The transaction has concluded, bringing a temporary end to recent events. There are no longer hidden concerns on the Network, and preparations are underway for the Blacksmith's major plan, with a significant recruitment effort taking place in secret.
In the short term, there shouldn't be any visible actions. In fact, due to Blacksmith's extensive recruitment activities, the crime rate in Central City has decreased by a few percentage points.
However, these matters have little relevance to Yuri. He is focused on his upcoming plan.
Two million US dollars is not a small amount, especially when all the bills are twenty-dollar denominations. Stacked together, they take up an astonishing volume.
It's unrealistic to transport the money in his old beat-up car, so Yuri decides to deposit the funds into a bank account.
This account doesn't belong to him personally. It's a forged identity created by Gray Matter. Without exaggeration, given the current state of Earth's hacking technology, it's absolutely impossible to discover any issues regarding it.
At this point, the money is truly in Yuri's hands.
But with him suddenly transforming into a wealthy person, he is unsure of how to spend it.
Buying a house is impossible since it would involve significant financial transactions that would raise suspicion.
He already got his old beat-up car, so there's no need to buy another one.
If he doesn't buy a house or a car, it feels like there isn't a particular need to spend the money...
It boils down to replacing a few sets of clothes and buying a few pairs of new shoes, which wouldn't cost much. There's no need to pursue luxury goods.
Yuri finally experiences the anguish of having money but nowhere to spend it.
"Let's upgrade the beat-up car."
After careful consideration, it seems the only option is to give the old car a complete makeover.
This time, unlike the previous renovation, Yuri, now with money in hand, can thoroughly transform the old beat-up car.
In terms of power, the engine is replaced with a top-of-the-line racing engine, which is then transformed into an electric motor by Grey Matter's modifications.
The upgraded electric motor can effectively drive a large motorhome, elevating the horsepower of the old beat-up car to the level of a top-notch racing car.
All the car windows are replaced with imported high-strength bulletproof glass, and the exterior body is reinforced with alloy steel plates, enhancing its defense capabilities.
With improved defense, offensive capabilities cannot be neglected either. Although Yuri currently lacks the means to create laser weapons, adding a few guns and rotating blades is no big deal.
The interior is designed to meet Rolls-Royce standards. If you can't afford the car, can you at least afford some leather?
The most significant expense lies in the power system. Even the best integrated inverter on the market still falls short in terms of energy efficiency, making it unable to sustain long periods of power supply.
Therefore, Yuri didn't choose to buy one. Instead, he had Grey Matter create a solar power battery that can be fully charged in an hour and provide a week's worth of power. On clear days, it can essentially achieve zero consumption.
All the other scattered components are also upgraded.
A few days later, a brand new old beat-up car emerges. It may appear ordinary on the surface, but it holds great secrets within.
With the savings of two million, over six hundred thousand has been spent in one go.
During this time, there haven't been any major events. The Kid Flash and others have been diligently searching for clues to prove the Pied Piper's innocence.
As for progress, it can only be said to be better than nothing.
It's not too difficult to guess that Mirror Master is the culprit, but speculation isn't evidence, so it can't exonerate the Pied Piper.
Inside a bar in Keystone City that exudes a nostalgic vibe, members of the Metahuman Crimes Unit, Morillo and Chyre, sits and was having a drink. This is one of the few forms of entertainment they indulge in after work.
More accurately, it's Chyre's preferred spot.
"Do you come here often?" Morillo asks, holding his beer and feeling a bit out of place in the vibrant atmosphere of the place.
"Why, don't you like it here?" Chayel replies, taking a big gulp of his drink and countering with a question.
"No, it's a nice place, really." Morillo hastily waves his hand, not wanting to dampen Chyre's enthusiasm. It's the first time his partner has invited him out for a drink, and he doesn't want to spoil the mood.
"I smell something fishy when you say that." Chayel says with a smile, though his aging face can't conceal the amusement.
"Their drinks are pretty good," Morillo remarks, lifting his glass and taking a sip, his eyes suddenly lighting up.
"Do you think the Flash will come back?" Chayel suddenly asks, "He's been missing for over a month, which has never happened before."
"Of course, the Flash will come back. We just need to wait," Morillo responds, exuding confidence in the Flash's return.
Speaking of the Flash, Morillo has more faith in his return than in himself.
"We've been through a lot recently, and with the Flash's help, I think things would be much easier for us," he adds.
"Hey, buddy, even though the Flash is absent, Kid Flash has never skipped a beat. He's also working hard to make this city better." Morillo says solemnly.
"I really wonder who told Kid Flash, 'The Flash's light is too bright, and you can't compare to him,'" Chyre teasingly nudges Morillo, momentarily unable to distinguish who the older one between them is.
*Ring ring!*
At that moment, Morillo's phone suddenly rings. He answers it, but his face turns pale.
"I think I have to go, Chyre, or else lives will be at stake."
Morillo quickly grabs the remaining beer and chugs it down in one gulp.
"Who called?" Chyre assumes there's been a murder, his expression immediately turning serious.
"It was my wife. She doesn't like it when I come home too late."
Morillo's tone is solemn, and his gaze reveals a hint of fear.
Chyre has no words in response, so he can only give Morillo a look that says, "Good luck."
After finishing his drink, Morillo puts some loose change on the table and hastily leaves.
As he reaches the doorway, Morillo suddenly catches a glimpse of his reflection in the glass, noticing a faint red mark between his eyebrows.
Morillo blinked his eyes, and the red mark disappeared.
Without thinking too much about it, Morillo opened the door and walked out.
—-—
–The just-repaired car–
"Now, what should I do next?"
Yuri began to contemplate his next steps. He had already made up his mind to expand the database in Midtown first and then consider going to other cities.
However, there hadn't been many superhuman crimes in the past few days. Even if there were, the abilities of those superhumans were mediocre at best, making them hardly worth capturing.
There wasn't a single serious super-villain emerging throughout Central City and Keystone City.
Considering the entire Central City and Keystone City, there was only one place where Yuri could obtain the most superhuman DNA.
And that place was Iron Heights Penitentiary.
Almost all of the well-known super villains in Midtown were locked up there. It was like a gold mine for Yuri.
However, Iron Heights was not an easy place to infiltrate.
Ghostfreak could come and go from Iron Heights Penitentiary at will, but Yuri could only maintain his transformation for ten minutes, which clearly wouldn't allow him to collect many DNA samples during that time.
Besides, if any accidents occurred and those super-villains were released, it would be a scene Yuri didn't want to witness.
The Rogue Gallery had its own code, but there were not only members of the syndicate among the city's criminals. There were also cruel and bloodthirsty villains, and only Iron Heights Penitentiary could keep them under control.
"Just going there to observe the situation shouldn't pose too big of a problem."
Yuri pinched his chin and made up his mind to go and take a look.
With Ghostfreak in his hands, he would be untouchable... probably...
*****
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