After celebrating Megumi's 3rd birthday, the two of us were now at the park for some fresh air.
Toji, who was sitting and relaxing in the evening, watched the man in front of him, Kiruma Souichi, pull out several newspapers and brochures.
"What's the point of reading all that?" Toji asked curiously.
"The zombies that appeared recently disappeared as if swallowed by darkness. With these newspapers, at least I can gather some information about what's happened from the year 2000 up until now," Kiruma replied.
From the newspapers, Kiruma found several pieces of new information:
[Vought Industries Declares Bankruptcy]
[Mysterious Deaths of Prison Criminals, All Simultaneously Due to Heart Attacks]
[Rumors of Billionaire Tony Stark Having Affairs with Famous Models]
[Liu Zhigang, a Chinese Millionaire, Profits Greatly from Export Business]
'I already know this world is a fusion of many fictional works. I hope it's the Sacred Timeline or MCU.' And with Vought Industries' bankruptcy... it's clear the universe is from *The Boys*. However, there's no mention of superheroes in the newspapers.
'The founder of Vought Industries was a German scientist and a Nazi. It seems Hydra or S.H.I.E.L.D. destroyed Vought and took their research on Compound V.'
Reading further, Kiruma also noticed the Chinese billionaire Liu Zhigang. It was clear he came from the *Solo Leveling* universe. Perhaps this was during Jin-Woo's regression, aided by the chalice given by the Rulers.
"Toji, I noticed that in your house, there's only a 4-year-old girl and 3-year-old Megumi. I didn't see their mother," Kiruma said.
Toji responded immediately, "My first wife passed away, and as for my second wife, she disappeared without a trace. Maybe she's already been eaten by Cursed Spirits. I gave them both enough money to survive for 2–3 years."
The money Toji earned from killing Riko Amanai had been substantial. Still, it was unclear where most of it had gone. In the end, Toji entrusted Megumi to Satoru to raise him before his own death.
Reflecting on this, Kiruma turned to Toji.
"Toji, do you know how to make a large amount of money?" Kiruma asked, gazing at the bright moon.
"I've never earned money using my brain. All my wealth came from killing people," Toji replied bluntly.
"Do you know what a [Vice Fund] is? Of course, you wouldn't, so let me explain.
A fund is when companies use investor money. This is called a [Mutual Fund].
A [Vice Fund], however, involves investments in sectors such as alcohol, gambling, tobacco, and weapons. Investors use their money to buy and sell in these fields."
"To be more precise, Vice Funds focus on investing in liquor, tobacco, gambling, guns, missiles, fighter jets, and industries that manufacture and trade various kinds of weapons."
Toji, after hearing this, remarked, "You're referring to something like Stark Industries selling weapons. But there's no way we can get into that."
"You're right. Entering the arms industry is impossible. But did you know? When someone uses a weapon for a crime, the stock price of the weapon manufacturer doesn't drop. Instead, it often skyrockets," Kiruma replied.
"There was an incident in Florida where more than 50 people died in a mass shooting involving guns. Afterward, the stock price of the gun manufacturer soared because of public demand for gun restrictions. People rushed to buy firearms in bulk *while they still could*.
"What motivates these people is chaos. The more unstable the world is, the more money these companies make! For them, peace is the problem. So, what must they do to keep the world in chaos?"
"Now, you get the picture, don't you?
"In all those shooting incidents, the perpetrators always died, and their motives remained unclear. Add to that the never-ending wars in Syria or Ukraine. These people orchestrate events and manipulate unrest.
"Because of such incidents, governments or neighboring nations require more weapons."
"What I want us to do is enter the arms industry and become weapon smugglers. However, since we don't have any weapons in stock, I have an interesting idea. Do you want to hear it?"
"Go ahead," Toji said, listening intently while wondering, 'Is this kid really 18 years old?'.
"Become employees under Tony Stark. Since we both have above-average physical capabilities and I have a genius brain, I want us to get close enough to become Stark's trusted subordinates. Even if we don't steal Stark's weapon cache, we could still earn plenty from the salary that rich man pays."
Getting close to Tony Stark would give Kiruma a greater chance of stealing his time-space technology.
Kiruma wouldn't fight openly in this universe but instead work behind the scenes.
Kiruma would obtain something like Steve Rogers' super-soldier serum if Toji and he survived after Stark's Snap.
Thinking about it, Kiruma questioned his purpose in this world. With so many combined films, anime, manga, and manhwa, what did he truly want?
In his previous life, Kiruma didn't have a partner. Did he want women now? Gathering a harem of beautiful women seemed fun, but he doubted he could love them. So he discarded the idea of building a harem.
Earlier, Kiruma lied to Toji about being a god and calling himself [The Last Story].
With a small chuckle, Kiruma opened his mouth.
"Toji, you'll become the first member of Kakerou. The purpose of this organization is to not die. Even if this universe faces an apocalypse, I'll ensure Kakerou's members, including myself, survive by traveling to alternative universes."
Toji, hearing this proposal, looked at the man named Kiruma Souichi before him and nodded, agreeing to join the organization called Kakerou.
"Kiruma, if you fail and cause everyone who joins this organization in the future to die, will you still continue your mission?" Toji asked while gazing at the moon.
"In the end, all living beings die. Even if I die, I won't regret it," Kiruma replied, then turned to Toji.
"I don't have enough money to buy a ticket to America. I'll borrow some from you and pay it back later."