Wild Monsters, That's All

Seeing how interested the important figure "Brent" seemed, the young man grew more enthusiastic. Young people always had a few fantasies, such as leaving a good impression on Brent and finding a way out for himself in the future.

Jiang Rui did not care about the other man's little thoughts. He had a favorable impression of this young man who lived in the Manhattan District without falling into depravity, who loved his younger sister and cared for his family. If Jiang Rui were not barely able to protect himself, he would not have minded lending him a hand.

He nodded along with a smile from time to time and asked a few questions at appropriate moments. With Great Sage's multitasking thought processes, his true thoughts had long since drifted far away—

Iron Man 1, Marvel's beginner village. It did fit as a newcomer trial ground, so was that why the people sent to kill me were so weak... Wait, that wasn't right. Why would anyone assassinate me during the plot of Iron Man 1?!

Could it be that my identity was important?

Jiang Rui closed his eyes to rest as his thoughts wandered...

BOOM!

A massive explosion thundered beside him. Scorching air and the blast wave slammed into him. In an instant, Jiang Rui in the back seat was thrown out alongside the wrecked car door!

It did not hurt much, but the thunderous ringing in his ears made him feel terrible. He climbed to his feet and looked around at the panicked people fleeing, screaming, shouting, and even taking pictures as souvenirs...

He wondered what had happened to that young man.

With that thought, he staggered forward a few steps—

Confirmed. Deceased.

Dead...

Jiang Rui slowly approached the car, which was still suffering small explosions. The vehicle had been blown over, meaning it had not been attacked head-on. Explosives had been planted beneath the chassis in advance.

He was still too inexperienced. He had not even thought to scan the car with magic before getting in.

Jiang Rui looked toward the driver's seat. Since the driver had not been at the center of the explosion, he was fortunate enough for his corpse to remain relatively intact.

It was just a bloody mess, with a faint smell of roasted meat.

Three assassination attempts in one day.

Heh. They really thought highly of me. Did they not know that even a clay Buddha had three parts anger?

Feeling somewhat numb, Jiang Rui listened as the police sirens drew closer. He tightened the Mimicry trench coat around himself and stepped into the crowd.

An ordinary person would probably have broken down long ago. But Jiang Rui had been through too much—half a lifetime of suffering, then the pain of losing his family, followed by the excitement of transmigration, until finally reaching this numbness.

He had wanted to hail a cab, but then worried that an RPG attack might implicate the driver, so he gave up on the idea. After asking for directions to the Manhattan District, he decided to walk there.

He believed that he definitely belonged to some faction, and that side should receive news of the explosion as well. Of course, he could not rule out the possibility that the people who had arranged to meet him had planted the bomb.

But if that was truly the case, it would only make things more convenient.

He had no interest in saving the world, nor did he aspire to become a great demon lord. But avenging someone was something he believed he could still do.

An hour later...

"Just past the next intersection... Here, this is your change... Ah, sir."

"What is it?" Jiang Rui unscrewed a bottle of water and looked at the faintly blushing young female cashier.

She pointed at the sky outside, indicating that it was already late.

"Well... if you do not have anything urgent, it would be best not to stay outside too late. Manhattan is rather... um... rather chaotic." Perhaps realizing how easily her words could be misunderstood, her face turned even redder.

"Thank you." As he walked out of the convenience store, he touched his face and could not help muttering with a smile, "I never thought that one day, I would be able to live off my looks."

Manhattan District, Hell's Kitchen.

It could be called a chaotic area that stood shoulder to shoulder with Brooklyn.

Quiet during the day, lively at night. Unfortunately, the sky was already beginning to turn yellow...

The Hand. Madam Gao.

If one mentioned Chinese people in Hell's Kitchen, or the Chinese bloodline that made up the other half of Jiang Rui's current identity, Jiang Rui could not think of any force besides Madam Gao.

Great Sage, generate a map of Hell's Kitchen.

Confirmation complete. All Things activated—

A translucent 3D city map instantly formed.

Mark the location of the "factory."

Confirmation complete.

Feeling the energy within him becoming somewhat depleted again, Jiang Rui smacked his lips. He needed to find an energy source as soon as possible. Unfortunately, this was not the plot of Thor 2 yet—

The Reality Stone would make a pretty good "nuclear power plant."

Unhurriedly, Jiang Rui observed this lawless place as he walked through the streets...

As evening approached, the streets were crowded and bustling, but everyone moved with hurried steps and anxious behavior.

When night fell, the carnival of sin would begin. This was common knowledge to everyone in Hell's Kitchen. To survive in Hell's Kitchen, the first thing one had to learn was its rules.

For example, Jiang Rui, strolling as though he were taking a leisurely walk, was completely out of place here...

"Need a female companion, handsome?"

The voice was as clear as an oriole's, with a trace of youthful innocence. Jiang Rui turned his head and saw a petite, slender girl around 160 centimeters tall. Her outfit was somewhat strange—jeans and a T-shirt, yet draped over them was a long robe-like garment.

The passersby around them acted as if they did not see her.

Had she discovered him?

Jiang Rui's expression darkened, but he soon relaxed.

After all, in Hell's Kitchen, even outsiders would not behave so calmly and unhurriedly, standing out from the crowd while wandering around at night.

At this stage, the only people who could do that were superheroes and—Reincarnators.

If Tony Stark was the beginner village chief for players undertaking plot missions in Marvel, then Hell's Kitchen was a holy land for players who liked grinding monsters and leveling up in the wilderness.

Thinking about it that way... being noticed was probably normal.

"I don't need one..." He hesitated. "I just... Well, I don't need to form a team either."

"Hm—?" The girl's eyes lit up as she looked at him with a hint of mockery. "Then, handsome, why don't you prove that you're one of us?"

If you wanted to rob me, just rob me. Why call it proving I was one of you...

Did she not know his identity as Brent...

This meant that the world was not running on a team-based, same-mission model. It was possible that multiple teams, or even people of multiple ranks, were acting here...

After pondering for a moment, he directly spat out the Crimson Flame Dagger and tossed it to her.

The girl glanced at the dagger and clicked her tongue. After a brief hesitation, though, she put it away. Well, it was a bit trashy, but it was still loot.

Mm-hm. She nodded with an expression that said he knew the rules. "Newcomer? Need help?"

"I told you, I don't." Jiang Rui had a headache. Right now, he only wanted to get rid of the trouble and head to the "factory."

The girl in front of him was indeed beautiful, but who knew what she was plotting?

Hearing his response, the girl shook her head. Her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, and a trace of killing intent spilled out.

"No, you do~"

Warning: High-intensity mental killing intent detected. Assessment—invincible. Please leave immediately!

Heh...

Jiang Rui twitched the corner of his mouth, raised his head, and smiled.

"Okay!"

"Very good. My name is Ariel."

"Rimuru... Rimuru Tempest."

Time passed, and night quietly descended before they realized it.

Jiang Rui looked helplessly at the girl wolfing down food in front of him and probed, "What exactly are we doing? My mission time is almost up."

"You accepted a side quest?" The girl raised an eyebrow and said indifferently, "It's fine. You should know that in a Low Martial World like this, the scary thing isn't the world itself, but our own kind."

A Low Martial World? Jiang Rui was speechless.

"So?"

"Since you treated me to a meal, I'll tell you some intel." Ariel set down her knife and fork. "Tonight, The Church is attacking Madam Gao's Laundry Powder Processing Plant. As for how many people will be waiting to swoop in afterward, that is anyone's guess."

Jiang Rui sucked in a breath, feeling somewhat fortunate.

Then, he suddenly thought of the matter regarding his identity...

"Have you heard of Brent?"

"Of course." The girl stretched, got to her feet, and lifted her chin to indicate they should get moving. At the same time, she said with a grin.

"Is he your mission target? Then you're out of luck. That guy has probably already been blown to ashes."

Jiang Rui froze, a trace of conflict appearing in his eyes.

Could it really be that much of a coincidence?

"Is he your target too?"

As he stood up and quickly caught up with her, he regained his composure, his face once again wearing a gentle smile.

"No." Ariel curled her lips. "According to the intel we have, once that guy arrives, Madam Gao will immediately follow him to Kunlun."

"Well, I don't mind screwing with The Church," the girl muttered with a grin. "But my brother wants The Church and Madam Gao to fight to the death, so I'll give them a hand."

Seeing Jiang Rui remain silent, she pouted, looking aggrieved.

"What? Are you mad? I might not have been the one who killed him. I didn't even know what he looked like. I just planted a bomb in every one of Madam Gao's cars."

"When the time came, boom!" She raised a little hand and mimed an explosion.

"Every car?"

"Yeah, a few dozen cars, I guess. Ah, those bombs cost me quite a bit of money."

Noticing that Jiang Rui seemed to be in a bad mood, she turned around with a grin, rose onto her tiptoes, and patted his shoulder. A thread of warm breath brushed against Jiang Rui's face, but her words made his entire body turn cold.

"If you're angry, I'll kill you."

So that meant dozens of lives...

Notice: Mental state abnormal. Cancel Thought Acceleration?

Jiang Rui stared blankly at her. After a long while, he spoke softly and gently, as if coaxing a girlfriend. "I'm not angry. I'm just curious why you're telling me so much."

I'm fine...

Confirmation complete.

Ariel clearly enjoyed Jiang Rui's tone. Swaying her head like a kitten, she said, "Because I like the look of you?"

"That's it?"

"Mm, and you're weak." Looking toward a quiet alley, she quickly explained, "There are plenty of rewards for protecting newcomers through their first world. Besides, I happen to be short a toy. But don't expect me to protect you, and—"

She paused. "When I want to kill you, don't expect me to spare you either."

Amid Jiang Rui's silence, she walked toward the alley, her crisp voice carrying through the air.

"What are you uncles playing here? Can I join you?"

Several screams followed.

She did not see the deep conflict in Jiang Rui's thoughtful eyes behind her, along with a faint, barely perceptible killing intent.

In her eyes, were they nothing more than NPCs?

If Ariel knew what Jiang Rui was thinking at this moment, she would certainly sneer in disdain.

NPCs? What a joke. They were just a bunch of wild monsters...