Soldier: 76 Reports In

The battle between the "Africans" and "Europeans" has been a long-standing struggle; drawing lots depends on character, opening crates depends on luck, and William was undoubtedly among those with the worst luck.

To salvage his dwindling "European" fortune, he tried seeking out various metaphysical methods, among which the "Midnight Metaphysics" was the one he trusted most.

Midnight Metaphysics, as the name implies, suggests that at twelve o'clock midnight, the probability of success doubles. This was why William had waited until midnight to prepare to open his loot box.

Although this was entirely a matter of luck, William always felt his fortune was at its peak at this hour.

"Athena, you didn't finish earlier—besides heroes, what else can be opened from the loot box?"

"You also have a certain chance to obtain equipment, weapons, skills, consumables, sprays, and skins."

"I see. Then let's begin." William took a deep breath and opened this single loot box.

D.Va! D.Va! I want D.Va!

The loot box shuddered instantly, the lid practically flying off. William couldn't help but hold his breath, his heartbeat slowing in anticipation. Amidst a familiar musical chime, three streaks of light shot out from the opened box.

White... white... green. Wait, green?

William had never seen a green glow before. He examined the items one by one; the first two white lights were sprays—one for Soldier: 76 and another for Pharah—but the final green item left him stunned.

"Soldier: 76, reporting for duty!"

The mysterious figure before him had white hair, wore a blue, white, and red combat suit, and sported red tactical goggles. With one hand, he offered a military salute to William, while the other gripped his Heavy Pulse Rifle.

"Rewards from the Overwatch System loot boxes come in four tiers: white, blue, purple, and gold. Beyond that, green items represent heroes. When you open a duplicate, it will be automatically converted into gold coins," Athena explained.

Overwatch: William
Level: 0
Gold: 100
Energy: 2 minutes
Skills: Sprint
Items: ??
Unlocked Heroes: 1

William opened his personal profile and found that many things had changed. What did that "Energy" mean? Why was it two minutes?

"When you need to perform a hero transformation, energy will be consumed. Level 0 provides two minutes of transformation time, with each level gained adding one more minute."

"So, you're saying I can transform into Soldier: 76 for two minutes right now?"

"That is correct," Athena continued. "However, you must remember that once your energy is depleted, you will be unable to transform for a short period."

Uh... This made William think of Ultraman; once the red light started flashing, it meant the transformation time was running out. He was just like Ultraman now—once the time was up, he had to run.

The night passed without incident.

There were far fewer takeout orders on Thursday than the day before. William was happy for the leisure; he had been thinking about one thing all day: his stolen bicycle.

That bicycle wasn't his, but the shop's. If the boss found out he had lost it, he would definitely be in trouble.

Before the boss discovered it, he had to find a way to make amends. Finding the original was clearly impossible, so he only had one option: buy a new bicycle.

He certainly couldn't afford a brand-new one, but he could buy a second-hand one, preferably a similar model, so he could muddle through without anyone being the wiser.

He checked his wallet; there wasn't much left, so he decided to find a place to withdraw money first.

William took his bank card to a nearby bank, but after waiting a long time at the ATM outside, he realized it was out of cash. With no other choice, he walked into the bank to the counter.

To be honest, he hadn't been to a bank in a long time, because before he transmigrated, he had mostly used mobile banking in China. He hadn't expected that his next visit to a bank would be in America—and in the Marvel world's America, at that.

He gazed at the bank lobby and couldn't help but think: Hey, I'm a person with abilities now. A two-minute transformation into Soldier: 76 should be enough to do a lot of things. For example... rob a bank?

However, he quickly dismissed such an evil thought. He was a member of Overwatch now, a guardian of humanity.

Rob a bank? That's something Talon would do!

Just as William was lost in his wild thoughts, a group of people swaggered in through the bank entrance. They were dressed in black and wore white skull masks.

"BANG!"

Suddenly, one of the men in black raised his pistol and fired a shot, roaring harshly:

"Don't move! Everyone get on the ground, now!"

Are you kidding me?! William was startled. He had only been daydreaming about robbing a bank, and he had run into real bank robbers. His luck was truly terrible.

There were five robbers in total, all masked and armed. One of them was a tall Black man; he was the one who had just fired the shot. He walked at the front, clearly the leader.

The sudden gunshot triggered shrill screams throughout the bank. People panicked; some tried to flee but were blocked by the robbers. Others crouched on the ground, clutching their heads, while some stood frozen in place, completely bewildered, not knowing what was happening.

William was one of those frozen in place. A robber saw him standing there like a fool and immediately raised his gun, shouting, "Get on the ground! Hands up! Don't move!"

Seeing the dark muzzle pointed at him, William couldn't help but swallow hard. He raised his hands and slowly crouched down.

The robbers herded the bank customers together. The bank staff were also threatened; when one tried to call the police, they were struck until they were bleeding, and the girl at the counter next to them was splattered with blood, screaming in terror.

One robber grew impatient, grabbed her by the collar, dragged her out from behind the counter, and pinned her to the floor. He pulled out a sharp knife and snarled, "If you cry again, I'll slash your face!"

The arrival of the robbers alerted the bank's security guards, but they were subdued the moment they rushed over.

"Hand over your phones, and put all the cash and valuables in here!" one robber said, holding out a bag.

Everyone hesitated, but faced with the threat of brute force, they had no choice but to comply. People took out their cash and phones; men removed their watches, and women took off their jewelry.

William, of course, had nothing of value. He dropped his phone and his meager remaining cash into the bag, thinking helplessly: Do you guys have any professional ethics? You're really going to rob me of twenty dollars?

Come and absorb some "European" luck~