'System!?!?!' The transmigrator yelled in his head because he couldn't afford the points to yell out loud. Where is that good for nothing System when you need it?
There's no pop up notifications to tell him about the mission, and last he checked, his upcoming mission is in two days. So... The gun should be harmless, right? ...Right? System?
JJ didn't even flinched at the revolver pointing at her. Her deep blue eyes stared at the woman while her hands gently moved to hug the baby that's strapped to her front midsection.
"Darling, this poor thing looks broken." The teenage girl didn't even turn away from the receptionist as she addressed her partner, who simply nodded.
To be honest, before he transmigrated into this hell hole, Jay's knowledge of gun was limited. He never got to go hunting or even visit the shooting range because of his health. However, he did play a fuck ton of video games, so he recognized the gun that the blonde receptionist is holding is some sort of revolver. If he remembers correctly, there's supposed to be six bullets in there. Fortunately, a few of those slots are missing.
The middle aged woman sneered, but she didn't put her weapon away. "I got Lil' Keller here from my papa. She's a real one. Now give me all the gold you got, and I let your dear wife live."
"Your gun is broken." The Red King didn't miss a beat as he spoke, "Try shooting my wife. I'm sure she doesn't mind."
What the hell?
If the baby could talk, Jay would screw some sense into the Red King right now. JJ seemed unaffected by her partner's comment, but the receptionist's eyes were blown wide open. Well, not everyday a guy comes in and tell you to shoot his wife after you try to rob them.
The trigger was pulled anyways.
The transmigrator instinctively closed his eyes. There wasn't a bang, just a click. Another click sooned followed.
And another click.
Click.
The third click was enough for Kaon to open his eyes back up and look at the gun. All of the empty rounds were all next to one another, and the reception was ready to shoot her fourth.
Click.
"What?!" The middle age woman's voice echoed through the empty lobby. "I swear 'his one was loaded!"
She tried pulling the trigger again, making more clicking sounds as the second went on. Eventually, the receptionist growled and slammed the gun on the table.
"Useless piece of shit!"
"I told you your gun is broken." The teenage boy's voice was rather smug.
Which means that the revolver not working had something to do with his power. Jay couldn't help but be curious about it. All in all, the Red King's power is super OP, but the author balanced op powers by making sure that it takes a lot of energy when used.
So, how much can the Red King do? What's his limit? What's the rule of his power? Can he change things that are already in place or does he only work with things before they happen?
Changing the trajectory of things before they happen is more likely because it would give him a whole other set of powers if he could change things that are already in place. For example, the Red King can decide whether or not a bullet will hit him, but if a bullet hit him, he can't change the fact that a bullet has already hit him.
Now, the big question is: does his power extends to changing people's minds too?
[ TECHNICALLY YES. HOWEVER, CHARACTER JAY PLENG WOULD HAVE TO CHANGE EACH AND EVERY MINOR DETAIL THAT GOES INTO A PERSON'S DECISION MAKING. CHARACTER JAY PLENG CAN ONLY MANIPULATE ONE BRANCH OF THE PROBABILITY TREE AT A TIME. ]
Oh, okay.
Sucks that his teen dad can't change people's mind at the flip of a coin. But... According to the system, he technically can, but would it take a lot of time and energy? Overall, Red King's superpower is still pretty OP. So, how can Jay the transmigrator use it to his advantage?
For now, he's still a baby, but he hopes that he'll grow up faster so that he could actually have some impact on this world.
"How about we give you a tip as thanks for not robbing us?" The Red King leaned on the counter. His hand leisurely picked up the revolver. "I can even fix this for you."
The blonde woman growled, but an old woman's voice from the staff room stopped her.
"Morgan!" The weathered voice called out, accompanied by the creaking sound of a wheelchair as the old woman came into the lobby through the staff room door adjacent to the receptionist desk. "It's been a long while since we got any good paying customers. Be nice."
"Yeah, momma." The receptionist rolled her eyes, and she looked back at the pair of travelers and their baby. "That little shit better not cry. Now fix Lil Keller. I'mma get your change."
The Red King smiled before he began taking the gun apart piece by piece. The system did mention that Jay Pleng came from a military family after all, so he's doing whatever helps them to keep their cover.
While the teenage boy was busy, Jay noticed that the old woman slowly rolled her wheelchair towards him and his female caretaker.
JJ's hand tightened around the baby's shoulders. "Please don't touch him. He'll bite, too."
"Your little one has beautiful eyes." The old woman commented after she parked her wheelchair a feet in front of them.
The transmigrator was right in front of her face, close enough that he could see the faded scars lining her forehead and hands. Her wrinkled lips pulled into a grandmotherly smile, so Jay couldn't help but smile back. In this wrecked city and old gloomy motel, the grandma managed to smell like a bakery in the morning, and she gave him a compliment too.
"And friendly, too." The old woman chuckled wholeheartedly. "I had my first son when I was your age."
That's fucking grim. Even with the hood on, JJ still looked like a teen, and in hindsight, she's a child, and so is her companion the Red King. If the grandma said that she had her first child at Jay's age, the grandma was definitely in her mid teens when she was married.
"My second son came a year after. I was about sixteen then. The year after that came my third son. Then our twin boys, and then another little boy, and finally god gave me and my husband our dear daughter Morgan right there."
Seven children. Didn't she say she was sixteen when she had her second child? Good fucking god, that's depressing. His teenage caregivers managed to pretend to be a couple with Jay as their biological child, and the middle aged receptionist didn't question them.
System, why are people getting married so young?
[ SINCE THE END OF WORLD WAR THREE, WORLD POPULATION, LIFE EXPECTANCY AND STANDARD OF LIVING IS AS LOW AS THE MEDIEVAL AGES. THE UNITED EARTH ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO HAVE MORE CHILDREN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
ONLY A DECADE AGO, THE UNITED EARTH MADE THE LEGAL AGE OF MARRIAGE EIGHTEEN. THE RECENT SUPERPOWER WAR HAD DECIMATED A QUARTER OF THE POPULATION ON THIS CONTINENT, 10% OF THE POPULATION WORLDWIDE. ]
Oh. The transmigrator didn't actually expect the System to answer, but the explanation made a lot of sense. Damn, this world is more depressing than he thought. Why didn't the author mention any of this in the original book? There were obvious descriptions of wide spread poverty outside the city in an environment messed up by war, but there was never any detail about how the people lived.
Jay remembered reading about the United Earth working with the United Superhero Council to make sure that anyone who has superpowers are registered with the USC either by working with them or imprisoned. That's how Kaon killed everyone in the original novel. The USC kept sending superheroes from all around the world to help contain a super villain, only to fall right into the villain's trap.
"I see. Where are your other children?" JJ asked back, and her gloved hands didn't loosen up on the baby's shoulders.
The old woman shook her head and smiled again. Her eyes dropped a little bit before she let out a sigh. "The two oldest and their families moved away. Our twin boys died in war last year. I don't know what happened to the other two boys. Morgan helps me run this place. I run the bakery down the block during daytime."
"I'm sorry to hear that, ma'am." JJ mumbled in response. "We'll drop by your bakery tomorrow."
For once, Jay the transmigrator was excited at the prospect of fresh baked goods. They have the money for it, so even if the Red King said no, JJ can use her money to indulge.
"Got the room key." A arm wrapped around his female caretaker's shoulders, and the Red King gave the old woman a grin. "Thanks for having us. Let's go, darling."