A young man with yellow hair was sitting on a chair, his hair standing up like a broom, wearing a yellow and blue striped outfit, with a diamond-shaped eye mask and a cloak, just like a circus magician...
The second-coming Trickster!
An acquaintance?
Yuri couldn't believe that the leader of the gang of this four bullies was actually that magician, the guy he rightfully claimed compensation from yesterday.
Thinking back carefully, when he followed this guy to the rooftop, he muttered something about "blacksmith" and "partnership". At that time, Yuri thought he wanted to be a blacksmith.
Now it seems that the meaning of "blacksmith" is not that simple.
Combined with the "network" information revealed by the gang of four bullies, the connection between the blacksmith and the network must be very close.
No wonder Jim and his little gang can get in touch with the network. It turned out to be because of this magician guy.
Although this second-generation Trickster is a bit weak, he is still a super criminal, so it's reasonable for the network to want to recruit him.
"Boss, shall we get more helpers? They are all here now."
Jim and Terry reported to Axel with a flattering look.
Not only Yuri, but Busk and Pudge were also brought over by them.
These two bullies have extremely poor social skills and hardly know anyone. Inviting Yuri to join them was just to increase the number of people.
Axel glanced at Yuri and his group, "Five, barely enough... why is there a child?"
Suddenly, Axel's gaze focused on Yuri, and his expression darkened in an instant.
"The Rogue never involves children and women in danger! Even though the Rogues is no longer there, the criminals in Twin City must abide by this rule!"
Axel shouted angrily at Jim and Terry, ignoring the fact that this is a "public place".
Yuri stole a glance at the other people in the bar with the corner of his eye. The bartender, "Vin Diesel," seemed to be oblivious to everything, wiping glasses with a blank expression.
As for the white-haired drunkard, he didn't react at all after Axel shouted out about the rogues, except to drink more aggressively.
Axel's words didn't cause any waves, and Yuri even felt like they were all used to this kind of thing.
It didn't seem like the bar was a place that strictly followed the rules, or else they wouldn't have let Yuri in.
"This guy is quite... righteous?"
Yuri could tell that the second-generation Trickster was truly outraged, not just pretending.
"Um... Boss, Yuri's situation is... special..."
Jim broke out in a cold sweat, stammering as he spoke.
"What?"
Axel crossed his arms and waited for Jim to continue.
Jim then elaborated on Yuri's family situation, exaggerating how poor Yuri was and how he had to take risks to make a living.
While Jim was explaining, Terry gave Yuri a discreet eye signal, frantically telling him not to speak recklessly.
Yuri gave a reassuring look back, and Terry breathed a sigh of relief.
"Your name is Yuri?"
After listening to Jim's introduction, Axel suddenly asked.
"Yes, Boss."
"You came for the money, right?"
Yuri nodded earnestly from the bottom of his heart. He really wanted to make money. (A/N: lol)
Axel reached into his pocket, as if he was going to pull something out. But before he could, his movements suddenly froze, and he withdrew his hand from his pocket.
"Of course, I have nothing in my hand," he said.
"Ahem, Yuri, I allow you to join," Axel said as his expression instantly turned serious, and his voice lowered to make sure only the few people around them could hear.
"The Network doesn't disappoint anyone who does good deeds. As long as you complete today's mission, you can earn at least one million dollars in reward!"
When the four gang members heard the phrase "one million US dollars," their eyes widened.
""Boss, what's our mission? Murder? Or kidnapping?"" Busk and Pudge asked eagerly. Their minds were full of thoughts like ""How much drugs can I buy with one million dollars."" and they were willing to do anything for it.
"Neither. We only need to steal something," Axel said with a mysterious smile. "In fact, I will do the stealing myself, and you only need to keep watch for me."
The gang members looked at each other, somewhat unsure.
Is it really that simple?
What can we steal to earn at least one million dollars? And we only need to keep watch?
Precious gems? World-famous paintings? Commercial secrets? Advanced technology?
Axel did not reveal any extra information, as there were outsiders in the bar. Detailed plans certainly couldn't be revealed.
Yuri and the gang followed Axel and headed to their destination. Axel walked in the air with his levitation shoes, while Yuri and the others drove an old car behind him.
Although the Trickster couldn't run faster than a car, the advantage of moving in the air made his speed not slower than that of driving.
The destination was not far from the bar, and they arrived in less than ten minutes.
After getting off the car and seeing their destination, the Hoodlum Four and Yuri immediately understood why the job paid so well.
The parking spot was located under a slope, and above the slope was a high-rise building with the sign "Federal Bureau of Investigation Keystone City Office."
Yuri gave a thumbs up to himself for stealing something from this place as a second-generation Trickster.
Many unknowledgeable people think that the official powers in comics are weak, but that's not the case in reality.
Although Yuri had never read the comics, he had memories of living in this world for sixteen years, so he knew things that the masses knew as well.
So far, over 13 million superhumans have emerged worldwide, meaning that there's one superhuman for every 500-600 people in the world's population of 7 billion. And this is just the number recorded on file.
Although the vast majority of superhumans do not have outstanding abilities, they provide a considerable source of quality soldiers for various governments, and when equipped with various secretly developed advanced technology, these teams are incredibly strong in combat.
For example, on American soil, there are two major departments: the Department of Extranormal Operations and the Super Investigation Department. Usually, the Department of Extranormal Operations focuses on external investigations, while the Super Investigation Department handles internal affairs. These are publicly disclosed organizations, but there are also secret agent organizations operating in the shadows.
Yuri had no contact with some secret shadow organizations, but he had heard too much about the two mentioned above..
Of course, the FBI also has its own superhuman agents, not to mention the previous generation Trickster, James Jesse, who now serves as the supervisor of the FBI branch in Midtown.
The equipment of the second-generation Trickster was of course used by the first-generation Trickster, and so, James had more experience in using them.
If anything happened to the Keystone City branch, James could rush over in just a few minutes.
Would the inexperienced newcomer, second coming of the Trickster named Axel, be a match for James?
*****
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