I'm in an American comic book, and all my teammates are main characters and bosses.

Chapter 34: Walmart Shopping Bags and Black Hawk Helicopters

Looking at the five system coins that had been deposited into his account, Ron smiled broadly, like a mouse that had just stolen some meat.

He had indeed stolen some animal fat—five system coins might seem like a small amount, but their purchasing power was considerable. Especially with the daily shop offering Superior Umbilical Cords, Ron's desire for system coins had reached its peak.

One umbilical cord costs seventy system coins, and four umbilical cords would cost at least three hundred, not even counting other miscellaneous items.

In the game, consuming the umbilical cord is a simple click, but in the real world, Ron wouldn't dare swallow it directly—the Inner Eye, the Old Seal, all the corresponding rituals, and even the Dream Doll—none of them could be omitted. All told, according to Ron's estimate, a complete process would cost at least 500 system coins.

Especially in the game, only three one-thirds of the umbilical cord are needed to achieve the perfect ending and ascend to become the offspring of a superior being. But that's a game, not reality. Ron's early days of survival as an ordinary person in Yharnam had a profound impact on him. Every shadow in Yharnam harbored monsters, every corner held malice, and every person was stained with blood... Ron would never have chosen to take a gamble without being 99% certain.

Just be bold when you need to be reckless, and cautious when you need to be cautious, as long as you don't end up like some professional teams who get their shells shattered on the field.

Well, to truly complete the evolution, you'll need a bit of luck. It's been over a month since the wolf's tutorial quest ended, but the daily shop still hasn't refreshed for a second umbilical cord. Considering the refresh probability, Ron might need to buy extra daily shop refresh slots, or even buy a fixed slot after it refreshes but doesn't have enough money, so he can save up before making the purchase.

It's troublesome, but the difficulty is significantly reduced compared to collecting it within the Bloodborne world. To put it another way, it's like going from freelancing to full-time corporate work. While the former offers more freedom, its risk tolerance is correspondingly limited. The latter, while requiring part-time work, distributes risk across the entire company.

Hmm... the company should be able to hold on, right?

I glanced at my department's junior manager's system level. Putting everything else aside, I hope this makeshift team doesn't fall apart before I complete the evolution to a higher level.

With that thought in mind, Ron clapped his hands and looked at Geralt beside him.

"How's it going? Has your money arrived yet?"

"We've arrived, but what's the use of this? Any suggestions?"

"Keep them, the more the better." Hearing Geralt's question, Ron readily replied, "System coins have tremendous purchasing power. In mission worlds, just one system coin can buy a legal identity and a large amount of disposable cash. While they may not be very useful in some situations, they can save you a lot of trouble when necessary."

"In addition, each person's personal shop is customized based on their original world and their own power path, and will refresh some necessary items and equipment. As a Witcher, you should refresh some special enhancement items, weapons, and even special potions to improve and enhance the Witcher's mutation."

"Perfect the Witcher mutation? What does that mean?"

Upon hearing the news about the Witcher, Geralt's eyes lit up with curiosity. Ron, however, was quite sensible about future advancement paths and didn't joke around recklessly—he could joke casually before, but joking about this kind of thing could really kill him. For example, Father Gascoigne, due to a momentary lapse of judgment, lost his mind and transformed into a werewolf monster.

In Yharnam, examples similar to Father Gascoigne are countless. Bloodthirsty monsters, clerical beasts, Lawrence... and so on, they are everywhere, innumerable.

Thinking about it, Ron also said, "Actually, the path that Witchers and I take is somewhat similar, but due to the limitations of the worldview itself, our specializations are different. From the beginning, it was all about killing demons and monsters."

Ron explained:

"In your world, in the tenth century, Arzul began experimenting with creating Witchers. Around 950, the first Witchers were created. Arzul performed the Witcher mutation on thirty-eight children, with five ultimately surviving. You and Ciri went to Kaer Morhen to meet up in 1272, meaning the history of Witchers is a full 370 years. It's quite a coincidence that in my world, advancement and evolution are also achieved through blood healing. Although the items refreshed in the shops are different, there are indeed many similarities in how we obtain power... For example, we both evolve through mutations of external objects."

"Evolution, huh..." Geralt nodded silently after hearing Ron's words, then shook his head and smiled helplessly, "It's called evolution, but in other people's eyes, there's no difference between witchers and monsters."

"This is evolution, without a doubt." Ron remained remarkably calm about Geralt's reflections stemming from his human environment. Of course, this calmness was also directly related to their shared origin world—

"The Trial of the Grass strips Witchers of their individual emotions and human reflexes, but in essence, it allows them to observe the world with more rational senses. The word 'evolution' sounds convoluted and difficult to understand, but in essence, it means seeing, hearing, perceiving, and being able to distinguish more things. When that number reaches a certain point, evolution is complete."

"What about the fact that Witchers can't reproduce? Is it a physiological defect resulting from failed evolution?"

"It's possible, but it could also be due to species isolation that arose during the evolutionary process."

"If that's the case... then it's certainly possible." Geralt stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "If that's the case, then System Coins are indeed very important..."

"What, you want to have Yennefer's baby?"

"You really know a lot..." Geralt's face showed a hint of helplessness upon hearing this, then he shook his head and said, "But neither witchers nor sorceresses are infertile, and Yennefer has her own ideas. I can't make a decision on this matter on my own..."

"In fact, Yennefer has been secretly seeking a way to restore her fertility."

"Um?"

Seeing Geralt's somewhat surprised expression, Ron shrugged. "But so far, there's still no solution, so she's poured all her maternal love into Ciri... Sigh, it's a real headache. Do you think Yennefer will break up with Ciri now that she has her own child?"

"No, Yennefer isn't... um..."

I initially wanted to say that Yennefer wasn't that kind of person, but upon closer reflection, I realized I didn't even know that Yennefer had been secretly searching for a way to conceive...

After thinking for a moment, Geralt shook his head: "No matter what, I will tell Yennefer the truth. But before that, the first problem to solve is the Wild Hunt."

"No, the first problem to solve is an uninvited guest."

"Um?"

Both Geralt and Tony were taken aback by Ron's answer. Tony, in particular, exclaimed, "No, what about what you promised me...?"

"Haha, it seems you spotted me a while ago, young friend~"

Before Tony could finish speaking, a cheerful yet aged voice accompanied the ripples that spread through the surrounding space.

Then, as a golden portal opened, the temperature on the top floor of Stark Industries plummeted, and a few snowflakes drifted out of the portal with the cold wind, bringing a touch of coolness to the summer heat of New York.

Along with this cool breeze, a simply dressed old man emerged from the snow-capped mountains under the clear sky on the other side of the portal.

Looking at Ron, the old man smiled and stroked his white beard, introducing himself with a kind expression: "I am the Ancient One, the Sorcerer Supreme of this generation, and also the main administrator of the group system."

"Group system management?"

Upon hearing the Ancient One introduce herself, Ron raised an eyebrow and looked at the old man in front of him, saying, "I thought the Ancient One would be a woman, but I didn't expect her to be an old man."

"Gender change is just a facade; in fact, my true gender is a Walmart shopping bag."

As she spoke, Gu Yi slowly pulled out her American ID from her pocket.

Seeing this, Ron also took out his business card and said with a smile, "Ha, what a coincidence, my real gender is Black Hawk attack helicopter."

"Hehehe..." ×2

I recognized them by their eyes; they were all just people looking for fun.

Finding they shared similar interests, Ron chuckled and said, "Speaking of which, a group system? I remember Tanjiro mentioning it during the last mission. What's the difference between it and my system?"

"There's not much difference; they're both part of the immune system," Gu Yi explained with a chuckle, waving her hand to indicate that Ron didn't need to worry too much.

"The swarm system is mainly used for spatiotemporal anchoring of various worlds to determine the state of the world and to conduct timely virus checks. After a virus is detected, your job is next, which is the difference between the internal and external staff in the immune system."

"Ork, got it." Ron nodded, then asked straightforwardly, "What are your plans regarding the Ancient One from the Wild Hunt?"

"This matter has nothing to do with the group system; it's an anomaly caused by the combination of the World Tree's own teleportation mechanism and the special abilities of that little girl named Ciri. Although it's not part of the World Tree's job responsibilities, it falls within the Sorcerer Supreme's jurisdiction."

The old man, Gu Yi, smiled and said, "I will take responsibility for the arrival of White Frost and provide all the assistance I can to minimize the damage the Wild Hunt inflicts on this world. However, some things, once they happen, are beyond my control... well, perhaps even the Eternal God of our universe is powerless to stop them. The ancient blood within the Daughter of Time and Space has caused multiple worlds to collide, and coupled with the Wild Hunt's pursuit, some more macroscopic mutations are occurring in this world."

As she spoke, she paused, and Gu Yi helplessly rubbed her shiny bald head, saying, "It's really a headache. Why are all the other worlds of Gu Yi so safe, while my world is like a garbage can where anything can be stuffed in?"

"Good, that's what I think too."

"Then I'll go prepare... Oh right, although I might not be able to get there in person, the sorcerers from Kamar-Taj can come and help. You can go to the New York Temple later, you know the way, right?"

"Wait, goodnight, you go ahead and get busy. I'll go find your little brother later—oh, wait a minute, I have a question for you."

"What's wrong?" The Ancient One, who had already stepped halfway into the portal, poked half her head out.

Do you know where Ciri is right now?

"No need to look for her, she's already looking for you." With that, the Ancient One pointed a finger at Geralt. "She came because she smelled it."

"Alright, goodbye and best of luck~"

"You're welcome. Let's keep in touch!"

The Ancient One came and went quickly. Although he spoke lightly, with multiple worlds colliding, Ron could easily imagine how much of a headache the Ancient One was in right now—others might not be able to tell, but couldn't Ron? Although he looked bald, the old man's hair follicles were still alive, albeit barely clinging to life, which was enough to prove that he had only recently gone bald.

Thinking this, Ron waved to Geralt, "Ready to go, White Wolf. According to the Ancient One, Ciri has already arrived in this world, and should be somewhere in New York. Remember Ciri's scent? Sniff carefully and see if you can find her ahead of time."

"Um."

Upon hearing that it concerned Ciri, Geralt nodded, then stood up and prepared to leave.

Seeing the two men preparing to leave, Tony, standing to the side, couldn't stand it anymore.

"I'm telling you, I've been putting up with you for far too long! Are you going to tell me or not?! If you don't, I'm calling the police!"

"Just say it, say it, just say it."

Ron glanced at Tony, then curled his lip and said, "You're no good in that area. Okay, you're done. Are you satisfied now?"

"I'm asking about what you said before about my daughter!" Tony said through gritted teeth, rubbing his temples. "This is very important, you know?!"

It was indeed important. Pepper's gaze behind him was practically piercing holes in Tony's body—Tony didn't want his chlorophyll cup to contain estradiol, which could make men soft and cute, when he drank it in the future.

"Let me correct you, Otto," Ron said. "I said the script was about your lower body, not your daughter."

"What proof do you have! I'm really strong, okay! If you don't believe me, go...go ask those...magazine models..."

As he spoke, he suddenly realized Pepper was behind him. But a man's virility is a matter of personal dignity beyond social status, so even though Tony gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay true, he refused to admit it.

"What's the use of denying it? You've had plenty of hookups with other female heroes in other worlds." Ron chuckled at this.

"As far as I know, it's probably because he overexerted himself when he was young. All the superheroines you dated expressed... well, concern? Or pity or something?"

"That's another world! I'm special!"

"No matter how special it is, it's still the same kind of overdraft~"

(End of this chapter)