Chapter 4 The Desperate
the next day.
The entire New York media covered the sky with news about the New York police in Times Square yesterday who were tricked by the thief Kidd's April Fool's prank.
"Happy April Fools! NYPD!" - The New York Times.
"NYPD: Stupid day!" - Daily Bugle.
"The Times Square Farce!" - City Daily.
"Bold thieves; stupid cops." -- Manhattan District News.
...
Conan: "Kate, if I were you, I wouldn't call the police."
Kate: "Why?"
Conan: "Because they're still in Times Square..."
Live audience: "Haha~"
- "The Conan Show"
...
[Famousness from New York citizens +0.01]
[Famousness from New York citizens +0.02]
[Fame from George Stacy +3]
[The legend from the New York police +0.03]
[Fame from George Stacy +2]
【From New York...Legend...】
In the antique shop, Li Ran looked at the system prompts that kept flashing in front of him.
Even through the system, I can still feel the anger of the New York police. After all, this time they really lost face.
Coupled with the media's fueling reports, the New York police became the laughing stock of the entire New York City for a while, and at the same time brought a steady stream of legends to Li Ran.
"It would be nice if it could give more fame."
Under such circumstances, if there is anything that makes Li Ran unsatisfied, it is the system itself.
The statistical method of the system's reputation is quite unfriendly. Ordinary New York citizens can at most increase his reputation by about 0.01~0.05. The indirect reports of the media or TV bring less, and even in some cases simply No, maybe because I didn't see it with my own eyes, I couldn't leave a deep impression. To put it simply, the impression Li Ran left on hundreds of New Yorkers was far less than the legend brought by New York Police Chief George Stacy alone.
And the statistical method of the system is equivalent to forcing Li Ran in disguise to find people like New York Police Commissioner George Stacy who can bring high returns to earn fame.
For example, gold and ilk.
Having said that, if he could, Li Ran would not give up the possibility of gaining fame from New York citizens. After all, although the fame obtained from American comics characters is high, not everyone is like George, the chief of the New York Police Department. As 'harmless', most superheroes or supervillains are extremely dangerous, either directly or indirectly.
At least, it's not something that Li Ran can get in touch with now.
In addition, although the legend brought by New York citizens is low, it cannot bear its own large base.
No, after repeatedly swiping the screen, it also brought Li Ran more than 100 popularity, plus he already had more than 800 popularity, just need a little more effort, the new treasure chest will be in hand .
You can't relax, and you can't treat Kim as a New York citizen or a New York police officer.
Li Ran secretly warned himself in his heart, and only then did he suppress the impetuous thoughts in his heart and focus his attention back on his antique shop.
...
jingle--
As the bell at the door of the antique shop rang.
Opening the door, a middle-aged man in shabby clothes walked in.
"Welcome, do you need anything?"
The man's clearly Asian appearance made Li Ran take one more look, but then he turned his eyes away and opened his mouth to welcome him.
As the largest immigrant city in the United States, although there are not many Asians living in New York City,
But definitely not a lot.
The man's eyes swept over everything in the antique store. The various antique goods in the store made him a little cautious. He asked tentatively, "Boss, do you accept antiques here?"
"certainly."
From the embarrassed gesture of the other party, Li Ran had actually sensed something, so he didn't say much, just nodded in response.
It also comes from the identification skills of Kaitou Kidd.
After receiving the answer, the man couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and then he took out a bag from his arms and carefully handed it to Li Ran.
"This bracelet is a family heirloom that my wife has handed down from her ancestors. Boss, can you help me identify it and how much is it worth?"
This is a fake jade.
With the superb and firm skills of the phantom thief, Li Ran had already identified the jade bracelet in the man's hand at first glance.
Just a crude imitation.
"Boss, how much is this bracelet worth?"
Li Ran took his eyes away from the man's hopeful eyes, looked down at the rough bracelet in front of him, and said after a long silence, "Fifty."
"Fifty?!"
Obviously, there is a big gap between the price that Li Ran gave and what the man expected, so he couldn't help but say, "Boss, can it be higher, I really need this money."
"Fifty, is already the highest price."
In fact, if the man's bracelet is exchanged in other stores, let alone fifty dollars, even five dollars is too much.
"Fifty? Fifty! Fifty..."
In the antique shop, the man muttered and struggled for a long time before finally nodding his teeth: "Fifty, just fifty!"
Reaching out his hand, he took the fifty dollars from Li Ran's hand. The man carefully hid it on his body, and finally walked out of the store with a lost look on his face.
"Another one, the desperate man from Hell's Kitchen..."
In the laundry shop, Old Jack sighed as he watched the man leave.
As a man who was born and raised in Manhattan all his life, Old Jack has grown accustomed to seeing down and desperate people like men.
"Who in Hell's Kitchen is not desperate?"
As the most chaotic, dangerous and impoverished area in the whole of New York, ordinary people want to live peacefully here, it is an extravagant hope.
Even Li Ran himself took a lot of effort to gain a firm foothold here.
After casually chatting with Old Jack from the laundry shop, Li Ran returned to the shop and glanced at the jade bracelet still on the table.
He put it away and threw it into the grocery pile next to the antique store.
...
"Mom, mom, dad, it's back!"
Hell's Kitchen, a damp, cramped ghetto.
The little girl with two small pigtails, who looked a little thin, shouted to her mother lying on the bed.
"How is it, has the bracelet been sold?" asked the woman with a pale face on the bed.
Holding up a smile and rubbing his daughter's head, the man looked at his wife lying on the hospital bed: "Sold it, but the money is not as much as I imagined."
"Cough, how much?"
"Only fifty."
"..."
In the room, after a long silence.
The woman spoke with difficulty: "Otherwise, don't treat the disease..."
"How can it be!" The man interrupted his wife's next words with a loud voice, and the man couldn't help saying excitedly: "I will never give up on you."
"But, we simply don't have that much money."
"I'll find a way to solve the money issue. If it really doesn't work, I'll go to Mrs. Gao's place..."
"You're crazy! Madam Gao's all work is..."
"No matter what, it's better than watching you die from illness!"
"Dad, Mom."