[bonus Chapter for reviews]
Looking at Peter, who was covered head-to-toe in his tactical gear, Herman's mind went completely blank.
Happiness—or rather, terror—had come far too suddenly.
Work for "The Arbiter"?
To be honest, Peter's previous impassioned speech had stirred something deep within him. But once the initial excitement faded, the sharp stabs of pain from his broken hands dragged his focus back to reality.
The man before him was moody and ruthless. If he followed him, would he truly have a good ending? And besides... his hands had just been destroyed!
In this state, he was no different from a cripple. What value could he possibly create?
Watching Herman stare at his mangled hands with a shifting expression, Peter easily guessed his thoughts. He let out a light chuckle.
"You still seem to doubt my capabilities."
As he spoke, Peter reached out and placed his hands over Herman's twisted, deformed fingers.
"Watch closely."
Herman looked down instinctively. In the next heartbeat, he witnessed a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.
A soft, warm white light began to emanate from Peter's palms. The glow seemed alive—holy and pure. Peter gently covered Herman's left wrist, where the bone was nearly jutting through the skin.
Immediately, an indescribable warmth spread from his hands through his entire body. The bone-deep agony receded at an impossible speed!
Under Herman's wide-eyed gaze, his fingers and wrist—which had been snapped and twisted like a pretzel—began to reset themselves. The fractured bones fused under the white light, and the torn flesh knitted back together, becoming as smooth as before.
In just three to five seconds, his ruined hands had miraculously returned to their original state.
Herman cautiously wiggled his fingers. They were flexible and moved without restriction, as if the heart-wrenching pain from moments ago had merely been a nightmare.
"This... this... this..."
Herman's mouth hung open wide enough to fit an egg. Meaningless syllables sputtered from his throat; his brain had completely short-circuited. After a long while, he finally stammered out:
"Are you... Are you an Angel?"
To a man like Herman, who hadn't seen much of the world, such a miraculous healing method was something only a divine being could achieve.
Combined with the name "The Arbiter," Herman naturally thought of a healing Angel.
"If I wanted to cosplay as one of those, I'd probably need a white-and-gold suit," Peter joked before patting Herman's shoulder.
"Now, Herman, tell me your choice. Do you want to continue being a rat in the gutter, or work for me and become the kind of elite you never dared to dream of being?"
Thump!
Without a hint of hesitation, Herman Schultz dropped to one knee. He clumsily placed a hand over his heart in a gesture of fealty.
"Boss, thank you for giving me a chance to turn my life around. I am willing to follow you! Just give the word, and I will do anything for you—except for killing and arson."
"Relax, I won't ask you to go around killing or burning things."
Peter reached out with both hands to help him up. This small gesture warmed Herman's heart. For a loser who had spent his life being looked down upon, this was the first time he felt true respect.
Just as Herman was feeling deeply moved, Peter's next sentence left him speechless:
"If I need someone dead, I usually kill them on the spot myself. I don't need my subordinates making extra trips for that."
Herman: "..."
If Peter had looked like a saint bathed in golden light a moment ago, now, in Herman's eyes, he had become a being that was half-angel and half-demon. After a brief, stunned silence, Herman swallowed hard and asked:
"So, Boss... what do we do now?"
Under his hood, Peter's ears twitched. He faintly heard the school bell ringing from the direction of Midtown High—lunch break was almost over.
After a moment of thought, he pulled out his wallet and stuffed all the hundred-dollar bills into Herman's hand.
"First, find a place to clean yourself up. Then... I'll give you one week. Create a new battery of the same size, but with only about twenty percent of the capacity of the ones you're wearing. Bring me the research data along with it. Can you do that?"
"No problem, Boss!" Receiving the cash made Herman's nose prickle with emotion. He felt like no one had cared for him this much since his parents died. He nodded frantically, though he hesitated before asking, "But... why are we making batteries with less power?"
Because if you don't squeeze the toothpaste slowly, how am I supposed to make money?
Peter, well-versed in the "planned obsolescence" and "incremental upgrades" of the tech giants from his past life, grumbled the answer internally. Aloud, he simply made up an excuse: "A man's wealth is his undoing. I don't want us to be targeted by tech conglomerates too early."
Even though it was an excuse, Herman found it profound. No wonder he's the Boss and I'm just the employee!
After exchanging contact information, Peter was about to leave, but his gaze fell on Herman's quilted suit and metal gauntlets. He changed his mind:
"Wait! Strip off that suit and the gear. Who knows if the witnesses have already described your look to the cops? You don't want to get arrested the moment you step out of this alley."
"Wise, Boss!" Herman was moved yet again. He quickly stripped off the gear.
Once Herman left the alley, Peter nodded in satisfaction and picked up the discarded equipment. The moment his fingers touched the gear, a system notification rang in his head:
[Detected Sacrificable Deep Green Item: Shocker's Tools of the Trade]
[Description: Shocker's work suit and vibration gauntlets. Though they are merely the first set of criminal gear he produced, they hold extraordinary sentimental value to him.]
[Sacrifice Reward: 800 Points. Would you like to sacrifice?]
"Since you're going legit now, I might as well help you recycle this junk!"
With a whisper, Peter chose to sacrifice without hesitation. Seeing another 800 points hit his balance, Peter's mood soared.
Not only had he recruited a talent like Herman, but he'd also gained a massive influx of points. Being a superhero really was a wonderful thing!
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