The Plot Begins

This was a private restaurant.

The kind that opened every day without serving the public, existing solely to entertain the owner's guests at any time.

Tsk, tsk. Extravagant.

Damn capitalism.

When Jiang Rui saw Kingpin, the man was examining a bottle of red wine.

Only after seeing Jiang Rui arrive did he set the bottle down. Every movement carried an elegance utterly at odds with his massive build.

Kingpin had not invited Jiang Rui over without purpose. Though the stated reason was to hand over the shares and documents, he also wanted to discuss a few other matters.

Madam Gao was dead, killed in a brutal siege by a group of superhumans. Her miserable death had set off alarm bells in Kingpin's mind.

He needed to probe Jiang Rui indirectly and put his own mind at ease.

If they were people he could not afford to provoke, he would make his position clear. Madam Gao? He did not know her.

If they were not part of the same faction, or were not that powerful, that was fine too. He could build some rapport and become allies.

They could mind their own business and stay out of each other's way.

While Kingpin's calculations were clicking away, he saw the man across from him casually pull out a chair, plop down, and ask, "Interested in making an investment?"

What the hell was that?

Though caught off guard, Kingpin remained as steady as ever. He neither refused nor agreed immediately, instead appearing quite interested.

"You have a business that needs funding?"

"No." Jiang Rui picked up a steak and swallowed it whole with an "ah-woo." "Tasty. Mm, do you know Tony Stark?"

Afraid Kingpin had not heard him clearly, he swallowed and repeated himself. "Do you know Tony Stark?"

"Of course." Kingpin gestured to his men, who poured him another glass of red wine.

"In a few days, Stark Industries stock may drop rather sharply."

"Interested?"

"No." This time, Kingpin answered decisively. With his status, trying to enter Stark Industries' board of directors was practically asking for death.

"See?" Jiang Rui tilted his head. "You might know plenty of politicians. You might even know the President of the United States."

"But you can't stand in the spotlight, much less know Captain America."

Kingpin dearly wanted to retort that Jiang Rui did not know him either, but then he remembered Madam Gao had lived for more than four hundred years—

This world could no longer be viewed through common sense.

So he did not pursue the matter and merely changed the subject.

"You should know that I'm the king of the underworld, not some god of Wall Street. I'm afraid I can't help you in this regard."

"Mm, I figured." Jiang Rui nodded. "That's why I only came to tell you this."

And incidentally let Kingpin know just how extensive his information channels were, that there was more or less some force behind him! Jiang Rui felt that Kingpin was at least a criminal genius. He should... understand, right?

"What about you? Did you invite me here just to eat?" Jiang Rui began attacking the cheesy potatoes on the table.

"Uh..." Kingpin suddenly realized that after Jiang Rui had derailed him like this, he no longer knew what to say.

A round of probing ended just like that.

Still, overall, the two sides had established a tentative foundation of peaceful coexistence and mutual assistance.

A honeymoon period. That was probably the term.

After handling all the messy paperwork that afternoon and attending a meeting at Rand Enterprises, Rimuru—the self-proclaimed young master of Rand Corporation—was officially born!

Calling it a corporation was generous. It was really just a small family business.

Most of the board members did not acknowledge Jiang Rui's identity. Some even cursed furiously over the decision to withdraw from the gray industries and stormed out in anger.

But no matter how dissatisfied they were, it only made it easier for Jiang Rui to reclaim their shares. In front of Kingpin, no one dared to entertain any schemes.

Then he boarded a private car bound for New York City Center. By his reckoning, Iron Man's story was about to begin.

Before that, though, it was time for a pleasant break.

He first returned to the hotel where the assassination had taken place and dealt with the scene. Though a lot had happened, only one night had actually passed.

Then he comfortably switched hotels, reverted to Rimuru's appearance, sprawled across the bed, and rolled around.

Perfect!

Lying blissfully sprawled on the bed, Jiang Rui rested his cheek on one hand, twirled his hair, and let his thoughts wander...

Supernatural Paradise's missions were not uniform—

For example, most newcomers entering Supernatural Paradise for the first time were ordinary people, so their missions were usually "survival."

In his case, perhaps because he had been judged to be in the dangerous area of Hell's Kitchen when the mission triggered, his task had been to survive for seven days.

Thinking of this made Jiang Rui a little unhappy.

Who are you looking down on?!

He was already chatting and laughing with Kingpin. What was there to survive for?

So Jiang Rui decisively slipped away!

After all, the mission had never specified where he had to survive.

Interestingly, many low-sequence missions required players to seize a certain item or kill a certain character. Then, as long as one person completed it, every player with the same mission received benefits.

Of course, reward evaluations differed according to contribution.

After learning this, Jiang Rui felt that the whole vibe of this space was off again...

Why did this paradise feel so improper?

Had its talent tree been built wrong?

Other paradises were carrying out Bloody Mist Policies with great success, driving people mad through mutual slaughter.

Yet this one was mobilizing the masses to help it steal things?

Of course, Jiang Rui was only complaining. Though the missions did not force anything, people—

Would still scheme against and slaughter one another because of nationality, skin color, love, hatred, and countless other reasons.

The first few worlds were merely beginner training.

If he truly let down his guard because of the mission mechanics, he would probably soon be reduced to nothing.

"Kill other superhumans to obtain one of their random spoils."

"Spoils from killing plot characters belong to the killer. They may be stolen, and if the killer dies before leaving the current world, they will definitely be dropped."

Those two rules laid bare Supernatural Paradise's essence in all its bloody glory.

Before he knew it, Jiang Rui drifted off in a daze. He really was a little tired...

Two days later...

"I still maintain that eating is humanity's greatest pleasure!" Jiang Rui happily took a bite of the Jianbing Guozi in his right hand. Mm, it was a little greasy. There was cheese inside—classic American-style Chinese food.

But this was New York, after all. Wuwuwu, it actually had a unique flavor. So blissful.

Then he raised his left hand, which held a bag of hot dogs.

"Any notion that the process of eating can be simplified and compressed is heresy!"

"First, according to the trend of civilization's evolution, if carbon-based lifeforms cannot effectively extend their lifespans before the next great explosion of civilization, they may be unable to learn all discovered knowledge even after exhausting their entire lives. Before then, increasingly fast-paced lifestyles will inevitably alter food culture. Efficiency will be the foremost factor."

"Second, you are no longer a carbon-based lifeform. You do not need to eat."

Jiang Rui blinked, and a sentence suddenly surfaced in his mind...

My little one has grown up. You've learned to talk back. Dad is very disappointed in you.

Bzzzz—

His phone vibrated...

In annoyance, he swallowed the Jianbing Guozi in one bite and said, "Don't learn from those bad systems and artificial idiots in the future, got it?"

Then he answered the call.

Great Sage: "..."

"Hello?"

"Today's newspaper." It was Kingpin's voice.

Great Sage, show me today's newspaper headlines.

"Tony Stark confirmed missing; Obadiah Stane assumes the position of acting CEO!"