"System, be honest with me. The items in the newbie gift pack are fixed, aren't they?"
"Host, you misunderstand. Except for the system manual, all other rewards in the newbie gift pack are issued randomly."
Listening to the system still insisting inside his head, Reed had nothing more to say.
Why did he suspect the gift pack contents were fixed?
Because after coming to his senses, he discovered Alfred's role mission was to manage the Wayne Enterprises.
If the contents were truly random, and he had received Alfred along with Themyscira as the environment card, what was he supposed to do? Start a Wayne Enterprises from scratch on Paradise Island? A seventy-year-old man's adventure in an island full of women?
Still, there was no point in overthinking it. Whether everything was truly random or already predetermined by the system, all Reed could do now was use what he had and develop his path in this world.
Even without the Gotham City environment card, he would have used Alfred's skills to build his own force.
"That said, judging from the current situation, things at Wayne Manor don't look good. How am I supposed to maintain all this as just a butler?"
After he began roleplaying Alfred, a flood of information entered his mind.
In simple terms, the current timeline was the period when Bruce Wayne had left to train abroad, leaving the mess of the Wayne empire to Alfred.
Even though Reed hadn't acquired Batman's role card yet, the name Bruce Wayne now existed in the world's consciousness thanks to Gotham's emergence.
Everyone knew of a man named Bruce Wayne. As for when he would appear—that depended on when Reed could get his hands on the Batman card.
"Ugh..."
After a long thought, Reed could only sigh.
Reading the comics, it was easy to admire Alfred's loyalty and how he managed Wayne Enterprises alone while Bruce was away. But now that he was the one playing Alfred, he realized just how difficult that task truly was.
Wayne Enterprises wasn't publicly listed, so he didn't have to worry about a stock crash from Bruce's disappearance.
But that didn't mean the company was entirely in Wayne hands.
Several high-ranking executives who owned shares had already announced Bruce Wayne—the last heir of the Wayne family—was dead. Using that as a justification, they proposed taking the company public, under the excuse of securing its future.
Once listed, even if Alfred held the Wayne family shares, he wouldn't have the power to stop them.
After all, the shares weren't his. He could manage them, but he couldn't exercise shareholder authority.
"This is bad..."
No matter how he thought about it, Reed couldn't find a way to prevent Wayne Enterprises from going public.
Bang!
Just as he was sitting in the luxury car now modified by the system into a Wayne family-exclusive vehicle, a loud noise echoed in his ears.
"A window shattering? And the sound of brakes?"
Clearly, something had happened up ahead on the road.
"Should I... go take a look?"
Even though he now inhabited the body of a British-American butler, he had grown up in the East. And that deeply ingrained habit of rubbernecking had carried over.
Be it a car crash or a terror attack, as long as the gun wasn't aimed at him, he couldn't resist taking a peek.
With that thought, Reed didn't hesitate. He started the car and drove forward.
As he got closer, new sounds reached his ears.
"Help... somebody help!"
Cries for help.
He hesitated for a moment—but then realized this was an opportunity. Alfred wasn't just the loyal Wayne butler, but also a retired soldier with a strong sense of justice.
If someone was really in danger and he helped them, wouldn't that boost his roleplay synchronization?
That killed any remaining hesitation. Reed stepped on the gas and quickly arrived at the source of the cries.
But the scene that greeted him stunned him on the spot.
Because it was all too familiar.
A middle-aged man with long, unkempt hair—probably hadn't seen a shampoo bottle in ten years—was pulling an older gentleman out of a car using a metal arm.
And on that car, the unmistakable Stark logo gleamed.
Wasn't this the infamous scene of the Winter Soldier assassinating Tony Stark's parents?
His starter village boss... was the Winter Soldier? And he was supposed to fight him as Alfred?
While Reed stood frozen, the Winter Soldier noticed the new arrival. Seeing a witness, he dropped the injured Howard Stark and pulled a pistol from his waist, aiming it at Alfred.
"This is bad. He's going to shoot!"
Bang!
The moment the gun fired, Alfred's instincts kicked in. Reed's body moved on its own, slamming open the car door and diving out of the line of fire.
The bullet shattered the window, but Reed managed to roll and dodge the shot.
Unfortunately, it didn't end there. The Winter Soldier, being HYDRA's top assassin, had excellent marksmanship. The muzzle never left Reed's position as he kept pulling the trigger.
"Warning. Danger. Extreme danger."
Reed had no options. The Winter Soldier was closing the distance while firing relentlessly. Alfred's skills weren't enough to dodge every bullet, so Reed dove behind the car to take cover from the special pistol's rounds.
"If I'd known it was the Winter Soldier, I'd have stayed far away!"
Regret crept into his heart. Alfred was strong, no doubt, but still just a regular human. Like Batman, more brains and preparation than brute strength.
Sure, in one parallel universe Alfred had played out a Joker and Batman roleplay with his deranged young master in Gotham, but that only highlighted Alfred's cunning.
As for raw combat strength? Alfred didn't have much to boast about.
Still, there was no turning back now.
Reed twisted the handle of the cane in his hand.
Inside was a hidden rapier—his only weapon.
At the same time, he noticed that the car door he'd slammed open earlier had fallen to the ground during the gunfire.
That gave him an idea.
He began counting the bullets fired by the Winter Soldier.
"Nine... ten... eleven... twelve... now!"
As the twelfth bullet left the chamber, Reed darted out from behind the car. In one hand, he gripped the rapier-cane; in the other, he effortlessly lifted the detached car door.
But when he looked toward the Winter Soldier, he was stunned once more.
The man had tossed his pistol into the air with his left hand, caught a spare magazine, and drawn a second pistol with his right—already aiming it right at Reed.