Although the mission had a time limit, Han Sen was in no hurry, having finally returned to the human world for a breather.
"Even though I'd planned to slack off, I can't be so obvious about it under the boss's nose."
Looking at the high-speed train whizzing by on the elevated bridge in the distance, he made a decision: "So, the first step now is… to disguise myself as a human, then take a train to M City!"
"It's decided!"
Leaving the desolate no-man's land, the city ahead gradually regained some vibrancy.
Vehicles flowed ceaselessly, pedestrians on the streets hurried along, most with a hint of undetectable wariness and fatigue on their faces.
On the commercial building in the distance, a large electronic screen occasionally displayed recruitment advertisements for the Hero Association, as well as warnings about Monster disasters.
"Finally, it feels a bit like a modern metropolis."
Casually declining the third wave of young women who bravely and blushingly asked if they could add him as a contact on their messaging apps, the scene in the commercial street not far ahead caught Han Sen's attention.
Several flashy, thuggish youths were "visiting" the shops along the street, house by house.
They had cigarettes dangling from their mouths, arrogant expressions, hair and clothes as colorful as a rainbow, and they wielded baseball bats or iron pipes. Passersby immediately detoured when they saw them.
Each time they entered a shop, they would soon emerge cursing, the intensity of their curses often depending on whether they had a few banknotes or a stack of them in their hands.
The shop owners, mostly elderly, dared not speak out in anger. Facing this group of numerous small-time thugs who were clearly local bullies, they could only swallow their anger and pay to avoid trouble.
The air was filled with suppression and helplessness.
Han Sen stopped, a faint, almost imperceptible curve on his lips.
"Startup capital, isn't it right here?"
"You're the ones!"
Compared to the sweet and soft-spoken young women, he was clearly more interested in these arrogant thugs.
Women only slow down my money-making speed!
Of course, rich women are an exception.
Soon, these thugs, having swaggered their way through collecting "protection fees" from the entire street, gathered in a secluded alley at the end of the street, excitedly counting the stacks of banknotes of varying thickness in their hands.
"Hahaha, good haul today, Big Brother!"
A skinny man with dyed yellow hair said fawningly to the burly, flat-topped man with a scarred face who was leading them.
"Hmph, good thing these old geezers are sensible!"
The burly man with the flat top proudly patted his bulging pocket, which held the money they had just collected, and sneered, "Tonight, let's go to the newly opened nightclub 'Golden Silk Cat' and have a good time! I heard the new girls there are really something!"
"That's great!"
"Big Brother is mighty!"
"Tonight, we drink until we drop!"
"…"
The thugs howled with excitement like ghosts, already fantasizing about the passionate group activities that night.
They didn't notice that a tall, handsome, cool-looking god had, at some point, blocked the alley entrance, cutting off their escape.
"Hmm?"
The burly man with the flat top, true to his role as the leader, was the first to spot Han Sen.
He frowned and impatiently shouted, "Hey! Kid, where are you from? Can't you see we're busy? Get out of my way!"
At this moment, the other thugs also noticed Han Sen and surrounded him, their faces adorned with mocking and malicious smiles.
"Are you—are you looking for death, kid?!"
"Oh, those clothes don't look cheap!"
"Damn it, he's so handsome! Even more handsome than me!"
"Big Brother, stop talking so much, let's beat this pretty boy up and teach him a lesson!"
"…"
Han Sen's gaze calmly swept over them, finally resting on the burly man's bulging pocket, and he sighed, "There are national laws, and there are industry rules."
"The local gangs are too impolite!"
"Ha…?"
The burly man with the flat top looked as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, exchanged glances with the others, and burst into laughter.
"Polite?" The burly man with the flat top took a step forward, a sinister grin on his face, and suddenly raised his hand, his large, fan-like palm swinging towards Han Sen's face, "Today, I'll teach you what politeness is!"
Slap!
A crisp sound, but it wasn't the sound of a slap hitting a face.
The thick wrist was effortlessly caught by Han Sen. With a seemingly casual grip, the burly man's face turned pale, and he let out a pig-like shriek of agony, his wrist dangling at a strange angle.
"Let—let go! It's broken—broken… it's broken!"
The boss's screams didn't sound fake, and the thugs' laughter gradually died down as they exchanged bewildered glances.
The furious and shocked boss gasped in pain, turning back to curse, "Bastards, what are you standing around for?! Get him! Kill him!!"
The thugs snapped out of their daze, cursing and grabbing their weapons as they charged forward.
The next moment.
A dense chorus of bone-cracking sounds and agonizing screams instantly erupted in the alley, but quickly ceased.
Han Sen walked out of the alley, refreshed, his dark gray wool coat still as neat as new.
In his hand, he weighed a thick stack of banknotes, the teaching remuneration that the local gang, having learned politeness, had voluntarily offered.
"Ha, don't I have money now?"
Pocketing the remuneration, Han Sen left with satisfaction, without looking back.
In the depths of the alley behind him, several limbs bent at unnatural angles protruded from outside a trash can, clearly indicating that fresh trash had just been thrown in.
Although the money in his hand was ill-gotten, Han Sen felt no psychological burden whatsoever.
Theoretically, his recent actions should be called "black-on-black" (a thief robbing a thief).
Han Sen was a complete unregistered person in this world; after all, he wasn't even human when he transmigrated.
The good news was that this body was a Monster transformed from a human, and the fused memories contained much information from his time as a human.
After some thought, Han Sen went directly to the nearby police station.
It was surprisingly smooth; he reported his original name and identity information and easily obtained a temporary personal ID card.
Then, he went to the bank and did the same, successfully reporting his old card lost, getting a new one, and depositing some cash into it.
Finally, at the electronics section of a large shopping mall, Han Sen purchased the latest model of smartphone.
As his fingertips glided over the smooth screen, looking at the familiar app icons and operating interface, a feeling of being in a different era welled up.
Buzz~ Buzz buzz—
His phone vibrated slightly, a new message notification.
Han Sen tapped it open and saw a balance change alert pushed by the bank app.
"Uh…"
Looking at the string of digits that was probably the total sum of a regular office worker's salary for several years, he couldn't help but scratch his chin.
"Uh… it seems, I don't need to do black-on-black, the money is enough?"
"Never mind, who cares~"
After a second of silent mourning for those unlucky fellows, Han Sen quickly let it go.
After all, he wasn't entirely without gains.
His enthusiastic interaction with the local gang allowed him to connect with society as a human, giving him a feeling of being alive again.
Skillfully operating his phone, he checked the map and bought train tickets.
Han Sen strolled along and soon arrived at Z City's high-speed rail station.
He scanned his ticket, boarded the train, and found his seat.
Perhaps due to the increasing decline of Z City, there were only a few passengers on this high-speed train to M City.
Han Sen's carriage was completely empty; he was the only passenger.
The train slowly started, and the scenery outside the window began to recede rapidly.
Inside the empty and steadily moving train carriage, there was only a faint "whooshing" sound and the rhythmic "clack-clack" from the rail joints.
Han Sen leaned back in his seat, his mind empty, but the next second he sat upright again.
"Huh…?"
Leaving Z City.
No one around.
"Isn't the current environment just perfect?"