Loren frowned when he heard Maeve's words.
Then he turned to 2B and said, "Scan her body immediately—check for anything abnormal."
"Yes, sir!" 2B activated her scanning mode the moment she received Loren's order.
Within seconds, she detected a signal source embedded in Maeve's subcutaneous tissue.
"Report, Boss—there's an electronic device implanted beneath her skin. It appears to be a miniature listening device. I've already severed its signal."
"No wonder," Loren muttered. "Seems this woman wasn't entirely foolish after all. She finally gave us a clue before she died."
"Boss," 2B asked, "have you identified the mastermind behind this?"
"Most likely didn't get far."
"Who is it?"
"Alexander Pierce—Minister of the World Security Council."
"Then I'll kill him now!" 2B's voice turned icy, her posture shifting into combat readiness.
But Loren raised a hand, stopping her. "Hold on. Alexander is Hydra's leader—it won't be easy to eliminate him. First, I need to upgrade your systems to increase our chances of success." He paused, then added seriously, "I've been planning this anyway."
In truth, his delay wasn't just tactical. The moment Maeve died, a system prompt had chimed in his mind:
> [Congratulations, Host! You've successfully participated in tracking down the true culprit and eliminated the mastermind behind the incident—Maeve. Reward unlocked: Manufacturing Blueprint for Reconnaissance Unit 9S.]
Anyone familiar with NieR: Automata knew exactly who 9S was—2B's partner, a reconnaissance android specializing in intelligence gathering and cyberwarfare. Though weak in close combat, he excelled at hacking and battlefield analysis.
Right now, what Loren lacked most was an AI capable of real-time information warfare. His goal was to build a super-intelligent system that could support 2B dynamically during missions.
Naturally, 9S fit perfectly into that vision—but not as-is.
For one, he intended to change 9S's gender to female. After all, if a male android accompanied 2B on every mission, wouldn't that just invite unnecessary complications?
And 9S was only the beginning. In the long term, Loren planned to develop an entire fleet of general-purpose combat androids—ideally, a high-efficiency, overwhelming force.
With that advantage, he could carve out a far more stable foothold in the Marvel universe.
With this goal in mind, he locked himself back in the lab.
Time flew. Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
During those two weeks, Loren barely slept or ate, devoting himself entirely to research and development.
His relentless effort finally bore fruit: the creation of a super artificial intelligence—Alice.
Alice's core program was installed in two locations: one node in the secret underground facility beneath his manor, the other aboard a satellite in low-Earth orbit—ground and sky, working in tandem.
No matter where Loren was, he could summon Alice instantly for real-time data analysis, strategic simulation, or intelligence support.
And it wasn't just him. 2B's neural core could also interface directly with Alice at any time.
From now on, 2B wouldn't rely solely on her own tactical processing. With Alice augmenting her cognitive functions, her analytical power—and thus her combat effectiveness—would increase exponentially.
After all, the strength of artificial intelligence depends on computing power!
However, due to the limitations of current technology, it's still impossible to manufacture ultra-high-performance chips.
As a result, the performance of 2B's mechanical intelligence is naturally constrained.
In contrast, a super artificial intelligence like Alice isn't bound by physical size constraints—allowing vast arrays of chips to be stacked for massive performance gains.
Consequently, her computing power far surpasses that of 2B's mechanical brain.
Over the past two weeks, Loren not only created the super AI—Alice—but also gave 2B a modest upgrade: anti-gravity devices installed in her feet.
This allows 2B to walk on air for short durations, reminiscent of the "Moon Step" from One Piece.
Beyond upgrading 2B, Loren finally completed the Batsuit he'd always dreamed of building.
Not only the suit itself, but also its配套 vehicles—the Batmobile and the Batflyer—were crafted entirely by him.
His Batsuit incorporates an anti-gravity system as well, granting it brief flight capability.
In the lab, 2B stared at Loren clad in the sleek black armor, eyes wide with astonishment.
"Boss… is this the Batsuit you were talking about? So cool!"
Loren's design diverges sharply from DC's Batman. In the comics, Batman's suit is half-exposed and functions more like tactical armor, relying primarily on Bruce Wayne's combat prowess.
By contrast, Loren's Batsuit fully encases the wearer, with a distinctly mechanized silhouette. Pale yellow luminous strips trace its surface, radiating a cyberpunk aesthetic brimming with high-tech flair.
These light strips are fully customizable—automatically dimming or vanishing entirely in dark environments to render the wearer nearly invisible to the naked eye.
Moreover, the suit integrates an array of advanced systems: the AI Alice, military-grade goggles matching 2B's, a micro laser emitter, retractable steel claws, anti-gravity units (replacing the traditional gliding cape), and even miniature multi-purpose explosives.
Taken together, Loren's Batsuit functions less like a defensive shell and more like a mobile arsenal—closer in spirit to Tony Stark's Iron Man armor than to any classic Batman iteration.
That said, the resemblance is purely stylistic. The manufacturing techniques, internal architecture, and combat capabilities differ fundamentally.
As for which is stronger—well, they haven't faced off yet. But one thing is certain: Loren's design is undeniably cooler than both the original Iron Man suit and DC's Batsuit.
That's precisely why 2B gazed at him in awe.
"There's something even cooler!" Loren declared, grinning with pride. "Alice, open the canopy immediately—I want to test-fly the anti-gravity Bat Fighter!"
At his command, the AI activated the underground base's steel skylight.
From above, a sleek, bat-shaped aircraft descended silently and settled gently before Loren and 2B.