Suffering from an incurable disease, a mother is slowly dying in the bed of a small town hospital, leaving her nearly 5-year-old son alone to fend for himself. The poor widow had not known true happiness for the past few years since her husband passed away. Her only solace in these difficult times was her son.

Now, more than ever, she is worried about her son... a young kid left alone without either of his parents. Although the hospital staff have promised her that they will send the boy to an orphanage, her sadness doesn't subside.

Her appearance hidden by her unkempt hair, she takes her last breath, holding onto her dear son's hand, a single tear trailing down her brow.

Seeing his mother alive for the last time, sadness swells inside the small figure beside the now-deceased woman.

The boy, who was crying, gets up while wiping his teary eyes with his tiny palms.

'I need to live for the sake of my mother.'

Determination reflects on his face, a face that is now clearly visible.

The unusual boy, distinct with a third eye on his forehead, sets him apart from normal two-eyed people... hinting at a mystical lineage.

'So, this child is Tien Shinhan, huh?... indeed the resemblance is there.' Tien is unaware, but someone has been observing everything that transpired in this ward room...

It is Shen, hidden behind the door. He wasn't paying attention to his surroundings when, all of a sudden...

"Sir, what business do you have here?" A voice calls to him from behind.

Shen hadn't noticed the doctor's arrival. Caught in such a situation, He can only let out an awkward laugh, "Hehe."

"Actually, I am the orphanage director. I have come here to take the boy with me. This is my card... Crane Orphanage." He shows the doctor his card to allay the doctor's suspicions.

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Picking up Tien Shinhan from the hospital, Shen brings him to the hideout. The boy is astonished when, instead of using a hovering car, Shen directly levitates him for flight.

He is even more confused and scared when they arrive at the sea above the hideout. He was almost sure he had been abducted; his mother used to tell stories about such evil people.

The boy was still imagining the horrors he might be subjected to when exiting the submarine. However, after meeting the other disciples, his worries eased almost immediately. These other people weren't in the decrepit condition one would expect from a kidnapping syndicate.

Tien gets a brand-new home, and at the same time, Shen gets a good disciple—likely his most talented one yet.

Shen leaves Tien in Namu's care, giving the boy adequate time to adjust to the place while he himself heads to the laboratory.

______________________________

Currently, Shen is checking out the results of Dr. Flappe's extensive research from the last eight years.

Standing straight before him is the newly completed Tao Pai Pai-Ex. This is no ordinary cyborg; TTP-Ex is the accumulation of humanity's cutting-edge technology in the field of robotics.

This result was possible because Shen has obtained more than he had envisioned from the Red Ribbon Army. Expectedly, the major highlights are Android 7, Major Metallitron, and the robotic exosuit he took from Commander Red.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Of course, the credit doesn't completely fall on Flappe. Although unintentional, a large part of it goes to Dr. Gero. There are also the aforementioned robotic individuals who have been experimented upon by Dr. Flappe, whose contributions are as invaluable as anyone else's.

"So, Dr., has the project been completed?"

Flappe Nods, "Needless to say, I have made Tao Pai Pai into what you suggested. There are two modes to this version of Cyborg-Tao Pai Pai..."

Flappe stops to clear his throat. "Ahem!"

"In his first mode, Tao has the usual cyborg abilities: an immense energy source, levitation, enhanced vision, etc. Impressive on its own, but nothing compared to the second mode... he turns into his full-body exosuit form, protecting his whole body with a nearly impregnable armor. His strength and speed, everything gets multiplied. The suit also lets him access an advanced AI system."

Shen is nearly overwhelmed by the information. "That is to say, Tao Pai has essentially become Iron Man."

"Iron Man? Is that the new name you have decided for TTP-Ex? Indeed, it does sound fitting."

"NO NO, TTP-Ex is fine... I was just talking to myself. That name must already be copyrighted."

"Sometimes you say strange things, Mr. Shen."

"Hahaha! Forget about it... Can I test his power right now?"

"If you want, you can."

"Okay! Then switch him on."

________________________

Everyone in the hideout gathers at the large training field to watch the spectacle.

Although one, Bora, is not very thrilled about it. "Master, is it fine to do battle indoors? What if something gets damaged?"

"Worry not... I don't seriously plan to fight him... you can test speed and strength without fighting."

This somewhat eases Bora's worry.

So, the not-so-serious fight begins.

"Tao! Let's first start with your regular mode. Come at me with all your strength and speed, but in no scenario are you allowed to use ki attacks inside the hideout. I too will do the same."

"Understood, brother," Tao Pai Pai replies, slightly surprising Shen.

"So you are able to have a normal conversation?"

Silence fills the place.

"Yes, obviously. I am not a mindless robot, as you might have suspected." the situation had gotten awkward.

"Oh, my bad," embarrassed, Shen apologetically scratches the back of his head.

A gust of wind sweeps the field. . . .

"Now, I will come at you," Tao announces.

"Come!"

Tao quickly closes the gap with Shen. He throws a punch, but Shen blocks it, so he quickly recreates some distance.

The cyborg goes for the attack again, this time with a kick, but once more, Shen blocks him.

Seeing his attacks not working, Tao starts circling around his brother, hoping to disorient his target, leaving behind a dust trail. Then he suddenly pounces at Shen with both arms. When that wasn't enough, he also uses his legs. Shen evades everything.

For a while, the process repeats in rapid succession, forcing Shen to go on the defensive.

This continues for another five minutes until Shen decides to end it. He effortlessly grabs Tao's arm as he comes in for an offensive, completely stopping him in his tracks.

"This whole time I haven't struck back once. You also haven't used your trump card, but if we continue, this place may not stand anymore, so I'm stopping this for now."

Shen then turns to Dr. Flappe, among the spectators. "Dr., how many times stronger can Tao get?"

"I am not able to say for certain, as the tests have been minimal to date. However, according to my approximation, he could possibly become five times stronger than his normal state. After all, Cyborg-Tao Pai Pai is a human-based model, so he can further improve going forward with training and more artificial enhancement when the time is right. Of course, too much change is impossible, as that may really risk the subject's life."

"Unsurprisingly, Tao has such a power that exceeds my own!... Even in this form, he is already half as strong as me," Shen comments, while inwardly thinking—'Well, this was to be expected from a cyborg based off Dr. Gero's prototypes.'

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A few days later, as Shen is busy giving some pointers to his oldest disciple, Bora, regarding his use of Kikoho....

In Shen's guidance, Bora makes a tri-symbol with his hands, about to perform a small-scale Kikoho attack aimed at the ground, when abruptly they both—master and disciple—freeze in place.

"Master, did you feel it?" Bora frantically asks his master.

"Yes!... This ki! Someone with ridiculously high ki is approaching Earth. It's also extremely evil."

'Who could this possibly be... why have they come here?'

'There is no way to guess, and we have no time to waste. Hurry, inform the others, and make preparations."

"This impending danger! We may not be able to handle this,' Shen inwardly thinks, but he absolutely doesn't intend to share his doubts with the others.