A Call with Kingpin

Following that line of thought.

It wasn't just the brain that produced metabolic waste; the body did too.

Of course, Bai Jing wasn't saying he would take care of that as well.

Human cells operated on a use-it-or-lose-it basis. If he did everything for someone every day, who knew when their body would simply stop functioning!

What Bai Jing had in mind was waste that had already been processed and was merely waiting to be expelled from the body.

There had never been any curse-type abilities in the Marvel Universe, but the movies had only shown the tip of the iceberg.

If qi and magic existed, then were Annan's various curse techniques real too?

But Bai Jing would no longer need to fear such things. He would never sweat another drop, never need to use the bathroom again, never bleed, the gases he exhaled would not enter the atmospheric cycle, and even the dead cells and tissue shed from his body would be directly absorbed by the black hole!

And that was far from the full extent of this energy's applications!

Taking the idea further, he could devour foods he disliked, such as alcohol, and thus drink a thousand cups without getting drunk.

He could eat whatever food his enemies gave him without worrying about safety, becoming immune to all poisons!

It was said that cells divided fewer times because something called oxygen free radicals struck the telomeres and shortened them.

He could absorb those oxygen free radicals as well, thereby extending his own lifespan!

And those were only applications of the Devouring ability!

There was still gravity control!

Just as Bai Jing was about to continue his research, the doorbell suddenly rang.

"Come in!" Bai Jing called.

Denny entered, her face icy.

Looks like I'll have to change the password! Bai Jing thought. He shut off part of his eyes' intake of light again, and finally he could ignore the large pores on Denny's face.

Denny held a Nokia phone in her hand and offered it to Bai Jing.

"Whose call is it?" Bai Jing asked.

This was the boss's sleeping time. Was just any call allowed to disturb him?

"Kingpin!" Denny mouthed.

"Huh?" Bai Jing froze. He took the phone and heard a gloomy, weighty voice brimming with authority from the other end.

"I am Kingpin!"

"Come on, sir. You're the underground overlord of all America, and you even have to meddle in something as minor as a local gang of a hundred-odd people in Hell's Kitchen changing bosses?" Bai Jing asked in astonishment.

Denny's face immediately went pale. "B-Boss, that's Kingpin! Please speak more politely!"

"Why should I be polite?" Bai Jing asked with a smile. "When Kingpin gets angry, will a million corpses fall and blood flow for a thousand miles, leaving the whole land in mourning? Is he worthy?"

He was just a clown who couldn't show his face!

"Of course I cannot be compared with King Qin!" On the other end of the call, Kingpin's expression visibly darkened, but his voice still carried a major player's authority. "I don't care which of you becomes the boss, but you cannot touch the Viper Gang. Hell's Kitchen cannot descend into chaos right now!"

I only just arranged the attack on the Viper Gang, and you already got the news. There's an informant!

"You're a crime boss, yet you're worried that society will become chaotic?" Bai Jing chuckled. "Or is it that now you've made it ashore, you no longer care about the lackeys drowning in the water?"

Before making it big, of course he had wanted things to be as chaotic as possible. Chaos meant more opportunities and made it easier to rise through the ranks.

But after becoming a big shot, naturally he wanted things as stable as possible, so he could enjoy the benefits in peace. It was only human nature—but Bai Jing had only just gotten started!

He was about to say more when a string of beeps came from the phone.

Kingpin had hung up!

"Tch, that's it?" Bai Jing was speechless. I haven't even brought out my Zuan quotes, and you already chickened out?

"Was that really Kingpin?" Bai Jing asked.

Denny said nothing. She merely looked at Bai Jing with an indescribable expression, then shook her head. "I thought you people were all humble. Why are you different from other Asians? Why provoke Kingpin? He really kills people!"

"Don't I kill people too?" Bai Jing asked curiously. "Your life is in my hands as well, so why aren't you as afraid when you look at me? Why are you more afraid of Kingpin instead?"

"Uh..." Denny was speechless. Right, why?

"America calls Asians the model minority, loudly praising them for being obedient, easy to manage, good at studying. Then, after flattering them so much they can't come back down, it naturally raises their taxes, oppresses them at will, and raises their admissions standards," Bai Jing said with a smile. "You've been brainwashed by your government. Did you think I was the same as everyone else?"

"Even after I took out the Bront Brothers, you still see me as a harmless asian. Compared to the legendary Kingpin, whose killings litter the fields, I'm simply not on the same level!" Bai Jing smiled.

He genuinely found it quite interesting.

You could hear many principles and know what they meant, but that did not mean you truly understood them.

Everyone had heard the phrase "quality education," yet parents who drove their children to desperation were everywhere.

"Treat others as you would wish to be treated" was an elementary school text, but hardly anyone could truly do it.

Even slogans like "pride invites loss, humility brings benefit," plastered all over the walls, were followed by few people. When the S tournament came around, those who should get cocky still got cocky.

Oh, Bai Jing was pretty cocky now too. He needed to watch himself.

Back when I transmigrated, wasn't Cautious Hero all the rage? Why can't I manage it?

Seeing Denny lost in thought, Bai Jing felt rather accomplished.

People all liked watching white people praise China and seeing young men marry foreign women.

That was a sign of lacking confidence in one's own great power. Bai Jing was no exception, and he had to admit it.

But he was slowly growing. From his initial faint longing for America to now wanting to spit twice before leaving, his progress was quite obvious.

"Will tonight's operation continue?" Denny asked.

"Of course!" Bai Jing nodded with a smile. "I made Kingpin lose face badly. Given his personality, he'll definitely want to kill me! And my operation is tonight, so before midnight, one assassin—or perhaps several—will definitely come!"

"If Kingpin takes me seriously enough, he should send Bullseye. If he doesn't, it'll probably be some nameless nobodies. But it doesn't matter. Whoever comes, I'll beat them all the same!" Bai Jing waved his hand. "I know you're only afraid of my strength right now, so just watch. I looked over your file and remember that you graduated from New York University School of Finance and Management. You can use this afternoon to find some classmates or friends. Once we take down the Viper Gang tonight, we'll be short on management personnel!"

Looking at the high-spirited, confident youth before her, gesturing as though commanding the world, something inside Denny suddenly snapped!

Bai Jing was right. Because of all kinds of propaganda and stereotypes created by film and television, White women rarely developed favorable feelings toward asian men.

Her willingness to offer herself to Bai Jing had only been for survival. If it hadn't been Bai Jing but any random Black man, she would have offered herself just the same.

But now, she truly felt that the man before her was powerful!

Not merely powerful in strength, but powerful in spirit as well!

Among the entire criminal underworld, he was like a dragon that had burst into a flock of sheep!

I think I'm really going to fall in love with him!

But what followed was inferiority. She knew how much asian men valued love and fidelity. She was undoubtedly completely unqualified.

Denny had never, as she did today, hated her origins, hated that she had needed loans to attend college, hated the Bront Brothers for bringing her into this world...

If I were still young and innocent, wearing glasses and simple clothes, carrying thick books, and I met him on the street...

Would I have had a chance?

I originally wanted to write a third chapter, but after writing more than a thousand words, it felt too toxic, so I deleted it. Then I wrote another eight hundred, but I wasn't in the right state. I'll write more tomorrow.