On the third day of "mei le ge mei's" release, downloads surpassed five thousand.
Artoria stared at the backend data, finding it hard to believe. Five thousand downloads, three thousand daily active users, estimated daily ad revenue... five hundred and twenty dollars.
"It's only been three days," she murmured.
At this rate, the first month's income could reach fifteen thousand. Although it was still far from five million, it at least proved this path was viable.
Just as she was about to transform into her Umaru form to add new levels, that feeling of being watched returned.
This time, the feeling was stronger—not an accidental glance, but focused, continuous observation. She put down her phone, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked out at the sea.
Ten kilometers away on the ocean, that familiar white yacht was anchored quietly. On the deck, Tony Stark was holding a pair of clearly military-grade high-powered binoculars, looking this way without any attempt at concealment.
Artoria frowned. She didn't like being stared at like this, even if the other person was Iron Man.
But she didn't hide. Instead, she raised her hand and waved gently in that direction.
Ten kilometers away, on the yacht's deck.
Tony Stark was admiring the small house on the coast through his binoculars—and the blonde girl on the terrace in front of it. Jarvis had just completed a new round of scanning, and the data showed she was just an ordinary human female, except for her absurdly high beauty.
"So what exactly is Fury so nervous about..." he grumbled, adjusting the focus to see what the girl was doing.
Then he saw her look up.
It wasn't an accidental glance; she was looking precisely and directly at him. Across ten kilometers, through the binoculars, their gazes met in the lens.
Tony's hand shook.
"Sir?" Jarvis's voice sounded.
"She..." Tony lowered the binoculars, then raised them again, confirming he hadn't seen wrong—she was indeed looking at him, and even raised her hand to wave.
"She saw me?" Tony found it absurd. "From ten kilometers away? With the naked eye?"
"Theoretically impossible, Sir. The limit of ordinary human vision under ideal conditions is approximately five kilometers, and it is impossible to identify a specific target against a complex maritime background."
"Then how did she..."
Through the binoculars, the girl lowered her hand and turned back into the house. Her movements were composed, as if she had just greeted a neighbor.
Tony put down the binoculars, his expression peculiar. He recalled that moment—her emerald eyes were frighteningly clear in the lens, her gaze calm, knowing, and even carrying a hint of... teasing?
"Jarvis, pull up the footage from just now and analyze the pupil focus."
A holographic image unfolded on the deck. Zoom in, zoom in again. The girl's pupils were indeed focused in the direction of the lens; it wasn't a coincidence, but a clear stare.
"So she really did see me." Tony rubbed his chin. "From ten kilometers away, she saw me with the naked eye."
This was already beyond the scope of a "special individual." That bastard Fury was definitely hiding something.
"Sir, do you require a closer investigation?"
"No." Tony shook his head, though the corners of his mouth curled up. "That would be too impolite. Since she's already greeted me, I should return the gesture."
He turned and walked toward the cabin. "Prepare the helicopter, we're heading back to shore. By the way... find out what she's lacking."
"Initial scans show there are no vehicles at the residence, making transportation inconvenient."
"Then send a car." Tony snapped his fingers. "Something practical, beautiful, and fitting for that face of hers."
"Budget?"
"Budget?" Tony smiled. "Jarvis, does expressing an apology to a neighbor require a budget?"
Two hours later, while Artoria was designing new levels, the doorbell rang.
She walked to the door and saw a young man in a courier uniform standing outside, with a transport truck parked behind him. On the truck was... a car.
Not an ordinary car. It was a matte silver sports car, its lines as smooth as a deep-sea fish, shimmering with a fine metallic luster under the sunlight.
"Miss Artoria?" The courier handed over a tablet. "A gift from Mr. Tony Stark, please sign for it."
Artoria stared at the car for three seconds, then looked at the order information on the tablet: Aston Martin DB11, V12 engine, custom matte silver paint, including three years of full insurance and maintenance.
The price tag column was blank—but she estimated it was enough to make hundreds of "mei le ge mei" games.
"Why did he send me a car?" she asked.
"Mr. Stark said... it's an apology for this morning's rudeness." The courier's expression was a bit subtle. "He said 'watching a neighbor with binoculars is impolite, but sending a car should make up for it'."
Artoria was silent. So Tony admitted he was watching her and apologized in such an exaggerated way.
"Can I refuse it?"
"Mr. Stark said if you refuse, he will send a different one every day until you accept."
"...He really would say that."
"In fact, those were his exact words, Miss."
Artoria sighed and signed her name. The courier looked relieved and directed the transport truck to unload the sports car, parking it in the open space in front of the small house. The key was a smart card, accompanied by a handwritten note:
"Sorry for the rudeness this morning. This car should be a bit more comfortable than an electric scooter.
——Your overly curious neighbor, Tony.
PS: I picked the color; it matches your hair well."
Holding the car key and looking at the sports car worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, Artoria had mixed feelings.
She didn't know how to drive.
In her past life, she was an engineering otaku and hadn't gotten a driver's license. In this life, she had only been a girl for three days and hadn't had a chance to learn. Moreover, there was no driver's license in the identity documents S.H.I.E.L.D. had provided.
"I have a car but can't drive it." She smiled bitterly. "Later... once I've created 2B, I'll let her drive."
This thought made her feel a bit better. She walked to the car and touched the hood. The cold metallic feel and exquisite craftsmanship were evident.
"I'll just leave it here for now." She turned and went back inside.
In the afternoon, the game data continued to grow. Downloads surpassed eight thousand, and estimated daily revenue reached six hundred dollars. She posted promotional threads on several gaming forums, and the response was good—though most replies were "This game is so toxic."
In the evening, she transformed into Umaru and spent two hours adding ten new levels. She continued to increase the difficulty and optimize the ad placements.
After canceling the transformation, a question suddenly occurred to her: Was Tony sending her a car really just an apology?
She walked to the window and looked at the silver sports car. In the sunset, faint, fine patterns seemed to flash across the car's body—sensors? Or monitoring equipment?
"System," she asked in her mind, "is that car safe?"
[Scanning...]
[The vehicle has no eavesdropping, tracking, or remote control devices.]
[Note: The vehicle's smart system has been marked as accessible by 'Jarvis', but no active connection has been established.]
This meant Tony had left a backdoor but hadn't used it. He was still being somewhat discreet.
"Then I'll just leave it there for now," she said.
At night, she sat on the terrace watching the stars. Her phone was beside her, the screen showing real-time backend data for the game—downloads were growing slowly but steadily, the revenue numbers ticking up every few minutes.
The sea breeze was very cold. She wrapped her coat tighter, remembering Tony's gaze through the binoculars earlier that day.
"He knows I'm not ordinary," she said softly. "But he didn't come to disturb me; he only observed and even sent a car as an apology."
This was much more comfortable than S.H.I.E.L.D.'s "monitor-and-control" model. Although Tony Stark was conceited, he at least had basic politeness and... a sense of humor in interpersonal interactions.
Her phone vibrated; it was Coulson.
"Miss Artoria, Mr. Stark sent you a car?"
"You guys monitor me quite diligently," Artoria said.
"It was just a routine scan that detected a change in high-value assets. Do you need help handling it? If you don't want to accept it—"
"No need, I've accepted it." Artoria paused. "Why is he so interested in me?"
There was a two-second silence on the other end. "Mr. Stark is interested in everything 'abnormal.' Especially... beautiful abnormalities."
"So he's just curious."
"It seems so for now. But please remain vigilant; he is very likely to... contact you in other ways."
"Like what?"
"Like 'accidentally' passing by, 'accidentally' needing help, or 'accidentally' wanting to make a friend." Coulson's tone was helpless. "That's his usual style."
"I see." Artoria hung up the phone.
She looked toward the coastline. Tony's Villa was lit up, shining like a pearl in the night.
"Then let him come," she said softly. "I could use a neighbor I can... actually talk to, anyway."
As long as he doesn't cross the line.
The next day, "mei le ge mei" downloads surpassed fifteen thousand. Estimated daily revenue exceeded one thousand dollars for the first time.
Artoria looked at the backend and did some math: At this rate, the first month's income could reach thirty thousand. Although it was still far from five million, at least she had the first brick.
She opened her laptop and turned to the page for the 2B manufacturing plan. After "Funding Requirements," she wrote a new number:
Accumulated: $1,200
Goal: $5,000,000
Progress: 0.024%
"The first step of a long journey," she laughed at herself.
But at least, the step had been taken.
At noon, she rode her bike to the grocery store. This time, the owner's wife didn't ask much, but she did glance at her a few more times—likely because she wasn't wearing a hat today, and that face was simply impossible to hide.
On the way back, she deliberately took a detour, passing the coastal road near Tony's Villa. The Villa was quiet, and no one was in sight. But when she was halfway there, a silver sports car slowly followed from behind, pulling up alongside her.
The window rolled down. Tony Stark, wearing sunglasses, smiled at her.
"Do you like the car?"
Artoria stopped her electric scooter and looked at him. "I can't drive."
Tony was stunned. "You don't have a license?"
"No."
"..." Tony took off his sunglasses, his expression peculiar. "So you accepted a car... you can't drive?"
"You said if I didn't accept it, you'd send a different one every day," Artoria said calmly. "I thought one was enough."
Tony stared at her for three seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing.
"Alright, my mistake." He put his sunglasses back on. "Need me to teach you how to drive? For free—personal instruction from Stark, an opportunity many would beg for."
"Not for now." Artoria restarted her electric scooter. "I'll wait until... I find someone to teach me."
"Who could teach better than me?"
"Someone who can drive, has patience, and won't ask me too many questions." After saying that, Artoria twisted the throttle and left.
In the rearview mirror, Tony remained in place, seemingly pondering her words.
Artoria smiled and sped up.
That car... she'd just wait for 2B to drive it.
Before that, she still had a game to make, levels to design, and five million to earn.
The road was still long.
But at least for now, the scenery along the way... wasn't bad.
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