The taxi sliced through Manhattan's neon-lit streets. Karl pressed his palm to the window, letting the cool night wind
seep through the cracks. The scent of roasted pretzels mixed with exhaust fumes, plus the faint sulfur of his own vampire aura—all reminding him he was a total stranger in this human world.
"Here we are, boss. Times Square." The driver leered at the scantily-clad beauties outside.
Karl pulled open the door and stepped out with elegant swagger, whistling excitedly.
He shouted: "Babies, your daddy's here! Welcome me properly!"
Passersby shot him looks of disdain.
"Where's this hick from, daring to act up in New York? Bet he'll go home naked tomorrow, his daddy spanking his ass raw."
"Haha, Jack, I'll bet you 10 bucks on that."
Jack stared greedily at Karl. This out-of-town rube was a fat sheep—had to rob him.
But only where no one could see. Cops were cracking down hard lately, so he didn't want trouble.
Karl's black cloak billowed behind him. The square was a chaos of light and noise: giant screens blared ads, street performers danced on makeshift stages, tourists jostled for selfies. But his Angel's Eye was already scanning the crowd, filtering through mediocrity for what he truly wanted.
[Name: Lily. Potential: Mediocre.]
[Name: Mia. Potential: Average.]
[Name: Emma. Potential: Decent—but loyalty questionable.]
Karl clicked his tongue in disappointment. Even in New York, the pickings were slim.
He needed women with star quality—faces for his "Ultimate Entertainment," women who could make men across the world fall to their knees.
As he walked, the system vibrated. A notification popped up:
[Ding! Side Quest Unlocked: Secure a Base of Operations.]
[Objective: Rent an office/studio in Manhattan within 48 hours.]
[Reward: 50,000 yuan renovation fund + "Network Boost" skill (unlocks local talent databases).]
Karl smirked triumphantly.
Money was no problem—he'd stolen enough gold from the castle to buy an entire block. But he needed a space that screamed luxury, a place where his angels would feel like queens.
Karl ducked into a coffee shop to escape the crowd and pulled out his golden phone. The "Network Boost" skill activated automatically, flooding the screen with commercial property listings. He swiped past tiny offices and overpriced lofts until one caught his eye:
"5th Avenue Penthouse Studio. Floor-to-ceiling windows, private rooftop pool, fully equipped filming studio. Monthly rent: $85,000."
Perfect.
The bitter coffee disgusted Karl. He looked up and saw an elegant woman walk in—tall, blonde, white blouse, pencil skirt, black stockings hugging her gorgeous legs, black heels clicking sharply.
She held dozens of flyers.
Smiling at everyone: "Hello, sir, looking to rent? Our company has plenty of premium listings for you."
A fat, greasy bald man set down his cup, leering evilly: "Beautiful lady, you disturbed my coffee break. This is my rest time. If you'll come to a motel with me, I might consider renting from you."
Victoria's brow tightened. She hated men like this most.
She leaned back: "I'm sorry, sir, I can't do that."
The fat man grabbed her arm: "Lady, you must apologize, or you're not leaving."
Victoria's eyebrows furrowed in anger: "Sir, let go, or I won't be nice."
"Haha… I love wild cats like you. Let me take care of you!"
In her panic, a button on Victoria's blouse popped off. Black lace framed her heaving breasts, incredibly tempting.
A sweet, milky scent filled the air, intoxicating.
"Fuck, my little wildcat, you're mine!" The fat man sucked in the scent greedily and lunged to hug her.
Victoria panicked. She hadn't expected the bald man to go this far—he was trying to assault her.
She kicked hard at his crotch in her black stockings.
"Ah… FUCK!"
"My balls are broken! I'll kill you! Strip you naked and dump you in the slum, let all the bums fuck you, you bitch, damn you!"
The fat man curled on the ground, spewing filthy curses.
He pulled out his phone: "Brian, you bastard, get over here now! I got attacked by a woman, she broke my balls! Bring men, bring guns—I'll kill her!"
In a dark rental room, Brian ground his cigar into the table.
"Idiot, can't even handle a woman, and you want me to bring guns? You trying to get me arrested?"
He kicked open the shabby door, tucked a silver pistol into his waistband, and led several thugs into a beat-up pickup truck.
"Hurry, move it! That fat fuck got his balls kicked in—we gotta avenge him, dumbass."
"Haha… balls broken."
"I hope it was a hot lady who did it."
Karl watched with amusement. A sexy woman with a fiery temper—perfect.
He activated Angel's Eye.
[Name: Victoria]
[Age: 20]
[Potential: Excellent]
[Status: Panicked, extremely nervous]
"Beautiful lady, I need to rent a place. Come over here."
Victoria scrambled to pick up her scattered flyers and saw a tall, lean man in a cloak waving at her.
Her tense heart relaxed a little.
She smiled: "Sir, I'm afraid I can't help you right now. I have to leave, or there'll be trouble."
Karl didn't care. He pointed at the fat man on the ground.
Then he stood up, grabbed the fat man by the collar, and hauled him up.
He yanked open the coffee shop's glass door and tossed the fat man out like trash.
His cool move left Victoria wide-eyed.
"Sir, you should leave too—I got you into trouble."
Karl smiled at Victoria.
"Beautiful lady, trouble's my middle name. Now I want to rent a place—hurry up and show me. The dollars in my pocket are waving at you."
He spread the flyers and immediately spotted the 5th Avenue penthouse the system had recommended.
"This one. $85,000 a month—should be enough, right?"
Victoria stared at Karl, dumbfounded. She hadn't even said the price—how did he know?
Dozens had looked at this penthouse, but few actually wanted to rent it.
$85,000 a month was insane. And the company required one month's deposit plus a full year's rent upfront—totaling $1,105,000, all at once.
It was way too expensive.
She only made $3,000 a month. Even if she never ate or drank, it would take 30 years to save that much.
"Sir, are you sure? The company requires an $85,000 deposit and a full year's rent in advance—that's $1,105,000, paid upfront. Please think carefully."
Karl studied Victoria, liking her more and more. He had to have this beauty as his employee—she was excellent. And those breasts under the lace? Perfect.
He pulled two gold bars from his bag and dropped them on the table.
"Lady, you doubt my money?"
The gold bars clinked sharply, tempting everyone in the shop.
The 20+ patrons stared greedily at the table.
"Gold! He's paying with gold!"
"God, he's loaded—carrying gold around! I bet his bag's full of it, tens of millions worth! He's so rich!"
Greed filled the coffee shop. Several tough guys set down their mugs, hands creeping under tables, muttering to each other.
They were gonna rob him—this was a fortune, worth risking a police manhunt.
Outside, Jack's eyes blazed.
Gold! Fucking gold! Tens of millions in gold! This hick was loaded—had to rob him.
He kicked the sleeping Charley beside him: "Asshole, wake up! We're gonna be rich!"
Charley jolted awake: "Rich? Did I lose my 10 bucks? Sorry, I got no cash now, I'll pay you later."
Jack flew into a rage and kicked him.
"You wanna die? Shut the fuck up! Gold—$10 million worth of gold, in that hick's bag! We're gonna be rich, the Jack family's gonna rise! Go get the guys, bring guns—we gotta take it!"
Charley raced toward 14th Street, ecstatic. Rich! No more living under dark bridges! The Jack family was finally gonna make it.
Victoria froze. She quickly covered the gold with flyers. This mysterious man was so reckless.
Flaunting wealth like that was asking to get robbed.
She glanced around nervously, sensing danger in the air.
She whispered: "Sir, you're being targeted. You have to leave now—I think they're gonna rob you, your life's in danger."
Karl breathed in Victoria's scent, feeling elated. His little brother was starting to stand at attention.
"Haha, beautiful woman—no one on this planet can rob me. Or they'll meet your God."
Victoria stared at the arrogant Karl, fuming inwardly. Damn egomaniac, just 'cause you're rich? I wouldn't bother with you if I didn't need rent money, didn't need to eat.
Men should all die. She'd caught Karl staring at her chest.