Interrogating The Defender
The environment inside the room was far from what Luke had expected. Given how revealingly Villian dressed, he'd thought her private life would be filled with many frivolous activities, but the room was surprisingly dull.
Luke looked around, then asked Carol, who was equally curious, "Did you find anything?"
The girl stared at the chair. "That must be it."
"The connection core?"
"Yes."
"Got it." Luke turned. "Adam! Get over here."
The large, muscular Adam quickly entered. "Young Master!"
Luke pointed to the chair. "Sit down."
Adam didn't hesitate. He sat directly in the chair, and a dozen energy rings appeared, binding his hands and feet, restraining him completely. Simultaneously, a helmet that resembled an electro-shock device descended onto Adam's head.
He offered no resistance, allowing the ring to lock his head in place.
Current spilled from the helmet, making his body tremble violently. The air soon smelled of scorching flesh. Even so, Adam remained silent, his stern face never showing any emotion other than cold indifference.
"He's terrifying!"
Carol covered her mouth, a mixture of admiration and horror on her face.
Luke paced the room, then suddenly thrust his hand down. The particle blade sliced into the floor, and the electric current instantly vanished. The lights in the room dimmed.
"It's here, as expected."
Luke's face brightened. He quickly pried open the floorboards and followed the crystalline pipes to find the control core. The metal sphere's control center was vastly different from a Kryptonian ship's. It wasn't a Super AI made of fluid metal, but a white, spherical object resembling a human brain.
The sphere was placed in a nutrient tank and connected to many tubes.
"How interesting."
Luke inspected it thoroughly. He carefully lifted the tank and held it in front of him, staring at the "white brain." He spoke clearly, word by word:
"Since you have consciousness, you know what death is. This is your last chance. If you don't speak now, I will smash this tank into pieces."
A few seconds later, an unfamiliar voice echoed in his mind,
"Hello, Human."
Luke's mouth quirked into a grin. He chuckled strangely,
"Hello, Alien. How should I address you? Male Alien? Female Alien? Or a genderless Alien?"
"I am a Psionic Core created by Zamaron scientists. I am not an organic life form and have no gender."
"Your name?"
"I have no name."
"Then what should I call you?"
"You may call me The Defender."
"The Defender!" Luke clicked his tongue, a little dissatisfied. "That's too dull, like a rigid machine. How about this: I'll give you a name."
"You do not have my naming authority."
"Who does?"
"Villian!"
"If I kill her, will I?"
"In principle, Villian is my mistress. I must protect her."
Luke bared his teeth in a wide smile. "So, you're prepared to go to hell with her."
After a brief pause, the voice spoke again: "My primary mission is to protect the great Queen, Your Majesty. My secondary mission is to protect Villian. When the primary and secondary missions conflict, the secondary mission is automatically abandoned."
Luke was instantly enlightened, his smile widening. He had discovered something interesting: this so-called Psionic Core was very likely a weather vane (an opportunist who changes allegiance).
Of course, that was just his guess; it hadn't been confirmed yet.
"So, you're on our side now."
"I will forever support the great Queen, Your Majesty."
Luke burst out laughing and tossed the nutrient tank to Carol. "Congratulations! You've gained a loyal, opportunistic subordinate."
The girl was utterly bewildered. The next second, having heard something, her face turned pale.
"She told me... Villian is planning to go after our family."
Danger at the Shaw Manor
At the Shaw family manor, the Elder Master had been moody and volatile ever since Luke missed his appointment. He'd smash things at the slightest irritation. Everyone in the household had been scolded, and even Linda, who was a guest, wasn't spared.
Strangely, the usually rebellious and arrogant Kryptonian girl remained silent in the face of the old man's harsh words, which terrified her "Master," Lingxu Zi.
Not just him, but Lin Fu, who knew the girl's true strength, was also shocked. Fortunately, the worst didn't happen. The old man leaned on his cane and left after a few harsh words. Linda angrily stomped her feet, then dragged her "Master," Lingxu Zi, to the backyard to practice martial arts.
After much trial and error, Lingxu Zi had finally created a secret martial arts manual specifically tailored for Kryptonians. As for the effectiveness, he had zero confidence.
Cultivating inner energy first requires opening the meridians, which are connected to the nerves. A slight mistake could cause irreversible damage to the body. Therefore, opening the meridians must strictly follow the manual without any error.
Initially, Lingxu Zi thought the same way. But after witnessing Linda's superhuman recovery ability, he suddenly had a new idea.
The girl is an alien. Her body structure is fundamentally different from Earthlings. Who knows how her meridians are distributed? Since that's the case, why not take an all-or-nothing approach and blast open all the meridians in her body? Once the meridians are open, even an idiot can become a master.
Lingxu Zi felt he was a genius for thinking of such a brilliant idea.
So, after a round of completely incomprehensible martial arts terms, Linda, whose mind was a mess, began to follow her "Master's" instructions to open her inner meridians.
Due to her powerful recovery ability, the process was more troublesome than imagined. The forcibly opened meridians kept snapping back to normal. It took several hours for the meridians in a single arm to stabilize.
Linda was truly frustrated. Seeing that it was dark, she turned to return to the villa for dinner with her "Master." After only a few steps, she suddenly stopped.
Lingxu Zi asked curiously, "What is it?"
Linda pouted.
"You go ahead. I have something to deal with."
Lingxu Zi acknowledged her and obediently left. After turning the corner down the corridor, he quickly slipped into the bushes to secretly watch.
Villian hovered in mid-air, looking expressionlessly at the brightly lit villa. This is the home of that damned Earth primitive, Luke Shaw.
Excellent. I'll capture your family and see how arrogant you can be. She felt a dark pleasure anticipating Luke kneeling and begging for mercy.
Just then, a feeling of being stalked by a wild animal abruptly emerged. Villian quickly looked down. On the edge of her vision, a sweet-looking blonde girl stood there. The girl's mouth was slightly curved, and her eyes were half-closed, revealing undisguised mockery.
Villian: "..."
She was silent for a moment, then hissed, "You can see me."
Linda grinned. "What do you think?"
Villian took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to strike.
"Who are you, and what is your relationship with Luke Shaw?"
"We've met a few times. No other relationship. What about you?"
"I am his enemy."
Linda realized. "So, you've come for revenge."
"That's right. If you don't want to get hurt, stay far away. This has nothing to do with you."
Due to the oppressive feeling the girl gave her, Villian's tone was unusually polite.
"I can't do that. I eat well and live well here, so I can't just ignore this. How about this..." Linda extended a finger and smiled. "I'll stand here without moving. You also stand there without moving. If you can withstand one of my 'Void-Piercing Punches,' I will leave and stay out of your way."
Villian was silent, contemplating the risks and rewards in her mind. She slowly said,
"You must keep your word."
"Relax." Linda rolled up her sleeve, bent her knees slightly, and placed her right fist by her hip. "I'm not like some people. If I promise one punch, there won't be a second."
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