"He is called Hardy, and we were in the same squad in the puppet brigade," Scorpion explained concisely.
Ebisu nodded in agreement, not denying the term "friend," which seemed to confirm Hardy as a friend.
It seemed that his initial approach was right. Between two geniuses of similar age and interests, there would surely be a common language.
"Well, Hardy, I've read your information on the report from Ishihara. You're a good kid. In the future, feel free to come here to play with Scorpion whenever you have time. Let's go, haven't you had dinner yet? I'll take you to the best restaurant in the village."
...
...
On the third day after visiting Scorpion's house, which was also the last day of the holiday, Hardy exchanged some of his accumulated battle achievements for two scrolls to practice ninjutsu.
C-rank Wind Release ninjutsu, Air Current Dance, and another C-rank Lightning Release ninjutsu, Lightning Release: Earth Walk.
This had been planned in advance.
He didn't need to master the Air Current Dance ninjutsu; instead, he wanted to borrow some of its principles to help the puppet collect and compress gases for quicker power-up of the pneumatic fist, increasing its power.
Learning Lightning Release was also to leverage chakra's ability to manifest electric currents, facilitating the integration of modern engineering and puppetry in the future.
His former graduation mentor, Jonin Mori, believed Hardy had average ninjutsu talent compared to geniuses but remarked that if he didn't choose puppetry and continued his development steadily, he might become a special Jonin in adulthood, with a slight chance of reaching the level of a high Jonin.
Hardy could manage basic C-rank ninjutsu with time and effort, but B-rank and above would be more challenging.
"It's a pity my chakra nature is only wind and lightning. If I had an earth nature as well, I might be able to learn the Third Wind Shadow's Magnet Release in the future. Magnet Release combined with steel armor, the imagery is beyond imagination."
Nevertheless, Hardy believed his chakra nature aligned well with engineering puppetry.
Wind Release could enhance pneumatic devices, and Lightning Release was even more effective.
"And, the Fatso puppet could probably be upgraded further."
...
...
While Hardy was busy learning new ninjutsu, the embodiment of the DC world was busy at the abandoned factory base in Cole.
As he acquired more knowledge, Hardy gradually progressed in designing the modifications for Fatso and Black Gold through the interface. While his main self was occupied with ninjutsu training, the embodiment could proceed with the actual construction.
The direction of Black Gold's improvement differed from Fatso's.
"Very good, double bulletproof lenses with transparent photochromic material in the middle, connected to the microcontroller pins via wires, can display data from various sensors."
After putting away the soldering iron, Hardy looked at the DLP chip fixed in Black Gold's eye area, the size of two fingernails, and nodded in satisfaction.
Inside Black Gold was an embedded microcontroller.
The microcontroller's pins were connected to a communication chip and an analog-to-digital converter. The former received signals from sensors distributed on other components, while the latter converted sensor signals into digital signals, which were then transmitted to the DLP chip.
The DCL chip converted digital signals into image signals, which were then displayed on the glass in Black Gold's eye area through a front mini-projector and lens array.
The method wasn't particularly clever or creative, simply integrating some industrial components.
However, it was practical, and with the world's excellent industrial capabilities, all the required components could be obtained.
Of course, it came at a cost.
If it was just at the level of a typical engineering student's graduation project, the total cost of the components might be less than two hundred dollars.
But the effect would be poor, even useless.
At least Hardy couldn't imagine how an infrared detector with a range of only one meter and a sonar detector with a range of only five meters would be useful in combat.
On the other side of Gotham City, within Wayne Manor, the Bat-suit used detectors capable of scanning an entire building. Hardy didn't expect that level of performance, but at least a range of twenty to thirty meters, capable of penetrating walls, would be ideal.
Unfortunately, large-range detectors were military-grade and not available on the market. Even if they were, they would be replicas.
Moreover, they were bulky and didn't fit Hardy's goal of miniaturization and integration.
Luckily, he had a good friend, the Penguin.
Not to mention military-grade items, even genuine military equipment or tanks, as long as you paid enough, he could procure them for you.
"Star City's Queen Industries produces cutting-edge equipment that can miniaturize sensors used for underwater detection and mid-range thermal sensing to the centimeter level. Quite impressive. I wonder if the main body can replicate these without a complete industrial system."
After putting away the soldering iron, Hardy nodded in satisfaction.
Due to display limitations and his self-taught background, relying on algorithms copied from the internet, this sensor system wouldn't provide the full-spectrum vision like Batman's technology.
However, it could roughly display directional data and detect nearby heat sources, which was sufficient for combat.
He then disassembled Black Gold with tools like a soldering iron.
He planned to equip Black Gold with a complete pneumatic system, not just internal pumps in the arms but also in other areas.
The main focus was to install double-acting cylinders and metal rods in the hip, knee, and ankle joints to enhance Black Gold's mobility using pneumatic propulsion.
To maintain balance and agility, the power of these cylinders wouldn't be excessive, but sufficient to increase Black Gold's speed.
A Hierarchy.
Furthermore, the pneumatic devices on both arms need to be improved.
Similar dual-action pneumatic cylinder drives should also be added to the shoulders and elbows.
This can not only enhance the power of the pneumatic fist to a certain extent but also accelerate the punching speed.
Of course, this also poses requirements on Hardy's puppet manipulation skills. Fortunately, recently, through reading the notes left by Menzō Uzumaki, Hardy's control over chakra has significantly improved.
Although there is a certain gap in quality between the chakra of the incarnation and the original body, it is still enough to manipulate.
It is just mostly difficult to manipulate another powerful puppet.
The clang of iron striking and the sizzle of welding echoed throughout the abandoned old factory all afternoon.
Until late at night, the accountant rushed in.
"Boss, Mr. Cobblepot is here!"