Chapter 1422: Misgivings and Gift
There was nothing extraordinary about the combat training, except that the three girls had improved a lot.
During a break, however, as Monica sat next to Luke and drank some water, she suddenly said, “Did you encounter any of the monsters during the attack?”
Stumped for a moment, Luke then shook his head. “It was midnight. My partner and I got up and headed over, but we were stuck on the bridge. By the time we reached the scene, Batman and the others had already taken care of them.”
Monica hummed and was silent for a moment before she said again, “Do you think Nikki and I will survive if we face those monsters with our combat abilities?”
Luke frowned and thought for a moment, before he shook his head solemnly. “If you suddenly run into them and can’t avoid them, I encourage you to wait for the right opportunity to fight them.”
Monica understood what he was saying. “What if we can avoid fighting?”
Luke said, “Run as far away as you can. Don’t be a hero.”
Seeing Monica’s startled expression, he explained, “They’re not like the hooligans you’ve beaten up before this. Whatever damage you deal with your fists and feet can’t stop them attacking. Also, they don’t work alone. Most of them appear in groups of three to five or even seven to eight. If you can’t take down the other party quickly, it’s best to run as far away as possible.”
Monica thought for a moment before she exhaled. “So dangerous?”
Luke nodded. “It’s even more dangerous than you think. They don’t have any other purpose except to kill humans. As long as you’re the slightest bit hesitant in your attacks, they’ll fight back lethally. You can’t afford any sort of mistake in a battle like this one; one wrong move and you could lose your life. It’s not a good time at all for you to practice your combat skills.”
Nikki also came over and said, “But it’s not like it’s up to us when they’ll appear, and we might not be able to avoid them when they do. What should we do then?”
Luke looked at the two girls and Mindy, who was on a treadmill not far away, and immediately understood. “What do you want to learn?”
Nikki said, “A combat technique for killing these monsters easily.”
Luke thought for a moment, but finally shook his head. “If it’s just fists and kicks, forget it.”
Monica immediately asked, “Didn’t that fighter who was set up and accused of not saving lives use combat skills to kill a lot of those monsters?”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Then I’ll give you an iron pillar. Can you smash it into the concrete half a meter deep? That fighter can. Also, he has armor. Do you have that?”
Monica was lost for words.
Nikki asked, “What about longswords? The black guy and the one with a black and white mask seem very good with longswords.”
Luke snapped his fingers. “Bingo. That’s the right way to think about it. The biggest difference between humans and animals is that we are good at using tools.”
As he spoke, he looked at Nikki. “You’re much stronger than an ordinary person. It doesn’t even need to be a longsword; as long as you have a st.u.r.dy staff, you can break the limbs of a monster with one swing.”
Then, he looked at Monica. “You have much better techniques than they do. Even with just one or two tough knives, you can cut off their limbs. There’s no need to physically touch them.”
Both girls nodded.
It was very simple: Play to their strengths.
“In summary, what you need are protective suits, as well as weapons,” Luke said. “Since Nikki uses more physical strength, her protective suit can be thicker and heavier, and she can use a blade and a s.h.i.+eld. Monica, you have better technique. Use a lighter protective suit and dual blades.”
Both girls nodded.
Mindy put on an act. “What about me?”
Luke could only roll his eyes at her inwardly. You have the armor I gave you and a collapsible double-ended longsword made with Predator technology, and you still want advice?
On the surface, however, he could only nod with a smile. “You’re similar to Monica. You have strong technique, so the choices are basically the same. However, to make up for your disadvantage in size, you can use long weapons.”
Mindy was lost for words. That was indeed her configuration.
Monica smiled wryly. “A protective suit and dual blades. That would be very expensive, right?”
Nikki chuckled. “I can sponsor you.”
Monica immediately shook her head.
Nikki was from a middle-cla.s.s family, and Monica’s family could only be said to be getting by, so the money to buy blades was completely different for them.
In return for the abilities he obtained, Luke had secretly helped Monica’s father switch jobs a few months ago.
Before that, Monica’s family had been in dire straits. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be living in Harlem.
Luke smiled. “Did you forget what I can do?”
The two girls stared blankly for a moment, before Monica said quickly, “You can get me a bulletproof vest from the police department?”
Luke was amused. “That’s against the law. However, I like to tinker with things, like car parts and old machines. Making longswords is nothing.”
Monica hesitated. “But… it’s too expensive.”
A top-quality katana manufactured by a registered j.a.panese craftsman easily cost thousands of dollars.
What Luke was talking about wasn’t something ornamental, but which could be used in actual battle.
However, a handmade product like that would cost hundreds of dollars at the very least, and a thousand dollars for two blades.
Luke smiled. “It’s not like I’ll be making it by hand. Most things can be done by machine. One longsword will cost no more than 200 dollars.”
Then, he looked at Nikki and Mindy. “You have your share too. There are too few girls in this era who are interested in combat. Consider it a little gift given our mutual interests.”
Both Nikki and Monica were hesitant, but Mindy readily agreed. “Okay, but can I modify mine?”
Luke shrugged. “It would be even better if you can give me a complete blueprint. I’ll scan it into the computer and make it as you want, but I won’t make it look decorative.”
Mindy certainly didn’t care. She could maintain and modify her equipment at home herself.
She nodded. “No problem.”
Looking at the conflicted Nikki and Monica, she rolled her eyes and knew what they were thinking. She said with a smile, “Don’t worry. All three of us are getting something. It can’t be that Luke wants to pursue all three of us at the same time, right? That’s too expensive.”
Nikki blushed and didn’t dare look at Luke.
Monica was embarra.s.sed. I’m interested, but I’m not his type.
Mindy patted her chest. “Okay, I’ll buy him a few more meals in the future. Hm, it’ll be my treat next time.”
Mindy was only thirteen, and had much fewer concerns.
With that, the two girls finally stopped hesitating.
After all, casually accepting something that was worth a thousand dollars from a boy was too expensive.
If a boy at school gave them something so expensive, it was definitely because he wanted to ask them out. If they accepted the gift, that was the same as agreeing.
Now that Mindy was in charge, they no longer had any concerns.
No matter how crazy Luke was, he wouldn’t touch Mindy..