With the dust finally settling and the "Hulk incident" officially neutralized by a mix of raw power and high-level politics, the atmosphere in the Wing Chun Martial Arts Academy felt strangely domestic. Huang Wen leaned against the doorframe of the main hall, watching his ragtag group of super-powered misfits.
"Alright, listen up. The renovation crew is coming tomorrow to tear this place apart," Huang Wen said, catching the attention of John, Bruce, Logan, and Yuriko. "Since we're essentially homeless for the next few weeks, what's the plan? You guys moving into Zhong Qiang's place, or do you have other ideas? Logan, you've been cooped up in this school for a while. Planning on taking a walk on the wild side?"
Logan, the man who had faced down armies and survived a century of carnage, actually looked a little sheepish. He glanced at Yuriko, who was sitting on a crate, her eyes glued to a small tablet screen.
"We're sticking around for a bit," Logan grunted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yuriko... uh, she's right in the middle of a 'SpongeBob SquarePants' marathon. She says she can't leave until she knows if the crab guy gets his money back or something. It's a whole thing."
Zhong Qiang, who had been hovering nearby, felt his mouth twitch. "Uncle Wolf... you have a healing factor, not a 'childhood-restoration' factor. But yeah, I've got a big-screen TV at my place. Plenty of room for a mutant and a girl who likes talking sponges."
Logan let out a relieved breath. "Good. I don't think I could handle the tantrum if she missed an episode."
John, the former pyro-mutant who was now more of a hotpot apprentice, raised his hand awkwardly. "I don't really have a place either. Can I crash with Zhong? I can help out at the restaurant. I'm actually getting pretty good at slicing the beef thin enough to see through."
Huang Wen chuckled. "Sure, go ahead and refine your culinary arts. Just don't burn the place down."
Finally, Huang Wen turned to Bruce Banner. The scientist looked different today—lighter, somehow. The shadow of the Hulk was still there, but it wasn't a weight anymore.
"I'm going to find Betty," Bruce said, his voice surprisingly firm. "Now that Ross is officially called off and the 'Other Guy' is under control, I don't want to waste another second hiding in a basement. I need to see her, Huang. I've spent too many years being a ghost."
"Go for it," Huang Wen nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "But remember, Bruce—don't slack on the meditation and the training I taught you. Your heart rate is still the trigger. If you get too excited during the reunion and turn green, I'm not coming to bail you out this time."
Bruce laughed—a genuine, warm sound. "I think I can manage to keep my cool for a date."
Once the living arrangements were settled and the group had cleared out most of the immediate clutter, Huang Wen retreated to his room on the second floor. The moonlight filtered through the cracked window, illuminating the space. It was time for the real reward.
He had accumulated a few draws. Specifically, he had a Mortal-tier item draw from Zhong Qiang's weight-gain mission (which the kid had finally completed by basically inhaling protein shakes and hotpot) and the big one: a Legendary-tier item draw.
"System," Huang Wen whispered in his mind, feeling that familiar itch of anticipation. "Claim the rewards. Let's start with the Mortal-tier one. Get the bad luck out of the way first."
The familiar white light flashed—bright, sterile, and ultimately disappointing.
[Ding! Congratulations! You have obtained a Mortal-tier item: Solar-Powered Flashlight!] (Source: From Beijing with Love. Invented by the genius Da Vinci. It glows brilliantly when exposed to light, and absolutely will not function in total darkness. Note: In a pinch, you can use another flashlight to make this one work.)
Huang Wen stared at the notification for a long ten seconds. "A flashlight... that needs light... to work. Amazing. Simply revolutionary."
He tossed the useless hunk of plastic into his system storage, where it landed next to the "Legendary Folding Stool" and the "Indestructible Umbrella." It was a graveyard of comedic genius and tactical uselessness.
"Alright, that's the warm-up," Huang Wen muttered, his heart rate ticking up. "Blue light. Give me that blue light. System, trigger the Legendary-tier draw!"
CLANG!
This time, the light wasn't white. It was a deep, electric blue that seemed to hum with the power of a thousand servers. It filled the room, making the air feel heavy with static. Huang Wen's eyes widened. This was only his third legendary draw ever.
[Ding! Congratulations! You have obtained a Legendary item: Magic Phone – Huaren Brand 2060 Model!] (Source: The TV series 'Magic Phone'. Note: Due to this being an item draw, the 'Silly Girl' human avatar mode is unavailable. The system has optimized the item into a Super AI with the host set as the sole, unchangeable authority.)
The system then listed a dizzying array of functions: power transmission, healing, flight, invisibility, time travel (non-world-changing), memory reading, illusion creation, x-ray vision, and more.
At first, Huang Wen's face fell. "Wait, no 'Silly Girl' avatar? No cute AI girl to talk to? And the replication function splits the power? This feels like a massive nerf, System! This is just a glorified Siri with a god-complex!"
He felt a bit cheated. In the original show, Silly Girl was a powerhouse because of her versatility and personality. Stripping the human mode felt like taking the soul out of the machine.
But as he pulled the device out—a sleek, transparent piece of tech that looked like a glass slab from the future—it hummed in his hand.
"Bound to highest authority: Huang Wen," a sweet, synthesized voice chirped from the device. "Huaren Brand 2060 Model is at your service. Would you like to designate a name for this unit?"
Huang Wen looked at the glowing glass. Despite his annoyance, he couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. "Let's stick with 'Silly Girl.' It's a classic, even if you can't walk around in a red suit."
"Silly Girl is at your service," the AI replied. "Detecting significant discrepancies between current world data and internal database. Requesting permission to access local information networks to synchronize."
"Permission granted," Huang Wen said, feeling like he was setting up a new iPhone. "Go nuts. Just don't accidentally start Skynet."
The phone remained silent for a few seconds. A stream of data, faster than anything a modern computer could process, flickered across the screen.
"Data synchronization complete," Silly Girl reported. "Master, I have detected a 'quasi-AI' device currently on your person. The 'Tuxedo' unit. Its logic gates are primitive. Would you like me to subsume its functions?"
Huang Wen's eyebrows shot up. "Subsume? You mean you can do what the Tuxedo does?"
"I can replicate all its kinetic enhancements, combat algorithms, and environmental shielding," Silly Girl said, her voice sounding almost smug. "Furthermore, I can integrate its physical form. I can transform your current 'Tuxedo' into a sleek wristwatch that allows for a one-click deployment."
"Now we're talking," Huang Wen grinned. The Tuxedo was great, but carrying a full suit around was a pain. "What about those Slow-Motion Glasses? Can you do anything with those?"
"Scanning... detected temporal-distortion optics," Silly Girl replied. "I can integrate the glass functionality into invisible contact lenses or even direct retinal overlays. Processing time: one hour."
Huang Wen leaned back on his bed, the transparent phone glowing in his hand. He had been complaining about a "nerf" just minutes ago, but the reality was starting to sink in. He didn't just have a phone; he had a mobile laboratory and a super-intelligence that could turn his clunky gadgets into high-tech, hidden weaponry.
"Silly Girl," Huang Wen said, a devilish grin spreading across his face. "I think you and I are going to get along just fine. Forget the human avatar—this 'optimization' is exactly what I needed."
As the AI began the process of upgrading his gear, Huang Wen looked out at the New York skyline. He was getting stronger, his school was expanding, and now he had the ultimate tech support. The world wasn't ready for what was coming next.