New York, Brooklyn.
Midnight streets.
"Hail Hydra!"
Thugs in suits shouted slogans, indiscriminately unleashing bullets from their submachine guns—all traitors must die!
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents monitored the seemingly fanatical mob from a short distance.
The future Iron Man, Tony Stark, was busy flirting with hot girls at a party.
—this is the world of Marvel.
Su Ming lay on an iron bed reeking of disinfectant, blood still seeping from the bullet hole in his left shoulder.
The fluorescent light tubes on the ceiling hummed, and three flies licked the blood flowing from the wound.
"Three hundred dollars, sir."
The doctor, wearing a skull mask, brandished his rusty surgical forceps.
"Or you can choose to pay with a kidney."
Licking his chapped lips, Su Ming's memory was still stuck in the scene before he transmigrated:
an awards ceremony, delivery scooters in the pouring rain, blinding headlights, and that rainbow vortex that suddenly appeared in the middle of the road.
When he opened his eyes again, he was the unlucky guy in the center of a gunfight on the streets of Brooklyn.
"Ding! Host's vital signs detected to be below the critical value, the pay-to-win system activated."
A golden data stream suddenly exploded on his retina, and a holographic interface unfolded in the bloodstains before his eyes:
[Name: Su Ming]
[Age: 28]
[Physical Ability: 5]
[Current Account: $0]
[Existing Talents: None]
[Gift Pack Talents (Beginner):
Self-Healing Factor → Sub-Wolverine Level Recovery. $5000
Eagle Vision → Dynamic Vision Lv.1. $3000
Basic Combat → Jeet Kune Do Mastery. $2000]
(The price of the gift pack talent is not a reference.)
As consciousness gradually returned, Su Ming remembered struggling to get to this shady clinic after being shot...
But wasn't I just delivering a prescription?
Where am I? Did I transmigrate?
Hiss~
The sharp pain in his shoulder kept sending alarm signals to his brain, and Su Ming realized that his physical condition was probably very bad.
But this unscrupulous doctor in front of him was only willing to treat him for $300. Where was he going to get that damn $300?
And, this Wolverine-level recovery? Is that the ability of the Wolverine he remembered?
If it is, maybe he wouldn't need this despicable doctor...
But the problem is... it costs $5,000!!
And that's the price of the gift pack.
Since when do gift packs start charging money?
Damn capitalism!
"Hey! Yellow-skinned monkey, are you listening?"
The doctor's surgical forceps suddenly pressed against Su Ming's Adam's apple:
"Or do you want to try bullet removal without anesthesia?"
Su Ming stared at the Glock 17 on his waist, and a price tag suddenly appeared on his retina:
[Used Glock (with 12 bullets) → Estimated value $350]
This system can also appraise weapons?
Is it limited to weapons?
"Wait a minute."
Su Ming's mind raced. He suppressed his dizziness and reached into his pocket, touching a metallic object—the "Gold Rider" badge he had clutched during his transmigration.
The gilded badge glowed faintly on the system interface:
[24K Gold-Plated Badge → Estimated Value: $50]
It seemed the valuation wasn't limited to any type of item. So the question was—could it be redeemed, and how?
"Redemption Found."
A mechanical voice vibrated within his skull.
"Redeem?"
Su Ming's spirits lifted, and he silently said, "Redeem!"
The badge instantly vaporized, and his account balance jumped to $50.
He gripped his badge tightly in his pocket, excited that his guess had been confirmed.
But it wasn't enough, far from enough.
His gaze searched the room until it landed on the large gold chain around the doctor's neck. The system immediately popped up an estimate:
[Gold-Plated Alloy Necklace → Estimated Value: $3]
His eyebrows twitched:
"Looks like I'll have to resort to some unconventional methods..."
In this critical moment, Su Ming decided to take a gamble.
"Fuck!"
The curse that escaped his lips made the doctor freeze for half a second.
Now!
A bloodied hand gripped the surgical forceps and twisted it behind his back, the sound of his wrist contorting and a scream echoing through the clinic.
Just as Su Ming pulled the Glock 17 from its holster, his knee shattered the doctor's nose, blood instantly soaking through his mask.
[Unclaimed weapon detected. Valuation?]
"Valuation! Exchange!"
The Glock transformed into a blue data stream in his palm, his account surging to $400, but still not enough to exchange for the healing factor. The excruciating pain in his shoulder blade was consuming Su Ming's consciousness.
"Bang!"
The clinic's back door was suddenly kicked open, and three thugs in suits, armed with submachine guns, poured in.
"Hail Hydra!"
The scarred leader pulled the bolt:
"Dr. White, how dare you treat a traitor to the organization..."
Before he could finish speaking, Su Ming's hand slammed onto the blood-stained operating table.
System notifications flashed frantically:
[Multifunctional Operating Table → Estimated Value: $4400]
[Medical Alcohol 5L → Estimated Value: $50]
[Adrenaline x3 → Estimated Value: $150]
Su Ming seemed to see a glimmer of hope, his eyes brightening:
"Exchange all!"
A deafening gunshot rang out, a torrent of bullets swept through the clinic, and the moment the scarred man's bullet pierced Su Ming's chest, his retina exploded with golden light:
[Account Balance: $5000, Exchange for Self-Healing Factor?]
"Exchange!"
As if molten lava was flowing into his veins, Su Ming clearly heard the cracking sound of his bones growing. The weakness quickly subsided, and strength returned to his body.
Three submachine guns spat fire, but the bullet holes healed in the blink of an eye.
He who kills will be killed in return.
The scarred man's terrified expression froze in the smoke. As Su Ming crushed his throat, he heard the crisp clink of coins being deposited into his account:
[Killed Hydra bounty thug, bounty +5000 USD]
[Account balance 5000 USD, exchange for other recommended talents—Dynamic Vision, Jeet Kune Do Mastery?]
"Exchange!"
As Su Ming's vision refreshed, everything became incredibly clear.
Darkness was no longer an obstacle; his gaze could always follow the trajectory of a fly.
At the same time, a realization dawned on him—he could easily deal with all kinds of close-range attacks, intercepting and delivering a painful blow.
Su Ming took a deep breath; the gunshot wound had almost made it impossible for him to breathe.
He inwardly marveled at the system's impressive capabilities: self-healing to resolve injuries, enhanced vision to see through the darkness, and even self-defense in combat.
More importantly, the price wasn't outrageous.
"Excellent!"
A smile flickered across his lips, quickly turning into a grimace.
Through the dirty glass, he clearly saw a group of thugs in suits running towards him several hundred meters away.
Their weapons gleamed coldly in the dim light.
"A rocket launcher!? They really think highly of me..."
Without another word, he took off running.
He left behind a message in the air:
"Thank you for the surgery... bed! Doctor..."
...
Midnight Brooklyn has two faces: clean, luxurious, and bright—dirty, poor, and dark.
Successful people revel in parties, while homeless people die under bridges or in the shadows at any moment...
Even more numerous are the ordinary people struggling to make ends meet, huddled in their homes with doors and windows tightly shut, pistols cocked, constantly on guard against "freebies."
Su Ming, however, cared nothing for any of this.
Because—he was running for his life.
While his self-healing ability allowed him to survive bullet wounds, it didn't mean he wanted to experience the power of a rocket at close range.
Before transmigrating, as a "top rider" in a certain regiment, he was extremely confident in his speed.
After passing through several alleys, even he was a little dizzy; those people had probably lost him long ago.
Su Ming's brain raced:
the absurdity of instantly healing a gunshot wound was unbelievable unless it happened to him.
But combined with the system's label—sub-Wolverine level recovery—
a tough guy in a jacket with a peculiar hairstyle and a full beard appeared in Su Ming's mind.
And then there was the suit-wearing thug's cringeworthy slogan—"Long live Hydra!"
Su Ming seriously suspected he had entered the Marvel universe.
Thinking about his current abilities, Su Ming knew he now at least had the capital to choose his own life.
Before transmigrating, being a "top rider" wasn't an honor for him, but rather a shackle.
It was a man's responsibility…
Now that he had transmigrated, sorry, no one could morally blackmail him, not even himself!
Thinking about the system where spending money could unlock various talents, Su Ming's lips curled up:
From now on, I'll focus on making money and becoming bigger and stronger!