Coming out of the press conference, Tony led Lin Yu to his luxury villa in California. The address was 10880 Malibu, with the numbers 90265. Lin Yu looked at the huge house with wide eyes. He had never seen anything like it.
This was a super luxurious villa with a view of the sea. It was built on a cliff over the water. The whole place looked very modern and technological. It reminded Lin Yu of several white flying saucers stacked on top of each other. He learned it was 1021 square meters in size and had two floors. It had its own place for a helicopter to land, a swimming pool filled with fresh water, a private tennis court, a golf course, and many other amazing things. Lin Yu felt a little dizzy from all the wealth on display.
He knew from his own memories that this villa would be destroyed in a future fight. But for now, it was perfect and whole.
"Okay," Tony said, leading Lin Yu and a tired-looking Pepper inside. "There are a lot of rooms here. Besides my room and Pepper's room, there are many empty ones. You can pick one to live in. If you have any questions, just ask Jarvis. He is my smart helper." Tony's voice was casual, but he watched Lin Yu's reaction to his home.
"Jarvis!" Tony called out. A moment later, a calm voice came from all around them.
"Yes, sir?"
Tony pointed to Lin Yu. "This is Lin Yu. He is my friend. Give him some permissions. He will live here from now on."
A soft laser light scanned Lin Yu's body from head to toe.
"Hello, Mr. Lin Yu," Jarvis's voice said politely.
"Hello, Jarvis. It is nice to meet you," Lin Yu replied with a smile. He then raised his wrist, where a simple-looking bracelet was. "Xiao Ai, you should come out and meet our new friends too."
"Okay," a softer, more melodic voice came from the bracelet. Then, to the complete surprise of Tony and Pepper, a small, sixteen-centimeter-tall robot girl formed out of light above the bracelet. She was white and sleek, and she floated gently in the air beside Lin Yu.
"Let me introduce you," Lin Yu said to the stunned pair. "This is my personal helper, Xiao Ai."
"Hello, Mr. Stark. Hello, Miss Potts," Xiao Ai said. She floated closer to them and gave a small, friendly wave.
"Hello, Xiao Ai," Pepper said, her voice full of wonder. "You are so beautiful."
"My God," Tony whispered, his eyes shining with a bright, intense light. He stared at Xiao Ai like she was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen. The look on his face was one of pure desire to understand, to take her apart and see how she worked. "She is a work of art."
"Hello, Jarvis," Xiao Ai said, looking up toward the ceiling.
"Hello, Xiao Ai," Jarvis's voice replied. It was hard to tell, but his tone seemed a little warmer and higher than before. It was the first time he had met another intelligence like himself.
"Lin Yu," Tony said, tearing his eyes away from Xiao Ai for a second. "Is this technology from your world? The Earth you are from has such a high level of science?" Lin Yu had only said he was from another universe before. He never shared details about his own world. Seeing Xiao Ai, a true silicon-based life form, made Tony incredibly curious.
"No," Lin Yu replied simply.
"Your world?" Pepper asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. She had been listening carefully. "What do you mean? Mr. Lin Yu is not from our world?"
"That is right," Lin Yu said, not hiding anything. "I am not from your world. I am from an Earth in a parallel universe. When I came to your world, I happened to meet Tony in the desert."
"That is correct," Tony confirmed. "He helped me find Rhodes and the others." The memory of Lin Yu making him faint was fading, replaced by his intense interest in the floating robot girl.
"It is unbelievable," Pepper said, covering her mouth with her hand. She looked at Xiao Ai, who floated like a tiny fairy, and in her heart, she knew she believed Lin Yu's story.
"The technology in our world is not that high," Lin Yu explained. "It is not much different from your world. We were starting to use 5G networks, but that is nothing to you. Your secret technology is far, far ahead of my Earth." He spoke in a calm voice. "Xiao Ai was actually created because of my ability. She is a silicon-based life, not something developed by the Earth in my world."
"Your abilities?" Tony asked, his curiosity burning even brighter.
"Yes," Lin Yu said. "I have the ability to bring any technological product to life as a silicon-based being."
"Isn't that ability incredible?" Tony said, his voice full of doubt. "How can such an ability exist?" He knew about mutants with strange powers, but this was something else entirely. To bring machines to life? What was the science behind that?
"Tony, you have to understand," Lin Yu said with a mysterious smile. "The universe is infinite. All things that seem impossible are possible. And your universe is not as simple as it looks on the surface. You will find out later."
"Our universe? What else is there besides those mutants with strange abilities?" Tony was still confused.
"Aliens. People from the future, and so on," Lin Yu said, his smile not fading.
"Aliens? People from the future?" Tony still did not fully believe it. To him, these ideas were still a little absurd. But looking at Lin Yu, an outsider, and the artistic silicon-based life beside him, he felt he should maybe keep an open mind.
Pepper listened to the conversation between Lin Yu and Tony. She could not find a place to join in. Other worlds, aliens, people from the future. It all sounded unbelievable.
"Let's not talk about this anymore," Lin Yu said, changing the subject. He turned his hands, and two elegant white bracelets appeared in his palms. "Speaking of which, I have a small gift for you both." He looked at Tony and Pepper. "This bracelet can automatically detect danger around you. After it finds danger, it will create a shield made of energy to protect you. At the same time, it will send a call for help to my Xiao Ai. You can also use it to ask me for help directly. If I get your call, I will come to help you right away. Believe me, I am very strong. If you ask for my help, I can solve almost any problem."
He held the bracelets out. "Please accept these. You can think of it as a small thank you gift for letting me stay here." He smiled and handed both bracelets directly to Pepper. He remembered that Tony had a thing about not taking things from people's hands. But he would take things from Pepper.
"This..." Pepper hesitated, looking at Tony for guidance.
"Accept them," Tony said after a moment of thought. "This can be his rent for living here."
He did not know how strong Lin Yu really was, but he had seen a glimpse of his power in the desert and on the plane. With these bracelets and Lin Yu's promise, he and Pepper would have an extra layer of protection. It seemed like a good deal.
"Thank you, Mr. Lin Yu," Pepper said, taking the two bracelets.
"Energy shield?" Tony took one of the bracelets from Pepper. He looked at the delicate white band in his hand, and his eyes lit up again. It was the same look he had given Xiao Ai. He seemed to be talking to Lin Yu, but it was more like he was muttering to himself. "I really want to take it apart and see how it works."
Lin Yu could only smile weakly in response.
---
The next morning, in the guest room of Tony's villa, Lin Yu stretched and sat up in the bed. The sheets were incredibly soft.
"Good morning, Mr. Lin Yu," Jarvis's voice filled the room, smooth and polite. "It is 8:26 in the morning. The temperature in Malibu is 23 degrees. It is sunny. The weather is suitable for a walk outside. I would suggest you keep a habit of sleeping and waking early. It is good for your health." As he spoke, the windows of the room opened by themselves, revealing a stunning view of the blue ocean.
"Good morning, Jarvis. You do not have to worry about that," Lin Yu replied. He did not care for the last bit of advice. His body was beyond such concerns. It would always be healthy. "My body will always be healthy."
He looked around at the very high end furniture and the perfect layout of the room. Then he turned his head to look at the sea view outside the window. His heart was full of mixed feelings about the showy wealth of the capitalist world. But he had to admit, it was very nice.
"But I like it," Lin Yu smiled to himself. He got up and went to wash up.
Walking into the living room, he saw Pepper watching the news on a huge screen. She did not look happy.
"Good morning, Miss Potts," Lin Yu greeted her with a smile.
Pepper was watching a talk show. The host on the screen was talking in a loud, exaggerated way about the "dark" future of Stark Industries now that Tony had shut down the weapons division. It was clearly upsetting her.
"Good morning, Mr. Lin Yu," Pepper said, turning her head to give him a small, tired smile.
"Pepper," Tony's voice suddenly came from a communication device on the table. "How big is your hand?"