In the dead of night, the streets were deserted, with everyone safely locked indoors, fearing both the darkness and the lurking threat of zombies. 。

But in Allen's room, the lights were ablaze.

Various small parts were scattered across the table, all gathered by Allen during his scavenging in the city earlier that day. On the other side of the table, Jack, the doctor, and Allen were engrossed in what seemed like a delicate operation under the desk lamp – tinkering with the mechanical ladybug.

"Pliers."

"Resistor."

"Scissors."

Whatever the doctor needed, Allen swiftly handed over. It was akin to a real surgical procedure, with the doctor as the lead surgeon and Allen as the assistant.

With extreme care, the doctor inserted the micro-components into the body of the mechanical ladybug. Allen supplemented with the remaining non-essential parts he had gathered.

Allen even diligently wiped off the doctor's sweat.

Time flew by as they worked tirelessly...

"Done."

The doctor held up the mechanical ladybug for Allen to see.

"Wow!"

The transformed "Kabuto" now displayed a metallic luster of red, blue, and iron-gray, a sight that astonished Allen.

"Wanna test this little guy's new abilities?" The doctor looked at Allen with utmost confidence.

"This rock okay?"

On the apartment balcony, Allen brought out a sizable rock from somewhere and placed it on a pedestal, confirming with the doctor.

"Perfect. Just leave it there. Come here."

Allen returned to the doctor's side as he activated the mechanical ladybug. "Kabuto" behaved like a obedient puppy as Allen gently instructed,

"let us start!"

At Allen's command, "Kabuto" emitted a radiant glow, transforming and enveloping Allen's right arm, constructing a precise miniaturized laser cannon.

Allen aimed at the rock, ready to test the new firepower.

He pressed the trigger, and the laser cannon powered up. A low-frequency hum rose, tension building as if something momentous was about to happen, leaving Allen both nervous and excited.

When the sound reached its peak, a beam of light accompanied by a buzzing sound shot forth, piercing through the rock fifteen meters away without hesitation.

"Whoa! Oh my god!"

The newfound destructive power, a far cry from the mere surface-scorching ability before, astonished Allen. He turned back to the doctor with wide eyes.

"Is this your invention, Doctor? That’s so cool!!"

The doctor smirked, indicating to continue being amazed.

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Amazed and excited, Allen proceeded to test each of "Kabuto's" new functions one by one...

Plasma blade: forms a swirling stream of plasma to cut through anything like butter.

Plasma shield: condenses quantum energy into a body-sized shield capable of blocking anything.

Quantum cannon: launches quantum bombs creating small explosions akin to a grenade launcher.

Quantum tether: creates a sticky quantum rope capable of carrying three tons of weight and swinging like spider silk between tall buildings.

And dozens of other functions, all significantly upgraded, left Allen pleasantly surprised.

"Doctor, these functions are too amazing! Are there more?!"

Excitedly, Allen discovered another function and eagerly wanted to test it out.

"Watch out!"

Before the doctor could finish his warning, a powerful shockwave emanated from the strange device on Allen's arm, generating a loud "boom" as it slammed into the opposite high-rise apartment.

The immense destruction left a large dent in the building, leaving Allen and the doctor dumbfounded.

"What are you looking at...get down!!"

At the doctor's reminder, the two of them flew towards the corner of the wall simultaneously.

What followed was abuse from the residents.

"Who's there?! What's going on in the middle of the night?!"

"Are zombies invading again?"

"Oh god! Someone save us..."

"Can you guys stop making noise!?"

The echoing cacophony of complaints reverberated through the darkened apartment, leaving Allen feeling guilty as he covered his face, while the doctor stared at Allen as if to say, "Young man... can you let me finish before acting?"

Fortunately, the commotion didn't cause much of a stir, and the security guards didn't come rushing in. The entire night returned to its calm state.

"...Is it over?"

Allen cautiously peeked out to observe their surroundings. Everything had returned to normal, which relieved him as he sat down with the doctor, exchanging glances.

"So stupid! Hahaha"

Both of them couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Especially when they thought about Allen's momentary lapse of judgment, they laughed uncontrollably.

Looking at "Kabuto," depleted of all its power, they laughed, as if...

They were lifelong friends, laughing together without age barriers.

"Here, Doctor, have some."

After the testing was over, Allen handed Jack a cup of coffee. They sat together on the dark rooftop, gazing at the entire galaxy revealed due to the absence of light pollution.

The vast expanse of stars made Allen feel something deep within him, prompting him to speak:

"Doctor, you said that there are zombies outside the city, and the resources of the entire world are gradually dwindling, and there are many people like Ethan... Where should we go?..."

The doctor paused for a moment, stretched, and smiled.

"Who knows... Maybe humans go extinct, or we keep struggling... Or one day, we become superheroes, now that's interesting..."."

The doctor seemed to have something more to say as he looked at Allen, but Allen thought he was just joking and laughed it off.

"Haha... superpowers? No way... that's too crazy,"

Allen chuckled, not taking the doctor's words seriously. But the doctor's expression was subtly enigmatic, like he was hiding something.

After Allen had enough of laughter, he casually asked the doctor,

"So, what's your plan next? You can't just keep hiding out at my place forever, right? Do you still have family?"

Jack, the doctor, pondered for a moment before standing up, gazing into the distance.

"Actually, I was supposed to go back down South... It's just now, plans change. Have you heard of a place down South called St. Petersburg? You can see the beautiful sea there... I used to take my wife and daughter out on a boat to watch the sunset whenever the weather was good. When the sunlight sparkled on the water... that sight... perhaps the most beautiful thing in the world. But my wife, she's definitely the most beautiful."

This memory seemed incredibly precious and joyful, as it made the usually confident Jack smile with nostalgia, surprising Allen. It turned out that the doctor was a very family-oriented person, quite different from his usual confident demeanor.

In that moment, Allen suddenly felt like the doctor was just like Tony Stark from the movies, uncannily similar.

"Tony... I mean, Doctor, that sounds amazing. So, when do you plan to leave?"

The doctor pondered for a moment before saying,

"In a few days... but kid, now that I've repaid you for saving my life, you better make good use of the culmination of my life's work stored in this little guy!"

After delivering this speech, the doctor picked up Kabuto from the side and handed it to Allen, as if passing down some kind of legacy. Allen took Kabuto, feeling a mix of emotions.

Allen kept looking at the doctor, as he hadn't expected to meet such a special friend only to bid farewell so soon. There were many things he wanted to say, but all he managed were two words,

"Thank you."

Similarly, Jack the doctor also felt a bit regretful meeting such a special young lad who somewhat resembled him.

But Jack wasn't one for sentimental goodbyes. He deliberately raised his tone and said, "Remember, kid! Keep this little guy charged at all times. Otherwise, those shockwaves from earlier won't last long, and that's very dangerous! Remember that!"

With Allen's agreement of "Yes, yes, of course, Doctor," they spent the quiet night chatting away.

Until dawn broke...

"Bzzz—bzzz—bzzz—bzzz—"

Suddenly, at the crack of dawn, a deafening alarm blared across the city, jolting everyone awake from their slumber.

The unsettling sound stirred deep-seated fears in every resident.

The city's guard captains, along with acting commander Ethan, rushed to the source of the alarm upon hearing it.

A large contingent of guards drove out of the city, kicking up dust as they hurried to the source of the alarm outside the city walls.

What they saw, everyone was shocked.

Because...

The outer city wall...has a big hole!!....