"President Ye, you've been developing an online game recently too?"
"You saw that?"
"The marketing is huge. Haha, it's quite novel for an old guy like me... Is it taken care of?"
Steve was casually chatting with Ye Li when he saw Alita cleanly slice off the Winter Soldier's arm...
"I need to apprehend him."
Steve stepped in and, after a few moves, had his good buddy-turned- "One-Armed Hero" subdued.
Then he looked at Alita and smiled in thanks.
"Thanks, young lady. Can you return my shield now?"
"Huh?"
Alita tucked the shield behind her back and declared with ownership:
"This isn't yours—it's my trophy!"
Steve: ....
"Listen, young lady, I threw it out there, so—"
Captain America tried to reason with this new super-powered heroine.
But the mechanical girl responded cleverly:
"You threw it away, didn't that mean you didn't want it?"
Steve: ....(I have no argument for that...)
"You like that thing?" Ye Li walked over and asked.
"Mmhm!" Alita nodded. This shield could handle her plasma blue flame—it was rare.
'If it's vibranium... the system even rewarded me a whole Phantom Spider Ship made of vibranium. I could tear off a bit and... nah, better not dismantle anything. There's still plenty in Wakanda and underwater regions anyway...'
Ye Li saw Alita liked it, so he started thinking.
'But Cap's shield isn't normal vibranium—it's a vibranium alloy... a freak accident with no recipe...'
Not sure if Alita liked the shield itself or just vibranium-made things, he asked: "Do you like the material of this shield, or the shield itself?"
Alita gave it a few swings and felt it wasn't quite suited to her fighting style.
"I want the kind of material that doesn't burn. If this were a sword, that'd be perfect—I prefer blades!"
"OK, if it's just the material, no problem."
Ye Li agreed right away.
If the lab had nano-level mechanical tech, he'd build her a vibranium body already.
It's not that it couldn't be done—just that the result wouldn't be as smooth and agile.
With Alita satisfied, Ye Li tossed the shield back to the poor Captain.
"Here, take it. Anything else?"
"Uhh..."
Steve glanced at the subdued Winter Soldier.
"Nothing else. Thanks again, President Ye. I've got another mission—I'll express my thanks properly next time."
"Alright. You two have fun, then."
Ye Li thought for a moment, then casually teleported Bucky's dropped mechanical arm back to the lab.
Never let a goose fly by without plucking a feather—can't leave empty-handed.
"Young man!"
Just as Ye Li and Alita were about to leave,
The now-recovered vendor granny quickly called out to them.
"Thank you both. If not for you, I might never have seen my daughter again..."
She apologized to Ye Li.
"Sorry, young man. I misunderstood you earlier. A kind soul like you couldn't possibly be that kind of person."
She looked at Alita and asked, "Young lady, you're probably not his..."
"No no no..."
Ye Li pinched Alita's bouncy cheek and explained with a grin:
"I built her—she's a robot. That's why she calls me 'dad' and 'master'~"
Alita protested, "I'm not a ro—mmph..."
Ye Li clamped her little mouth shut with his fingers...
"Goodness... she's actually a robot..."
The old lady was more worldly than most—she wasn't too shocked.
"So, is this little robot girl... like him? A superhero too?"
She glanced at Alita's exposed silver hand, then at Captain America's back, and suddenly sighed.
"...Ah, superheroes... Sharon's aunt waited for him for so long..."
"Uhh..."
Seeing Sharon's mom getting sentimental, Ye Li cut in:
"If there's nothing else, we'll just..."
"Haha, why the rush? Why not come over to my house for a meal?"
"What should I call you, young man? If you know Captain America, you must be someone special."
The old lady warmly invited them, "My daughter's quite pretty. She's at the right age to date—I could introduce you two. I almost died—she has to come back now."
'Sharon Carter, huh... She may not have superpowers (though she's rich)... but still counts as a superhero.'
Ye Li thought about it, then nodded in agreement.
"Just call me Ye. Since Grandma is so kind, I'd feel bad turning her down..."
If he could become Sharon Carter's "Supernatural Connection," and load the template successfully, his base stats would go up.
Every bit adds up, after all.
With no response from Wanda's "Connection Quest," the only way to keep growing stronger was through slow, steady steps...
"Haha, good."
Sharon's mom was delighted to hear Ye Li accept—she liked him more the more she looked.
"And don't call me 'Grandma' anymore—it'll mess up the whole generation tree."