The God of Wealth starts with doing whatever you want

Manhattan at night, neon lights like blood.

Xu Yun changed into a low-key black casual outfit and tucked a palm-sized ceramic pistol into his lower back.

This is a special weapon he redeemed from the system. It cannot be detected by metal detectors, and it has a seven-round magazine, enough to protect himself in critical moments.

The apartment is located near Fifth Avenue, with a bustling commercial area just downstairs.

He didn't want to drive; he planned to walk and experience the city's nightlife.

New York's nights are never peaceful.

Especially in this neighborhood, luxury brand stores stand side by side with homeless tents, and Wall Street elites in suits share the sidewalk with street performers.

Contrast and conflict are the very essence of this city.

As soon as Xu Yun stepped out of the building, he noticed that someone was watching him.

Not a professional stalker.

His gaze was too direct, filled with greed and assessment, like a predator sizing up its prey.

He pretended not to notice and continued forward, turning into a relatively quiet side street.

Most of the shops here have closed, with only a few bars still lit up and music faintly emanating from them.

Hey, bro.

Sure enough, three figures emerged from the shadows and formed a triangle to block the way.

The speaker was a tall, muscular Black man wearing a dirty hoodie and holding a steel pipe in his hand.

The other two were on either side of him: a tall, thin white man holding a knife, and a Latino man with nothing in his hand, but with the fiercest look in his eyes.

"Take out your wallet, watch, phone, everything of value."

The tall, muscular Black man slammed a steel pipe against his palm, making a dull thud, and said, "Cooperate, and you can go home unharmed."

Xu Yun stopped and scanned the three of them.

He was actually a little disappointed; it was too amateurish.

They didn't coordinate their positions, didn't clear the area beforehand, and didn't even check if there were any cameras around.

He's just a street thug driven purely by instinct.

"What if I don't cooperate?" Xu Yun asked calmly in English.

The three of them were taken aback, seemingly not expecting the Asian face to be so calm.

"Then you'll have to suffer a bit."

The Latino grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and pulled a switchblade from his back waist, snapping the blade open with a "snap".

A cold glint flashed under the streetlights.

Xu Yun sighed.

He's not a bloodthirsty person, but surely he can defend himself, right?

But more importantly, he wanted to give it a try.

Try to imagine what it would feel like to shoot a criminal in the street in a country where civilians are allowed to own guns.

Xu Yun knew that this idea was dangerous.

But after returning from the Middle East, his deep-seated desire for excitement seemed to be completely ignited.

"Last chance."

Xu Yun raised his right hand, palm facing outward, making a "stop" gesture, and said, "Turn around and leave. Nothing happened tonight."

"Damn, what are you pretending for—"

Before the Latino could finish speaking, Xu Yun made a move.

Instead of drawing his gun, he charged forward.

The five-meter distance shrank instantly, and before the three could react, Xu Yun had already cut into the Latino's arms.

With his left hand, he grabbed the other person's wrist holding the knife and twisted it in the opposite direction.

With a crisp "crack," the wrist bone broke.

The switchblade slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

At the same time, strike the opponent's throat with your right elbow.

The Latino man's eyes widened, a strange "clucking" sound came from his throat, and he went limp.

All of this happened in two seconds.

The tall, muscular Black man and the thin, tall White man finally realized what was happening and charged forward with a roar.

The steel pipe struck Xu Yun on the head.

Xu Yun dodged to the side, the steel pipe whistling past his ear.

He seized the steel pipe and pulled it, causing the black man to lose his balance and stumble forward.

Xu Yun raised his knee and slammed it hard into the other man's abdomen.

"vomit--"

The black man groaned and bent over, clutching his stomach.

But the tall, thin white man on the other side had already circled around to the side, and his knife was aimed straight at Xu Yun's waist.

Xu Yun finally drew his gun.

It wasn't the ceramic pistol on his back, but another Glock 19 taken directly from the system space, loaded with live ammunition, with a muzzle suppressor already installed in the space.

"puff."

A faint sound, like a balloon popping.

The bullet struck the white man's wrist with pinpoint accuracy, and blood splattered everywhere.

The knife clattered to the ground.

The white man screamed and staggered back, clutching his wrist as he stared in horror at the gun in Xu Yun's hand.

The tall, muscular black man struggled to get up, but Xu Yun turned his gun and aimed it at his thigh.

"puff."

Another shot.

The black man screamed and fell to the ground, his trousers quickly soaked with blood.

Xu Yun walked over to the Latino man, who was already in a semi-comatose state due to a throat injury.

He crouched down and used the muzzle of his gun to lift the other man's chin.

"Now, do you still want my wallet?"

The Latino shook his head frantically, his eyes filled with fear.

Xu Yun stood up and looked around.

There are security cameras on the street corner, but they are most likely not pointed at this location.

Pedestrians in the distance noticed the commotion and were looking in this direction.

He put away his gun, calmly straightened his clothes, and turned to leave the scene.

After walking about ten meters, the sound of police sirens came from afar.

Xu Yun turned into another street and blended into the crowd, just like an ordinary night owl.

[The host punished the thugs at will, effectively protecting their own safety, and is rewarded with "Black Vision Ability".]

As the system's voice faded, Xu Yun suddenly felt his vision become as clear in the darkness as it was in daylight.

"..." Xu Yun.

Holy crap, that's an awesome skill!

Wouldn't I be able to go to a woman's room in the middle of the night without turning on the lights?

Awesome!

Xu Yun hadn't expected such an unexpected gain.

He felt he could do whatever he wanted, but he felt the system gave him even more unrestrained rewards.

Xu Yun smiled and continued walking forward, intending to find a bar to sit in.

But after walking a short distance, the feeling of being watched returned.

This time is different.

Their gaze is more discreet, more professional, and carries a clear intention.

Xu Yun remained calm and continued forward, while simultaneously using his "crisis sense".

A slight tingling sensation came from the back of my neck.

He quickened his pace and turned into a convenience store that was still open.

Looking out through the glass window, I saw two men standing across the street.

One man, wearing a dark jacket, was leaning against the wall smoking; another sat on a bench reading a newspaper, but holding it upside down.

An amateur's disguise.

But they were much more professional than those three thugs from before.

Xu Yun bought a bottle of water and, while paying, casually asked the cashier in English, "Do those two people outside often live around here?"

The cashier, a young Latino man, glanced out the window and shook his head, saying, "Never seen him before. He's probably here for a drink too."

"Thank you."

Xu Yun walked out of the convenience store and deliberately headed in a more secluded direction.

Sure enough, the two men followed.

Maintain a distance of about thirty meters, at a moderate pace.

Xu Yun walked and pondered.

Who sent them?
Someone from a "neurotech" company? Impossible, he hasn't even started yet.

Remnants of the "Black Eagles" organization?

It's possible, since news of Natasha and Elisa being granted asylum in China has probably already spread.

Or... just an ordinary professional assassin, taking on jobs?

He decided to test the waters.

Ahead was a narrow alley with piles of trash cans and dim lighting.

Xu Yun went inside, leaned against the wall, and lit a cigarette.

Although he doesn't smoke, he needed a prop at this moment because it would make him look cooler. A few seconds later, two men appeared at the alley entrance.

Seeing that Xu Yun hadn't left, they were taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovered and walked into the alley side by side.

"Mr. Xu?"

The man in the jacket spoke, his voice low and deep.

Xu Yun exhaled a puff of smoke, but he didn't actually inhale it; he was just making a show of it.

"Who sent you?"

"Someone wants to talk to you."

The man in the jacket said, "About some... stuff you got in the Middle East."

"what?"

"USB drive, transaction records, and intelligence from the minds of the two female agents."

The man in the jacket slowly approached, his hand on his waist, and threatened, "Come with us, and you won't get hurt."

"What if I don't go?"

"Then we'll have to resort to less civilized methods."

Another man pulled a silenced pistol from his pocket and pointed it at Xu Yun.

"Don't resist, Mr. Xu. We know you're a good fighter, but you can't outrun a bullet."

Xu Yun looked at the muzzle of the gun and suddenly smiled.

"You made a mistake."

"What error?"

“It is wrong to follow a foreigner who is legally carrying a gun in New York.”

Before he finished speaking, Xu Yun made a move.

It's not forward, it's backward.

He slid flat on the ground into the trash can.

At the same time, he took out the ceramic pistol from the system space.

"Pfft!"

The other side fired, and the bullet hit the trash can with a dull thud.

Xu Yun peered out from the side of the trash can and pulled the trigger.

"puff."

The ceramic bullet was fired and hit the wrist of the man holding the gun.

It wasn't a fatal wound, but it was enough to make him let go.

The pistol fell to the ground.

The man in the jacket quickly hid behind another trash can and also pulled out a gun.

"Mr. Xu, there's no need for this!"

He shouted, "We really just want to talk!"

"Talking with a gun pointed at someone?"

Xu Yun sneered, "Your negotiation methods are quite unique."

Footsteps could be heard from both ends of the alley.

The gunshot must have alerted people nearby. Although it was fitted with a silencer, the sound of bullets hitting objects was still very clear at night.

The man in the jacket clearly realized that the situation was not going well.

"withdraw!"

He fired two shots randomly in Xu Yun's direction to suppress him, then helped his wounded accomplice up, and the two of them ran awkwardly towards the other end of the alley.

Xu Yun did not give chase.

He put away his gun and quickly left the scene.

This time, instead of returning to his apartment, he took a taxi to a safe house in Brooklyn.

This is also part of his assets, and even his agents here don't know about it.

The safe house is located on the third floor of an old apartment building. It looks unremarkable from the outside, but it is equipped with a complete security system and emergency supplies.

Xu Yun closed the door and turned on the anti-eavesdropping scanning device.

Only after confirming that he was safe did he sit on the sofa and begin to review the events of the evening.

The first wave consisted of street thugs; it was purely accidental.

The second wave consists of professionals with clear goals.

"Someone is investigating me."

Xu Yun opened his laptop, connected to the encrypted network, and sent a message to Chen Zhe.

"Check if anyone has been investigating my whereabouts recently, especially those coming from the Middle East."

A few minutes later, Chen Zhe replied:
"Investigation has been completed."

Three days ago, a group of IP addresses from Europe conducted an in-depth search of your public travel itinerary in New York, including flight information and hotel booking records.

Do we need to perform reverse tracing?

"Can you pinpoint the specific source?"

"It will take time. The other party used multiple steps, and the final node is in Zurich."

Zurich.

Switzerland.

Xu Yun realized that the "messenger" was Swiss.

But the "messenger" probably wouldn't betray him; that would violate the rules of intermediaries and completely ruin his reputation.

Who could it be?

Europe... the remnants of the "Black Eagles" organization?

Or is it that after the "professor" fell from power, the new leader wanted to eliminate all those in the know?

It's all possible.

After a moment of contemplation, Xu Yun directly exchanged the intelligence with the system.

It turns out that the 'Black Eagles' organization has recently split into two factions.

One faction advocates keeping a low profile and lying low until the storm passes;
The other faction is the radicals, who believe that all outside insiders, including you, Natasha, and Elisa, must be eliminated in order to completely whitewash the organization.

Tonight's guests are radicals.

"But strangely, they shouldn't know their exact location in New York."

Unless... there's a mole within.

"Or your schedule is being monitored in some way."

Xu Yun remained silent.
A few seconds later, he let out a cold laugh.

"Since they want to play, I'll play bigger games with them."

He plans to launch his short-selling plan against the neurotechnology company ahead of schedule.

In addition, he has some other things that can give them even more trouble.

Thinking it over, he redeemed intelligence from the system once again.

As long as the system exists, there is nothing he doesn't know.

"System, exchange for 'Black Eagles radical faction personnel list and stronghold information in North America'."

[Redeem successful.]

[Intelligence has been released: including the identities of 17 known active members, the addresses of 6 safe houses, the coordinates of 3 contact points, and the recent schedule of the faction leader.]

Xu Yun quickly browsed through the information.

The list includes Americans, Canadians, Mexicans, and even two European businesspeople who entered the country legally.

The outposts are located in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, and other places.

The leader, codenamed "The Butcher," is actually Mark Walcott, a German-American and a former Marine Corps veteran who was recruited by the "Black Eagles" organization three years ago.

The itinerary shows that this person will arrive in New York tomorrow afternoon and check into the Hilton Hotel near Times Square.

"You've come at the perfect time."

Xu Yun wrote down all the information and then began to plan.

He's not a law enforcement officer; he has no need to arrest people himself.

However, this intelligence can be used to our advantage.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the NYPD... there are always departments that will be interested in the activities of a transnational criminal organization within the country.

Especially if the organization is also suspected of terrorist activities.

Xu Yun retrieved some materials he had brought back from the Middle East and selected records of financial transactions between the "Black Eagles" organization and Middle Eastern armed groups.

They also exchanged for a forged record of communications between the "Butcher" and the "Desert Eagle" organization.

The system-generated product is so realistic it's indistinguishable from the real thing.

He packaged the materials and anonymously sent them to the FBI's New York office's public whistleblower email address.

Meanwhile, using another anonymous account, he sent summaries of these materials to investigative journalists at The New York Times and The Washington Post.

A two-pronged approach.

Official investigations take time, but media exposure will be much faster.

Once news of the Black Eagles' activities within the United States is published, the FBI is forced to take action.

At that point, "The Butcher" and his men probably won't have the energy to bother me.

After finishing these tasks, he turned on his computer and began writing detailed instructions for Chen Zhe.

The short-selling plan against the "Neurotech" company must be brought forward and intensified.

He didn't want to stay in New York for too long.

He wants to go home.

She stayed by Xinuo and Zhong Yanyan's side, waiting for the baby to be born.

But before that, all the trouble needs to be cleared up. (End of Chapter)