Nighttime at Morocco International Airport. The sky was clear, and the moonlight was gentle. Near the boarding gate, a group of figures stood under the dim yellow lights, casting long shadows.
At the center of attention was a tall, handsome man with a trace of hardship etched into his brows, Rango.
Cobb looked at him, emotions stirring in his chest as he let out a soft sigh.
"When you get back to New York, say hi to the kids for me. And seriously, stay out of trouble. You've made enough money these past years to buy a huge piece of land and become a farmer."
"Haha, come on, Cobb. You're really underestimating this guy," A certain toy chimed in. "I'd bet anything Rango will be on a first-name basis with the NYPD the moment he's back in town."
"No doubt! He's already wrecked half the girls in North Africa. Now it's New York's turn to suffer!"
Laughter broke out all around.
Rango gave a helpless shrug. After all these years living outside the law, the only things he'd gained, besides the millions stacked in his bank account, were these old friends.
"Hey! Why is everyone only saying goodbye to fu*kin Rango? What about me? None of you have anything to say to me?"
The grumbling came from below. A teddy bear, only as tall as Rango's knee, stood with its tiny arms spread, glaring up at them.
Cobb couldn't help but smile. That bear was their team mascot.
"How could we forget you, Ted?"
He bent down and ruffled the plush fur on Ted's head, then raised a brow and teased, "But you'd better be careful. I've heard over half the sex workers in New York are carrying the X-virus. Wouldn't want you getting lucky on your first day back."
This time, Rango grinned. "Haha! Don't sweat it, Ted. I'm sure the corner store in New York has extra-small condoms just for you!"
Laughter erupted again.
Once the jokes died down, Rango patted Ted's head and turned to Cobb. "It's about that time. I should head to the gate."
Cobb nodded slightly and waved him off with the others. "Take care of yourself. If you can, come back and visit."
"I will. Don't think you can get rid of me that easily."
Rango grinned and gave Cobb two friendly punches to the chest, nodded to the others behind him, then turned and walked toward the gate with Ted trailing beside him.
Just then, a voice called out from behind, Arthur, the team's dream architect.
"Not gonna say something, Rango? Who knows when we'll meet again."
Rango paused. After a long moment, he turned back, flashed a smile and said, "My bad."
He spread his arms and shook his head, sighing with feeling. "What can I say? Rango out!"
The plane slowly disappeared into the clouds.
In first class, Rango adjusted his seat and looked out the window at the fading Moroccan landscape. A strange sense of melancholy rose in his chest.
Back in college, he'd dropped out because he couldn't afford tuition and refused to drown in student debt. Why? Because in US, they freaking charge interest! From students!
That's when he ended up in Africa, following his old neighbor and senior, Cobb.
To be honest, Rango knew right away Cobb wasn't doing anything legal. These days, if you really wanted to make money, Asia had way more opportunities. Why go all the way to Africa unless you were up to something shady?
And with that slick, ballplayer-type face of his, Cobb almost looked like he was about to sell diamonds. However, Rango knew Cobb from movies.
Yep, Rango was a transmigrant. He'd been born into this world and raised from infancy, and Cobb was the first familiar face he'd seen. At first, he thought it was just a coincidence.
But the more people he met, the more faces he recognized. That's when he realized just what kind of world he'd landed in.
Still, Rango wasn't the panicking type. He figured he'd roll with it. In his past life, he'd been a huge story buff, myths, legends, narrative tropes, you name it. That gave him a serious edge here.
So when Cobb extended the offer, he accepted it without hesitation and headed to Africa.
At the very least, he could earn some solid startup capital. Diamonds were still valuable, especially the certified ones.
As for uncertified diamonds? Honestly, they weren't even worth as much as a brick from the toilet back in his hometown.
But when he arrived, he realized Cobb wasn't in the diamond business, he dealt in dreams.
Still Africa, but the atmosphere changed completely.
Cobb had picked him for two main reasons: one, they'd been neighbors since Rango was a kid, so Cobb knew he could trust him; and two, he knew Rango needed money, and dream heists paid well. Even the lowest cuts were worth hundreds of thousands per job. A few years of work, and you could basically retire.
At first, Rango thought he'd be trained as a dream architect or maybe a forger. But the moment he got off the plane, Cobb signed him up for a few combat courses and hired a live-ammo firearms instructor.
Turns out Cobb had already assigned him the role of Dream Guardian, the guy responsible for eliminating external threats during dream extractions, ensuring the team's mission could go smoothly.
Because of that, Rango had trained for years in hand-to-hand combat and firearms, developing top-tier skills and deadly precision. Alongside all the cash, he'd gained a body that could take on just about anything.
"Whew."
Letting out a quiet breath, Rango pulled down the window shade and slumped into the soft lounge seat, thoughts swirling.
Beside him, Ted seemed to pick up on the mood and gave a small cough.
"Hey, wanna hear a joke?"
Rango turned to look at him and shrugged. "If it starts with knock knock, I will feed you my pubic hair."
"Of course not," Ted said, acting all mysterious. "This is one of my best. Top-shelf material. You'll see."
He cleared his throat and began, "Why do deaf-mute women wear yoga pants?"
"Hmm…" Rango took the glass of water handed to him by the flight attendant, frowning slightly. "Because they're comfortable? Easier to move in? Workout gear?"
"Nope," Ted said, spreading his little arms. "So people can read their lips!"
Pfft!
Rango choked on his drink and coughed, thumping his chest while shooting Ted an unimpressed look.
Only this guy could come up with a joke that dark.
It was weird, honestly. From the first time he'd met Ted as a kid, Rango had known this cuddly plush bear wasn't as innocent as he looked.
Over the years, Rango had done his best to give the bear a proper upbringing, unlike in the movie. But somehow, despite his efforts, the little guy still turned into a chain-smoking, foul-mouthed whiskey addict.
Was it a case of you are who you hang with?
"Rango…"
Ted's voice dropped suddenly. "How's that thing doing? Any changes?"
At the question, Rango discreetly glanced at his palm. A second later, a glowing blue circle appeared.
It was divided into four sections, each bearing a different icon, a teddy bear, a doll, a dagger, and a winged lizard.
Of the four, only the teddy bear's section was dim and inactive. The others pulsed faintly with blue light.
Below the circle, near his wrist, was a progress bar, currently reading 99 percent.
That's right. Rango was a transmigrator with a system.
Not that it was anything mind-blowing. His system didn't let him sign in for freebies or assign stat points to boost speed or stamina.
Its function was simple: absorb extraordinary energy, fill the progress bar, then roll the dice in a lucky draw to summon a creature.
And each time he summoned one, he could extract a single ability from it for himself.
His starter summons? The four icons on his palm. And when the system first activated, it even gave him a free draw.
That's how his childhood ended up with a foul-mouthed, weed-smoking, joke-cracking bear for a best buddy.
Still, Rango considered himself lucky. Sure, he hadn't drawn the winged lizard, but at least it wasn't the doll.
He had no idea what the Doll actually represented, but between dragging around a teddy bear or some creepy toy, the bear was definitely the lesser evil.
"Same as always," he muttered. "It's been stuck at 99 percent for years. Who the hell built this system anyway?"
Shaking his head, he closed his hand, making the system vanish, then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a freshly printed photo.
It had arrived just a few days ago from an orphanage in New York.
In the picture was a young girl with delicate features and a faint gloom shadowing her eyes.
Emma.
She was the daughter of Rango's late sister, who died giving birth to her. That made him her blood uncle. Just days ago, Emma's father mysteriously died at home under strange circumstances, and she was the only one found at the scene. Rango's return to the U.S. was largely for her.
"Accidental death…"
He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the photo. Despite her soft beauty, there was something unsettling behind Emma's gaze.
"Sir, would you like something to eat now? We have complimentary cocktails, champagne, and a selection of snacks."
It was the same flight attendant from earlier, now kneeling slightly beside his seat with a flirtatious glimmer in her eyes. Of course, she was also showing her stuff while kneeling down.
Ted, of course, wasn't surprised in the slightest.
With a face like young Tom Cruise and a body like Hugh Jackman, Rango basically invited female attention wherever he went.
"Thanks, but not now. I'll let you know when I'm ready, Miss... Sandy."
He glanced at her nametag and gave her a polite smile as he declined.
"Got it~."
She walked away, a little disappointed, and Ted stared at Rango in disbelief.
"Dude, what are you doing? This is first class! These seats cost, like, over ten grand each! If you're not gonna have aerial sex with that Cindy Crawford-lookin' stewardess, what's the point of even being here?!"
Rango winced slightly at the reminder of how much their tickets cost. That number still stung.
He nodded slowly, then took a deep breath, shook off the hesitation, and looked over at the stewardess, who was now sneakily watching him from a distance.
Catching her eye, Rango raised his hand. Dangling from his fingers was a glittering pearl necklace. It was a well-crafted necklace that he had plenty of in the bag.
"Sandy, I think this must've fallen from your neck," he said smoothly as he got up and walked over.
Before she could even react, he was behind her, gently fastening the necklace around her neck.
Sandy froze, caught between surprise and flustered delight. Clutching her chest, she stammered in breathless confusion, "No, I think… Forget it, I hear you have some difficulty with the restroom."
With that, Sandy held Rango's hand and dragged him to the restroom. Afterwards, some woke up from their sleep and started clapping on instinct when they heard applause from the first-class restroom.