For an ordinary person, gaining a billion dollars in the short term, even if it's just assets, is an incredibly difficult task.
A more anxious person would be stomping their feet and cursing.
But Victor remained unmoved.
As long as his plan went smoothly, this promotion mission would be completed effortlessly.
Just as he was about to contact Royce, footsteps sounded behind him.
Without even needing to turn around, Old Ford's loud voice boomed, "Damn it! A bunch of ungrateful bitches!"
As a beneficiary, Victor wisely chose not to respond.
Old Ford didn't mind, walking past Victor and around the corner. When he reappeared, he was holding two bottles of beer and handed one to Victor.
The change in his attitude couldn't have been more obvious.
Victor didn't object, taking the beer and twisting off the cap with his right hand—don't let his rich kid status fool you, he'd had his fair share of beer, especially when having skewers in Chinatown.
Old Ford wasn't to be outdone, twisting off his beer cap just like Victor. The two clinked bottles and each tilted their heads back, drinking about half a bottle.
Alcohol and cigarettes are the easiest way to bridge the gap between two men.
Old Ford plopped down next to Victor, patting his shoulder with a sigh, "I never thought I'd live to see the sun again. I owe you one."
Victor smiled, clinking bottles with Old Ford again.
Being a listener was enough; he didn't expect Old Ford to help him with anything.
Old Ford finished his bottle of beer in two or three gulps, smacking his lips as if savoring the taste.
Beer was a luxury in this underground world.
Suddenly.
Old Ford looked at Victor, his face serious, "Kid, I'm going to confirm with you one more time. Do you really have the ability to make all 38 people here normal again? You know the price of deceiving me!"
Old Ford lifted his jacket and pulled out a small revolver tucked into his lower back.
To be honest.
This had no deterrent effect on Victor; unless the small revolver was shoved into his mouth and fired, it would at most only graze his skin.
However, he still needed to show the right attitude.
"Of course! I can guarantee that," Victor said with a serious expression.
Old Ford squinted at him for a few seconds, then let out a hearty laugh, slapping Victor's shoulder with unbridled joy.
"Good! Very good! My judgment, Old Ford's judgment, hasn't been wrong all these years. I believe what you say is true."
He stood up and shouted outside, "Jack, go call little Avril back! We're going to eat our fill! Tomorrow, everyone leaves this cursed sewer!"
Someone outside responded, followed by the cheers of others.
It was confirmed!
In this underground world, they ate only one meal a day, and their food supplies were stored behind a pipe in Old Ford's bedroom.
Now that he said they would eat their fill, no longer considering future rations, it meant that what Victor had said earlier was absolutely, 100% credible!
Thinking of finally leaving this dark and sunless place, many people couldn't help but cry tears of joy.
In this situation, the contagiousness of crying was extremely high. Before long, one after another, they began to sob, and some even wailed loudly.
Old Ford looked displeased by the crying and scolded, "Did someone die or something? Hurry up and help move things! Don't you want to eat?"
This scolding didn't stop the spread of crying, but some people still responded to the call and walked in.
Victor also followed them into the corner; he was very curious about what was inside.
The pipe, like a lightning bolt, had two bends, connecting to a ten-meter-high cylindrical space. A small, lit lamp hung at the top, providing illumination for this area.
Although there weren't many supplies, they were neatly arranged. More than half were unlabeled biscuits, various beverage bottles filled with water, and some folded old clothes. The remaining few cardboard boxes contained miscellaneous items like lighters, utility knives, and nail clippers.
These were all the assets of this shelter, their total value not even as much as the 800-plus dollars Victor initially gave Old Ford.
No wonder when he first appeared, he immediately asked for money.
They were truly too poor!
Even with so little.
The few mutants who came in were staring intently at the biscuits and water, swallowing hard. If Old Ford hadn't been present, they probably would have already started eating.
Pressing his lips together, Victor picked up a box of biscuits and followed Old Ford out—it wasn't that he was being lazy; there was so little stuff that if each person carried a box, it would all be gone.
However, the water stored in various beverage bottles would require several trips to move completely.
So.
What Old Ford meant by "eating their fill" was actually just half a box of biscuits and two-thirds of a bottle of water per person—Victor got a bit more, with a whole box of biscuits and an unopened bottle of cola.
The few children nearby couldn't help but frequently cast longing glances at the bottle of cola—including little Avril who had been called back.
With a pang in his heart, Victor waved little Avril over and put both the cola and biscuits into her arms.
"Are they really all for me?" Little Avril's golden vertical pupils were filled with disbelief. "That's a whole bottle of cola and a big bag of biscuits!"
"Yes, all for you," Victor said with a somewhat forced smile. "I can absorb solar energy instead of eating, so I won't get hungry."
"Wow~ Then that ability isn't very good, we don't see the sun once a year." Little Avril said, then quickly covered her mouth.
She felt she had said something wrong, and it was wrong to mock someone's ability.
The little one apologized to Victor very earnestly.
Victor felt a lump in his throat, unable to speak, and could only pat her small head, his hands greasy, oblivious to it.
In this underground world, bathing was superfluous; water was the source of life, so how could they be so extravagant?
Avril only took one sip of the cola in the end, sharing the rest with the other children.
She was so sensible it was heartbreaking.
A gathering, described as a "farewell meal," was eaten with absolutely no sense of ceremony.
Yet, it was the most difficult meal Victor had ever experienced in his life—even though he didn't eat anything himself.
His heart felt heavy.
He had never imagined that people would live in underground tunnels, never bathe for a year, eat only one meal a day, and that meal would consist of only one biscuit and half a cup of water.
In silence.
Two hours passed, and Rhys, who had been the first to accept the transaction, was still lively and showed no abnormalities.
The crowd finally couldn't hold back, repeatedly asking Old Ford to start immediately.
Don't say things like they've waited so many years, a few more hours won't hurt.
Only those who have truly experienced despair know that when you can escape despair, you truly don't want to wait a single second—otherwise, why would there be so many people who leave everything behind?
Old Ford didn't object this time. After consulting Victor for his agreement, he began calling out names one by one.
As the person in charge of this shelter, he naturally knew everyone's strengths and weaknesses. The first ones called up were all [F-] class.
Each person's process took a maximum of five seconds.
Afterward, Victor would symbolically rest for a minute, then continue with the next one.
When Avril's name was called, the little girl looked very hesitant, and finally shook her head firmly, refusing.
Her reason was: "Only Uncle Ford and I can see at night here. If I'm gone, Uncle Ford will have to live near the entrance again."
She was so sensible it was heartbreaking.
For the first time, Victor felt an urge to kill—what kind of parents would abandon this little angel, leaving her to wander in this dark world?!
Old Ford was also moved to speechlessness for a moment, his big beard trembling violently.
He hugged little Avril tightly, his voice trembling, "There are no more shelters! Everyone can be free today! We are going to live on the surface where there is sunlight! So little Avril, you can also be a normal girl again!"
Little Avril nodded her small head, seemingly understanding but also very confused, "Are everyone going back to live on the surface? Then... where will I go? My home is right here!"
In that moment.
Victor was almost about to say, "I'll raise you."
But he was a step too slow.
Old Ford let out a low growl, as if making an oath, "No! Damn your home is here! You'll live with me from now on! I'll give you a home with sunlight! I, Ford Benjamin, promise!"
Victor pursed his lips, forcing himself not to look at little Avril anymore, and continued with the transactions with the others.
It took a total of two hours. Victor collected all the mutant abilities of everyone present into his [Inventory], gaining E-class [Bloodlines] x 4 and F-class [Bloodlines] x 34.
There were 36 original residents, plus little Avril (F-class) and Old Ford (E-class).
Since they hadn't been sold to the platform yet, the specific certificates and plane points could not be tallied.
The scene, however, was somewhat out of control. A group of people who had returned to being ordinary humans huddled together, laughing, shouting, crying—the full spectrum of human emotions laid bare before Victor's eyes.
He watched silently, unable to even force a smile at those who were extremely grateful to him.
So.
Was being an ordinary person already their greatest wish?
Was the Marvel Universe uniquely cruel, or had society always been this cruel?
He knew the answer.
Society had always been this cruel!
Lu Xun had already stated it clearly: "This is a man-eat-man society."
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PS: Ha, on-time update, the lazy blue doesn't eat people, it eats recommendation votes~