CH 1

Chapter 1: Cain Pent

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Queens, New York City

“Ring ring ring!”

As soon as the bell rang for the end of classes at Midtown High School, one person in the classroom grabbed their backpack and rushed towards the door.

Seeing his good friend trying to sneak away again, Carl said loudly, “Hey Cain, you promised to play video games with me today!”

“Um, Carl, I said next time, which means the day after tomorrow,” Cain explained. Then he poked his head back in the door after leaving and added, “I promise, Carl.”

“Seriously Cain, is his ‘next time’ tomorrow?” Carl grumbled. Last time Cain said the same thing, but they still haven’t beaten that level together yet. It was a game that required two people to pass.

Another classmate passing by Carl laughed and joked, “If you remind Cain every day, he might fulfill that promise next year.”

“I swear, Cain must be more attached to his gun than to me as his best friend,” Carl complained. Then he packed up his things to prepare for his 135th solo mission, vowing that if they didn’t beat the game by the 200th try, regardless of Cain’s reasons, Carl would force Cain to play and beat it.

Cain had indeed changed, and it had been about three years since that change.

It was now 2000, and Cain had transmigrated to this Marvel world three years ago. After experiencing a range of emotions such as surprise, fear, excitement, and terror initially, Cain maintained a natural mindset toward the fact that he had come to the Marvel world.

As for how he knew this was the Marvel world, it was because a year after arriving, Cain had used the inheritance left to him by his parents to earn a lot of money, and to this day, Cain still held stocks in Stark Industries.

Inheriting property in America was a complicated matter. Still, fortunately, Cain’s parents had realized their physical condition before they passed away, so they hired a lawyer and spent a lot of money to ensure that Cain inherited their property smoothly.

Thirty-four percent of a private hospital was the most valuable part of the Pent family’s inheritance. The rest was nearly one million dollars in assets, including three houses and two private cars.

If it weren’t for the damned inheritance tax and the cost of hiring a full set of legal services, the Pent family would have had over five million dollars in bank savings.

But these losses didn’t matter much to Cain, who invested $600,000 in the stock market, taking advantage of the development trend of the year 2000. Although there were some fluctuations initially, he made a lot of money in the end.

The high-tech companies in the Marvel world were somewhat different from those Cain knew of in other worlds, but that was due to the influence of some extraordinary existences. Apart from those extraordinary existences, the direction of scientific and technological development in the Marvel world was generally the same.

Using his knowledge and foresight, Cain made much money in the stock market by investing in gold, high-tech companies, oil, and other stocks.

In 2000, tens of millions of dollars in America could provide a lifetime of financial freedom, with luxurious villas, full-time butlers, luxury cars, and the ability to enjoy daily gourmet food.

With Cain’s earning ability and a 34% stake in a private hospital, he could maintain this kind of life until he was sixty.

Although Cain dreams of living a wealthy life, he cannot afford to let his guard down in the Marvel world, especially in the troubled United States, where even hiding underground carries the risk of death without strength and influence. Additionally, Cain’s golden finger does not allow him to relax.

This has been the busy reality for Cain for the past three years. Since he transmigrated, perhaps due to the fusion of his previous self, Cain’s memory has become powerful, and his focus is excellent, allowing him to quickly learn previously challenging knowledge.

For example, Cain is currently the top student in the twelfth grade at Midtown High School. With his grades and financial resources, he can choose any prestigious university.

However, Cain still spends a lot of time practicing marksmanship at a shooting range in the suburbs. For an ordinary person like him, firearms may be the fastest way to improve his self-defense abilities.

After leaving Central High School, Cain rode his motorcycle to the firearms training ground. Although he had a driver’s license, he couldn’t drive alone. If he was caught by the police, they would be happy to issue a ticket, which could also be dangerous.

When Cain arrived at the shooting range, someone was already waiting for him at the door.

“Hey, Cain, you’re still punctual,” greeted the coach, who had made much money from the wealthy Cain and was eager to welcome him. If it were anyone else, they might not have received such treatment.

“What do you want to shoot today, live targets?” the coach asked.

Cain nodded and said, “The same guns, as usual, Jimmy.”

Jimmy smiled and said, “No problem, Cain. To be honest, you could participate in competitions with your current skills. Even if you don’t win, you could still make the top ten.”

Jimmy’s words were not flattery. Cain was good at shooting fixed targets and had surpassed 90%t of the people at the shooting range after only a year of practice. Recently, his practice with moving targets had made his skills skyrocket, making him a natural with guns.

Cain smiled and accepted Jimmy’s compliment. He knew what his current level was. He could skillfully use several firearms, but he had no experience killing people. Participating in competitions was good, but he might not be able to survive in a real-life situation.

However, being fully armed could increase his chances of survival.

Although many of these items, such as bulletproof vests, hand grenades, rocket launchers, and some controlled firearms, could not be purchased, Cain had enough money to buy them, even if it meant breaking the law.

Cain then began his training with his gun. Whenever he entered training mode, his focus would be extremely concentrated.

Bang, bang, bang!

Time quickly passed, and Cain stopped shooting, taking a deep breath.

Jimmy approached, clapping and saying, “Cain, you seem to have improved again today. Your state is much better than yesterday.”

“Eating more vegetables and sleeping early can also help you maintain a good state, Jimmy.” Cain replied, taking the water Jimmy offered him.

After resting for a while, Cain looked around and saw nobody nearby. He asked Jimmy, “How’s the information I asked you to find out?”

Jimmy looked around cautiously and replied in a low voice, “Cain, those are all prohibited weapons, and you live in the city, right? If you need safety, I can introduce you to some bodyguards.”

“Please, Jimmy. I have a house in the suburbs, and I only collect real stuff because I like it. You don’t think I’m going to war, do you? If I had that kind of time, I might as well earn some US dollars.”

Cain’s last sentence reminded Jimmy of other ways to earn money. Jimmy sighed and handed Cain a note. He said, “Go to this place and say you’re a friend of Jimmy Black.”