He was selling gashapon toys in Marvel Studios, and at the beginning, Tony turned into Kuuga.

"Data cannot be parsed."

Steelbone stared at the colorful gashapon machine, its mechanical eye scanning back and forth.

A long string of red warnings popped up in his mind, all filled with question marks.

None of the machine's materials, energy frequency, or internal structure match any known database.

"Stop sweeping, you won't find anything even if you sweep until next year." Li Ang knocked on the counter. "Let's talk about the rules first."

"A regular gashapon costs $10,000, and what you get depends entirely on luck. It's likely to be some nice-to-have gadgets."

"What you need, you'll have to rely on high-end gashapon machines."

"How much is a premium gashapon?" Cyborg's last remaining human eye blinked.

"No money required."

Steelbone was stunned.

"Don't get too excited, kid."

"I don't charge money, but I do charge for other, more expensive things."

Thor took a swig of cola next to him and let out an extremely unpleasant burp.

There are two conditions for redeeming premium gacha pulls.

Li Ang raised one index finger.

"One type is high-energy items, whose concentration must reach at least planetary level."

"One type is something bound by a destiny contract, which is something deeply tied to your destiny and irreplaceable."

In short, we need to offer something substantial in exchange.

Steel Bone's metal fingers clenched unconsciously, and the hydraulic system hissed.

He looked down at his body.

More than 70% of the body has been replaced by cyborgized alloys, with dense cables and hydraulic pipes replacing the original muscles and bones, from the shoulder joints to the ankles, from the chest cavity to the spine.

What else does he have?

"Will this work?" Cyborg raised his left arm, and the alloy plate on his forearm folded outward, revealing a microchip embedded in the joint.

"The quantum computing chip from Tianqi Technology is unique on Earth. It was modified by my father using fragments of the mother box."

"The energy density is not enough." Li Ang glanced at it and shook his head.

A hint of anxiety flashed across the steel-boned man's face.

He then removed an alloy protective plate from his right shoulder and slapped it onto the counter.

The inside of the protective plate is engraved with intricate circuit patterns, and the edges still retain a faint blue energy glow.

"The alloy formula for this armor was forged by my father using equipment from the interstellar laboratory; you won't find another piece like it in the entire Midgard."

"Rare as it may be, it's essentially just a metal plate."

Li Ang picked it up, weighed it in his hand, and then put it down.

"If you take a piece of iron to a jewelry store, they won't exchange it for a diamond."

Steelbone's breathing became rapid, and his metallic vocal cords emitted intermittent electrical noises, a sign that emotional fluctuations were causing his internal systems to overload.

He began to turn over.

The damper in my left knee joint isn't working.

The signal amplifier on the spine in the back won't work.

The miniature plasma welding gun built into the right wrist is even less suitable.

Every time a part was removed and placed on the counter, Li Ang would shake his head.

Soon, seven or eight kinds of messy metal parts were piled up on the counter, making it look like a corner of a car dismantling factory.

Thor leaned against the wall, his Coke empty, the can crumpled into a flat aluminum disc.

He didn't speak, he just looked at Steelbone.

The store was quiet for a few seconds.

Steel Bone's movements slowly came to a stop.

He stood in front of the counter, head down, looking at the pile of disassembled parts.

His breathing went from rapid to silent.

Then he raised his head and looked down at his chest.

The dark red energy core was pulsating intermittently in the center of his chest cavity, its rhythm somewhat unstable, but each flash was accompanied by astonishing energy fluctuations.

The core of the mother box fragment modification.

The only source of motivation that sustains his life.

"What about this one?"

Steelbone's voice suddenly became very flat.

Thor stopped himself from speaking.

"This core in my chest." Cyborg pointed with his metal finger at the dark red light in the center of his chest cavity.

"The remaining energy of the Mother Box is all sealed inside; it is a fragment of the origin that my father extracted from Apokolips technology."

"You won't find another one like it in the entire Midgard, no, in the entire Milky Way."

Li Ang did not answer immediately.

He stood up, walked around the counter, and stood in front of Steelbone, staring at the core for three seconds.

"The energy density is sufficient," Li Ang said calmly. "Moreover, it's bound to your life, which fits the definition of a thing bound by fate."

"But, Victor."

Li Ang took a step back, hands in his pockets. "Are you sure? If you take this thing out, you might die on the spot."

"I won't take it all."

Steelbone's mechanical eyes suddenly lit up, the light changing from dark red to blinding white.

A holographic interface popped up in front of his chest, with more than a dozen lines of code scrolling rapidly.

"The core can be separated." His voice trembled with a metallic quality. "My father included contingency plans in the original design, allowing for the division of energy output in extreme circumstances."

"How much will be divided up?" Li Ang asked.

"One-third." Cyborg paused for two seconds.

"Kid, are you crazy? That's your life." Thor suddenly stood up straight from the wall.

"I know."

"What the hell do you know?"

Thor tossed the crumpled aluminum can into the trash can and strode over.

"If you divert one-third of your core energy, even your basic mobility will be affected, let alone your weapon systems."

"And as you just said, this core is inherently unstable!"

"If we dismantle it again, who knows if it might just explode?"

"Have you ever had a moment when you didn't even want your own body anymore?" Cyborg turned his head, his red mechanical eyes meeting Thor's azure pupils.

Thor opened his mouth, then closed it again.

"Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do isn't open my eyes, but hear the hum of hydraulic lines."

"Then the metal fingers touched the metal face, and it was cold."

"I can't smell the food, I can only smell the machine oil and solder."

Steelbone raised his left hand, the completely metallic palm gleaming coldly under the light.

"Three days ago I could still hold a pen and draw, but now I can't even hold a piece of paper. Either it's too light and there's no reaction, or it tears in half if I use too much force."

"So you're asking me if I'm crazy or not?"

Steelbone withdrew his hand and stared at Li Ang.

"I've gone mad. I went mad the moment I woke up and found myself like this."

"If someone told me there was a chance to turn back, even if it was just an arm or a leg, do you think I'd care about even a third of it?"

The shop became quiet again.

Li Ang walked back to the counter, took out a palm-sized transparent container from the drawer, and placed it on the counter.

"Separate the core energy into this container." Li Ang patted the container's cap. "This thing can withstand planetary-level energy impacts and won't leak."

"It will hurt a lot when we separate."

"It doesn't matter."

"It might hurt even more than when you became like this."

"Nothing, what, is it?"

Steel Bones spoke slowly and deliberately.