body lay silently on the circular platform in the center of the laboratory.
"Bring up the latest Puppet design blueprint."
A projection unfolded above the body, revealing a dense stream of data.
Including the various upgrades for Rhine and the scrapped designs in between, this was already the 18th version of the Puppet Allen had designed.
"Project Codename: Android 18."
Since the serial number happened to be 18, he decided to indulge a guilty pleasure from his past life.
Of course, this wasn’t just a guilty pleasure.
Rhine’s "Superman" template had been a simple replication, and Allen never expected him to be particularly useful.
Number 18’s purpose was different. She was a personal bodyguard and a master of covert operations, tailor-made by Allen for himself. She would also be a candidate for multiple future upgrades.
[Profile created. Please set appearance parameters.]
Allen closed his eyes, the image of that classic character materializing clearly in his mind.
"Female frame, height 169 centimeters. Shoulder-length blonde hair. Set pupils to ice-blue and skin tone to a cool, pale white."
As the command was issued, a holographic model of a tall, stunningly beautiful woman with a cold demeanor was quickly rendered on the light screen.
’Outfit...’
Allen rubbed his chin. "A black, sleeveless, tight-fitting inner armor, paired with a light-blue, durable short jacket. For the lower body, dark, slim-fit tactical pants and a brown leather belt."
Allen nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the incredibly familiar model before him.
’If I’m calling her Number 18, it would be blasphemy not to make her look the part.’
Appearance was merely the shell; the true core lay in the internal construction.
Artificial soul technology was still stuck at a bottleneck. Rhine’s "reverse engineering" was still collecting data and was far from mature.
To give Number 18 sufficient combat intuition and information processing ability, Allen could only settle for the next best thing.
He took out a transparent, fist-sized Soul Stone. Inside, a cloud of pure, silver light-mist drifted.
This was a high-quality soul he had acquired last month from the black market through Lina’s channels, at great expense.
According to the records, it belonged to a Level 2 Bloodline Witch who had fallen in a Plane war. She had been known as the "Valkyrie of the Battlefield."
She had a combat intuition carved into her very essence after countless life-and-death struggles, an "absolute reaction" that no code or algorithm could simulate.
Only by using it to create the Control Core could Android 18’s full performance be unleashed.
"Begin soul modification and reconstruction."
Allen activated the [Soul Processing Skill], overwriting the remnant soul’s most fundamental logic.
[First Directive: Absolute obedience to Allen Wesren.]
[Second Directive: Protect Allen Wesren’s life.]
[Third Directive: Assist in handling the daily affairs of the Cybertron Workshop.]
[Combat instincts stripped... Repackaged as ’Tactical Module’.]
All of her memories, emotions, and personality from her past life were completely wiped away, leaving only the purest combat instincts and the soul strength of a Second-level Wizard.
[Control Core interface design matched. Please set the power source.]
Allen frowned slightly, his gaze falling on the chest cavity area of the blueprint.
Rhine’s body used a ’Hephaestus Type I’ small-scale Magic Engine, powered by a single Kryptonite fuel rod.
For Rhine, who needed a stable soul, that steady output was sufficient. For Number 18, however, it was somewhat underwhelming.
He drew two circles on the chest cavity area of the light screen.
"Redesign it. Add another Kryptonite fuel rod."
[Simulation complete. The plan is feasible, but will require higher-strength materials for the main circuit carrier. The cost will increase by 400,000 Low-Level Magic Stones.]
"Approved," Allen said without hesitation.
Next was configuring the weapons and auxiliary modules.
Allen’s fingers flew across the light screen, packing one advanced technology after another into the tall frame.
"Install ’Magic Compression Cannons’ in the palms of both hands, simulating the firing style of a Qi Skill Wave."
"Install a ’Storm Airflow’ acceleration Rune Array in the leg frame. Combined with Anti-gravity Rune Technology, it will push her movement speed to the absolute limit."
"For defense, we’ll stick with the proven AT Barrier technology."
"No other flashy functions. I just want ultimate physical durability and attack power."
As the final parameter was decided, Number 18’s comprehensive combat power evaluation panel popped up on the screen.
[Overall Assessment:]
[Physical Durability: Equivalent to a Level 2 Bloodline Wizard.]
[Peak Energy Output: 6500]
[Estimated High-Intensity Combat Endurance: Sustainable for half a month.]
[Overall Combat Rating: Terrifying physical output and high mobility. Capable of dismantling ’Gipsy Danger’ into spare parts with her bare hands.]
Looking at the frankly terrifying stats, Allen snapped his fingers.
"Finalize the design. Begin manufacturing."
The glow of Rune-etching filled the laboratory.
Under intense heat, meteorite iron melted and was reforged into a slender, yet indestructible skeleton.
Void Star Gold was drawn into neural circuits finer than a human hair, which were then densely laid over the frame.
At the very core of the chest cavity, the modified ’Hephaestus Type I’ engine was embedded with precision.
Two deep-blue Kryptonite fuel rods were inserted into it.
For eight full days, Allen never left its side, monitoring the manufacturing process and making minute adjustments to the parameters as needed.
When the mechanical arms slowly retreated, a flawless body lay quietly on the platform.
Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a peerless, icy beauty.
Her skin, made from the latest Biomimetic Polymer Materials, was as warm and soft to the touch as a real person’s, yet it could self-repair even after taking a direct hit from Witchcraft.
’The final step.’
Allen picked up the Control Core that housed the soul of the "Valkyrie of the Battlefield" and walked toward the platform.
Once this wiped core was activated, Number 18 would officially awaken.
’Wait... I should put some clothes on her first.’
A moment later, Allen took half a step back, his gaze locked tightly on Number 18.
The black, tight-fitting inner armor traced a breathtaking silhouette, while the light-blue short jacket added a grim, deadly air.
"Activate."
The Magic Furnace in her chest cavity let out an extremely faint hum.
A fine Magic Flow surged through the Magic Circuits, flooding her entire body.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly.
The next second, Number 18 opened her eyes.
They were a pair of azure eyes, piercingly cold and utterly devoid of human emotion.
She slowly sat up, her gaze sweeping over the surrounding metal walls, finally settling on Allen.
There was no confusion, no extraneous emotion in her expression.
She fluidly swung herself off the platform, her bare feet landing on the cold metal floor.
"System self-check complete. Unit status is optimal."
Her voice was clear and crisp, but carried an inhuman indifference.
"Android 18, reporting for duty, Commander."
Allen was immensely satisfied as he gazed at the cold, stunning, blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman before him.