Luke's metaphor made Nick instantly understand the hidden danger.
"In other words, it's not stable?" Nick looked at the metal wristband on his left wrist and made a judgment.
"No, it's very stable. The one that's unstable is the demon beast." Luke corrected Nick's judgment. "If there's a problem with it, such as the amplification disappearing, don't assume it's a problem with the equipment. It's most likely not damaged or has no problems. It's just that its energy source has stopped supplying, and the other party has blacklisted you."
Nick looked at the serious Luke, his heart full of complaints, not knowing how to begin. To him, this sentence automatically translated into: If there's a problem with the equipment, it's definitely not my equipment, but something else.
"There has to be an expiration date, right?" Nick said helplessly. "I can't just place an order and then all this equipment gets, uh, blacklisted. That's not how business works, Luke. I admit this is good stuff, and I'm even tempted. But I want a time limit."
"See, that's the difference between your understanding and mine." Luke also looked helpless. "All I can say is that they might be able to function stably for a long time, but they might also attract the enemy's attention during a battle due to some unexpected event, and they might directly close the terminal server connection to you."
"I don't consider individual cases." Nick waved Luke off.
"If it's used frequently, then most of the time it can only be used for about half a year," Luke answered cautiously. "Of course, this is based on a number of factors. In reality, if it's not used frequently and there are no accidents, you can use it for a year or even longer. Maybe the demon beast will take a liking to one of your agents and won't be stingy with this little bit of power."
At the end, Luke even told a joke.
"The usage period is a bit short." Nick thought to himself. He felt that the budget, which was once abundant this year, was about to become stretched. But it didn't matter. After all, he wasn't paying for it. He just wanted it to be effective. "What about the side effects? Are there any sequelae? What will the price be for the agents using it?"
"A price? Why do you think so? Didn't you understand what we said before?" Luke looked at Nick in surprise again. "Someone will naturally bear the cost for you. Besides, we're black accounts. To put it bluntly, we're freeloading, cracking, and pirating. For people like this, the most you can do is ban your account, call the police, or bring people to cause trouble.
But can he get in? If he does, that won't be a problem for us to deal with, but a problem for the mages to deal with. As for sending his other followers to cause trouble, are you afraid?"
Nick was speechless.
"But using this so-called demonic power, is it true that I won't be affected or anything? Like, become unlike myself?" Nick, deeply suspicious, asked his most pressing question. He didn't want all his agents to one day become followers of a demonic god, standing in a row and calling him "chief."
That's really not something to celebrate.
"In addition to being an energy receiver, this equipment also performs filtering and conversion functions. This function can significantly weaken the mental erosion effects of the demon's power, and even reduce this effect to almost nothing. There are indeed hidden dangers. After all, as the first mass-produced version, it is normal to have defects. It can be upgraded later. In addition, this technology was not originally prepared for you." Luke replied.
"One last question. If it gets damaged, well, I mean, if it gets disconnected, what should I do? Throw it away and get a new one?" Nick touched his metal wristband and asked his last question about it.
Luke was stunned for a moment, then gave Nick a strange look. "If this is your personal hobby, then of course you can throw it away and buy a new one. I suggest selling it to Heberon as scrap. I'll give you a recycling price that satisfies both of us. Yeah, I'm absolutely satisfied!"
Nick's mind began to pop up several more questions. He vaguely felt that Luke was saying something else. He asked Luke tentatively, "Could it be possible to repair it after it breaks?"
"Look at what you're saying. If a key expires, can't you just reactivate it?" Luke spread his hands and sighed softly. "Hyperion offers a bulk activation service. It just requires a small investment of money or resources. Pretty affordable, isn't it? With just a little money and resources, you can harness the power of a demon god. The combat effectiveness of your agents will instantly increase by several levels. It's a great deal."
Nick couldn't help but glance at Luke, marveling at how a middleman, a freeloader at that, could say such a thing? While SHIELD wouldn't have been able to use this equipment without his technology, his honest words left those in the know feeling a sense of disorientation and absurdity.
"There's no need to share this information; just the two of us know it." Nick coughed twice and then went along with the flow. Activation can't come faster than new funding. Luke got his hands on that demon for free, and then he bought Hyperion equipment to bolster the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents' combat effectiveness. It was a perfect combination for both parties.
"Okay." Luke nodded casually, pointing to the metal wristband on Nick's wrist. "Also, let me remind you, this metal wristband of yours is a special edition. In a sense, it has a long service life and overclocking properties. Do you know what overclocking means? It means you can break through limitations and use more power without worrying about being blacklisted."
"Why?" Nick wondered.
"Because you're using the genuine product," Luke said seriously. Nick sighed inwardly upon hearing this. Fortunately, Luke didn't wait for him to ask. After a pause, as if guessing Nick's doubts, he took the initiative to explain: "Those ninjas are genuine users because they paid a price.
You know, secret keys can be shared. If the software is on the same computer, you can use it, and so can others. The Demon Beast's binding monitoring method might directly bind to a person's soul consciousness. So, if we upload that person's consciousness to a database and preserve it, pretending they're still alive, wouldn't that mean we have the authentic key?
"Going a step further, if we master the Hand's method of communicating with that demon beast, then in a sense, we have a method to mass-produce genuine keys? Do you understand what I mean?"
Seeing Luke looking at him with sparkling eyes, Nick couldn't help cursing in his heart.
Shit! So your VIP deluxe upgrade is waiting for me here?
However, a ninja is equivalent to a genuine key, and coupled with that so-called method, it must be said that Nick's heart was once again moved. Anyway, the war with the Hand has already begun, right?