**
The dawn light was long and the night breeze cool.
When Russell slowly woke up, he felt incredibly comfortable all over.
Stretching lazily as he rose, he looked around.
The consultation room was empty; Dr. Yao had already left. On the desk, there was a note.
He picked it up. It was a schedule for future consultations, set for every Saturday at 3 p.m.
There was also a message on the note:
_"If you need to change the schedule, feel free to adjust it on the note. I can be flexible to fit your availability.
— Dr. Yao"_
Russell didn't make any changes and placed the note back on the desk.
Leaving the consultation room, he got into his car, started the engine, and sped away.
As the engine roared, he drove out of Manhattan, heading towards his cozy home in Queens.
The New York night was enchanting, but few pedestrians were out on the streets, especially not beautiful young women.
By chance, Russell encountered one—a blonde girl who was being stalked by a vampire.
"Hey there, miss, you look like you're in a bit of trouble. Need a hand?"
Pulling his car to the side, Russell rolled down the window and asked.
The girl turned, her gaze unreadable, as if she wanted to speak but didn't know how to start.
While she hesitated, Russell quickly assessed her.
Short golden hair, blue eyes, a pretty face, and a tall, slender figure—a student around eighteen years old, about 5'5".
Russell found it odd. Despite judging by appearances, he thought a girl with such looks, upbringing, and family background wouldn't be wandering alone at night in the streets of Queens.
"Bang!"
"Hey, kid! Don't butt in where you don't belong."
The vampire, catching up, slapped the car roof, threateningly.
"I hate vampires," Russell sighed, pulling out a UV flashlight and shining it on the vampire.
In the Blade universe, vampires were a pitiful race—weak to silver, garlic, and UV rays, with a collection of vulnerabilities despite their inexplicable arrogance.
The air was thick with the smell of blood, and killing them yielded no attribute points. How unlucky.
Just then, the girl came to her senses. Watching the vampire turn to ash, she shook her head with a helpless smile.
"I was planning to draw him out and track him back to the girls he captured."
"Was that so? Sorry to ruin your plan."
Russell chuckled awkwardly.
Had he misjudged? A regular person wouldn't have remained so calm in this situation.
"Never mind. You meant well."
The girl said, turning to pull up her hood.
She shot out a web, swinging into the night, her voice growing distant, leaving only a white silhouette behind.
"I remember his scent, so I can find him around here later."
"Spider-Woman?!"
"No, Ghost-Spider."
The figure had vanished into the darkness, her voice fading away.
What's going on in this world?
This morning, I saw a psychologist who might be the Ancient One.
Now, I just rescued a young girl and ended up meeting Spider-Woman—no, Ghost-Spider.
If it's Ghost-Spider, then it must be Gwen Stacy, right?
But…George Stacy is only in his thirties.
Is it someone else? Or did she come from a parallel universe?
Puzzled, Russell made his way back to his small home.
A seven-story old building: the seventh floor was his residence, and the six floors below housed a bookstore.
Russell hadn't planned the building's layout himself.
A few days ago, he bought the building from a young woman named Hong Fei.
She was willing to sell it below market price, with only one condition—to keep the bookstore.
The building had been left to her by her deceased parents, and the bookstore was their lifelong passion.
Considering the discounted price and his need for a part-time job to pass the time, Russell agreed.
Back in his room, Russell turned on the TV, hoping for some entertainment.
"Breaking news: Two unidentified objects are currently fighting in the skies above New York, both carrying lethal weaponry. Residents are advised to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary."
A sudden emergency broadcast interrupted the show, displaying footage from a local news station.
On the screen, a massive silver-gray robot stood on the highway, its giant mechanical arm raised high, holding a red-and-gold robot.
Around them, cars lay scattered, and terrified civilians fled in all directions.
Russell recognized the scene immediately.
Those two robots were Iron Monger and Iron Man.
This was the final battle from *Iron Man*, where Tony Stark faced his mentor, Obadiah Stane, near Stark Industries.
Even though he identified the combatants, Russell had no intention of getting involved.
Sure, befriending Tony Stark was lucrative, and Russell did plan to do so in the future.
But now was not the right time.
On one hand, his current stats were only in the first stage of enhancement.
He could withstand bullets with his physique, had far superior reflexes, and possessed a mental attack that ignored physical defenses.
However, he was still grounded, with limited mobility and vulnerable to heavy-caliber bullets and missiles.
While he had a 90% chance of using his mental assault to take down old Obadiah by surprise, 90% odds were still too risky.
Without at least a 98% chance of success, it wasn't worth risking his life over someone else's fight.
On the other hand, he didn't want to draw public attention yet—his attribute panel would finish upgrading in a few days.
Intervening now would certainly attract the authorities' interest.
He had only been in this world for three months, and his current identity was fake. He couldn't risk being investigated.
Right now, he needed to lay low, develop quietly.
Once his panel upgrades a few times, he'd make his move.
Then, he'd finally be able to deliver that iconic line:
"I don't eat beef."
As for the butterfly effect leading to Tony's defeat or mutual destruction with Iron Monger?
Russell wasn't worried about that.
The butterfly effect was already in motion.
In the corner of the screen, a figure in a black-and-white suit with a hood swung toward the battling robots.
Ghost-Spider was on the scene!
Unlike the Iron Monger, which was based on a reverse-engineered Mark I suit, Ghost-Spider was a seasoned superhero.
Russell was confident that with her assistance, Iron Man would have no trouble defeating Iron Monger.
Taking out his phone, he checked the time: 10:24 p.m., October 24, 2010.
It was still early. Considering Dr. Yao's suggestion, Russell decided to write up a hiring notice to post outside the bookstore for interviews the next morning.
**[Hiring Library Assistants]**
**Job Responsibilities:** To be discussed.
**Applicant Requirements:** To be discussed.
**Salary:** To be discussed.
**Working Hours:** 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a two-hour break at noon.
Looking at his makeshift job notice, Russell nodded in satisfaction.
Of course, this wasn't a serious job notice. He wasn't looking for "serious" employees either.
He was just trying to amuse himself while waiting for his panel to finish upgrading.
*(End of Chapter)*