Chapter 161: Chapter 160: I Kinda Missed You
The English science fiction writer Douglas Adams (author of *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy*) once proposed three laws of technology in a darkly humorous way:
1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
2. Anything that’s invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
3. Anything invented after you’re thirty-five is against the natural order of things.
Applying these three laws of technology can, to some extent, explain why some people think technologies like 5G and quantum communication are useless, wasteful, and shouldn’t be developed at all.
Because they’ve gotten old.
Of course, in Shen Feng’s homeland, the Hua Country, there was also a small group of people who were just used to kneeling.
When they see sci-fi elements in their own country’s works of art, they go on a tirade, calling it unscientific, too fantastical, or pseudo-sci-fi. But when works like Marvel or Terminator are brought up, these same people immediately start singing their praises, calling them wildly imaginative and intellectually liberating. The reason is simple: it’s all about worshipping the West.
The main reason for their double standards is an inferiority complex.
And right now, in the eyes of these uncultured, older gang members, Shen Feng’s Nanomechanical Cluster was sorcery that went against the natural order—something God should smite from existence.
That was precisely why John didn’t dare lie.
’Who knew if these monstrous, mercury-like metal bodies could steal his thoughts?’
’If they could read minds, it would all be over.’
Hearing the name "Mike," Shen Feng couldn’t help but reveal a playful smile.
’To think I’d run into this old friend again.’
Of course, the Gray Tide apocalypse hadn’t broken out in this world. The current Mike was still a simple New York gang boss, diligently working hard and striving toward the goal of becoming the largest criminal organization in all of Eagle Country.
’It’s just that in this world, he had never met the man before. So why would Mike send people to assassinate him?’
Before Shen Feng could ask another question, John continued:
"Today... no, just a moment ago... a white devil in a suit found Boss Mike. They had a private talk for a while, Boss Mike made a few calls, and then he sent us here..."
’A contract killing.’
Shen Feng nodded.
These underground gangs were all in the business of illegal dealings; murder was just one of their services.
’The key is the client.’
’It’s likely still related to the Purification Society.’
"Address."
Shen Feng asked again.
John didn’t dare hesitate. He quickly gave up the location of the Emperor Gang’s stronghold, and even rattled off the addresses of their branch organizations, safe houses, and more, like pouring beans from a bamboo tube.
Apparently, this John held a significant position in the Emperor Gang, at least a mid-level leader.
Furthermore, judging by the numerous scars on his face and body, and even a gunshot wound on his shoulder, he wasn’t a coward by nature. He had just been thoroughly spooked by Shen Feng’s Gray Tide today.
Shen Feng nodded, then suddenly snapped his fingers.
The Gray Tide immediately began to writhe again. This time, everyone except for John became its target!
The men didn’t even have time to scream before the Gray Tide severed their spinal cords, silencing them completely. Then, their bodies transformed into a new Nanomechanical Cluster.
But all of their clothes, weapons, and equipment were left behind.
Immediately after, the Nanomechanical Cluster writhed again, forming into humanoid robots. Through light refraction and internal color adjustment, they took on the appearance of the gang members who had just been consumed!
Seeing this, John almost couldn’t stop himself from screaming.
’And you say you’re not the Terminator!’
Watching all his companions turn into expressionless robots before his very eyes, he felt like he was going to lose his mind.
’Am I next?’
Shen Feng revealed a gentle and refined smile and said:
"Don’t worry, Brother John. Because of your excellent cooperation, I won’t harm you. As for the others... they are still your men and your brothers."
At that moment, next to John, Short-haired Bart had also been recreated. It raised a hand and placed it on his shoulder, causing John’s legs to go weak and nearly sending him kneeling to the floor.
"Understand?" Shen Feng continued to ask.
Although John was utterly shaken by the scene, he was no fool. He quickly said:
"Understood, understood! Please don’t worry, sir. They are my brothers in the gang!"
Just then, two knocks, KNOCK KNOCK, came from the ceiling.
John quickly walked to the window and stuck his head out to look up.
Several masked, armed men tied with ropes were looking down from above.
It was the second team, waiting to provide support.
The Emperor Gang was always thorough in their operations. Although a normal person would think over thirty men were more than enough to take down any target, Mike had still sent a second team as backup.
Originally, these men were supposed to wait for things to go south—for the sound of gunfire to erupt from inside—before breaking in through the windows to provide support.
But after waiting for a long time, no gunfire came. Even the sound of talking was faint, and the agreed-upon signal never came either. They had no idea what was happening below.
Now, seeing John stick his head out, the men above finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"The target is under control. He says he has a secret and wants to see Boss Mike." John, having regained his composure, said slowly, "You guys pull back first. We’ll leave right after."
"Roger that," the men above replied, also relieved.
After all, Kadi Cohen had just been assassinated, and there were extra cops outside. If it wasn’t absolutely necessary, they didn’t want to kill anyone here and stir up too much trouble.
If they could take the target back and deal with him quietly, that would be for the best.
’Boss Mike should be satisfied with this outcome.’
Just then, "Short-haired Bart" also poked his head out, looked at the men above, and even blinked, which reassured them further.
After doing all this, John returned to Shen Feng and asked:
"Are you satisfied? Should we head back to the Emperor Gang’s headquarters now?"
Shen Feng nodded in approval. "Lead the way."
After that, Shen Feng shouldered his huge backpack. John, surrounded by a group of Nanomechanical Robots, was ushered to the front as they filed out of the hotel room and went back the way they came.
From the outside, it looked as if not a single Emperor Gang member was missing; they just seemed to have gotten a bit bulkier.
The hotel staff and janitors they encountered along the way were all scared stiff, quickly getting out of their path.
Soon, they had followed the fire escape down to the hotel’s back kitchen. They walked past the busy staff, opened the back door, and emerged into an alley.
It was afternoon outside, and the sounds of traffic could be heard from the street.
Several cars and some motorcycles were already parked here.
John hurriedly opened a car door and invited Shen Feng to get in. He was about to get into the driver’s seat himself but was yanked away by "Short-haired Bart," leaving him to cautiously take the passenger seat.
He was shocked to discover that these monsters, transformed from "Liquid Metal," even knew how to drive!
"Lead the way," "Short-haired Bart" said.
John scrambled to regain his composure and began giving directions.
The motorcycles left first, with the remaining cars departing in groups.
The matter of Kadi Cohen’s assassination was already starting to fade from public attention.
Outside the convention center, the pool of blood had been cleaned up, and the police tape was about to be taken down.
At first, some police officers wanted to question the Emperor Gang’s cars, but when they saw John and "Short-haired Bart’s" faces, they immediately waved them through.
Clearly, they had all taken bribes from the Emperor Gang.
The vehicle drove on, gradually arriving at Hell’s Kitchen (the Clinton District) on the west side of Manhattan Island.
This area was once a notorious slum on Manhattan Island in its early days, mainly inhabited by working-class Irish immigrants. It was known for its chaotic and poor living conditions, severe ethnic conflicts, and high crime rates.
But in recent years, thanks to its proximity to the Midtown Manhattan Business District, extensive real estate development, facility upgrades, and the forced relocation of low-income residents, the environment here had greatly improved.
On the surface, at least.
The car stopped in front of a bar. John, having regained his composure, got out and rather crudely dragged Shen Feng from the car.
’He’d already figured it out. If he wanted to stay alive, he had to prove his worth.’
’And that started with proving his acting skills.’
The group of "Emperor Gang members" who had come with him also got out of the cars. They pushed open the door, leading Shen Feng into the bar and heading deeper inside.
The bar was already quite full, but upon seeing the Emperor Gang members, all the patrons went silent with fear, clearly intimidated by the gangsters.
When they saw the Asian teenager mixed in with the gangsters, looking completely out of place, some people showed looks of pity.
They had seen people brought back by the Emperor Gang before. Many of them had angered the gang’s Black Emperor and were about to suffer a punishment worse than death.
What awaited this young man was clearly going to be something extremely tragic.
It was hard to say if he would even survive...
The group passed the bar, went through a back door into a hallway, and then passed through two more doors and down a flight of stairs. A vast underground space suddenly appeared before them.
There was a lot of gym equipment and punching bags, with a boxing ring in the middle where two people were sparring.
There were also several small rooms to the side. Through them, one could see people interrogating someone, others counting cash, and still others bagging some kind of white powder.
This was clearly one of the Emperor Gang’s bases.
Seeing John and "Short-haired Bart" appear, a few gang members immediately greeted them.
"John, mission complete? Why’d you bring the guy back?"
"Shut up!"
John continued forward with Shen Feng, surrounded by the others. He soon pushed open another door and entered a lavishly decorated room.
The room was resplendent with gold and jade-like decorations. Antique gold and silver artifacts were displayed everywhere, and the walls were adorned with antique hunting rifles, crossbows, and even a suit of armor.
A huge black bearskin rug was spread across the center of the floor, its head frozen in a ferocious snarl.
A vinyl record of a symphony was playing on an old-fashioned record player.
A tall, brawny, bald Black man had his legs propped up on a massive desk. A Havana cigar was wedged between fingers adorned with jeweled rings. He was enjoying his smoke with his eyes closed, tapping along to the music.
Kneeling beside him were two scantily clad blonde women, giving him a gentle massage.
Hearing the approaching footsteps, Mike opened his eyes and looked at his men, and at the unfamiliar Asian kid.
Just as he was about to ask a question, the Asian kid unexpectedly broke into a grin and said:
"What’s up, bro... I kinda missed you."
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