Blond hair?
Neo stared at the stranger in the mirror—shirtless, stunned at the totally unfamiliar face looking back at him. He ran a hand over the solid muscle on his abdomen. Six. Six defined abs.
Neo couldn't believe his silver eyes. He'd turned into a total heartthrob. And his body? Ripped. Strong. Unbelievable. But the best part—he was standing. Barefoot on the floor, fully upright. A wide smile spread across his face. Kid hadn't lied. He was healed. It felt amazing.
"Hey, whatever drug you gave that old man, give me a shot too!" Jason, the little rascal, said with a jealous pout. He'd seen Neo yesterday looking all sick and pitiful. But today? Neo had transformed into a handsome, cool dude. Jealousy surged uncontrollably.
"Go play somewhere else," Neo said, pushing Jason away as the kid reached out to touch his abs.
"Tch. So stingy!"
Kid walked over. "Alright, you're good to go now. Just remember—don't mess with my life anymore. You've got talent. Put it to good use."
That was Kid being generous. As far as he was concerned, it was water under the bridge. Neo was someone worth respecting.
But then Neo said, "Kid, let me work with you."
"Huh? Did I hear that right? You wanna work with me?"
"Yeah. Honestly, I never thought I'd recover. Now I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. So why not become your assistant? And you told me to do more good, right? Helping you is a good deed. After all, you're Kaitou Kid."
He was sincere. Kid had saved him. That made Kid, in Neo's eyes, a heroic do-gooder.
And Neo wasn't actually crazy. He understood exactly what Kid had done. Kid had forgiven him and even returned kindness for hostility. That made Neo feel guilty.
Kid said, "I saved you because of your talent. You're an exceptional human. With more and more aliens showing up on Earth, we need gifted people like you to protect it. You should dedicate your skills to something greater—for the good of humanity."
"But Kid, aren't you doing all this for humanity too? Helping you is helping everyone. And working for you is like working for the Justice League, right?" Then he leaned in and dropped his voice. "If you don't say yes, I might just reveal your true identity."
Whoa. That was a straight-up threat. Kid thought, 'This guy's got me by the throat.' But he couldn't exactly kill him to keep it secret. So now what?
"Fine. Since you're so determined to help, I do happen to need an assistant. Come on. Let's go say goodbye to Batman."
And just like that, Neo was in.
They flew straight to the South Pole.
"I can't believe your base is here. Talk about finding a spot," Neo said. He'd done a full background check on Kid before and never discovered this Antarctic hideout. "Does this place even have internet?"
"Of course it does. Everything you'll need is here," Kid replied.
"If I wanna shop online, you think they'll deliver to Antarctica? And what about takeout? I love the General Tso's chicken from that Chinese joint down the street. No way they're delivering that here."
"Deal with it," Kid said flatly. He had no sympathy for Neo's delivery problems.
The Archimedes transport plane hit full speed, slamming Neo back into his seat. He couldn't move a muscle. But his mood? It had never been lighter. For twenty years, it felt like Death's scythe was hovering over him. The only escape had been getting lost online. That was the only time he ever felt peace.
But now everything was different. He didn't have to die anymore. Not only was he alive, he was going to work for the legendary Kaitou Kid, a founding member of the Justice League. Honestly? He couldn't be happier.
Kid couldn't help but wonder—was everyone picking up sidekicks lately? Batman had found his second Robin, and now he'd brought home a hacker. Neo's computer skills were solid. Reliable. Kid had brought him to the Antarctic base precisely to write a few security programs. He just didn't have the time to code them himself.
Thunk! Right after getting off the plane, Neo smacked straight into the invisible aircraft—same as Hans. But he quickly got up. His new body was ridiculously strong. Even in the freezing cold of Antarctica, he didn't feel a thing. And even if he were at the equator, he wouldn't be hot. As a Claymore warrior, his body could regulate its own temperature.
"Come on. I'll show you your workspace." Inside the base was a supercomputer—way stronger than any DIY desktop Neo had ever built.
"This is my studio?" Neo couldn't take his eyes off the supercomputer. He'd dreamed of owning something this powerful. "Awesome! With this beast, I can finally use my full potential."
What he meant was, his old machines had been holding him back. Only a supercomputer like this could let him fully shine.
"You better think this through. You might end up staying alone in Antarctica for a long time. I don't come here that often," Kid said.
"No problem. I've always been alone anyway. As long as I have a computer and internet, I won't feel lonely. This place actually suits me." Neo was chill about it. "But what am I gonna eat?"
"You won't starve. Come with me. There's a kitchen stocked with plenty of food. You'll just have to cook it yourself."
Neo looked horrified. He had zero cooking skills. "Can't you assign me a chef?"
"In your dreams. You're talented—you'll learn fast. I believe in you. Just practice." Kid patted his shoulder.
"Can I go to other parts of the base? And can I wear your uniforms?"
"Sure, knock yourself out. Just don't break anything. There's nothing here I need to hide. If you wanna explore, go ahead. But first, help me write those security programs. You really impressed me. I bet my firewalls couldn't hold up to you for long. But the best hackers are also the best coders. I'm counting on you to build me something strong."
"That's easy. Shouldn't take long. So what do I do after that?" Neo asked. The task seemed too small.
"Confident—I like that." Kid grinned. "Actually, I've been working on designing a spaceship. If you're interested, you can help with that."
"Awesome!" Neo's eyes lit up. Designing a spaceship? That was insanely cool.
Liu A'dou handed over a USB drive with the designs. This one had massive storage capacity, and it was already full. Designing a spacecraft was no joke. "All the schematics are in here. Take a look. We'll combine our ideas and make this ship even better."
"No problem."
Kid fully trusted Neo's commitment. He figured Neo had nothing to gain by screwing him over now. Last time was just a misunderstanding. There was no reason for betrayal anymore.
And Neo was beyond touched. Kid had not only saved him, he now trusted him completely—even showing him top-secret spaceship designs. That level of trust was overwhelming. Neo was determined to give everything he had in return.
Two young men, both geeks at heart, curious and passionate about machines. Together, they started sketching out plans. Piece by piece, a powerful new spaceship began to take shape.