Two hours later, a shiny, one-meter-high Gundam model stood completed in the center of the garage, with cracks appearing on the ground.
The cold, metallic body stood tall, surrounded by mechanical parts. It held a short gun and carried two pairs of giant wings on its back. Every small detail, from the exhaust holes to the scratches and edges, was meticulously crafted to perfection.
John Li took out the specially prepared non-ferrous metal coating and made the final touches to the pure silver exterior.
John clapped his hands. "Finally done!"
He picked up his phone and sent a message, "Kai, this model will take about ten days. After that, I will leave it in the usual spot and won't contact Harry directly."
Kai quickly replied, "Thanks, Leo. Let me know if you need anything in the future!"
"Yeah, sure."
John gently raised his hand, and the entire model floated up with its supporting base. Weighing 700 or 800 pounds, he moved it to a corner and covered it with a black cloth.
"Okay, the task is complete. Time to head back to my room."
He headed to his room on the second floor, carrying twelve metal rods, each weighing 20 kilograms, and the finished equipment.
After confirming that his uncle and aunt had gone to bed, he quietly moved out.
"It seems I've been using a lot of metal rods lately. I need to replenish them," John thought as he returned to his room.
He placed the metal rods next to him, and the iron box containing food flew over, beginning to eat.
John's situation was rather pitiful. He could only feel pleasure when food passed through his intestines, never experiencing a full stomach. Within a minute, his stomach was empty again, with only the energy in his mind indicating he had eaten.
He rubbed his still-hungry belly, put the empty box back on the cabinet, and thought, "I need to restock on food. Luckily, I have some money now."
John sat on the floor, surrounded by metal. As he closed his eyes, the room turned completely dark.
Suddenly, tiny specks of golden light emerged from the surrounding metal blocks and poured into John's body.
Time passed slowly, and by morning, the ninth metal rod beside John had developed numerous cracks.
When the first ray of sunlight hit him, John opened his eyes. The golden pupil light slowly dissipated. He got up and placed the remaining three metal rods on a nearby shelf.
The nine cracked metals behind him flew into the waste bin and broke into several pieces.
John stretched and was about to go downstairs for breakfast when he noticed the changes in his abilities.
"Control Points: Fifty-One"
"Strength 7, Defense 6, Speed 8, Spirit 17"
"Skills: D-level Metal Control, D-level Physical Enhancement"
"Strengthening: Gold Eye (64%), Copper Skin (10%), Steel Bar (0%), Iron Bone (0%)"
It was Uncle George who took John to school. They stopped smoothly downstairs at Aunt May's house. After a while, Aunt May appeared, holding Peter.
In the car, Aunt May, wearing delicate makeup, smiled happily at Peter. "Peter, this is your brother Leo. He'll accompany you to school from now on, okay?"
Peter, a thin, white, clean boy, looked curiously at his new older brother, who was about his height. With wide eyes, he smiled and nodded, "Okay!"
John felt a bit embarrassed, realizing he was ten centimeters taller than Peter. He patted Peter's head and took him to school.
...
After school, John escorted Peter to the school bus home. Aunt May would pick him up, but John slipped away and drove to the junction of Brooklyn and Queens.
There, he found a small warehouse where Mike and others stored metal, and where metal materials were specially prepared for him.
After confirming there were no strange metal products around, John walked in comfortably.
Looking at the dozens of tons of various metal materials in the warehouse, he smiled happily. This setup was convenient. Before, he had to go to Staten Island for supplies. Now, it was only five kilometers from home.
He carried a small suitcase filled with 500 kilograms of metal materials. Without John's special control, the suitcase would not have borne such weight.
Being cautious, John slightly levitated the box off the ground on his way home. With his 51 points of control, it was easy.
Once home, he sighed with relief.
He had successfully brought back a batch of high-quality steel, better than the ordinary iron bars Uncle George ordered online, which could slightly increase his cultivation speed.
John sent a message to Kai on his phone:
"Kai, I took 500 kilograms of materials from the warehouse. Just letting you know!"
"No problem, if you need more, tell me. By the way, Leo, do you know about the monster incidents in Manhattan the day before yesterday?"
"Of course, it's all over the newspapers. What's up?" John asked, confused.
"I heard a rumor. The police found a gold-titanium alloy throwing knife at the scene. The metal used for making satellites appeared there. They're investigating it everywhere! I heard higher-ups are looking into it!"
"So?"
"Uh, nothing. Just thought I'd tell you. But Leo, with your metal manipulation abilities, any idea if it's related to that knife?" Kai asked casually.
"I don't know. I just heard about it. Was that metal stolen? Even if you gave it to me, I couldn't polish it!"
"Right, okay. Thanks, Leo. I'll leave the model to you. I'll be busy!"
"Sure, goodbye," John typed, but his expression turned serious.
Fortunately, he had left the scene in time and taken measures to conceal his presence. Otherwise, he might have been discovered!
Far away in a basement on Staten Island, surrounded by various metal models, a strong white man picked up a finely crafted, 20-centimeter-high metal figure and played with it.
"Leo's craftsmanship is incredible, it's natural. But why is Boss Crow interested in this? The last batch of goods did lose a few pieces in Queens. Now we're supposed to gather information? Forget it, I don't get it!"
He picked up the phone and called Ulysses Crow.
"Boss, I just play with ordinary metal models. If there's a special channel, someone else would know. I really don't know about the gold-titanium alloy appearing there!"
"FK, now even the FBI is onto that piece of metal. Sisk Company might have to shut down, FK!" a roar came from the phone.
The call abruptly ended.
The strong white man touched his head, "Isn't it good to sell vibranium? Why get involved in other things? I don't understand the boss!"
He kept wiping the model in his hand, muttering, "Leo, I must see you! Your skills are very attractive!" A trace of bloodlust flashed in his eyes.