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Chapter 4 - Desperate




the next day.
The entire New York media covered the news about the news that the New York police were tricked by the thief Kidd’s April Fool’s Day prank yesterday in Times Square.
“Happy April Fool’s Day! 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…”
Audience: “Haha~”
– “The Conan Show”
…
[Famousness from New York citizens +0.1]
[Famousness from New York citizens +0.2]
[From George Stacy’s reputation +3]
[The legend from the New York police +0.3]
[From George Stacy’s reputation +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 reports, the New York police became the laughing stock of the entire New York City for a while, and also brought a steady stream of fame to Li Ran.
“It would be nice if you 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 0.1~0.5. To put it simply, the impression Li Ran left on the four New Yorkers was far less than the legend brought by the New York Police Commissioner George Stacy alone.
And the statistical method of the system is also equivalent to forcing Li Ran in disguise to find people like New York Police Chief George Stacy who can bring high returns to earn fame.
For example, Jinbian et al.
Having said that, if he could, Li Ran would not give up the possibility of gaining popularity from New York citizens. After all, although the popularity obtained from American cartoon 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 more than 100 popularity to Li Ran, 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, but you can’t treat Kim Biao 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 put his attention back to his antique shop.
…
ding bell—
With the sound of the bell at the door of the antique shop.
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, they are definitely not many.
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 skill of Kaitou Kidd.
Hearing the answer, the man couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief, and then he took out a bag from his pocket and carefully handed it to Li Ran.
“This bracelet is a family heirloom that my wife 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 and looked down at the rough bracelet in front of him. After a long silence, he said, “Fifty.”
“Fifty?!”
Obviously, there was a big gap between the price Li Ran gave and what the man expected, so he couldn’t help but say, “Boss, can you be higher, I really need this money.”
“Fifty, it’s 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!”
He stretched out his hand and 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 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 resident who was born and raised in Manhattan all his life, Old Jack has become accustomed to seeing people like men who are down and out and desperate.
“In Hell’s Kitchen, who doesn’t despair?”
As the most chaotic, dangerous and impoverished area in 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 casually put it away and threw it into the pile of groceries next to the antique store.
…
“Mom, mom, dad, come back!”
Hell’s Kitchen, a damp, cramped ghetto.
The little girl with two small pigtails, who looked a little thin, shouted to her mother who was lying on the bed.
“How is it, has the bracelet been sold?” asked the woman with a withered face on the bed.
He held up his smile and touched his daughter’s head. The man looked at his wife who was lying on the hospital bed: “It’s sold, but the money is not as much as I imagined.”
“Cough, how much?”
“Only fifty.”
“…”
In the room, after a long silence.
The woman said with difficulty: “Otherwise, don’t treat the disease…”
“How can it be possible!” He 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.”
“However, we simply don’t have that much money.”
“The money thing, I will find a way to solve it. If it really doesn’t work, I will go to Mrs. Gao’s place…”
“You’re crazy! All the people who work at Mrs. Gao are…”
“No matter what, it’s better than watching you die of illness!”
“Dad, Mom.”