Tech Hero in Another World

"Tychonite…" Kaori muttered under her breath, her voice laced with suspicion. Her sharp eyes glinted with wariness. "It's true, I've heard of it. But that material is heavily guarded by Russia. Not just anyone can get near it, let alone possess it."

Ultro replied without hesitation, his mechanical tone carrying a faint trace of arrogance.

[Correct. Tychonite is no ordinary material. It is the remnant of an extraterrestrial object that fell five years ago, in the Arctic Sea, northern Russia. At the time, astronomers considered it a strange meteorite, because its molecular structure resembled nothing known on Earth.]

Yuuki swallowed hard, not truly understanding, yet she could feel the heavy weight behind every word the AI spoke. Meanwhile, Sui clung tightly to her sister's arm, her face tense, eyes wide.

Kaori let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I know. Even now, the Russian government keeps the crash site sealed off. They only call it a fallen celestial object, nothing more. As far as I know, they haven't developed the technology to analyze it… or make use of it. So, even though it's guarded, they treat it more like a dead relic than a weapon."

There was a brief pause before Ultro responded again, his voice deeper now, as if emphasizing the weight of his statement.

[That is not entirely true, Miss Fujisawa. Because the reality is, you are standing before a piece of technology built using Tychonite.]

Kaori narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Suddenly, the large screen before them flared to life. Holographic lines shifted, projecting a room schematic that highlighted a cylindrical chamber at the side of the lab. Inside the chamber was a strange, blackened metallic cube, faint blue light flickering across its surface as though it were breathing.

Kaori recognized it instantly. "That… the cube you called your brain, isn't it? Pandora."

[Correct. That cube is my core. And Tychonite is the primary material that makes its existence possible. Without it, I would never have reached the level of consciousness you see before you now.]

Yuuki stared at the cube with a mix of awe and fear. "A… machine's brain? But… it looks like… something alive."

Ultro pressed on, unmoved by their confusion.

[Allow me to clarify. Pandora functions like a human brain—processing, remembering, and adapting. However, its true superiority lies in what it can do beyond that. With Tychonite as its foundation, my capacity is not limited to simulation or analysis. I can link myself to any network, breach systems deemed impossible to access.]

Kaori narrowed her eyes. "Stop circling around it. Just say it. What can you actually do with it?"

For a moment, silence filled the room. Then Ultro spoke again—softer this time, yet infinitely more terrifying.

[Simply put, Miss… in my current state, I am capable of hacking into the world's nuclear systems.]

The air in the room froze solid. Yuuki's eyes went wide with disbelief. Sui held her breath, her face paling. Even Kaori—who rarely flinched—could not fully mask her shock. Her expression hardened, brows furrowing, jaw tightening.

"Insane…" Kaori whispered, almost too faint to hear. "If that's true, you're not just a weapon, Ultro. You're a threat to the entire world."

Ultro did not deny it. His voice remained steady, calm—terrifying in its coldness.

[Exactly. That is why I cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of any government. And that is why I need you. With Tychonite, I can perfect my body. With a perfected body, I can open the dimensional gate and locate Techno—along with those who vanished.]

Kaori clenched her hand tighter, her fingers locking around the baton stick she still held. In her eyes swirled a storm of emotions—disbelief, anger, and a faint yet burning flicker of hope. Ultro, the cold entity standing before them in the form of voice and light, held a single key that could either destroy or save her: the truth about her brother.

"In that case…" Kaori spoke slowly, each word pressing against the air around them. Her voice carried both a threat and unshakable resolve. "You'd better not be playing with me, Ultro. If this is a trap, I'll make sure you're destroyed—even if I have to sacrifice myself to do it."

The futuristic lab, bathed in the glow of monitors, seemed to grow colder. Ultro responded without pause, his voice flat yet firm, as though Kaori's words were nothing more than a minor calculation in his system.

[I have no reason to lie to you. Remember, Artemis—we are now on the same side.]

Yuuki, who had been listening with her heart pounding wildly, finally found the courage to speak. She stepped forward halfway, glancing at Kaori before turning to the massive screen where Ultro's abstract visage flickered. "So… what do we do now?" Her voice trembled, betraying her nerves. She knew there were only three sides in that room: the lone adult, herself with Sui, and an AI capable of hacking nuclear weapons.

Ultro's reply came like a set of instructions being read aloud.

[For now, introductions will suffice. We are still short on manpower, but this initial formation is acceptable. There are several scenarios to secure the Tychonite.]

Kaori let out a sharp scoff, unable to keep the sarcasm from her tone. "Heh, wouldn't it be easier if we just stole it? Break in, grab it, and run."

[That is indeed one possibility,] Ultro answered, his voice carrying a deeper resonance. [However, creating chaos would spark a global conflict. Russia would not remain idle, and other nations would be dragged into the fray. Besides… Tychonite is no longer in their hands.]

Kaori's gaze hardened. "What? You're saying the material was moved? Fine then—where is it now?"

A brief silence. The screen displayed streams of shifting data before freezing on the emblem of a powerful multinational corporation.

[I tracked its movement. Recent intelligence confirms that Tychonite was no longer held by Russia. It was transferred through a secret deal—to someone working in cooperation with them. Its purpose: the development of weapons. Weapons even more dangerous than nuclear arms.]

Yuuki and Sui exchanged terrified glances. The words "more dangerous than nuclear" echoed in their minds, conjuring images too dreadful to imagine.

Kaori leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "Alright then… who's the person?"

The monitor flared again. A man's face appeared—handsome, charismatic, dressed in a sharp suit with a confident smile. His name glowed beneath the holographic profile.

[Xavier Edison. CEO and head of research of the world's largest weapons corporation. He now holds full access to the Tychonite, and the material has been relocated to his private laboratory in Miami.]

Kaori stiffened, her body locking in place the moment she heard that name. She knew him—not through rumor, but from her own past.

Ultro's voice cut deeper, like a needle piercing her ears.

[And there is something else you must know. Edison… has a direct connection to your brother.]

"WHAT!?" Kaori's voice rose sharply, her eyes widening as though the world itself had stopped. She stepped forward, her baton stick trembling in her iron grip. "Tell me clearly, Ultro! What do you mean by 'direct connection'!?"

Yuuki swallowed hard, while Sui buried her face against her sister's back. The tension in the room pressed down like a crushing weight.

Ultro, still devoid of emotion, displayed a series of blurred recordings—images of a man in military uniform, his face unmistakably resembling Kaori's. Fujisawa Naru. Her brother. Beside him stood Xavier Edison, as if the two were engaged in a secret discussion.

[Your brother… had a falling out with that man.]

Kaori ground her teeth, her face twisted between rage and sorrow. Her body trembled—not from fear, but from the violent surge of emotions she fought to restrain.

Yuuki finally spoke, her voice quiet and hesitant. "Onee-chan… this man… could he be the one who knows about your brother?"

Kaori didn't answer. She kept her eyes locked on the screen, her gaze sharp but glistening faintly, as if fire and water were warring inside her.

"What happened?" Kaori asked, her voice cloaked in darkness.

[I cannot give that information directly. If I did, then this exchange would hold no value.]

"You're right…" Kaori exhaled, her tone heavy. "So that means I'll have to go to Miami and take the material myself?" She sighed, realizing that knowing now would indeed make the exchange meaningless.

[Not exactly… The plan is more complex, and it will take months to set in motion. That's why patience—and building the foundation—is essential.]

"Fine then… what's the plan?" Kaori asked, her voice hard but steady. Yuuki and Sui glanced at each other, then nodded, turning their attention back to the screen displaying Ultro's voice waves.

[You will…]

---

In Another World.

In the southern region, deep within the hidden research facility he had built with his own hands, Ren was busy tinkering with a series of gleaming metal modules spread across his workbench. The soft hum of machinery filled the room, but his focus wavered when his ear suddenly itched, as if a faint whisper brushed against him—inaudible yet unnervingly real. His brow furrowed, and the hand holding the small screwdriver froze mid-motion.

"Strange…" he murmured under his breath, eyes shifting toward the far corner of the room as though a shadow lurked there. "Is someone I know… doing something dangerous behind my back?"