American Adventure: My Uncle is Don Quixote

The final number stabilized at 37189 N.

"That converts to 3,794 kilograms, almost 3.8 tons," he muttered. "An increase of 0.7 attribute points directly boosted my pulling strength by nearly 900 kilograms."

Every 0.1 points = base value of the current whole number level * 5%.

The boost from each point was getting larger and larger. Right now, 0.1 Power could add about 100 kilograms to his pulling strength. Following this trend, once his Power surpassed 9.0, every 0.1 increase would add a whopping 285 kilograms.

Utterly terrifying.

He wondered what kind of effects the Golden Knight would have later on. At that point, he might really be able to fly through the sky and burrow through the earth.

Next, it was time to test his Agility.

Since previous Agility boosts hadn’t made a huge difference, he rarely bothered to test it. However, he did have a custom-made reaction speed tester.

The principle behind the test was simple: lights would illuminate in random locations, and he had to press the light panels as quickly as possible.

Li Wei took a deep breath and pressed the start button.

The LED lights on the panel began to flash randomly. The instant they stopped, Li Wei tapped one. 0.042 seconds.

In the next two rounds, Li Wei’s scores were 0.040 and 0.041 seconds, for an average reaction time of about 0.041 seconds.

The limit of human reaction speed is 0.15 seconds. His was more than three times faster.

To put it another way, he could now catch a fly in mid-air with chopsticks.

The Constitution test was the usual routine. He took an AR-15 and shot himself in the abdomen with a 5.56mm rifle round. It still left a bruise, but it seemed slightly better than last time, though he couldn’t be entirely sure.

"Not bad," Li Wei nodded, picking up a piece of rebar. "Let’s see the practical effects."

For Li Wei, returning to New York was a complete vacation, a chance to relax. But for others, returning to New York meant the beginning of more work.

Jin Heon was a prime example.

After landing in New York yesterday at noon, Xiaojin had been so busy she barely had a moment’s rest all day.

There was media coordination for the Super Bowl champions’ parade, editing and securing release authorization for the video of his visit with Ethan Horton, confirming the terms of the Mercedes-Benz endorsement, recruiting an assistant, and more.

Not a single task could go wrong or be delayed.

Fortunately, after the video with Ethan Horton was released, it went viral thanks to Li Wei’s own fans and the promotional push she orchestrated. Within 24 hours, it had amassed 200 million views across the internet, and the reviews were overwhelmingly positive.

Even a few commentators who had always been critical of Li Wei had to grudgingly publish a few articles praising him this time.

It wasn’t until the evening of her second day back in New York that Jin Heon finally lifted her head from her desk, her neck letting out a series of cracks.

"Ahh—fuck," she said, stretching luxuriously. "Finally done!"

She picked up her phone, about to ask her best friend Park Su-yeon out for a late-night snack, only to discover a series of missed calls on her silenced phone.

A closer look revealed they were from her mother.

Jin Heon sighed, took a few deep breaths in front of the mirror, and called back.

"Heon," her mother’s voice was hushed. "Is... is it a good time for you to talk?"

Jin Heon felt her stomach clench.

"It is," she said. "What’s wrong?"

"Well..." Her mother hesitated for a few seconds. "Two men came to the house the day before yesterday."

"What kind of men?"

"They said your father owes money to a casino," her mother’s voice trembled. "Over 8,000 USD. They said if he doesn’t pay it back within a week, they’ll cut off one of his hands."

Jin Heon rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"And?" she asked. "Did they cut it off? If they did, I’ll go set off some firecrackers to celebrate—"

"Heon!"

"Alright, alright, I was just kidding," Jin Heon sighed again. "You gave them the money, didn’t you."

"Yes."

"And then Dad definitely grilled you about where the money came from, right?"

Silence. Then, her mother spoke. "One of the men who came for the money might have recognized you. He said he’d seen you on TV."

Jin Heon slapped her forehead. ’They must have caught me on camera in the suite during the Super Bowl.’

"So what?" she said. "Did they tell my dad?"

"Yes... After your father heard, he started pestering me about you yesterday. He’s been asking how much you earn a year, where you live, how much you have in savings." Her mother quickly added, "But I didn’t say anything! I told him you only make 5,000 a month, but I’m not sure if he believed me..."

Jin Heon couldn’t remember how many times she had sighed today.

"Also..." she heard her mother say, "you gave me 5,000... but it wasn’t enough. We’re still short by over 3,000..."

"So basically, besides the money I gave you, the family has nothing left, is that it?" Jin Heon closed her laptop.

"Sigh," she heard her mother’s faint sobs. "Don’t cry. I’ll cover the rest in a couple of days. Just stick to the story that I’m just a regular office worker."

After hanging up, Jin Heon leaned back in her chair and stared at her dorm room ceiling for a while.

She needed to get some fresh air.

When she pulled the 911 out, Jin Heon had no destination in mind.

But when she unconsciously turned onto Fifth Avenue, she knew where her hands would automatically steer the car.

Toward that French villa on the Upper East Side.

The snow in the crevices of the wrought-iron gate hadn’t completely melted, and the dead ivy vines reflected the faint, scattered lights.

Jin Heon parked the car in her usual spot. It had been almost four years since she first saw this villa.

Four years ago, she had taken the subway to see it. Now, she was driving Li Wei’s 911 to see it, and her net worth had surpassed 20 million USD.

She was getting closer and closer to her goal, yet sitting here, she felt an unprecedented exhaustion.

It was like Sisyphus pushing the boulder: just as he reached the summit, it would roll back down. The higher you climb, the harder you fall.

Just as she was lost in thought, the villa’s iron gate suddenly opened.

A white woman who looked to be in her fifties stepped out. She was wearing a gray cashmere sweater and a pair of low-heeled loafers, her short blonde hair impeccably styled.

She walked to the mailbox at the entrance to get her mail, and her peripheral vision caught the 911 parked by the roadside.

She seemed to recognize the car.

Jin Heon froze. ’It’s over, I’ve been spotted.’

She wanted to drive away, but the woman was already looking at her, and she offered a friendly smile.

She even raised the envelope in her hand, as if to wave hello.

Jin Heon hesitated for a few seconds before rolling down the window.

"Hi," the woman said, walking to the side of the road and bending down to look at Jin Heon through the window. "Do you park around here often? I’ve seen this car from my window several times before."

"I..." Jin Heon’s face flushed. "I’m sorry, I’m not a stalker or anything. I just... I really like your house."

The woman was taken aback for a moment, then she laughed.

It wasn’t a mocking laugh, nor a polite one, but one filled with pride and sincerity.

"In that case, why don’t you come in for a cup of tea?" she said elegantly. "It’s a bit dull drinking tea all by myself."