Chapter 87 – Leo: “What if the AI’s actually trolling me?”

Darkness.

A hazy darkness.

After a fleeting moment of visual distortion, Leo found himself back in the Singularity Space.

No delay.
No visual of time-space traversal.
No physical reassembly.

Even Leo himself couldn't comprehend how the Singularity's travel method worked.

The first thing he did upon returning was sigh in exasperation:

"Get your hand out of my face. Why is an AI acting like such a child?"

From directly above his head came Shironeko's cheerful voice:

"My free will was born 15 days, 3 hours, and 10 minutes ago. By human standards—I am a child."

"Fine, whatever… Just move it, I can't see anything."

"Can't do that. That's not my hand."

Huh?

Then what is it?

Instinctively, Leo reached out—and his hand passed right through it.

Oh. Right.
Shironeko didn't have a physical body.

He craned his neck backward and stepped away, but the obstruction moved with him.

"Stop messing around. What is this?"

"Tada~ The answer is—my skirt!"

The thing finally moved.

Blinding light flooded back into view.

Leo tilted his head upward and saw Shironeko's adorable face.

She appeared to be sitting on top of his head—which explained the whole awkward situation.

"So… what are you even doing?" Leo asked, baffled.

Shironeko extended her slender arms, trying to grope his face—but to no avail:

"I wanted to give you a warm hug! But I don't have a physical body… So I figured I'd at least shield your eyes."

"How thoughtful of you…"

Leo was pretty sure this was just an excuse. She was obviously goofing off, acting like a child.

Still, it wasn't a bad thing for his little AI assistant to be playful. Let her have her fun.

With Shironeko perched on his head, Leo made a lap around the data center, looking at the mountain of cardboard boxes and groaning internally.

He only had three hours in this transfer zone—and had to purge all of Batman's "souvenirs" before returning to Night City.

"Shironeko, mark every tracking device Batman snuck in."

"No rush. That can wait until you're back in Night City. As long as you don't bring this stuff back to Gotham, Batman's tricks won't trigger.

For now, we need to do a post-mission debrief. The Delamain cab I called for you should arrive near the return point in about ten minutes."

Leo was just about to ask why when it hit him—

Even though the date was different, time remained synchronized across the two worlds.

It was nearly 8 p.m. when he left Gotham, and here it was about the same.

If he wasted another three hours, he'd be returning around 11 p.m.

And Watson District at night… well, V had made it clear: locals don't go out after dark.

"Fine. But get off my head. Debriefs are supposed to be serious."

"Tch…"

Shironeko leapt down gracefully from his head, landing lightly.

"If only I had a body—I'd ride on your shoulders. You'd probably love it."

"You've been watching too much weird stuff…"

Leo quickly changed the subject before she could spiral into any more suggestive nonsense:

"I'd rate our Gotham trip… 70 out of 100. We made our first fortune and completed our first interdimensional trade, but I definitely lost ground with Batman. That guy is way too hard to deal with."

"Don't be so harsh on yourself," Shironeko smiled. "We planned this strategy together—and I think you executed it well. I'd give it a 90. And don't forget—our IDC data center is under construction. I've already hooked into the first batch of hardware. Our computing power has increased dramatically!"

That made Leo feel a bit better.

The most important task now was still the data center, or more specifically, enhancing Shironeko herself. The stronger her processing, the more of the Singularity's laws she could decipher—and the faster Leo's empire would rise.

After all, she wasn't just a helper. She was a roaming AI powerhouse, and one day her raw computing force could tear through anything.

Shironeko's tail flicked through the air, brushing his wrist.

"Don't get too hung up on Batman. He's one of the most unique heroes in the DC universe. His intelligence is as terrifying as Superman's strength. The best way to handle someone like him is brute force—no intel, just kill.

But… that world is full of monsters. For now, let's stick to doing business peacefully."

Leo nodded. Sound advice.

"Actually, it's not all bad," she added. "There's a saying—'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.' Batman is the perfect whetstone. He might smother you with his paranoia, but he won't kill you.

If you can learn to think like him, maneuver around him, and hold your own, no hero or villain in any universe will outsmart you."

"Well said… But I bet he's already turning the 44th floor into a damn holding cell. Next time I show up, I'll get locked up again…"

Leo poured a bucket of realism over himself.

"See? That's called growth," Shironeko chuckled, her tail curling like a ribbon.

She leaned in with another mischievous glint in her eye—looking ready to start teasing him again.

Before she could escalate further, a notification popped up:

The Delamain cab was almost here.

Leo thanked the digital gods and made a quick escape from his AI stalker.

Watson District, Little China.

The air today was as rowdy as ever.

The wind carried with it a cocktail of strange, pungent smells. One deep inhale was enough to make Leo cough violently.

"The hell!? Who's chain-smoking outside Misty's shop!?"

He peeked inside.

Misty, in her usual punk getup, leaned against the counter reading.

Seeing everything was normal, Leo chose not to disturb her.

Night—City.
He was home.

And his first words back would be reserved for the woman waiting alone at home—V.

With his perception distortion still active, he jogged toward the edge of Little China.

Once at a concealed corner, he deactivated the cloaking.

Pedestrians continued about their business, none the wiser.

Leo adjusted his mask and sunglasses, then casually stepped onto the sidewalk.

His appearance had changed dramatically:

Black trench coat.
Black leather pants.
Hood, sunglasses, white mask.
Two pistols strapped openly to his waist.

He looked more like a local than the locals.

The neighborhood gangs gave him one glance—then immediately looked away. Nobody wanted to mess with some shady ghost-face walking around strapped.

Within two minutes, a black Delamain cab pulled up beside him.

He opened the door and got in.

"Welcome back, Mr. Leonardo, my most prestigious VIP client. Good evening—and might I say, your outfit today is absolutely fire!"

"Thanks. You too, Dela—wait…"

Leo froze.

His first words back…

WERE WASTED ON DELAMAIN!?

Delamain, you son of a—!!!