"Matt, be careful lately. The Hand can't find me, but they can easily find you!"
Before leaving, Akira reminded Matt to be careful and watch out for retaliation from The Hand. They had only dealt with a small hideout of The Hand this time, but this was just the tip of the iceberg of The Hand's power. Akira had the [entry]—[Superman's Glasses]to conceal him, so The Hand couldn't find him, but Matt was different.
"Don't worry about me. I have experience dealing with The Hand."
Matt didn't take Akira's words to heart. He replied and turned to leave.
Watching Matt leave, Akira picked up his phone and dialed his employer's number.
The phone rang only once before it was answered. Clearly, the other party had been waiting by the phone for Akira's call.
Before Akira could speak, the man on the other end of the line eagerly asked:
"Hello, Mr. Akira, what's the situation?"
"Don't worry, Joss. My informant has found Little David. He and the other missing children have now been sent to the Elder Council Hospital. Your wife should also be at that hospital. You'll see him very soon!"
The man on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment, then an excited voice, mixed with surprise, came through:
"Mr. Akira, you are truly amazing! I'll transfer the remaining 70,000 U.S. dollars to your card in a bit. You know, I need to go see my son first!"
"Understood!"
Hanging up the phone, Akira didn't rush the other party to pay the final balance. The other party still had that much credit.
With everything resolved, Akira turned his attention to the newly acquired Entry. [entry]—[Use Fire Punch on Me]: After use, applies an unquenchable flame to any object it touches. Note: You'd best have infinite regeneration!
"Why isn't it called 'Amaterasu'? Wouldn't that be more fitting!"
Akira complained about the name of the Entry but didn't pay too much attention to its ability. If he didn't have the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception that came with the [Person Who Escaped Death]Entry, the Fire Punch Entry would be very useful, a very strong attack skill. But with the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, anything he touched would be a fatal result, making the attack power effect of this Entry seem a bit redundant.
"It's not bad as an auxiliary skill; it's like carrying a lighter with you."
---
In the morning, Akira woke up and saw a text message on his phone showing that 70,000 U.S. dollars had been credited to his account. He nodded in satisfaction; this meant he could relax for a long time.
"No bathing, no Water!" Hajime was very resistant to bathing.
Akira gently scratched its chin, promising it treats:
"Bathe well, and I'll buy you dried fish later!"
"Dried fish!" Hajime's eyes lit up, and it stopped struggling, walking to the Water bucket and jumping in as if resigned to its fate.
"Akira, I want dried fish from Old Enya's house, and if you dare to buy fermented herring again, I'll go on a hunger strike! For one day!" Hajime poked out its wet head and stated its demands.
Akira wouldn't buy fermented herring again. He had only bought it to tease Hajime when it first learned to speak, but Hajime seemed to have developed a phobia.
After bathing Hajime, Akira prepared to go for a morning run. Ever since he discovered that simple exercise could improve the level of [entry]—[Human Engineering], Akira would go for a morning run whenever he had nothing to do.
Arriving at a nearby park, Akira ran two laps and saw that familiar Old Steve again.
"Good morning, Biden!"
"Hey, you brat, how many times have I told you my name isn't Biden!"
"Old Steve, has no one ever told you that you have the bearing of a President?"
Old Steve recalled: "Many people told me I was suitable to be President when I was young!"
Akira pouted. This Old Steve was really getting ahead of himself.
"Old Steve, how old are you?"
Old Steve thought for a moment and said a not-too-exaggerated number, "81."
"You're so old, but your body is still so good. Old Steve, at your age, you're perfect for President!"
"Unless the U.S. goes crazy, an Old Steve like me can't be President!" Old Steve indicated that this kid was just joking.
After a routine chat with the interesting Old Steve, Akira finished after a few more laps. He saw that the Entry had gained two more experience points; current level lv1: 87/100. Note: Level 1 max level is the human limit (Captain America).
Each exercise session gained a maximum of two experience points, and he wondered if it would change after leveling up.
Thinking this, Akira said goodbye to the interesting Old Steve and went to a nearby supermarket, bought some daily necessities and the dried fish Hajime wanted, and started walking back.
On the way back, Akira passed an antique shop. He thought for a moment and decided to go in and look, because Entries not only appear on people but also on some meaningful objects, like antiques, where Entries are very likely to appear. Akira might be able to find a bargain.
After entering the shop, the electronic doorbell automatically welcomed him. An Old Steve sat on a wicker chair inside the shop, clearly the owner. Akira eyed the Old Steve for a few moments, found he wasn't the 'Old Steve' he imagined, and shook his head in disappointment.
The antique shop Old Steve looked at Akira strangely. Why was he shaking his head at him for no reason?
Akira looked at the antiques in the shop but didn't find any antique with an Entry. He suspected that most of them were fakes, with very few truly ancient ones.
Just as Akira was about to leave in disappointment, he noticed a red cloth in the corner that looked very strange.
"What is this? It looks like the real thing!"
Akira approached and was pleasantly surprised to find that this red cloth actually had an Entry: [Conquer].
Suppressing his joy, Akira turned to the Old Steve and said:
"Boss, is this cloth also an antique? It looks different from the other antiques!"
"What cloth? Let me see!"
The Old Steve walked over in confusion and saw the red cloth Akira was pointing at.
"Oh, that? I'll tell you, this is a family heirloom. My Grandpa got it. My father told me that this red cloth was from a cape, rumored to be the cape used by Alexander the Great."
"Alexander the Great? That's unlikely. I haven't heard of any of his personal items being passed down. Could it be a later imitation?"
Akira was certain this was not an imitation; it was undoubtedly genuine. The [entry]—[Conquer]was the proof. Conquer also fit Alexander the Great's experience well, a person who conquered the World. This reminded Akira of a character from an anime he had watched.
Akira glanced at the surrounding antiques, picked a vase, and said to the Old Steve:
"Boss, how much is this vase?"
The Old Steve raised his reading glasses and said:
"This is 19th-century French Sèvres. Hmm, 600 U.S. dollars!"
"That's a bit expensive. What about 700 U.S. dollars, including this fragment of Alexander's cape!"
"This..." The Old Steve hesitated. He didn't know if the red cloth was real. In his heart, he was more inclined to believe that this red cloth was a later imitation; it was almost impossible for a genuine item to reach him.
"Alright, I'll take a loss. It's 700 U.S. dollars!"
The Old Steve was also afraid that this kid wouldn't buy it. This red cloth had been sitting there for many years, and no one had ever bought it.
"Okay!"
Akira paid readily and left the antique shop with the vase and the cape fragment.