The cold sea water was like countless tiny knives, scraping Chu Hang's skin over and over again.
He lay quietly on the wet beach, his body as heavy as garbage discarded by the waves. The night wind passed by mercilessly, taking away the last faint warmth from his body and arousing an uncontrollable shiver. The feeling of fatigue, like gangrene in the bones, spread from every cell in the deepest part of the body, so heavy that he even felt that even moving his fingers was a luxury.
But he is still alive.
That's enough.
Inside the body, a silent repair is taking place. Healing Factor, copied from Logan, is like a group of tireless worker ants, slowly but firmly repairing his almost falling apart body. Super-Soldier Serum, on the other hand, is like a loyal engine, pressing hard He took the remaining food residues in his body and converted them into negligible energy, barely maintaining a trace of body temperature and resisting the erosion of the sea water. As for the newly acquired Cosmic Energy, which was as vast as the sea of stars, it was still like a lofty god, sleeping peacefully deep in his body, indifferent to the life and death predicament of the host.
Chu Hang just lay there, motionless. Time seemed to have lost its meaning, maybe more than ten minutes passed, or maybe more. He Greed enjoyed the moment of tranquility in the rest of his life, letting his body's instinct take over everything, and carrying out the most primitive self-repair.
It wasn't until the cold feeling that could break at any time gradually faded away, replaced by a stiff feeling that he was frozen hard, that he finally gathered some strength. He struggled to prop up his body with his elbows and sat up with difficulty on the soft sand.
He raised his head and looked around.
This is a typical California beach. In the distance, the lights of the city outline a blurry and bright outline in the deep night, like a distant and illusory sea of stars. As the line of sight draws closer, several beachfront villas with private docks light up sporadically, revealing an indescribable loneliness in the boundless darkness.
Chu Hang lowered his head and looked at himself. He was wearing a tattered white prison uniform, soaked by seawater and unknown filth, sticking to his body and exuding a disgusting sour smell. This look, let alone in this 1995, even if he threw back his familiar 21st Century, it would be enough for any passerby to take out his mobile phone within three seconds and call the police in panic.
Something must be done.
The first task is to change out of this conspicuous clothes, and then find some food to fill the already empty stomach.
People are iron, food is steel. If you don't eat one meal, you will starve. This simple and crude truth is equally applicable whether it is in the trenches of World War II, or in the drunken and glamorous California of the 1990s. As for how to survive in this familiar and unfamiliar era, and how to use the memories in the mind that are ahead of the entire world to grab the first pot of gold, that is something that needs to be worried about after solving the problem of food and clothing.
He stood up unsteadily, like a homeless man who had been hungover all night, and trudged one step at a time, leaving the cold beach and staggering towards the distant city lights. He did not choose the wide and flat road, but instinctively got into the shadows of the woods and buildings on the roadside, like a frightened Beast, carefully avoiding all places where vehicles and pedestrians might appear.
His current condition is extremely poor. Although Healing Factor is still working, severe energy depletion has made him extremely weak, and any unnecessary attention may bring fatal trouble.
After walking in the dark for about half an hour, he finally stepped into the edge of the city. It was more like a chaotic and disorderly urban-suburban junction, with low and dilapidated houses crowded together, the streets were narrow and messy, and the walls were covered with colorful graffiti of unknown meaning. The air was filled with a disgusting mixture of the sour smell of garbage and decay and the sweet smell of burning low-quality marijuana.
Just as he turned into a dimly lit narrow alley, his steps suddenly stopped.
The hearing enhanced by Super-Soldier Serum keenly captured the sounds coming from the corner ahead - suppressed arguments, rude curses, and women's crying pleas.
"Take all the fucking money! Come on, bitch!" A hoarse and rude male voice broke the silence.
"Please, please let me go... I really have no money..." A woman's voice was trembling, full of despair.
"Stop talking nonsense! Search her!" Another voice ordered fiercely.
Chu Hang has no expression on his face. He is not a superhero with a strong sense of justice, especially when he is on the verge of starving to death. His first reaction is to avoid this trouble. It is better to do less than to do more. In this strange world, survival is the first rule.
However, just when he was about to quietly retreat and find another way, a clear and loud slap came from deep in the alley, followed by a woman's even more shrill cry.
The sound stung his eardrums.
Chu Hang frowned and stopped retreating. He leaned against the cold and rough wall and closed his eyes. Although the silent Cosmic Energy could not be mobilized, the innate Energy Perception ability quietly unfolded.
In an instant, a three-dimensional "map" was formed in his mind. Deep in the alley, the outlines of three "humanoids" emitting weak energy light spots were clearly visible. Their energy fluctuations were full of violence, Greed and chaos. And among them, there was an even weaker light spot that was almost extinguished. What was revealed in that light was pure fear and despair.
Three street gangsters were robbing a woman who was getting off work late at night. It was an extremely clichéd scenario that was played out every day in countless corners of this city.
Chu Hang slowly opened his eyes, and there was no hesitation in his eyes, replaced by a kind of cold determination. He did not suddenly become kind-hearted and wanted to do justice. He just realized at this moment that the trouble in front of him was the best shortcut to solve all his current difficulties.
He needed clothes, money, and a hot meal. And the three people in front of him looked like "good Samaritans" who could "generously" provide him with all these.
He no longer hesitated and took steps towards the depths of the alley. His steps were incredibly light and made no sound when he landed, like a cheetah sneaking in the night, ready to prey.
At the end of the alley, three young men wearing large T-shirts and baggy trousers, with thick metal chains hanging around their necks, were blocking a woman in a restaurant waiter uniform in the corner. One of the guys with yellow hair was roughly tearing the woman apart. Another strong black man had a lewd smile on his face and stretched out his dirty hands to try to touch the woman's face. There was also a tall and thin man, leaning leisurely against the opposite wall with a cigarette in his mouth, admiring the evil deeds of his companions with great interest.
They were so immersed in their atrocities that no one noticed that a ghostly figure had quietly appeared behind them.
The tall, thin man holding a cigarette was the first to notice something strange. He felt as if a shadow appeared out of thin air behind him, and a bone-chilling chill rushed up his spine without warning.
He turned his head sharply.
In his field of vision, there was an expressionless face and a fist that was rapidly enlarging in his pupils.
Bang!
There was an extremely dull sound, like a heavy hammer smashing a watermelon.
The tall and lanky man couldn't even utter a groan, and his whole body collapsed to the ground as softly as a puddle of mud. The bridge of his nose sank deeply at a weird angle, and blood mixed with white brain matter slowly flowed out of his nostrils and ears.
Chu Hang didn't even look at him. The moment his fist hit the target, his body was like a strong bow that was tightened and released in an instant, and he suddenly turned towards the strong black man.
The strong black man heard the strange noise behind him and had just turned halfway. Before he could see what was happening, he felt an irresistible and terrifying force kicking hard on the outside of his knee.
Click!
The crisp sound of broken bones was particularly harsh in the dead alley.
"Ah--!"
The strong black man let out a scream that was not like a human voice, hugged his leg that was twisted at a ninety-degree angle, and fell to the ground. The severe pain made him instantly lose all ability to resist.
Now, only Huang Mao was left who was still rummaging through his bag. This sudden bloody incident scared him out of his wits, and the satchel in his hand fell to the ground with a "clack". He looked at Chu Hang in horror as if a demon had descended, his lips were trembling violently, but he could not say a word.
Chu Hang walked towards him step by step, unhurriedly, every step was like stepping on Huang Mao's heart.
"You... don't come here! Do you know who I am?" Huang Mao screamed with an inner voice. He tremblingly took out a switchblade from his pocket and waved it randomly in front of him, trying to embolden himself.
Chu Hang's eyes flashed with a trace of undisguised impatience. He didn't even bother to dodge. The moment the knife was about to stab his chest, he struck out with lightning speed and accurately grabbed Huang Mao's knife-holding wrist.
Huang Mao felt as if his wrist was tightly clamped by a red-hot iron pliers. The heartbreaking pain instantly spread throughout his body, causing him to scream in agony.
Chu Hang had no expression on his face and only made a slight effort on his wrist.
Click.
There was a slight crunching sound, and Huang Mao's wrist was crushed by him lightly. The switchblade fell to the ground and made a crisp clanking sound on the concrete floor.
"Ahhh! My hand!" Huang Mao was rolling on the ground in pain, wailing incessantly.
Chu Hang ignored him. He bent down and quickly took off the relatively clean Black Noir jacket and a pair of jeans from the tall and thin man who had passed out. Then, he took out a crumpled roll of banknotes that smelled of sweat from the pocket of the strong black man who was holding his broken leg and screaming.
He quickly counted, one hundred and twenty-seven dollars.
Not much, but enough.
During the whole process, the waitress who was robbed was always huddled in the corner, looking at Chu Hang's every move in horror with eyes like looking at a monster.
Chu Hang quickly put on a jacket and jeans. Although the size did not fit well, it was still a thousand times better than the eye-catching prison uniform. He stuffed the money into his pocket casually, and then walked up to the trembling woman.
The woman trembled with fright and closed her eyes in despair, thinking that she would not be able to escape her bad luck after all.
However, the expected violation did not come. Chu Hang just bent down to pick up the satchel she had dropped on the ground, and gently placed it in front of her.
Then, without saying a word, he turned around and melted into the darkness deeper in the alley.
From the time he appeared to the time he left, he didn't say a word.
Walking out of the alley and returning to the dimly lit streets, Chu Hang felt as if he had finally come to life. He had normal clothes on his body and money in his pocket. Although it was not much, the sense of down-to-earth reality made him finally relax his nerves that had been tense for a long time.
He found a 24-hour convenience store on the street.
"A hot dog, a bottle of Coke, and a copy of today's newspaper." He said to the sleepy clerk behind the counter in a somewhat rusty English.
Soon, he was sitting on the cold steps in front of the convenience store, devouring his first hot meal in this era. The hot dog sauce tasted cheap, and the bread was not soft enough, but for a man who had been "hungry" physically and mentally for almost fifty years, this was simply the ultimate delicacy in the world. The cold Coke slid down his throat, and the bubbly sweetness reached the sky, making him exhale a long and comfortable breath.
After eating, he unfolded the newspaper that smelled of ink.
The front page headline was an in-depth analysis of the Middle East situation, which he had no interest in. He turned directly to the middle of the newspaper and found today's date.
1995, May 8.
It was almost the same time as he expected.
His eyes quickly scanned the newspaper, searching for names that were both familiar and unfamiliar. Microsoft, Apple, Netscape... each one represented the wave of the times and would stir up global turmoil in the future. The words appeared quietly before his eyes. He quickly noticed an inconspicuous little news squeezed in the corner, reporting that a small Internet company named "Yahoo" had just received a new round of financing and was actively preparing for an initial public offering next year.
Chu Hang's mouth slowly lifted into a meaningful smile.
He knows where his first pot of gold is.
The night wind was still biting and cold, but a blazing flame rose in his heart. The crisis of survival had been temporarily lifted. Next, it was time for this old antique who had been sleeping for half a century to ask for something that was rightfully his from this new world full of opportunities.
He drank the remaining half of the bottle of Coke in one gulp, folded the priceless newspaper carefully, stuffed it into his pocket, then stood up, straightened his spine, and disappeared into the deepest night before dawn.