That night, multiple headquarters and strongholds of various gangs in Brooklyn were robbed. Some even had their entire safes disappear, with losses ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars. At that time, the average annual income in the United States was less than $1,000. A U.S. Air Force pilot's monthly salary was only $150, and an ordinary soldier's was just $50. The losses for these gangs were indeed significant.
While a group of gangsters frantically searched for the thief who had stolen their large sums of money, our new serial thief was in the cargo hold of a ship bound for Europe, "opening treasure chests."
During this period, airplanes had poor range, and no aircraft could cover the 5,000 to 6,000 kilometers across the Atlantic to Europe. Therefore, slow ships became Chen Mo's only option. Of course, without identification, Chen Mo chose to stow away.
Chen Mo found that since infiltrating Zhou Tianhao's villa, he increasingly enjoyed playing the role of an assassin and thief, and he was quite good at it.
With strength, agility, and perception close to human limits and several times that of ordinary people, Chen Mo could easily infiltrate without being detected. Additionally, the space allowed him to carry ample tools and weapons and easily take away large amounts of items, making infiltration, assassination, and carrying supplies more convenient.
Of course, these were objective conditions. The main reason was that Chen Mo liked to achieve his goals with minimal cost. Reckless brute force was not Chen Mo's style.
After opening the last safe, Chen Mo packed up his tools and began to count his gains. He had over $120,000 in cash, a small amount of gold bars and jewelry, several kilograms of drugs, and, to his surprise, two M1911 pistols.
This pistol had been in service with the U.S. military for over 70 years and was a classic high-power handgun. The 11.43 mm caliber provided unparalleled lethality. It had a magazine capacity of 7 rounds, great power, long range, stable performance, and low failure rate. The drawbacks were its large size and weight, small magazine capacity, and high recoil, which could affect shooting accuracy. However, for Chen Mo, who had incredible strength and could instantly change magazines with his space ability, these were not problems at all.
After more than ten days of long voyage, the cargo ship finally arrived at the port of Liverpool, England. Having been cooped up in the cargo hold for so many days, only able to sneak onto the deck at night for some fresh air, Chen Mo was quite stifled. Before it got dark, using his keen hearing and perception, Chen Mo easily avoided the crew, quietly disembarked, and hailed a taxi outside the dock, heading straight for a hotel.
Although alone, Chen Mo booked the best suite, which had two bedrooms and a spacious living room. Through the window, he could see the classical and beautiful street scenes of Liverpool.
In the distance, the vast coastline stretched out. Chen Mo lay down on the soft, spacious bed and quickly fell asleep.
In the morning, the fragmented sunlight filtered through the white gauze curtains, falling on Chen Mo's face. The warm sensation woke him from his deep sleep.
Having had a rare, peaceful sleep, Chen Mo felt refreshed. He stretched lazily, got up, and walked slowly to the window. Opening it, a cold breeze mixed with the morning's moisture blew in, invigorating him.
It was now January 1942. Although Chen Mo was supposed to leave immediately, he leisurely strolled through the streets of Liverpool.
When World War II broke out, a group of Germans fled to the UK for refuge. They were mostly the elite of Germany, including Jews persecuted for their race, communists hated by Hitler, and "degenerate artists." Among them were doctors, lawyers, businessmen, and artists, but in the UK, they were just a group of refugees from an enemy country.
After arriving in the UK, their lives were not easy. They first served as laborers helping the British build defensive fortifications, then were sent to the desolate Dartmoor moorland, struggling to survive in the thick fog and heavy rain.
After experiencing such hardships, due to the fear of Nazi Germany sweeping across Europe, the British government confined these "unstable elements" to several small islands near Liverpool.
It wasn't until the recent Pearl Harbor incident that nearly 30,000 Germans on the islands were released. Most of them joined the British army, but many remained in Liverpool.
However, as people from an enemy country, they were not very welcome in the UK. Unable to find stable jobs, most of them ended up on the streets, living difficult lives. Chen Mo easily found an old German artist in the square who made a living by drawing portraits for others.
The old man had white hair and wore a somewhat worn but very neat dark gray suit. The hardships of life had not crushed him; instead, they made him more composed and open-minded. His face showed no signs of pain or suffering, only a sense of detachment and calmness that came from seeing through life and death.
The old man sat on a broken wooden stool, one hand holding a drawing board propped on his leg, the other holding a charcoal pencil. At his feet was an old leather suitcase containing all his belongings.
"Sir, would you like a portrait?" the old man asked with a gentle smile.
"Why not?" Chen Mo sat down on the stool in front of the old man. The artist carefully observed Chen Mo, his charcoal pencil quickly sketching on the drawing board. Soon, he completed a lifelike portrait.
The artist's skill was truly exceptional. With just a few strokes, he captured Chen Mo's expression and gaze vividly.
Unlike before, Chen Mo's sharpness was now restrained. After experiencing murder, a plane crash, and time travel, his strength had continuously improved, and his mindset had changed. Free from constraints, his entire demeanor had become more intense. His eyes were bright and deep, his gaze sharp, giving him an extraordinary and detached aura, as if nothing could faze him.
Looking at the portrait drawn by the old man, Chen Mo realized how much he had changed without even noticing. However, he preferred this newfound freedom and carefree attitude. Constantly restraining and hiding his true self was not conducive to his growth.
This was his true self, Chen Mo thought as he looked at the sharp and detached figure in the portrait.
After explaining his intentions and offering a daily salary of $10 with room and board, the destitute old artist happily packed up his drawing board, picked up his suitcase, and followed Chen Mo to the hotel.
The old man, named Eddie Albert, was a relatively unknown painter and sculptor. He had devoted his life to artistic creation, never married, and had no children. At over sixty years old, he was still alone.
The hardships of a wandering life had given him more creative inspiration and life insights, but his body could no longer support him. Although he had come to terms with life and death and was prepared to die in a foreign land, Chen Mo's appearance gave him a glimmer of hope, which he chose to seize.
He could tell that Chen Mo was not an ordinary person. His demeanor was very special, and despite having met countless people, he had never seen anyone like Chen Mo.
After returning to the hotel and arranging for Albert to stay in the other bedroom of the suite, Chen Mo took the old man to the best nearby restaurant for a lavish meal to welcome him. The old man's eating manners were very elegant, making it hard to believe he was a destitute refugee. Instead, he seemed more like a refined nobleman.
From that day on, Chen Mo began learning sketching, oil painting, and sculpture from Albert. His highly developed brain and precise control over his body revealed a strong artistic talent. Under Albert's serious and meticulous guidance, it didn't take long for Chen Mo to reach a fairly good level in drawing and sculpture.
What amazed Albert even more was Chen Mo's linguistic talent. Unlike English, which Chen Mo already had some foundation in, German was completely new to him, and he had to start from scratch. Yet, within just a month, Chen Mo spoke German so well that even Albert, a native German, couldn't find any faults.
If these things only amazed him, what happened next would leave him feeling shocked.