Actually, Blaine had been curious last night.
Because it was the first time he had come into contact with someone like Deadpool, who had escaped from the Marvel world, Blaine used mind reading to peer into his heart. The result was very unexpected—the all-powerful mind-reading technique had encountered failure for the first time.
Then he tried mind control, but when Blaine's mental power hit Deadpool's head, a mysterious force seemed to bounce him away. Blaine had no doubt that if he forced it, Deadpool's head would explode on the spot.
The system's rule for mind reading and mind control was clear: these skills only worked on people of the same level or weaker than the host. Did that mean Deadpool's strength was far higher than Blaine's? The answer was obviously no.
Ding... one hundred... five... billion... billion...
The ringtone of a text message on his phone interrupted Blaine's thoughts.
"Forget it. Money is what I should focus on. Since I can't see through Deadpool now, I'll wait until I've grown stronger."
Blaine lay on the sofa, sipping his soda, muttering to himself.
Unexpectedly, Kingpin was far more efficient than expected—much more reliable than S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Director Fury. Working with the underworld at least provided peace of mind.
If people wanted to pay, they never defaulted. If they didn't want to, then they had other intentions.
For the first kind, Blaine welcomed them. For the second, well... that was another matter.
Looking at the endless zeros on his attribute panel, Blaine was still troubled. What should he do with it? He couldn't afford high-end items. If they were too cheap, he didn't want them. Low-level things no longer caught his eye.
"Forget it. Fill your stomach first, think about it later."
He had gone out early in the morning to deliver goods and hadn't eaten yet. He decided to buy some bread, stock the freezer, and prepare for Galley's return.
Coincidentally, just as he went downstairs, passing by the bowling alley, he ran into Kingpin. Wilson Fisk's face was slightly red and swollen, his walking posture awkward. It was clear something had happened.
"What a coincidence, Blaine. Did you receive the money?" Kingpin asked with a forced smile.
"Well... just doing my job."
Seeing the row of luxury cars—Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Maybach—lined up behind Fisk, Blaine was dazzled. He hadn't realized cars could look that impressive.
"Are you moving?" Blaine asked.
"Oh, yes. But don't worry, we'll still have chances to work together."
"I hope so."
"Oh, by the way, Blaine, do you know anything about this Daredevil...?"
"I don't. I still have things to do. Farewell..."
In truth, Blaine had already guessed.
If he wasn't mistaken, Daredevil must have fought Fisk. At first, Blaine thought Fisk's injuries had been caused by Deadpool, but once Fisk mentioned Daredevil, the truth became obvious. It was because of this that Fisk had decided to move.
Blaine thought to himself how lucky he was. If he had been a day or two later, he might have been dragged into Daredevil's fight. He wondered what had happened to Deadpool.
Back on the sofa, he turned on the TV to catch the latest news. The fridge was restocked, and eating a steak counted as breakfast.
Blaine flipped through channels, looking for something interesting.
After a dozen channels, he sighed. American TV was really boring—either news, ads, or useless fitness shows. Blaine wasn't interested.
Just as he opened a bag of chips, a sound from the TV caught his attention.
A program had come on after the commercial break.
It was a news broadcast.
Onscreen was a shootout. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ace agent Natasha Romanoff, alongside Captain America with his star-spangled shield, was engaged in battle.
Their opponent was a man with a metal arm covering part of his face.
They fought back and forth. With Captain America's strength, it was shocking to see the fight remain even.
The enemy had clearly come prepared. A large truck suddenly rushed in, machine guns firing wildly. Explosions filled the street with smoke, destroying parked cars in seconds.
Then there was a sharp crack. The live feed was cut—likely the cameraman had fallen.
Blaine wasn't surprised. American reporters had always been reckless, risking everything for a story. Whether it was for truth or fame, they were always this crazy.
"So... is HYDRA starting to target S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Blaine muttered, staring blankly at the black screen.
He knew exactly who the terrorist on TV was: the Winter Soldier.
At the end of World War II, James "Bucky" Barnes—Captain America's comrade—was thought to have died in action. Instead, the Soviet Union's secret Department X revived him. Brainwashed, he became their perfect Cold War assassin—the Winter Soldier. Now, the Winter Soldier served HYDRA.
"...Forget it. Doesn't concern me. Let's see how to spend my money."
"System, open the mall. Let me take a look..."
[Fire Ability (Lv.1)]: Price—100,000. Can manipulate flames briefly. Overuse causes mental exhaustion. After Lv.3, can generate flames by manipulating air elements.
[Water Ability (Lv.1)]: Price—100,000. Can manipulate water briefly. Overuse causes mental exhaustion. After Lv.3, can generate water by manipulating air elements.
[Sharingan (Lv.1)]: Price—100,000. Insight eye (perceives movements and details) and Hypnotic eye (casts illusions to control opponents). At Lv.3, evolves into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
[See-Through Eye]: Price—7,000,000. Can see through everything. No grade limitation; its power is unaffected by host's strength.
[Wall Phasing]: Price—100,000. Allows passing through walls...
There were many items in the mall, though most Blaine had already seen. Browsing them again was boring.
Abilities that once seemed impressive now felt useless. With teleportation, wall-phasing was redundant. As for copying or clairvoyant eyes, they weren't much use here.
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