"Number 18! We've finally waited for you."
Looking at the blonde woman on the cover, Loren murmured to himself, his face alight with excitement.
Because this blonde woman was none other than Android 18—the very one he'd been longing for. And the dimensional world he'd just drawn? The Dragon Ball universe.
[Congratulations, Host! You have drawn the Dragon Ball world! As always, drawing a new world grants you a complementary technology. This time, you receive: Android Technology. Please be advised!]
"Wow—they're just handing out android tech like it's nothing! That's incredible!"
As the system notification chimed, a complete methodology for constructing androids instantly materialized in Loren's mind.
To his surprise, the so-called "artificial human" technology wasn't what he'd imagined at all.
Rather than building synthetic beings from scratch, it was more accurately described as human modification technology—a system requiring direct augmentation of an existing biological body.
Upon reflection, that made sense. After all, not all androids in the Dragon Ball universe were created equal.
There were pure machines, like early Red Ribbon models. Then there were cyborgs like Androids 17 and 18—humans forcibly upgraded with cybernetics. And then there was Cell: a bio-engineered lifeform grown from stolen DNA and alien cells.
Naturally, Cell possessed the highest potential as a biological-genotype android, followed closely by 17 and 18.
Given that this was only his first foray into the Dragon Ball world, it stood to reason the system wouldn't hand him Cell-level tech right away.
But honestly? It didn't matter. Android 18 was already an exceptionally powerful cyborg—and what Loren truly craved was her signature Infinite Energy Furnace.
In his opinion, the most astonishing piece of technology in the entire Dragon Ball universe wasn't ki manipulation or time travel—it was Dr. Gero's Infinite Energy Furnace.
That's what gave 17 and 18 their overwhelming presence upon debut: unlimited energy, negligible aging, and no need to eat—only occasional hydration.
It defied known physics. Stark Industries' Arc Reactor looked like a child's toy in comparison. The fact that such a device required water intake wasn't a flaw—it was a necessary concession to prevent total thermodynamic absurdity.
And now? He had it. Or at least, the blueprint for it.
His mind raced with possibilities. With this tech, he could finally equip his "robot wife" with a self-sustaining power source—freeing her from external energy dependence and dramatically boosting her combat potential.
But that wasn't all. He also now commanded nanotechnology, symbiotic directed culture systems, and cross-species gene fusion protocols.
Combined, these allowed him to engineer flesh-and-blood bodies with durability rivaling vibranium.
And if he fine-tuned the parameters? He might just be able to perfectly replicate Android 18 herself.
Excitement surged through him. Without hesitation, he ordered the Faceless Man to relocate Quicksilver from the lab to the medical wing for recovery.
Then he sealed the laboratory doors and entered seclusion—again.
This retreat had three clear objectives:
1. Upgrade 2B and Tifa with vibranium-tier organic bodies.
2. Construct a new robotic companion to expand his influence.
3. Recreate Android 18—faithfully, powerfully, flawlessly.
Given the scope, this seclusion would last longer than any before. He braced himself for a protracted effort.
Fortunately, he wasn't alone. With 2B, Tifa, and A2 managing external affairs, he could focus entirely on his research.
And so, without delay, Loren plunged into his work.
Time flew.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
New York City, ever the chaotic heart of the Marvel Universe, remained anything but peaceful. True calm would've been the anomaly.
Just a week prior, several headless corpses had been discovered across the borough—each kill site random, as if chosen on a whim. Panic rippled through the streets.
Citizens pinned their hopes on Spider-Woman, praying she'd end the nightmare soon.
The city glittered at night—neon signs, honking cabs, laughter from rooftop bars—but beneath that vibrancy lurked something far darker.
In a shadowed alley, a scarlet monstrosity feasted.
Moments earlier, a group of bar thugs had dragged a man into the darkness after he'd tried to skip out on his tab. They'd meant to rough him up.
They hadn't expected him to transform.
One second, he was a trembling coward; the next, a grinning, fanged horror covered in slick red biomass.
Before anyone could scream, he ripped the head clean off the nearest thug—and crunched into it like bubblegum.
"Mmm… delicious! Human brains—nothing beats 'em!"
The survivors froze in terror, then bolted.
But the symbiote wasn't done playing.
Just as it lunged for its next victim, a dark figure shot in from above and delivered a devastating kick, sending the creature skidding across the pavement.
A surprised voice followed:
"Wait—weren't all the symbiotes taken by Loren? How's one still out here? Did Venom spawn more?"
The newcomer was none other than Spider-Woman—Gwen Stacy.
Ever since she'd helped 2B and the others purge the last symbiote outbreak, her life had settled into a rhythm: student by day, masked hero by night.
Thanks to the nanosuit Loren had gifted her, she no longer had to awkwardly strip to transform. Now, two taps on her chest activated the suit in an instant—seamless, sleek, and deadly to criminals.
"Hey! Don't go accusing me without proof!" a booming voice cried from the rooftops. "That's slander! I'll sue you for defamation!"
Venom oozed into view, striking a theatrical pose. "I'm a reformed citizen now!"
But then Peter's face emerged from the symbiote's mass, grim and serious.
"When Venom fought Miss A2 last time, he was so terrified he peed himself," he admitted. "In his panic, he shed a tiny tissue sample—just one drop, loaded with follicles. It somehow bonded with a serial killer named Cletus Kasady… and this is what crawled out."
Peter gestured toward the crimson monster, now snarling in the alley.
"I've been hunting it for weeks, but it's fast—and vicious. If we team up, we might finally contain it and deliver it to Miss A2."
He sighed. "Otherwise, when Loren steps out of the lab and finds leftover symbiotes running wild… I'm never hearing the end of it."
"No need," came a cold, clear voice from the alley's far end.
A silver-haired woman stepped into the dim light—A2, expression unreadable, blade already unsheathed.
Loren had emerged from seclusion two days ago—but immediately summoned 2B and Tifa into the lab, vanishing again without explanation.
Since then, A2 and Alice had taken full command of manor operations, inside and out.
When
Alice reported lingering symbiote activity in the city, A2 began her hunt.
And that… was how they all ended up here.
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