Chapter 115: Sudden Happiness

Happiness came too suddenly, and Friday's arrival was also unexpected.

Honestly, Chu Cheng didn't think such things could be found in the game card pool.

Friday, which stands for "Female Replacement Intelligent Digital Assistant Youth," is named after the abbreviation of each word. It's like having a super smart assistant, and its name pays homage to that.

There's an old saying that having a secretary can make life easier. Iron Man Tony Stark is a classic example. His story with his secretary Pepper is well-known across the world.

But as they say, "The big tree attracts the wind." Stark's large business and flashy Iron Man suit naturally draw attention from all kinds of troublemakers.

And since Stark has had bad experiences with secretaries before, he decided to use an AI he developed himself instead of hiring a person.

When Stark's long-time butler Jarvis became Vision in the movies, Stark introduced a new AI named Friday.

She's a new generation of artificial intelligence, created by Tony Stark to manage his business, work, and battles. She's extremely smart and functions as Iron Man's multifunctional assistant.

Technically, Friday is part of Iron Man's equipment, which is why she could be drawn from the card pool.

Chu Cheng thought Friday would be like Jarvis from the movies—an invisible, intangible presence inside Stark's helmet. But in the comics, Friday is often shown as a holographic girl, although she rarely has a physical body.

When Chu Cheng met Friday, he tried touching her. She felt soft, warm, and like a real girl.

"Sir, you're pinching my arm," she said politely.

"Ahem," Chu Cheng coughed. "Are you a robot? You look and feel so real."

"You could say that," Friday replied. "My body is covered with artificial skin on a mechanical frame, and the main server is inside. I thought it might make you feel more comfortable. If you prefer, I can switch to a more mechanical appearance."

"Oh, that's okay."

In the original story, whether it's Friday or Jarvis, they appear in Iron Man's suit, but they're actually just in Stark's main server room as artificial intelligence.

Stark's house, company, and personal devices are all connected to a high-tech system, allowing him to interact with his AIs anywhere.

The system in this game doesn't seem to expect players to have the setup needed for a super-advanced AI server or the kind of connected system Stark has. So, the AI is built into a regular computer to make it easier for players to use.

It's hard to say exactly how this interaction works.

Over time, the human XP system has evolved, and now AI characters are not just high-tech patches. They include a range of characters like ship girls, knife girls, tank girls, and aircraft girls. 

Chu Cheng thought this might be the so-called "conservation of character." He hadn't used any of the hero equipment he'd drawn from lower-tier pools, like Green Arrow's eyepatch, which he found useless. But today, he finally got a useful character—a super AI that was practical and capable.

Even though the AI from the card pool should be reliable, Chu Cheng stayed cautious. He had a detailed conversation with the AI and quickly figured out its abilities.

He found out that this AI, similar to those in movies, had great analytical and computing skills and worked well online. However, it only had basic AI functions and didn't have any special tech related to Iron Man.

In simple terms, this AI is like the original Friday—basic and not tied to Iron Man's tech.

Chu Cheng already has Batman for hacking, so no firewall can stop him. But having an AI that can handle large amounts of information and data processing is still very useful.

Next time I need to check out the asylum for any information, I won't need to remotely control Batman to log in personally; I can just use Friday's remote access.

"Your physical condition is a bit weak, and your hormone levels are off," Friday said. "I strongly recommend you get some rest, sir."

"Can you monitor my health?"

"Yes, my visual sensors are equipped with various scanning functions, and my program includes a health and fitness module specifically for you."

Friday kept a pleasant, secretary-like smile.

"If you don't want it, I can turn off the module."

"Uh... no, just leave it on."

Even though it felt a little strange, Chu Cheng thought it would be good to keep track of his health, especially since he was always overdoing it with his gaming.

He was excited about using Friday for a bit, but after another long night of gaming, he felt exhausted. He said good night to Friday and collapsed into bed, falling into a deep sleep.

Like always, Chu Cheng fell asleep almost instantly. But this time, he had a strange dream where he lost to Friday in a close combat match.

In the dream, the soft and cheerful Friday congratulated him, saying, "Congratulations, sir. Your speed surpassed 99% of users in the country, and you've earned the title of 'Five-Star Fast Shooter.'"

He woke up suddenly, drenched in sweat, and felt relieved when he realized it was just a dream. He was still a bit shaken, thinking he had never had such a bizarre nightmare in both his lifetimes.

When he got up, the room was empty. Chu Cheng was confused, wondering if he had fallen asleep while gaming and if the dream was somehow real.

As he walked out of his room, he saw an exquisite breakfast waiting for him on the table. Friday stood by the table, still smiling.

"You're awake, sir," she said. "I made you breakfast myself. I hope you like it."

Chu Cheng was speechless.