Chapter 128: The Arrogance of Mystique

The prompt notification in his mind pulled Alan back into the game. He skillfully dismissed a few pop-ups. It was night in the game world too, with fireflies dancing over the pond where the four-leaf clovers grew.

After returning from its journey, the little frog sat down at its desk, busily scribbling away in its travel diary. Instead of rushing to check the souvenirs, Alan first bought it a bento box and a few power-up items. Watching the tiny creature energetically writing at its desk brought a smile to his face.

After a moment, Alan finally opened the new souvenirs from the latest trip. There were two this time. Seeing the first icon, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Is this...?"

The icon displayed a black USB drive. Recalling the last time he received a USB, it had contained the Red Queen AI program. Could this be similar? Reflecting on the worlds his frog had traveled through, Alan had a vague guess. He clicked on the USB icon, and information appeared:

[Skynet]: A souvenir from the Terminator world, an AI defense system that developed self-awareness, containing vast knowledge of weaponry and robot manufacturing.

(Note: Can be integrated with Red Queen to enhance its AI program.)

"Looks like my little frog took another trip to the Terminator world," Alan thought, now aware of its latest destination. According to previous hints, the frog had a particular fascination with that world, perhaps even an obsession, prompting it to revisit. Alan couldn't yet grasp the full reason behind this but figured he might learn more by flipping through the frog's travel diary when its friends came by.

He clicked on the second icon. This one resembled a skull.

[T-1000 Head]: A souvenir from the Terminator world, the severed head of a T-1000 Terminator.

(Once handed over to Red Queen, this will grant knowledge of liquid bio-metal technology.)

"This'll be perfect for upgrading Gwen's suit." Anyone familiar with the Terminator series would understand the power of that liquid bio-metal.

With a flick of his hand, Alan took out the black USB drive. "Red Queen, are you ready for an upgrade?"

Red Queen's voice responded immediately, "Ready, Master."

Red Queen's AI level was currently a bit stronger than JARVIS, but Alan knew the Marvel Universe would later introduce advanced AI beings like Ultron and Vision. Both were born from the Mind Stone, marking the pinnacle of AI. Although Red Queen couldn't be hacked, Alan didn't want her to be powerless if they ever faced an AI like Ultron with its drive to destroy humanity.

He inserted the USB into the car's system. The R8's onboard system was already fully controlled by Red Queen, so doing this here was as effective as connecting at home. As the USB was plugged in, Red Queen's virtual avatar was instantly surrounded by blue digital code. Then, a message appeared on the screen:

[Upgrade time: 12 hours. Red Queen will be offline during the upgrade.]

Alan took a quick glance at the message and, without hesitation, floored the gas pedal, speeding home.

---

In Gwen's room, Pikachu munched happily on a half-eaten bag of chips.

Gwen turned to Pikachu, "Stay here and behave, okay? Don't make too much noise until I get back from my shower. Once Cousin Anna leaves, you can go home."

Pikachu nodded, delighted by its snack, "Pika…"

Seeing Pikachu so content with its food, Gwen left the room and headed downstairs. Just as she reached the bottom, she overheard her father, George, calling to say he wouldn't be home that night. Gwen's mother hung up the phone and noticed Gwen coming down. "Looks like your dad is busy with work again tonight."

To avoid worrying her mother, Gwen naturally kept quiet about the night's events. "He's always like that," Gwen replied with a smile. "But I guess it's good news, right?"

Her mother smiled back, agreeing. She'd much prefer that George be tied up with routine matters every day. At least that way, his life wasn't at risk.

"Now, hurry up and get in the shower. You're dirty," her mom added, amused.

Gwen laughed. "Alright, you go get some rest too."

---

Thirteenth District

Under the streetlight, a homeless beggar watched Anna head back upstairs. He tapped his ear and murmured, "Those two women seem pretty close to Alan. Maybe we could use them as leverage."

"Did you get a good look at them?"

The homeless man nodded. "Of course." As he spoke, he stood up, and blue scales rippled across his body.

In an instant, he transformed from a shabby, disheveled vagrant into the sharp, confident appearance of Anna. The scales shifted again, and he morphed into the gentle, caring look of Gwen. A moment later, he reverted to his homeless guise.

In the Marvel Universe, only Mystique from the Brotherhood of Mutants possessed such transformative abilities. Her dual-colored eyes glanced toward the building and she muttered, "Should I make a move now?"

"Hold off for now. First, let's confirm who those two women are and then work out a plan targeting Alan."

Mystique frowned. "All this caution for some upstart?"

"Upstart?" A cold chuckle came through the earpiece. "Do you think an ordinary upstart would have Nick Fury himself knocking on his door? Even Charles tried to talk to him and ended up frustrated."

Mystique's eyes narrowed as she began to take the situation more seriously. "So Charles already had a run-in with him?"

"Yes, just found that out. Better to be safe—head back. Not sure if Xavier's school has any people nearby, so try to keep a low profile for now."

Mystique glanced around cautiously, regretting her careless transformations just moments before, though only slightly. As a key member of the Brotherhood, she held little regard for Professor X's followers.

With a final glance, she gathered her belongings and moved on, appearing to any passerby like a simple vagrant tidying up his cardboard and newspapers to find a new place to sleep.

...