Marvel Universe, an unnumbered universe.
New York City, near the Manhattan campus of the New York Institute of Technology.
Our story begins at a repair shop called "Mickey's Wonder Workshop."
…
"Hey handsome, can I get your private phone number?"
A boldly dressed college girl asked with hopeful eyes. As she spoke, she pressed her not-quite-developed cleavage together with deliberate effort.
She wore an American cheerleader uniform. On her long, shapely legs were white cotton thigh-high socks.
The most outrageous part was that the socks even had lace trim.
It clearly revealed her identity as a highly skilled hunter.
Behind what could barely be called a counter, actually just a repair workbench, stood the shop owner.
The tall and handsome young man dressed "conservatively" replied without expression.
"Sorry, Miss Stephen."
"That's a different kind of business."
After speaking, the handsome young man slid a red mechanical rhinoceros beetle model across the counter toward the college girl.
She still seemed reluctant to leave.
Kindly, the young man reminded her.
"Mr. Rodu just led our New York Institute of Technology football team to victory against New Mexico State University. It's a win worth celebrating."
"When he gets back, if you give him this Kabuto model he likes…"
"…maybe the two of you will end up spending a wonderful night together."
The "Mr. Rodu" he mentioned was the captain of the NYIT football team. A stereotypical wealthy second-generation campus bully whose family was "comfortably rich."
He had always been the favorite "golden boy" of Miss Stephen, the college girl with a certain collecting hobby.
The man she most wanted to date.
Sure enough, the moment the name Rodu appeared, Miss Stephen's expression changed several times.
She was clearly afraid of it.
She slapped a stack of cash on the counter.
A total of 327 dollars.
Then the curvy college girl walked out of the shop in white platform high heels, her steps seductive.
All she left behind was a silhouette capable of making men stare in fascination.
The handsome young shop owner watched those silk-wrapped legs disappear and muttered to himself.
Good grief… not even one second of hesitation?
She was extremely practical.
At that moment, a sympathetic voice spoke.
"Heh… women."
The young man turned and saw a slightly greasy middle-aged financial worker. He happened to be the last customer in the shop today.
After finishing with him, the young owner planned to visit a newly opened Italian pizza place nearby.
Seeing the young man looking at him, the middle-aged man laughed awkwardly and skipped the previous topic.
Instead he went straight to the point.
"So you're telling me that some jerk named Pete, from Clamville, destroyed your Mini 4WD car during a race on Wall Street?"
The handsome young man repeated the story in disbelief.
Pete from Clamville.
A Mini 4WD race on Wall Street.
Why did this sound so surreal?
Brother, does your Mini 4WD happen to have a really famous name?
The young man glanced at the middle-aged financier with a complicated expression.
Is this about to ruin my childhood?
The finance worker clearly didn't care about the young man's feelings and continued complaining.
"Yeah! My original War God machine was destroyed by that bastard… completely destroyed!"
Wait.
The original War God?
Dr. Dash, your reputation is in danger!
The handsome youth slandered silently in his mind.
Of course, on the surface he still needed to comfort the customer.
After all, customers might not always be gods.
But they absolutely have the potential to become devils.
So.
To this Mini 4WD enthusiast, the handsome young man said calmly.
"Don't worry, Mr. Loomis. This time I'll install a newly developed ZMC ceramic body onto your original War God chassis. It's an ultra-strong, lightweight material that can even resist bullets."
"With it, you'll definitely perform much better in your next race."
"Really!?"
Mr. Loomis looked shocked.
"Of course. But about the price…"
While speaking, the young shop owner opened a drawer beneath the counter and took out what looked like a sample ZMC ceramic plate.
He handed it over for inspection.
"Wow! This weight… this hardness?"
Mr. Loomis was ecstatic, hugging the material like treasure.
Once the excitement settled slightly, he remembered the price the young man had mentioned.
As a financial professional, Mr. Loomis didn't hesitate to propose a generous offer that was difficult to refuse.
"Two thousand dollars as a deposit."
"The remaining five thousand after I see the finished product."
Five thousand dollars in the 1960s.
That was an extremely generous reward.
It successfully prevented the young shop owner from raising the price any further.
The young man smiled sincerely.
"Mr. Loomis, thank you for your generosity. I promise you won't be disappointed."
Mr. Loomis waved it off casually.
"This little reward is nothing."
Then he clasped his hands together and said earnestly.
"Shop owner, I'm entrusting this child to you!"
As he spoke, he looked sadly at the battered War God machine that had been trampled beyond recognition.
"Leave it to me."
The young shop owner, who looked barely of age, patted his chest confidently.
Then, perhaps trying to attract more business, he added.
"Actually, if you don't mind slightly modifying the appearance…"
"Our shop recently developed a new technology. If applied to your War God, it can use aerodynamic principles to achieve powerful mid-air acceleration on straightaways or curves."
"What do you think?"
Mr. Loomis asked confidently.
"How much in total?"
Unexpectedly, the handsome young man politely declined.
"Mr. Loomis, you misunderstood. This is just a personal gesture."
"After hearing your story about that jerk, I was quite moved."
"So consider it a free bonus."
The moment these words came out, the financial vampire was deeply touched.
Mr. Loomis spoke emotionally.
"Brother, say no more. Here's the full five thousand dollars. Keep it."
He pulled a thick stack of bills from his wallet and placed them directly into the young man's hands.
Even after paying, Mr. Loomis continued thanking him enthusiastically.
Such "great kindness" deserved endless gratitude.
Eventually, as dinner time approached, Mr. Loomis finally finished expressing his appreciation.
Only then did he realize he still didn't know the shop owner's name.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, he asked.
"I still don't know your name, shop owner. May I ask…?"
"Mickey. Like the Mickey in Mickey's Wonder Workshop. It's on the sign outside."
Marvel Qi, already thinking about food, answered immediately.
…
Mickey was a reincarnator.
After being struck by mysterious lightning, his soul split into thousands of fragments.
More precisely, the Mickey in the Marvel Universe should now be called Marvel Qi.
Marvel Qi was also one of the only three fragments who had reached the location of the so-called Mickey's Wonder Workshop, a hive-like pocket dimension that served as his special ability.
(The sign outside Marvel Qi's shop was designed after the scene inside this strange space.)
The ability worked much like a shared hive network.
Every Mickey within the space could support one another and share resources.
Marvel Qi benefited greatly from it.
Originally he was only a Delta-level mutant, but as the number of Mickey fragments increased, his abilities evolved when the count reached three.
The power of the Mechanical Heart he had created also underwent a transformation.
Its influence expanded.
Originally, the ability only allowed Marvel Qi to control nearby mechanical creations at close range.
But now, the existence of the Mechanical Heart not only enhanced his control over machines, it also granted a new power.
Technological Insight.
Simply put, many of Marvel Qi's strange ideas could now manifest as inventions that appeared scientifically reasonable, even if the process made little sense.
For example, the ZMC ceramic sample plate that had thrilled Mr. Loomis.
That was actually his entire remaining stock.
If there was anything unfortunate about this "Technological Insight" ability…
It was the massive mana consumption.
Even now, with the help of the other two Mickey fragments, Marvel Qi still found his magical energy insufficient.
If he wanted to wield power as freely as the Mechanical Heart itself allowed, he might need something like a mana tank.
(A mana pool, similar to a health bar.)
Thinking about his lack of mana, Marvel Qi activated the core ability of the Mechanical Heart.
He remotely controlled the electronic door of the shop. From the outside it looked like a thick wooden door, but inside it had been converted into a mechanical structure.
The door shut automatically.
Marvel Qi was going to eat.
He had no intention of starving in the shop waiting for another customer.
That was the job of the two swindlers in the neighboring stores.
Mickey's Wonder Workshop was always doing good business, so there was no reason for him to suffer.
Thinking about the unfortunate people in the neighboring shops, Marvel Qi muttered.
"Maybe I should do a good deed."
"I'll bring them some leftover pizza as charity."
If he did that, the car-stealing woman next door and the down-on-his-luck magician across the street would probably kneel and thank heaven.
Just then, the door he had closed was pushed open.
"Excuse me, is this 'Mickey's Wonder Workshop'?"
Asking a question when the answer was obvious suggested the visitor had less than friendly intentions.
Marvel Qi quickly forced a polite smile.
"Sorry, customers. The shop just closed."
As he spoke, he made a gesture inviting them to leave.
Unfortunately, difficult customers usually came prepared.
Just like the man and woman who had just walked in.
The woman ignored Marvel Qi's refusal and calmly sat down on the shop's guest sofa.
She crossed her legs.
Her silk-covered legs rubbed lightly together as she smiled charmingly.
"Mr. Shop Owner, you're a mutant, right?"
It was a classic declarative sentence.
Before coming to this world, sentences like that had often appeared in Mickey's English exams.
Hearing it made him feel as if he had returned to that painful summer of endless test questions.
He stopped pretending.
Marvel Qi ignored the FBI badge worn by the man behind her.
His eyes were locked firmly on the woman's legs beneath her tight skirt.
Those silk-wrapped legs were displayed without restraint.
Marvel Qi swallowed unconsciously and said firmly.
"Miss Beautiful Legs, your legs are indeed very attractive. But I've seen enough. Please don't delay my closing time."
"Oh? And what if I say… no?"
The woman seemed amused.
She laughed softly and switched her posture, crossing the other leg over.
The movement caused Marvel Qi's gaze to slide upward along her smooth legs… until it reached the faint glimpse of black fabric beneath her tight skirt.
Marvel Qi: (♡＞＜)/!!!
Compared with the shy college girl earlier, this woman in a tight skirt clearly understood how to fight a psychological battle.
Marvel Qi almost lost his defenses.
Fortunately, the cold gaze from the man across the room never left him.
The chill of being targeted by a professional marksman quickly brought him back to his senses.
Marvel Qi cleared his throat.
"I've always respected ladies, especially beautiful ones like you."
"So if you insist on resting here, I'm happy to provide a place."
"But if this is about business matters, let's discuss it after I return from dinner."
After saying that, Marvel Qi turned and headed toward the back door.
Judging from his posture, it seemed unlikely he planned to return.
Of course, such a trick couldn't fool the two visitors who had already exposed their identities as agents.
The woman with the beautiful legs spoke again, her tone teasing.
"Mr. Mickey, if you walk out that back door and still want to see us again…"
"Heh."
"Then we'll probably have to meet you at the X-Men headquarters."
"Or at Magneto's Brotherhood."