William Rodriguez walked alone on the afternoon streets of Queens.
Sunlight filtered through the sparse leaves of the street trees, casting dappled light spots on his slightly worn suit.
The professional smile he had intentionally maintained at Peter Parker's doorstep earlier had long since vanished, replaced by an indescribable weariness and... excitement.
He subconsciously touched the metal clasp of his briefcase; the cold sensation slightly calmed his jumbled thoughts.
In the corner of his vision, the [hero compensation system] interface, visible only to him, floated quietly.
On the client list, "Peter Parker"'s name was already lit up, clearly marked with "Teenage Accidental Injury Experience Insurance (Community Version)" — activated.
A small milestone, yet far from enough to put him at ease.
Host: William Rodriguez
Compensation Points: 40 / 50
"Damn it!" William cursed inwardly.
Anxiang Duxingzhe (Dark Alley Walker), Dianhu Xiaozi, Chain Bro, Slingshot Kid... these scattered first compensations each cost him 5 points.
There was no movement from Jessica Jones's side yet.
And Maxwell Dillon's one incident directly consumed 10 points!
The one Peter Parker just signed was still a free trial version.
The only time points had increased was from Anxiang Duxingzhe (Dark Alley Walker) officially purchasing a policy.
This number was like an invisible whip, lashing at William's nerves.
Forty points, it sounded decent, but Maxwell Dillon's accident alone consumed 10 points.
If a client of Jessica Jones's caliber had an incident, one compensation might bankrupt him on the spot, directly reducing him to zero!
Free experience insurance sounded like a good way to expand business.
But if a client didn't renew, didn't have an incident, or had an incident but didn't actively claim compensation, William would be wasting his efforts, getting nothing in return.
Once the compensation points ran out, would the system directly go on strike, or even... disappear?
William's breath hitched suddenly.
Without the system, he probably wouldn't survive a day in this perilous Marvel Universe!
"Ability Acquisition" — that was the core value of the system, his greatest reliance for survival.
But the problem was, currently, after each successful compensation, he could only randomly obtain a weak ability from that hero.
Weak, random!
These two words were like small hammers, tapping on his nerves repeatedly.
This meant that even if Peter Parker broke his arm swinging tomorrow and successfully claimed compensation, William might only gain a negligible ability like "5% increased jumping power," rather than the coveted Spider-Sense!
That feeling was simply "scamming" to the extreme!
He needed quantity!
A large number of clients, a large number of compensation events, were necessary to piece together truly useful power from countless random abilities.
More troublesome was that he couldn't actively cause hero damage — that was no different from actively seeking death.
The first rule of the system protocol was to prohibit the host from actively harming signed or potential clients.
Nor could he force heroes to claim compensation; everything depended on the heroes' actual experiences and their pitiful level of trust in this "insurance."
Peter Parker was just a relatively easy target, a kind-hearted and naive high school student. What about next?
New York is so big, full of hidden talents, with at least eighty, if not a hundred, vigilantes operating in the streets and alleys.
He couldn't just walk around Times Square holding a sign that said, "Hero Insurance, Free Trial, Cures All Injuries, Pays After Death."
That would be pure suicide, and he might even get beaten to death.
He needed an opportunity, a platform that would allow him to reach more "potential clients."
S.H.I.E.L.D.?
William shivered instantly, quickly shaking off that dangerous thought.
What a joke, those top Agents weren't lambs like Peter Parker.
If his system were exposed, he would probably be sliced and studied down to the atomic level.
"Acquiring abilities through hero losses" — this setting sounded like some kind of evil parasite.
Moral dilemma?
He gave a wry smile; in the face of survival, morality could only temporarily take a backseat.
But safety risk was a Sword of Damocles hanging over his head; he had to be extremely careful, treading on thin ice.
Although the system was cold, it also provided a lot of help.
At the very least, the "gifts" and contracts it provided each time saved him a lot of trouble.
This made him wonder if the system would eventually open a module similar to a "points store," allowing him to purchase useful items or information with some kind of token?
"Information..."
William stopped, looking thoughtfully at a detective agency on the street with dusty glass and a crooked sign.
A "Closed for Business" sign hung on the door.
There were quite a few street heroes in New York, but most of them were elusive and unpredictable.
He couldn't just walk around Times Square holding a sign that said, "Hero Insurance, Free Trial, Cures All Injuries, Pays After Death."
That would be pure suicide, and he might even get beaten to death.
Perhaps, he could start with heroes who had fixed 'operating locations' or relatively fixed activity ranges?
A thought flashed through William's mind like an electric current.
He also needed to find a 'tough' one, preferably someone who caused trouble daily but didn't get himself killed, and could reliably contribute compensation amounts.
William rubbed his temples, and the image of the invulnerable man from Harlem appeared in his mind.
Luke Cage.
This guy, with his physical defense maxed out, was practically a walking fortress.
He probably wouldn't even bother to look at ordinary accident insurance.
But William remembered the research he had done in his notebook: Luke Cage's abilities were not foolproof; specific frequency sound waves, certain special chemicals, and even more powerful physical blows could potentially harm him.
So, "Special Ability Failure Insurance," "magic Attack Rider," "Over-limit Physical Strike Compensation Insurance"... The more a person relied on their powerful abilities, the more panicked they would likely be if those abilities went awry, even more so than ordinary people.
He's the one!
William made up his mind, a hunter's glint in his eyes as he targeted his prey.
Compared to the elusive and mentally unstable Moon Knight, or Daredevil, who required specific legal consultation to connect with, Luke Cage, who had a strong community presence, was theoretically easier to approach.
He could even imagine the scene: when Luke Cage was "breached" for some reason, he would hand him an insurance policy.
"Mr. Cage, are you troubled because your 'invulnerability' is suddenly not so 'invulnerable'? Don't worry, how about our 'Super Defense Temporary Failure Compensation Insurance'?
William exhaled a turbid breath.
With a clear goal, his steps became much firmer.
Next stop, Harlem!
He couldn't wait to see how this "invulnerable" hero would react to an insurance policy specifically designed for his "breach"!