Chapter 5: Half a Suit of Armor, A Casual Hunt¹
Following Linglong's guided navigation, Jiang Feng soon arrived in Manhattan, and the number of people around began to increase.
This was one of the most densely populated parts of New York.
Although public safety was notoriously poor, the area was still heavily populated.
The streets bustled with cars and people coming and going.
Students, office workers, loafers, and even gang members could be seen everywhere. The chaotic noise blended together, giving the area a gritty, urban atmosphere.
Some people were heading home from work, others were chatting idly, and a few were casually "shopping without payment."
This area—
Was the Clinton District of Manhattan, also known as the infamous Hell's Kitchen.
One of the most chaotic and dangerous places in New York.
It was primarily inhabited by working-class Irish immigrants.
Known for its disorganized, rundown housing, intense ethnic conflicts, and frequent criminal activity, it had a notorious reputation.
Not long after Jiang Feng stepped into the area—
He walked a few steps along the street and spotted a mysterious kiosk run by a vendor resembling K'Sante.
As the saying goes: the darker the skin, the more authentic the goods.
That street vendor's complexion was so dark that he seemed to melt into the shadows. On a gloomy, rainy day, it would be nearly impossible to see his facial features clearly.
Naturally, the goods on that stand were likely the real deal.
But despite witnessing such blatant criminal activity, Jiang Feng remained unfazed, indifferent to it all.
Compared to Cyberpunk 2077, his previous trial world—
Hell's Kitchen was practically wholesome.
In Night City, you could find black market organ dealers in dark alleyways.
Compared to that—
K'Sante's street stall was child's play.¹
"Master, you've entered the bounds of Hell's Kitchen. Please be careful—there are many gang members in the vicinity, most armed with illegal weapons."
The voice of the AI Linglong sounded again.
Jiang Feng nodded silently.
But he didn't show any intention of being cautious. Instead, he stepped boldly into a deserted alley, striding deeper.
It didn't take long before he arrived at—
The true heart of Hell's Kitchen's filth and crime.
Compared to earlier—
The environment around Jiang Feng had drastically changed.
This area's condition had taken a sharp downturn.
Trash was strewn everywhere, emitting a nauseating stench. The air was thick with a foul, suffocating odor.
The buildings here were relics from the previous century, their peeling walls bearing the wear of time like the weathered face of an aging man.
Compared to the bustling parts of New York—
This place was a world apart, like a corner abandoned by civilization.
It was a true slum.
In the alley—
The few pedestrians hurried by, as if driven by an invisible fear, not daring to linger under the night sky.
As if staying a moment longer would see them swallowed by darkness.
At a glance—
One could hardly believe this place was still part of New York's glitz and glamour.
"This is more like it. Reminds me of Night City."
Jiang Feng casually glanced around. In his smart glasses, a target's image gradually came into view.
Deep within the alley, several walls—
Had become enormous canvases, overtaken by wild graffiti. The chaotic artwork clawed and writhed across the surfaces, radiating rebellion and lawlessness.
In this dark corner—
A group of thugs huddled together, smoking, looking hostile, exuding menace as they loitered.
Despite the distance, Jiang Feng could clearly see them.
Each had large, twisted tattoos crawling across their skin, their bodies pierced with metal rings and studs.
The gang members' eyes—
Glinted with greed like hungry wolves as they sized up every passerby with ill intent.
They were clearly gangsters. The bulging shapes at their waists hid deadly weapons—
Whether cold knives or lethal firearms.
This was the reality of Hell's Kitchen.
Compared to the shining center of New York where Jiang Feng had been before, the contrast was like heaven and hell.
Just like Zaun and Piltover—
Though sharing the same world, they were as different as mud and clouds.
In this oppressive atmosphere, Jiang Feng didn't even need to act—
Trouble came straight to him.
Two cocky, arrogant voices rang out suddenly in the dark:
"Hey, look! A glasses-wearing yellow man. Since when did yellow monkeys start wearing glasses?"¹
"Hahaha! Who knows what's going on? Come here, stand still. Let Uncle Black take a closer look."
Looking in the direction of the voices—
A few black men in hip-hop streetwear swaggered toward him.
Their faces wore mocking expressions, grinning unpleasantly. Their voices were shrill and grating, full of blatant racism.
To them, Jiang Feng wasn't even worth a second glance.
Clearly—
They had already marked him as prey, the perfect target.
On this dark night—
A lone man wandering into Hell's Kitchen was like a fat sheep walking into a wolf pack—irresistibly tempting.
The gangsters had already decided to rob him, making no effort to hide their malicious intent.
After all—
To these thugs, Asians were the easiest targets in America.
When robbed, Asians often endured it quietly, too timid to resist. Lacking solidarity, they were prone to infighting.
Once outside the bounds of Chinatown, they were essentially defenseless.
These criminals were already well-practiced in such crimes.
And they were certain Jiang Feng was just another easy victim.
"The prey took the bait... some people really are brainless. No matter the world, there's always someone this dumb."
Facing their mocking and malicious voices—
Jiang Feng's expression remained calm, completely unfazed.
With practiced ease, he focused a thread of consciousness and reached into his Reincarnator backpack, pulling out a pre-prepared prototype of an exoskeleton armor.
Just as the gang members were closing in with wicked intentions—
In the blink of an eye—
A sci-fi style exoskeleton appeared from nowhere, covering Jiang Feng's body with lightning speed.
Like a stream of silver light, it wrapped around half his body.
This armor—
Compared to the exoskeleton arm he had shown Hammer, was clearly more refined and deliberately crafted.
It was no slapdash prototype.
Under the faint light, the unpainted metal shell shimmered with a cold silver hue.
The gang members—
Who had been spewing insults and mockery moments before, suddenly froze in place. Their smug expressions turned to stunned disbelief.
Their dull minds—
Now a tangle of confusion.
"What the hell? Magic? Where'd that tin can come from?!"
Their wide lips barely squeezed out the words in disbelief.
With their narrow minds and puddle-deep intellect, what they saw before them was far beyond their comprehension.
"If you really can think... take that question with you to hell."
Jiang Feng gave them no time to react or even process.
He immediately activated the half-suit of exoskeleton armor.
From the wrist, a barrel extended like the eye of death—
It locked onto the thugs with unerring precision.
A quiet but deadly burst of gunfire shattered the brief silence.
The armor fired needle-shaped armor-piercing rounds, silent assassins in the night.
The sound they made was barely more than a mosquito's buzz—
Even quieter than a silenced submachine gun—yet far deadlier.
In a flash—
The needle-thin, razor-sharp bullets easily tore through the gangsters' bodies. Blood bloomed into the air like crimson lotus flowers.
Their faces were still frozen in disbelief.
As death descended, the scene became absurdly grotesque.