Although Tony's head was full of questions and he was itching to look back at that "Soccer Kid," the voice crackling through his comms yanked his attention right back to the battlefield.
"Stark, we need you on Sixth Avenue! Another alien troop carrier just popped up!"
"Copy that. En route."
Tony didn't hesitate, immediately banking and flying toward Sixth Avenue.
However, the comms line remained open. Seeing him move, Hawkeye couldn't help but ask.
"Hey, what was that streak of light just now? New feature on the suit? Looked pretty punchy."
"Hey, Robin Hood, keep your eyes on the prize!"
Tony chose not to answer the question directly.
It wasn't that the great Tony Stark wanted to steal the credit. It was just that, recalling the "Pencil Case Kid's" obviously young face, he didn't want to drag a child into this "war."
Even if the kid could help take down alien warships.
Especially since Clint Barton was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent; Tony definitely wasn't going to spill the beans to him.
---
Back inside the blown-out apartment.
Watching Iron Man blast off, trailing exhaust flames, Luca wasn't surprised.
With Chitauri crawling all over Manhattan, a heavyweight like Tony Stark didn't have time to worry about a random bystander's minor quirks.
In fact, Luca was far more interested in the [Kick-Enhancement Shoes] he had just synthesized.
He turned off the dial on his ankle and shook out his right foot as the power faded.
Not only was there no injury from the recoil of that massive kick, but he didn't even feel the muscle soreness one would expect from overexertion.
It really is 'anime logic'... That special effect, tsk tsk—truly a show-off gadget worthy of a detective grade-schooler's movie!
Physically speaking, it wasn't just about the power or the protection for his right leg.
Normally, with the force Luca had just unleashed, even if he didn't get hurt by the recoil, his non-enhanced left leg shouldn't have been able to keep him standing, let alone stable.
But in reality, during the kick, his left leg hadn't felt any strain beyond its limit.
It felt as if he had just kicked a normal soccer ball.
Even crazier, Luca wasn't exactly a soccer fan. Forget hitting a target hundreds of meters away; he wouldn't bet on himself making an open goal from thirty feet.
This instantly reminded Luca of the description on the synthesis panel.
Massive power without hurting your foot; 100% accuracy without collateral damage?
Come to think of it, in Detective Conan, no matter how hard he kicks something or what he hits, it only ever knocks people out, right?
I really need to pay closer attention to the item descriptions.
Unfortunately, once an item was synthesized, the panel disappeared. He would have to wait until he found another "Core Component" to study his Cheat ability further.
Pushing those thoughts aside for now, Luca glanced at the battle outside, then turned back.
He intended to ask his mother, Gina, if they should hide in the reinforced pantry she mentioned or try to evacuate. After all, they weren't on the ground floor. If another Leviathan crashed into the building, a reinforced room wouldn't stop gravity from killing them.
But when he turned around, he realized Gina had collapsed on the floor. The high-tech pistol had fallen from her hand.
Luca rushed over in two strides and checked her breathing.
Breathing steady, pulse normal. No obvious head trauma, spine seems fine.
He lifted her eyelids. Pupils reactive.
She had just passed out. Luca let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness."
He had just been thinking about how lucky he was to have both parents in this life. If he became an orphan again just days after transmigrating, he would seriously start to question his own luck.
But thinking back on his life before this...
Let's just focus on keeping the living alive.
Drawing on the original host's memories, Luca quickly located the household first-aid kit.
Fortunately, the kit was intact. He quickly bandaged Gina's minor scrapes.
However, neither the pain from the bandaging nor the safe awakening methods Luca tried could rouse her from her coma.
He wasn't sure what to do next.
His first-aid knowledge was limited, and he didn't want to cause secondary injuries by guessing the cause of the coma. Furthermore, given the chaos outside, expecting an ambulance was unrealistic. It was safer to stay put.
If I remember correctly, the Chitauri invasion doesn't last too long. Whether you can hold on until the paramedics get here... is up to fate.
Luca shook his head helplessly.
After doing everything he could, he remembered something else.
The experimental pistol his mother had used earlier—it had emitted the same faint white glow as a "Core Component."
He looked around, spotted the gun where he had left it, and picked it up. A pale blue panel immediately popped up above the weapon.
> [Dominator Pistol · Basic Model]
> [Psycho-Pass World 1/5]
> Creator: Sibyl
> Core Component: Ion Constraint Pistol
> Synthesis Materials: 1 Micro Speaker, 1 Micro Camera, 1 Network Connection Chip, 1 Micro Projection Unit, 30cm Cyan LED Strip.
> Item Description: An excellent multi-functional transforming police pistol. Features three distinct modes: Non-Lethal Paralyzer, Lethal Eliminator, and Destroy Decomposer. When connected to the Sibyl System, it features voice interaction, user identification, target scanning, retinal projection assistance, and more.
> Note: Without a connection to the Sibyl System, some functions will be temporarily unavailable. However, for you, that might actually be good news~