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Time flew by, and Tony was already on a private jet to the Middle East. Placed before him was the first smart weapon made by Chen Nuo, named Skippy

Actually, its prototype was Arasaka's smart pistol, the Yukimura series.

Chen Nuo had simply changed the color scheme.

It featured a thirty-round magazine and two firing modes: full-auto and three-round burst.

The red section on top was the smart targeting module, primarily responsible for identifying enemies and providing guidance. Next to it was a small screen displaying a bullet icon made of yellow pixel blocks.

This was the artificial intelligence embedded within the gun.

However, limited by its size and computing power, calling it "artificial idiocy" was currently a bit of a stretch.

Nevertheless, it was already capable of handling normal smart firearm usage and could even chat with you.

Inside the magazine were small active-guided bullets.

When Tony gripped Skippy, a voice rang out from the gun's body.

"New fingerprint detected."

"Can you make the voice a bit louder?"

Tony said with some disdain. Who was such a quiet voice for?

"Volume increased by 33%. New fingerprint detected!"

"Introduce yourself."

Tony became interested, even ignoring the flirtatious glances from the flight attendant nearby.

"User inquiry. Technical specifications: Built-in AI smart pistol, experimental model. Name: Skippy"

"Heh, Skippy? Is that really its name?"

Tony began to question Chen Nuo's aesthetic. This name really lacked any technological feel; it sounded like something a little girl who hadn't even graduated from kindergarten would come up with.

"Volume increased by 66%. Name—"

"I'm not deaf."

"Understood. Hearing indicators normal. Potential issue: Low IQ, verbal and math skills reduced by 33%. My. Name. Is. Skippy"

"Pfft, haha! Tony, did you just get mocked by a gun?"

Colonel James, sitting opposite Tony, laughed loudly, especially seeing the look of frustration on Tony's face.

"Enough. Start identity registration."

Tony was a bit annoyed, but he didn't want to get into it with an idiotic pistol, especially with an outsider present.

"Received. Registering user identity, granting permissions, verifying... It will take approximately twenty seconds. Would you like me to provide a relaxing tune to soothe the boring wait?"

"There are tunes too? Let's hear it."

"Bam-bam-bi-dang, bam-bam-bi-dang-bam..."

Skippy hummed a rather unpleasant tune, not at all "relaxing and soothing" as it claimed, as evidenced by Tony's furrowed brows.

It seemed such an artificial idiocy was naturally designed to counter people like Tony.

"Enough, enough! Shut up already."

"Received."

The pixel blocks on the screen made a gesture of covering its mouth.

After waiting a moment, Skippy spoke again.

"Identity registration complete. Detection successfully finished. Program: Skippy V0.01 is currently running normally."

"What functions do you have?"

"Primary function: Auto-aim. When the user encounters a severe life threat, it possesses the capability to fire automatically."

"What if I'm not facing a life threat? Can I still fire?"

"Please choose from the following two operation modes. First mode: Puppy-Loving Pacifist. This mode targets the enemy's lower limbs. Second mode: Stone-Cold Killer. This mode targets only the enemy's head."

"Alright, that's enough for the intelligence test for now."

Tony put Skippy back into the briefcase. The AI test was just to pass the time; the gun's primary function of killing enemies couldn't be tested on a plane.

"Okay. Entering sleep mode."

Tony should have finished all the tests yesterday, but the beautiful reporter last night was a bit too vigorous, leaving his back a little sore. He only remembered this after getting on the plane.

"This gun looks very interesting. The company's latest product?"

James asked curiously.

"Yes, a smart weapon developed by a very interesting young man. It's still in the testing phase,"

Tony said casually.

But James knew the man. To get such a comment from him, that young man must be extraordinary. However, now was not the time to consider that.

Two beautiful blonde flight attendants brought lunch to the two men.

Sashimi and sake.

"I'm not drinking. I'm here on a mission. I definitely won't drink,"

James said with a serious wave of his hand.

A few minutes later, dynamic music played in the private jet. Tony and James were huddled together, smelling of alcohol, while three flight attendants swayed their sexy bodies around a stripper pole.

Installing a stripper pole in a private jet was indeed something Tony would do. Looking at the flight attendants' skilled stripping moves, Tony might have even arranged for them to take classes at a nightclub.

This damn decadent life—why wasn't I invited?!

If Chen Nuo knew how Tony and James were letting loose on the plane, he would surely have asked that... Chen Nuo sat in the lab, holding a Skippy smart pistol identical to Tony's, except in a black-and-white color scheme. He had built three prototypes for testing.

After waiting a day without receiving a reply email from Tony, he was a bit unhappy.

If the superior leader delayed the approval process, how could he proceed with the next step of the work?

At that moment, an unexpected person knocked on Chen Nuo's office door and walked in.

"Am I interrupting you?"

Obadiah, with his shiny bald head, gave Chen Nuo a fairly kind smile.

"Of course not."

Chen Nuo immediately stood up, showing a perfectly measured amount of restraint, just like a typical employee meeting a high-level executive.

Martin, beside him, was so nervous he almost fell off his chair.

The guy had been sneaking a peek at a video just now, so he naturally felt very guilty.

"You're waiting for Tony to get back to you, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Then you might be disappointed. Tony is already on a plane to the Middle East. There's a big deal waiting for him there. You'll probably have to wait a long time."

"Then what about the testing and acceptance of the smart weapon?"

Chen Nuo wasn't surprised. He had estimated the timing would be around these days, but he didn't expect it to be such a coincidence.

"It's fine. I can complete the testing on Tony's behalf. I'm also very interested in this smart weapon."

Obadiah looked at Chen Nuo, feeling pleased. He had been a bit worried about who would lead the group's future innovation and development after getting rid of Tony. He didn't expect the man to leave him such a great gift.

In his view, the development potential of smart weapons was not at all inferior to any weapon project Tony had ever led.

As long as the final product could reach sixty percent of the level described in Chen Nuo's presentation, there would be absolutely no need to worry about military orders.

Moreover, Chen Nuo seemed much easier to control than Tony. He could be won over with just a bit of benefit.

"Of course, sir."

Chen Nuo pulled out another unpainted prototype, along with tactical glasses specifically designed for smart weapons.

"Come with me, I'll take you to the firing range."

Obadiah warmly put his arm around Chen Nuo's shoulder, the smile on his face coming from the heart.

Not far from the lab entrance, Pepper frowned as she watched the two walk away side by side.

She knew Obadiah's status in Tony's eyes, but his behavior was somewhat overstepping. Tony was in charge of the smart weapon project; how could Obadiah contact Chen Nuo now?

However, Pepper couldn't say much.

After all, she was just an assistant and secretary, while Obadiah was the group's solid second-in-command. To put it bluntly, Tony might not even know who he trusted more right now.

A short while later, Chen Nuo and Obadiah walked out with smiles on their faces, both very satisfied with the results.

The weapon effectiveness of Skippy was much better than expected.

Within an effective range of fifty meters, wearing the tactical glasses, the trajectory correction rate could reach over thirty percent. It was as if the bullets could turn.

As long as an enemy was locked on, one could get a Headshot every time even with eyes closed.

Such a weapon product could be said to be very mature. They could already consider setting up a production line. Whether for military or civilian use, there would be no need to worry about sales.

Now, Obadiah no longer had any regrets regarding Tony.

Chen Nuo was also very happy. Who wouldn't be happy when an opportunity to "borrow a hen to lay eggs" fell into their lap?

Working under Tony's nose made it hard to cook the books; things like a hundred-thousand-dollar bag of parts were out of the question.

But working under Obadiah was different.

He would rake in a big haul first. Anyway, the man wouldn't live long. When the person dies, the debts are cleared—it was simply wonderful.

As for things like weapon property rights or personal reputation, Obadiah could have those irrelevant things if he wanted them. At most, he'd just be holding onto them for a while. Chen Nuo didn't care about such superficial things.

It was precisely because of Chen Nuo's tact and sensibility in this regard that Obadiah was willing to trust him.

"Then I'll leave the task of setting up the production line to you."

Obadiah patted Chen Nuo's shoulder, his gaze even warmer than if he were looking at his own nephew.

Indeed, what nephew could bring him such massive profits like Chen Nuo? If it were anyone else, he might even consider kneeling and calling him "Godfather."

"Don't worry, I won't let you down."

Chen Nuo spoke pleasant words, coaxing the old man, Obadiah.

With his current control over his facial muscles, he could easily be an actor; no one would see any flaws.

Combined with Chen Nuo's currently young appearance and his status as a recent graduate, Obadiah had no reason not to take the bait.

"I'll take this prototype gun. The name 'Skippy' doesn't sound very good. How about I change its name to 'Headshot'?"

"As you wish."

Chen Nuo appeared indifferent, but in his heart, he had already sentenced Obadiah to death.

Changing my gun's name? You're practically courting death.

And to change it to something so ugly, too.

Chen Nuo watched the man leave, then turned to head back to his lab to announce the good news of the pay raise to Martin and the others. He looked back to see Pepper standing not far behind him.

"Is something wrong, Miss Pepper? Do you need something from me?"

Chen Nuo walked up and asked.

Pepper was still a bit concerned about the contact between the two and wanted to find out what was going on.

It wasn't that she was on guard against Obadiah, but as a woman—and a woman who loved Tony—it was only natural to be a bit narrow-minded.

"Did Mr. Obadiah have something to talk to you about?"

"Oh, that..."

Chen Nuo didn't hide anything and told Pepper everything she needed to hear. After all, Obadiah was the present, but this Little Chili was the future. He couldn't just focus on the immediate situation.

"Then I should congratulate you in advance."

Pepper said with a smile, her voice sincere. Even if she had other thoughts inside, on the surface, no fault could be found.

"Thank you. This is also thanks to the support of Mr. Tony and you, Miss Pepper. Actually, what I want to hear most is Mr. Tony's evaluation of the smart weapon. He's my idol."

Chen Nuo subtly showed his loyalty. Pepper caught it, and her smile grew even brighter.

"Don't worry. As soon as Tony returns, I'll arrange a meeting for you. He actually appreciates you very much."

Pepper spoke.

She believed that with Tony's personal charisma, he would surely be able to win over this young junior, Chen Nuo.

After all, Obadiah's age and abilities were what they were. It was obvious who would be better to follow for a brighter future. Pepper believed a smart person like Chen Nuo would make the right choice.

On the other side, Tony had arrived at a military base in the Middle East.

"...Next, I'd like to introduce the gem of Stark Industries' Freedom weapon series. It's the first missile system equipped with our exclusively developed propulsion technology..."

This weapon name fits the national conditions of America perfectly.

The roar and air blast of the Jericho Missile brought a conclusion to Tony's brief product presentation.

From the sound of clinking glasses, it wasn't hard to feel the high-level military's appreciation for this weapon.

However, just when everything was going smoothly and Tony got into a Humvee to return to the base, everything happened just as it was written in the script... Early the next morning, headlines in all the New York newspapers carried the news of Tony's disappearance after an attack in the Middle East.

Chen Nuo woke up in a strange bed, with two models—one black and one white—lying beside him.

With the project completed, Obadiah hadn't been stingy with the team bonus. Chen Nuo took half of it, and the remaining half was split among Martin and the others, which was still a very substantial amount of money.

Martin and the others happily dragged Chen Nuo along to celebrate.

There was no way around it; it was hard to refuse.

As it turned out, after the first half of the party, there was a second half.

Martin had many connections and brought in several beautiful models.

Looking at the situation, it was clear that Chen Nuo once again failed to hold his ground.

You couldn't blame him. Any physically normal male, when surrounded by several young girls with long legs and a height of 1.7 meters, would make the mistake a man makes.

It wasn't that our side didn't try hard, but that the enemy was too cunning, specifically attacking a man's weaknesses.

Chen Nuo could be said to have experienced Tony's hardships.

It's just that the way the two attracted women was different. Tony needed to spend money, while Chen Nuo didn't—and the girls would even throw themselves at him.

Chen Nuo got up, walked out of the hotel room, picked up the latest newspaper from the floor, and returned to the sofa to flip through it.

Sure enough, as the plot developed, Tony had gone missing in the Middle East.