Reborn in America: I Have an Equipment Slot

"What? You want to fight?" Owen's smile faded, he slightly flexed his wrists, and slowly said:

"You're not just ordinary homeless people, are you? If I'm not mistaken, those two young black men who just stole my phone are probably with you, right?"

"They're all friends, not part of any group."

Seeing that they had been exposed, the two homeless men simply stopped pretending, shrugged, and spread their hands: "If you're willing to give us some money, we'll let this matter drop, but if you don't..."

Seeing the two homeless men in front of him rubbing their hands together, Irving didn't waste any more words. He stepped forward and kicked one of the homeless men away.

"F**K!!"

Another homeless man stood there stunned, and subconsciously cursed.

Before he could react, a loud "slap" resounded as it struck his face.

The immense force caused his vision to go black, and his ears to ring incessantly.

"F**K you!! You yellow-skinned monkey!"

The homeless man, who had just been kicked to the ground, spat out the blood in his mouth, cursed, pulled out a fruit knife from his pocket, stood up, and prepared to stab Irving.

But Irving reacted quickly, delivering a powerful chop to the other man's wrist and snatching the fruit knife, pressing it directly against the man's throat.

"Come on! Keep going. Why aren't you spewing filth out of your mouth anymore?"

"Two weaklings, wanting $100? Believe me, I'll beat the shit out of you, then shove your heads right back into it!!"

As he spoke, Irving punched the other man in the face.

With a loud "bang!"

In an instant, the homeless man's nose started bleeding profusely, half of his face became red and swollen, and he sat down on the ground, looking around in a daze.

Irving's swift and ruthless actions stunned the two men, who stood frozen in place, afraid to utter any more threats for fear of provoking him.

"Now, can we talk properly?" Owen stood in front of the two of them, his tone unfriendly.

The two homeless men nodded vigorously, then subconsciously took two steps back, cursing inwardly.

Shit!!

No wonder they dared to be so arrogant.

So this kid knows kung fu!

"We'll return your phone to you right away."

The two homeless men immediately backed down and pulled out their phones to send messages to the other members of the gang.

Make the other party deliver the stolen phone and cash to the intersection.

Seeing that the other party obediently did as instructed, Irving's expression softened somewhat.

To be honest, after struggling in Miami for some time, he now has a firsthand understanding of the underlying logic of how America operates.

What about humility, friendliness, and selfless mutual assistance?

That's all bullshit!

The more humble you are, the more others will think you are easy to bully.

The friendlier you are to others, the more they will think you are a coward.

As for selfless mutual help? That's utter nonsense.

Here, interpersonal interactions are more about the exchange of benefits, and superficial friendliness is purely a matter of social etiquette.

Irving shook his head helplessly. If he could, he wouldn't want to get into fights with people every day.

However, when dealing with these people at the bottom of society, violence is often the most convenient and quickest way to solve the problem, bar none.

While waiting for the two young black men who had committed the theft, Irving took the opportunity to inquire about the situation in Bayside Port.

"How many theft gangs like yours are there in Bayside Port? How many people are in your gang?"

"How many? There are probably several dozen, sir."

"Our gang has eight people in total. The two of us are in charge of surveillance, the Doug brothers are in charge of stealing, and the remaining four are in charge of selling the goods..."

Seeing that Irving wasn't making a move, the two homeless men stood there meekly and immediately told him everything they knew.

After hearing the other party's explanation, Irving finally understood why Bayside Harbor had the highest rate of theft in all of Miami.

As one of Miami's most famous attractions, Bayside Port attracts mostly wealthy and influential visitors, making it significantly more upscale than other Miami attractions.

Such an environment is naturally a paradise for thieves.

Nine out of ten Black or Mexican people loitering on the street are pickpockets.

Although Bayside Port is much safer than other parts of Miami, specialized theft gangs have dedicated watchmen, and the sheer number of them is overwhelming.

In order to meet their quotas, the police officers patrolling here will generally crack down on other minor crimes.

"No wonder the 'free shopping' that's commonplace in other neighborhoods can be suppressed by iron fist in Bayside Harbor," Owen remarked.

Just then, two young black men walked over from a distance.

Seeing their companion's bruised and swollen face, the two realized what was happening, exchanged a glance, and stopped in their tracks.

"Hey, man, relax."

Seeing the two young black men looking wary, Irving immediately turned around and indicated that he was not a patrol officer.

"Hey, listen, buddy, all I want is my phone back and the two hundred dollars you stole."

Of course, if you refuse to give it to me, I don't mind calling the police directly, since I have your companions in my hands anyway.

You don't want me to hand them over to 911, do you?

"F**K! Carl, I told you before, I wouldn't let you pretend to be a homeless person!"

Upon hearing Irving's threat, the two young black men immediately cursed at him.

Left with no other option, under Irving's threats, the two slowly walked over and reluctantly handed over Irving's iPhone 5S and $200.

Irving's brow relaxed as he prepared to leave.

But then he noticed a red dot flashing on the panel in front of him.

Upon opening it, I found an extra progress bar inexplicably appearing in the equipment menu.

Equipped item: [Broken Gold Pocket Watch]

Grade: ★★★★

Equipment effect: Grants photographic memory (unique passive).

Note: This pocket watch was a prized possession of Buffalo Bill during the American West's pioneering era. He wore it and killed nearly five thousand bison in eight months, creating an American West legend! To permanently acquire all the effects of this item, you must kill one hundred bison or stop five thefts.

Progress: [1/5]

"This works?!" Irving stopped and looked at the two young black men in front of him, his eyes lighting up instantly.

"Are you short of money?" Owen asked.

The two young Black men looked at each other and nodded.

"Then the four of you can each steal something from me again. As long as I don't notice, you'll get a reward!"

Irving put the iPhone and $200 in cash back in and opened his arms.

The four of them looked at each other, their faces full of questions.

However, seeing that the other party had already said that, the four of them naturally did not stand on ceremony and stepped forward to talk to Owen, trying to attract his attention.

At the same time, his hand quickly reached for the valuables on Irving's body.

"Are you done?"

"alright!"

"..."

A few minutes later.

The four men, bruised and battered, slumped on the ground, watching Owen hum a tune as he swayed away, a million alpacas running through their minds.

Isn't it said that Asians are easy to bully and only know how to be timid and submissive when they come to America? Who spread this rumor!