The Lower Military Academy was less an institute of higher learning and more a glorified sweatshop. Tucked into the industrial sector of Mega-City 9, the air tasted permanently of engine grease and cheap soldering flux.
Chen Xi swiped his bronze wristband at the rusted console of Workshop Unit 73. The heavy blast doors groaned open, revealing a cramped, dimly lit room cluttered with broken drone chassis, stripped servos, and bins of low-grade iron scrap. It was a dumping ground for the elites, but to Chen Xi, it was a goldmine.
He locked the door behind him and let out a long breath.
"Finally," a voice huffed in his mind. The cold, mechanical synthesis from yesterday was entirely gone. In its place was a voice that was sweet, intensely melodious, and currently dripping with disdain. "If I had to endure another second of that cheap, dyed-blonde receptionist staring at your collarbone while handing you your room key, I would have overloaded her optic implants. You are my host, Chen Xi. Tell me you didn't enjoy her looking at you."
Chen Xi chuckled, tossing his duffel bag onto a greasy workbench. "Jealous already, Sylphe? We’ve only been bound for twenty-four hours. Besides, I think she was looking at the grease smudge on my neck."
A tiny, semi-transparent holographic projection flickered into existence on the workbench. It resolved into a palm-sized, stunningly beautiful girl with silver hair and glowing golden eyes, wearing an intricate, futuristic dress. She crossed her arms, turning her head away with a distinct 'hmph'.
"I am not jealous. I am simply guarding my investment," Sylphe declared, though the tips of her holographic ears turned slightly pink. "As the supreme Origin Forge intellect, I possess standards. Letting some low-tier human female ogle the man I am synchronizing with is an insult to my code. The next time a woman looks at you like that, I’m routing a mild electrical shock through your boots."
"Possessive much?" Chen Xi leaned over the workbench, propping his chin on his hand, a teasing smirk on his face. "Are you a universal super-weapon, or my girlfriend?"
Sylphe’s projection glared at him, but the golden data-streams around her fluttered erratically. "I can be both! Now, stop flirting with me and focus. This workshop is filled with utter garbage. If the primordial creators saw me working with 'Grade-F Iron Scrap,' they would delete themselves out of shame."
"It’s what we have," Chen Xi said, his tone turning a bit more serious, though his eyes remained fond. He walked over to the scrap bins, his [Basic Mechanical Affinity] naturally highlighting the structural weaknesses and usable alloys in the junk. "Zhao Ming and the Ironfang Syndicate think I'm a harmless wrench-monkey. I need something to prove them violently wrong if they try to ambush me in the alleys. I need a weapon. Something hidden, suited for a martial artist."
Sylphe floated over his shoulder, peering into the bin. "Fine. But I want a reward for this."
"A reward? I’m literally feeding you the cosmic energy I gather through my breathing technique just to keep your core alive."
"That’s rent," Sylphe corrected smoothly, floating down to sit on the edge of the scrap bin, crossing her legs. "I want praise. And maybe for you to promise not to look at any of the female combat instructors today. Deal?"
"You're a menace," Chen Xi laughed, shaking his head. "Deal. Now, what can we build?"
"Activating Origin Forge," Sylphe announced, her playful demeanor shifting into sharp, hyper-competent focus. Her golden eyes glowed as a blueprint projected itself directly into Chen Xi’s retinas.
[Blueprint Selected: 'Viper-Mantis' Kinetic Hidden Blade]
[Required Materials: 4kg High-Carbon Steel, 1kg Copper wiring, 1 Low-Level Beast Core]
"A hidden blade?" Chen Xi asked, observing the intricate, pneumatic mechanisms of the design. It was meant to be worn under a sleeve, mounting flush against the forearm.
"Not just a blade," Sylphe said proudly. "It integrates your [Qi Gathering] technique. The pneumatic chamber doesn't use gas; it uses a burst of your compressed martial arts Qi to fire the blade forward with enough kinetic force to pierce power armor. It also features a micro-grapple function. Put the materials on the table, darling."
Chen Xi ignored the casual pet name—though he felt his heart rate tick up a fraction—and piled the iron scrap, the copper he’d scavenged, and the glowing core of the Steel-Scaled Hound onto the metal bench.
"Initiate," he commanded.
He placed his hands over the pile. The golden light of the Origin Forge spilled from his palms. The metal didn't melt; it simply broke down at a molecular level. The iron purified itself, shedding rust and slag like dust. The beast core dissolved into a stream of neon-blue energy that wove itself into the copper wiring.
It was agonizingly taxing. Chen Xi felt his stamina plummeting, sweat beading on his forehead as Sylphe guided his raw energy to shape the components.
Three minutes later, the light faded.
Resting on the workbench was a pair of sleek, matte-black bracers. They looked like standard mechanic’s safety gear, but as Chen Xi strapped them onto his forearms, he felt the deadly, coiled tension within them.
He flexed his right wrist and channeled a tiny sliver of breath down his arm.
SNIKT.
A nine-inch, razor-sharp alloy blade shot out from beneath his wrist with the speed of a bullet, vibrating with a deadly hum. It retracted just as fast with a subtle flick of his muscle.
"Flawless execution," Sylphe purred, floating down to inspect the blade. She looked up at him, a smug, brilliant smile on her face. "Tell me I'm the best thing that ever happened to you."
Chen Xi admired the weapon, feeling a true sense of security for the first time in his life. He looked down at the tiny holographic girl. "You really are. Good job, Sylphe."
Her avatar flared with bright light, clearly pleased, before she coughed delicately and looked away. "Obviously. Now, grab a spanner and pretend to fix that broken drone in the corner. Someone is coming down the hall, and it's a female. Keep your eyes on the machinery, Chen Xi, or I'm deploying the blade into your knee."
Chen Xi smiled, grabbed a wrench, and turned toward the blast doors, ready for whatever the Academy was about to throw at him.
*Sorry for the inconveniences .The nickname of the AI assistant has been replaced by Zero to Sylphie.