Although his mission had a time limit, Hans wasn't in any rush, after all, it wasn't every day he got to breathe free air again in the human world.
"Sure, I planned to slack off a bit," he muttered, "but I can't exactly do it right under the boss's nose."
He looked toward the elevated tracks where bullet trains sped past and thought, 'First step, disguise myself as a human and take the train to M City!'
"Yeah, that sounds good enough!"
As he left the desolate outskirts, the city gradually regained signs of life.
Cars rushed by, pedestrians moved quickly, faces weary and cautious.
Far ahead, massive LED screens flashed ads recruiting new heroes for the Hero Association, alongside warnings about monster disasters.
"At least it feels like a real city again," Hans said.
He casually waved off the third shy girl who blushed her way over to ask for his contact info.
Instead, his gaze fell upon a few flashy young punks swaggering down a shopping street.
They had dyed hair in every color imaginable, cigarettes in their mouths, and baseball bats or metal pipes in hand.
Every passerby made sure to steer clear.
They went from store to store, extorting shopkeepers, each time coming out cursing, depending on how much cash they'd managed to squeeze out.
The elderly store owners didn't dare resist; the thugs clearly ruled this area.
The air was thick with frustration and helplessness.
Hans stopped, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"Looks like I just found my startup funds."
"You guys will do nicely."
Pretty girls were fine, sure, but he was much more interested in these loudmouthed punks.
'Women only slow me down from making money!'
'Well… except for rich ones.'
Before long, the gang finished their "collections" and gathered at the end of the street, excitedly counting the bills.
"Ha! Not bad for today, boss!" one skinny blond flattered the muscular, buzz-cut leader.
"Heh, those old geezers know what's good for them."
The leader patted his bulging pocket and sneered. "Tonight, we're hitting that new club, Golden Cat! I hear the fresh girls there are top-notch!"
"That's what I'm talking about!"
"Boss, you're the man!"
"Let's drink till we drop!"
They cheered and cackled, dreaming of their wild night ahead, until they noticed a tall, cold-faced man standing silently at the alley's entrance, blocking their path.
"Huh?"
The buzz-cut boss frowned. "Hey, punk! Can't you see we're busy here? Get lost before I rearrange your face!"
The others caught on, surrounding Hans with smirks and mocking glares.
"What, you looking to die, pretty boy?"
"Nice outfit you got there, bet it costs a fortune."
"Damn, he's actually hotter than me!"
"Boss, enough talk, let's beat some manners into this guy!"
Hans glanced at them, then at the boss's stuffed pocket. He sighed.
"Every place has its rules, you know."
"Your gang's got no manners at all."
"…Huh?"
The boss looked at him like he'd just heard a bad joke, then burst out laughing with his crew.
"Manners?" he sneered, stepping forward and swinging a hand the size of a fan at Hans's face. "I'll teach you some right now!"
Smack!
But it wasn't Hans who got hit.
The man's wrist was caught mid-swing, Hans's fingers barely tightened, yet the thug's face went white.
A sickening crack followed.
"Let-let go! It's broken! My wrist, it's broken!"
The laughter died instantly. The other thugs stared, stunned.
"Don't just stand there!" their boss screamed through the pain. "Kill him!"
They rushed in with curses, and were met with a flurry of bone-crunching thuds and short-lived screams.
Moments later, silence.
Hans stepped out of the alley, brushing invisible dust from his coat, perfectly unruffled.
In his hand was a thick wad of cash, the lesson fee those thugs had so kindly "donated."
"Heh, now I've got money."
He pocketed the bills and walked off without a backward glance.
Behind him, a few twisted arms and legs stuck awkwardly out of a trash bin.
The money wasn't exactly clean, but Hans didn't feel the slightest guilt.
Technically, it was just criminals robbing criminals.
And in this world, Hans didn't even officially exist, he wasn't human when he arrived here, after all.
Luckily, this body had once been human, so he retained plenty of identity info from its memories.
With that, he headed straight for the nearest police station.
Things went smoothly, he gave his name and basic info, and soon walked out with a temporary ID card.
Next stop, the bank. He replaced the old card, opened a new account, and deposited part of his cash.
Finally, he hit a mall's electronics section and bought a brand-new smartphone.
As his fingers swiped across the glossy screen and familiar apps appeared, nostalgia washed over him.
Bzz… Bzz-bzz,
A notification popped up, it was from the bank.
"Eh?"
The account balance made him pause. The amount was… roughly what a regular office worker would earn in a few years.
"Uh… maybe I didn't need to rob those guys after all?"
He scratched his chin. "Oh well, too late now."
After a brief moment of silence for the thugs, Hans smiled again.
The scuffle had its perks, it helped him reconnect with human society, in his own way.
He quickly pulled up the map, bought a ticket online, and made his way to Z City's high-speed rail station.
Ticket check, boarding, finding his seat.
Maybe because Z City was half-abandoned now, the train to M City was almost empty.
In fact, Hans had the entire car to himself.
As the train started moving, the cityscape blurred past outside.
Inside the quiet carriage, only the soft hum of the engine and rhythmic clack-clack of the tracks filled the air.
Hans leaned back, relaxing, then suddenly straightened.
"Huh…?"
Leaving Z City.
Completely alone.
He smiled faintly.
"Seems like the perfect setup, doesn't it?"