Maxwell hesitated.
He looked at his scorched hand, then at William's sincere yet shrewd face.
One hundred U.S. dollars meant several days of full meals for him, or enough to temporarily ease his worries about rent.
But was there really such a thing as a free lunch?
"If... I'm just saying if,"
He licked his chapped lips, his voice a little hoarse, "I sign, then this hand of mine counts as a claim? What does your company... want? Don't tell me about reputation or data, those are too vague."
"Of course it counts!"
William immediately nodded, his tone resolute, "This is the core of 'First Experience Guarantee'.
Once you sign, you can immediately file a claim for this hand of yours.
As for what we want?"
William smiled frankly, "Mr. Dillon, any business activity has costs.
The cost of our 'Experience Insurance' lies in initial claims and operations.
But we believe that when customers truly experience our efficiency and protection, they will recognize our value.
What we want are quality customers like you, who will trust us in the future and choose our more comprehensive protection services.
Right now, for you, this is a Zero-risk trial, isn't it?"
These words, coupled with the tangible benefits tempting him, finally broke Maxwell's last bit of caution.
He truly needed this money too much.
He took the stylus William offered and somewhat awkwardly signed his name on the electronic contract: Maxwell Dillon.
Ding! Congratulations to the Host for successfully signing the "Free Occupational Accident Injury Experience Insurance" with potential customer 'Maxwell Dillon'!
"Detected that customer 'Maxwell Dillon' currently has an injury that meets the claim conditions: Second-degree electrical arc burn on the hand. Do you wish to initiate a claim immediately?"
William rejoiced inwardly, thinking "Done," but outwardly remained calm, smiling gently at Maxwell: "Alright, Mr. Dillon. Now, please take a photo of your hand, and the system will upload it automatically, it's very convenient."
Maxwell, half-believing, half-doubting, pulled out his old phone with a cracked screen and took a photo of the injury on the back of his hand.
Almost simultaneously, a new prompt popped up on William's system interface.
"Customer 'Maxwell Dillon' has submitted a claim application. Injury: Second-degree electrical arc burn on the hand. Injury severity assessment: Minor. Meets claim standards.
Estimated claim amount: 100 U.S. dollars Consolation money.
Confirm claim?"
"Confirm!" William thought silently.
"Claim successful!
10 claim points deducted.
Host gains random ability: Electrical Energy Absorption (Primary)"
The system's prompt rang clearly in William's mind.
Ten points?
William's heart sank.
For such a second-degree burn, claiming one hundred U.S. dollars actually deducted ten of his claim points!
He didn't have that many claim points in total, after all.
Was it because Maxwell would be a "big shot" in the future, so the system judged his "loss" to be of higher value?
Or was it that claims related to Electrical Energy damage inherently had higher costs?
This cost was a bit beyond his expectation.
Just as he was secretly calculating the cost-effectiveness of this deal, a sensation completely different from last time suddenly struck him.
It was no longer the faint electrical current stimulation only at the brain level as before; this time, it was more like a fine current truly integrating into his body.
They were like countless tiny electrical snakes, emerging from the heart, instantly coursing through his limbs and bones along blood vessels and nerve endings, bringing a tingling, numb, and strange tremor, as if every cell was activated.
He could even feel a slight, almost imperceptible crackling from his fingertips, as if he could touch the free static electricity in the air, and a wonderful sense of control was beginning to sprout.
"Electrical Energy Absorption (Primary)": Can passively absorb scattered weak Electrical Energy, supplementing a very small amount of physical strength; under active guidance, can draw extremely minute amounts of Electrical Energy from low-power sources, better than nothing.
Note: Current absorption efficiency is low, and there is absolutely no protective capability against high-voltage Electrical Energy.
William quickly processed the new information in his mind.
Electrical Energy Absorption?
And it was "Primary" and "extremely minute," but this ability, compared to the previous "Mechanical Induction" which could only perceive mechanical failures, seemed to have more room for imagination and greater offensive potential.
Especially in this Marvel Universe, full of various high-tech and energy weapons.
Being able to absorb Electrical Energy, even if only a little, might come in handy at a critical moment.
Moreover, this was a benefit reaped from Maxwell Dillon, the future "Electro," so the potential was definitely worth looking forward to.
Thinking this way, those 10 claim points no longer seemed so difficult to accept.
High risk, high reward, after all, and this was a potential stock.
William quickly adjusted his mindset, his face still maintaining that professional and caring smile, looking at Maxwell, who was staring intently at his worn phone screen, a mixture of suspicion and anticipation on his face.
"Mr. Dillon, your claim application has been approved."
William announced lightly, as if the one hundred U.S. dollars he just mentioned had come effortlessly from his own pocket.
"Ap... approved?"
Maxwell suddenly looked up, his eyes wide, somewhat incredulous, "It's... it's that simple? Where's the money?"
He frantically scrolled through the screen of his old phone, his fingers trembling with excitement.
When he finally tapped open the simple banking APP and saw his account balance change from a pitiful few U.S. dollars to 109.58.
An indescribable excitement and ecstasy instantly surged onto his sallow face, which was pale from long-term malnutrition.
"There's... there's really money! My Lord, it really arrived!"
His voice was trembling, and he confirmed the number several times.
Looking up at William, his initial wariness and suspicion largely dissipated, replaced by a complex emotion mixed with surprise, gratitude, and a hint of awe.
One hundred U.S. dollars was indeed a "huge sum" for him, capable of solving his immediate needs.
He could even smell the ink of crisp new banknotes.
"I told you, we are professional, Mr. Dillon."
William spread his hands, smiling gently, "Our company's motto is efficiency, convenience, and providing customers with the most timely protection."
Very good, the first step of building trust has been initially established.
Although the cost was 10 claim points, he gained an ability with huge potential, and a... uh, a "long-term quality customer" with equally huge potential.
William was already calculating how to cleverly upgrade Maxwell's "Free Experience Insurance" into a "formal policy" that was longer-term, more comprehensive, and of course, had higher claim limits and could yield more abilities.
Perhaps, he could start with "High-Pressure Operation Safety Rider" or "Special Constitution Accident Protection Plan"?
After all, a customer like Maxwell, who deals with high-voltage Electrical Energy, is routinely accompanied by "minor accidents."
And in the future, he might even become a "major accident" customer, practically a walking claim point and ability shard library!
This deal, in the long run, was definitely not a loss!