“No.” Harris refused flatly, saying, “He is the most talented person I have ever seen. I must consider his interests, because I don’t want him to resent me one day.” After a pause, he added, “If you want to win him over, you must show enough sincerity.”

“Alright, I’ll go back and have a good talk with the president, and get you an answer as soon as possible.”

Harris showed a gratified smile. “I’ll be waiting for your good news.”

“But, I hope you can give me some time.”

“I can agree to that.” Harris pondered for a moment, then finally said, “Seven days. I can only keep this secret for you for seven days.”

“Okay, seven days is enough.” Michael Bolton gave him a grateful smile, then walked over to William Carter, gave his shoulder a firm pat, and said, “Young man, I hope we’ll have the chance to work together in the future.”

With a flash of white light, Michael Bolton actually logged off right here.

Harris turned to Schneider and said, “Kid, don’t talk about what happened today.”

“Not even in the association?”

“No, not even there.” Harris put on a stern face.

“Alright, I just won’t say anything.” Schneider shrugged, looking helpless.

William Carter wasn’t in a great mood. Although he didn’t understand the conversation between Harris and Michael Bolton, he knew it was related to him.

If it had been a day earlier, such a great opportunity falling from the sky, he would have simply accepted it without a second thought.

But now, he actually felt a faint sense of dissatisfaction. Because he suddenly realized that entrusting his future to others wasn’t something that made him happy.

……

Harris looked at the silent William Carter, his eyes filled with worldly wisdom, and of course, intense passion. So, upon seeing William Carter’s current expression, he already had a plan in mind.

With a slight smile, Dr. Harris asked, “William Carter, are you dissatisfied with our decision?”

“I… don’t quite understand what you mean.” William Carter simply played dumb.

Harris chuckled. “Young man, I can tell you the truth, and I actually appreciate your dissatisfaction.”

“Oh?” William Carter was taken aback, unsure if Dr. Harris was being sarcastic, and for a moment didn’t know how to respond.

“You know, only those who truly have real talent and ability are unwilling to be manipulated by others. They want to firmly grasp their own future. And you… are exactly that kind of person.”

William Carter broke out in a cold sweat. Real talent and ability? Are you talking about me, or about the consciousness formed by that sensor?

“Four hours—just four hours to master all the basic stances that would take an ordinary person two years or even more to use proficiently. And you’ve even reached a level that we ourselves can’t attain. Other than ‘genius,’ I have no other word to describe you.”

William Carter forced a slight smile, thinking to himself, if Harris knew it wasn’t actually me piloting the mecha, he’d probably have quite a look on his face.

“Young man, I believe that in the future, you will definitely become a king of mecha. You absolutely can, but only if you don’t lose yourself.” Dr. Harris said seriously.

“Lose myself?” William Carter was startled, then laughed. “Dr. Harris, you must be joking.”

“No, I’m not joking at all, not even a little.” Harris said gravely, “There are too many temptations in this world, and before you become a king of mecha, they will keep entangling you, distracting you. I’ve seen many talented kids, who became famous young and earned enough credits to last several lifetimes. But they all fell, and none of them reached the true pinnacle.”

William Carter’s expression changed slightly. To be honest, he was indeed tempted.

Anyone in his current position would probably find it hard not to be.

“It’s getting late, let’s leave it at that. William Carter, I hope you’ll think it over carefully.” Glancing at his watch, Harris said, “I promise, when you truly become the king of mecha, you’ll realize just how wonderful this world is.”

“Alright.” Schneider gave William Carter a tug, and the latter understood. The two of them, imitating Michael Bolton, logged off right there. Because if they left this room openly, they’d never have a moment’s peace.

Watching the spot where they disappeared, Harris seemed to mutter to himself, “This time, I must train an ace, a true ace.”

“Buzz…”

The game pod lid slowly opened, and William Carter still hadn’t recovered from the shock just now.

“Hey, you’re up.”

Someone patted him on the shoulder. William Carter took off the sensor from his eyes and smiled at Schneider, “Thanks.”

Schneider looked at the sensor in his hand and asked curiously, “You use this to log into Skynet?”

“Yeah, is there something wrong with that?”

“That’s a model that was phased out a long time ago.”