Marvel: The Alchemist Just Wants a Peaceful Life

It's important to understand that, no matter where you are, in any city, the truly luxurious places are never in the city center, but rather in the suburbs or even in towns, especially in a magical country like the United States.

In essence, everyone in the U.S. military is divided into four classes.

The lowest level is called the Underworld, a dog-eat-dog world made up of homeless people, rat-men, and even killers and scavengers. In this world, there are no laws, only rules, and violence is the standard by which everything is measured.

Above that is the lower class, the so-called slums or the Rust Belt. The South District in Shameless is a typical example of this, but it was a romanticized version in the TV series. The real lower class is much more brutal than depicted in the show.

This place is often referred to as 'the lawless zone,' in other words, it's a true lawless area! Official U.S. personnel would never set foot here; in such places, gangs usually call the shots, and violence is the prevailing atmosphere.

Above that is the middle class world, which is almost exactly the stereotypical image of the United States you know. They are like sheep in a sheepfold, carefully maintaining their dignity under a tight system of elimination, while doing their best to provide a continuous stream of wool for the upper class.

Above the middle class is the upper class, and Sherlock's community belongs to this class. The people here often possess abilities far exceeding those of the middle class, such as violence, power, resources, money, and even the unspeakable.

They are at the relative top of the food chain and are also top players in the US's capital game.

Take New York City as an example. If the higher-ups wanted to, they could even control nearly 90% of the city's financial flows if they could unite without any disloyalty!

Of course, they are not at the very top level. The top level is known as the blue-blooded aristocracy. They are not in the system and belong to the "royal family" on the American side. They are extraordinary people who have transcended the three loans and five insurances and are generally not recorded.

Generally speaking, this harvesting system involves the upper class exploiting the middle class, the middle class exploiting the lower class, and the lower class also exploiting the homeless people and rat-people in the underworld.

But what's amazing is that for the people of the underworld, especially for those in deep waters like the Continental Hotel, the upper levels are often their prey as well.

This is a fairly complete cyclical system.

Interestingly, although these four social classes all live in the same city, people from these four classes may never have any contact with each other in their entire lives, and may not even know that there are other social classes.

Take the middle class for example. Before a middle-class person falls to the brink of financial ruin, in their world, homeless people are just homeless people, nothing more than a group of drug addicts and lazybones.

As for the slums and the wealthy neighborhoods where Sherlock and his friends lived, he probably would never know about them in his entire life, let alone ever have been there.

The reason is simple: public transportation will never extend to these two social classes! Even driving requires taking a detour, possibly leaving the city first, then entering the city again, and turning onto a side road that is not marked on the map on the way to reach the slums.

As for the wealthy area where Sherlock and his friends lived, they would be stopped by the police before they even entered. Even if they were lucky enough not to be stopped by the police, the security personnel inside would drive away any "outsiders" who had mistakenly entered.

Take Sherlock's neighborhood for example. The security detail there is entirely composed of Black Widows. Even the security personnel from other high-end neighborhoods openly mock the equipment of the American military. That just shows how outrageous the situation is.

Under this physical level of isolation, many things are actually hidden, especially for those at the top.

Therefore, when the vehicle drove out of the city, Sherlock didn't feel anything was wrong, and even felt it was a bit natural. After all, in Sherlock's mind, the luxury of the upper class was never in the city center.

Moreover, Sherlock didn't think that Tiffany, who looked like the woman of a powerful figure, could pose any threat to him.

On the contrary, Tiffany's amused smile grew even brighter as she looked at Sherlock, who remained silent and maintained his standard fake smile.

Just as Sherlock had imagined, the carriage turned onto an inconspicuous dirt road shortly after leaving the city. After traveling less than a hundred meters on the dirt road, the wheels were back on the smooth asphalt road.

Less than half an hour later, an incredibly luxurious and elegant manor appeared before Sherlock.

It was a typical American estate, with a huge garden big enough to play golf in, paired with a main building about three stories high and full of classical charm.

There is a small garden-like roundabout at the main entrance, and in the center of the roundabout is a marble fountain.

The entire estate was patrolled by armed personnel, who worked alongside gardeners and servants tending the gardens, much like the stereotypical image of a European aristocratic manor.

Honestly, Sherlock's only thought about this was that coming to someone's house on a first date was a bit too fast, and he even started to wonder if that heartless woman had already ruined the girl and was making him take the blame.

However, to Sherlock's utter surprise, after the vehicle had only circled the roundabout once, it turned onto a side road and drove toward the side of the house.

After passing the massive manor house, the vehicle drove directly into a hidden underground entrance!

Instead of building an above-ground garage in the manor, they spent a huge sum of money to build an underground garage? For some reason, Sherlock had a bad feeling, and a crack appeared on his standard fake smile.

Seeing the slight crack in Sherlock's smile, Tiffany, who had been watching him intently, finally revealed a satisfied expression. The playfulness in her smile became even brighter, and there was even a hint of anticipation in it.

Chapter 586 Sherlock's Date A Live 2 (Tiffany's Arc)

After the vehicle came to a stop in the huge underground garage, Sherlock got out and finally couldn't maintain the fake smile on his face. He even felt that his bad premonition was gradually becoming a reality.

The reason is simple: this isn't some underground parking garage at all, it's a huge underground illegal factory!

Looking at the busy people in the underground parking garage, Sherlock was at a loss for words, and even began to suspect that Tiffany was planning to kidnap someone or do something else.

Just as Sherlock was still immersed in the spectacular sight before him, Tiffany, with a smile on her face, put her arm around Sherlock's shoulder and said to him.

“Even though we’re already quite familiar with each other, I still feel it’s necessary for me to show you the real me and my family’s real businesses!”

As she spoke, Tiffany put her arm around Sherlock and began to tour the huge underground factory, even explaining things to Sherlock as they went.

"This is a repackaging plant for additives. About 60% of the additives in the entire city are repackaged here and flow into the hands of those gangs. For some of these additives, our market share has even reached 90%!"

As Tiffany said this, Sherlock stared blankly at the figure wearing a gas mask bustling back and forth among various powders and liquids, his lips twitching slightly.

This was just Tiffany's opening act. After realizing that Sherlock had no interest in the enhancement agents, Tiffany put her arm around Sherlock and continued walking forward.

"This is a weapons workshop that produces untraceable black label weapons that supply most of the shady violent businesses. It even provides high-end customization and technical support services. Of course, apart from the most basic weapon purchases, the other services are all quite expensive."

Tiffany paused here, as if she had just remembered something, and looked at Sherlock, whom she was holding, with a smile before continuing.

"Oh, right, if I remember correctly, you mentioned that you have some connection with the Mainland Hotel? Let me tell you a secret, the Mainland Hotel is actually one of my clients."

After saying this, Tiffany ignored Sherlock's reaction and forcefully pulled him along, leading him to visit the Black Gold Factory, a place specifically responsible for money laundering and fund transfers; the Data Factory, a place specifically responsible for hacking technical support and cold wallet exchange; and the Flesh Factory, a place that provides Gundam recycling and sales as well as organ replacement.

As Tiffany led Sherlock on the tour, the cracks in Sherlock's smile widened, while Tiffany's amused smile grew even brighter.

It wasn't until Tiffany had shown Sherlock around all the factories that she led him into a conference room, which was filled with a group of burly men.

But the moment Tiffany walked in, those guys whose faces screamed "I'm not to be messed with" all instinctively sat up straight like schoolchildren.

When Sherlock followed Tiffany into the underground conference room, he realized that only the head seat was empty; clearly, it was Tiffany's seat.

Tiffany, however, showed no intention of sitting down. Instead, she placed her hands on the backs of the chairs of the men sitting upright and began to walk around the conference table with her long legs, her eyes fixed on the men sitting around the table.

The clicking of her high heels on the floor was like a death countdown clock; in the quiet conference room, Tiffany's every step echoed the heartbeats of those seated in their chairs.

After Tiffany had walked the entire circle, she finally spoke with a smile.

"I didn't originally plan to summon you all so urgently, after all, you are all uncles here, and I intended to save face for you. But unfortunately, due to some things, I suddenly changed my mind!"

As she said this, Tiffany glanced at Sherlock, and instantly all the men's eyes fell on Sherlock, who had followed Tiffany in.

Combined with Sherlock's outfit, which made him look like a 'little lamb,' the atmosphere in the conference room became incredibly strange.

Of course, the burly men didn't dare linger on Sherlock for too long. They only glanced at Sherlock and, after confirming that they remembered him, looked away.

On the contrary, Sherlock's lips twitched involuntarily when he saw Tiffany's reaction.

Tiffany, however, ignored Sherlock's twitching lips. Or rather, she saw it, but that was the effect she wanted, so she had no intention of explaining.

Ignoring Sherlock's twitching lips, Tiffany slowly walked to the head seat at the conference table and sat down. She then glanced around at everyone at the table before speaking slowly.

"Uncles, I hope you can remember that the right to sit here is a privilege granted to you by the Daniels family and supported by my father. I don't expect you to be grateful, but I will never tolerate betrayal."

At this point, Tiffany paused slightly before fixing her gaze on one of the burly men.

"Uncle Jack, what do you think?"

The burly man whose name was called, Jack, broke out in a cold sweat the moment he heard his name. He tried to stand up but was firmly pressed back into his chair by two men in black suits.

"No, no, Tiffany, let me explain. It's not like that. I had my reasons. You have to believe your Uncle Jack. I even held you when you were little. I would never lie to you!"

But it was clear that Tiffany didn't listen to Jack's explanation. She stood up and waved her hand. One of the men in black immediately handed Tiffany a hammer, and the two men in black who were holding Jack down pulled Jack and his chair away in an instant.

After Tiffany walked up to Jack with the hammer, she didn't even pause for a moment before smashing the hammer directly down on Jack's heirloom.

In an instant, Jack's shrill screams echoed throughout the entire conference room.

However, Tiffany showed no sign of stopping, swinging her hammer relentlessly, blood splattering everywhere like raindrops, even landing on the faces of the other people at the conference table, but no one dared to wipe the blood off their bodies.

Sherlock, however, remained impassive, avoiding all the bloodstains. Though he showed no outward reaction, he was inwardly wryly smiling.

He genuinely wanted to ask Sister Hua, "Can this guy really be called powerful and influential? Isn't he just a pure underworld boss?"

Chapter 587 Sherlock's Date A Live 3 (Tiffany's Arc)

Only after Jack's screams had almost subsided did Tiffany stop what she was doing, throw the blood-soaked hammer onto the conference table, wipe the blood off her face while panting, and then scan the group of burly men in the conference room.

"The Daniels family does not accept betrayal, no matter who it is."

After she finished speaking, the entire conference table fell silent; no one dared to refute Tiffany's words.

Seeing this, Tiffany finally smiled with satisfaction and gently placed her bloodied hand on the shoulder of the person who had just been sitting next to Jack.

Ignoring the trembling of the person's hand as it touched her, Tiffany's tone was quite gentle.

"Uncle John, you'll handle Uncle Jack's body, won't you?"

"Of course, don't worry, I'm the most professional. All I need to do is find a homeless man, inject him with some enhancement drugs, throw him into Jack's house, and set it on fire."

The man named John, whom Tiffany had singled out, answered Tiffany's question with a trembling voice.

Seemingly quite satisfied with John's answer, Tiffany patted John on the shoulder and then spoke to him.

"That's good. I believe Uncle John won't let me down or cause me any trouble, right?"

"Of course!"

John answered without the slightest hesitation, as firm as if he were about to join the Party. Of course, you have to ignore the boundless fear in John's eyes and his constantly trembling hands.

Tiffany didn't seem to care about John's reaction. After patting John on the shoulder, she stood up with a smile and walked towards Sherlock, saying something to him.

"It's all over. Let's go, I need to go upstairs and take a shower!"

After saying that, he led Sherlock out of the conference room.

Sherlock ignored the reactions of the people in the meeting room and followed Tiffany out of the meeting room.

After walking through a corridor, Tiffany led Sherlock into an elevator. When the elevator doors opened again, Sherlock was no longer greeted by the cold, blood-soaked, and crime-filled basement.

The first thing you see is an exquisite, luxurious and elegant corridor.

The soft carpet, the paintings on the walls, the chandelier overhead, and the glittering decorations all create a feeling of stepping into the Palace of Versailles.

The two had just stepped out of the elevator when a man dressed in a smart suit, with his hair neatly combed and looking like a noble butler, came to greet them.

After Tiffany led Sherlock out of the elevator, the man bowed slightly to Tiffany before speaking to her.

"Miss, you're back."

Tiffany simply nodded, her tone completely flat, as if she were speaking to a smart butler.

"Okay, Shaw, show this Mr. Sherlock around and help him tidy up. I'm going to take a shower first."

"Yes, Miss. The luncheon is scheduled to start promptly at 11:00 a.m., and the guests have already begun to arrive."