"What a nuisance!"
Feeney hadn't expected that even after going to great lengths to open a store on the Upper East Side, he would encounter something like this. Sure enough, New York wasn't a place for ordinary people to thrive without trouble. Still, he couldn't help blaming himself—if he hadn't summoned those three Sumire Chicken Nugget Rolls out of thin air, he could've just thrown the robbers to the police station by now.
Thinking it over carefully, Finney realized the two robbers probably hadn't noticed anything unusual. At the moment he had slapped them with chicken nuggets, they had been reaching for their guns and looking into their coats, so they likely didn't see the nuggets appear out of thin air. One had been lying on the ground, unable to see anything, and as for Skye—Finney hadn't observed her closely enough to tell if she saw anything, but she didn't seem too affected. Judging by her current nervous state, she probably hadn't processed it fully yet.
With a sigh of frustration, Finney finally decided to let the robbers go—but only after confirming they weren't sent by anyone.
"Why did you try to rob our store?"
"Because we have no money!"
"..."
That answer left Finney speechless. Skye, standing nearby, exploded in anger. "Why don't you rob a bank if you're broke?! Why us?"
"You can't rob a bank!" one of them replied matter-of-factly.
That only made Skye angrier, and she kicked the robber. The shop was practically hers, even if Finney did most of the work.
Once he was sure they hadn't been sent by someone more dangerous, Finney felt a lot more at ease. He gave them a stern warning about the local rules and ordered them to leave their guns behind.
"You'll forget everything about tonight and try to be decent people from now on," Finney added.
Before sending them off, he used the 'Golden Great Technique' to subtly manipulate their minds. Given how terrified they were of him already, they'd likely forget everything by tomorrow.
After watching the two disappear down the street, the first thing Skye did was lock the shop door, exhaling deeply.
"Are you sure it's okay to let them go like that?" she asked nervously.
"It's fine," Finney said with a reassuring smile. He had already cleaned up the three chicken nuggets and erased the surveillance footage.
"Finney..." Skye's voice trembled. "Just now... I think I saw something appear out of thin air... three... three..."
"Three chicken nugget rolls?" Finney interrupted, sighing.
Skye paled and took a step back, then leaned forward cautiously. "Finney... are you an alien? 'Cause I'm 100% earthborn, but you... you might have alien DNA."
Finney rolled his eyes. "What are you even talking about?"
"I... I..."
Seeing her flustered, Finney sighed again. If he hadn't known the truth about this world, he might've reacted the same way.
"Don't worry. I'm Finney Hellset, pure earthling. It's just... a little special ability I have. Like this."
He casually summoned a Sumire Chicken Nugget Roll and handed it to her.
Skye took it, staring at the warm food in her hands, then back at Finney, mouth slightly open, speechless.
Now that he'd been exposed, Finney didn't bother hiding anymore. "Remember Brian? How he fell this afternoon? That was me too. Think of it as a kind of superpower."
"Superpowers?!" Skye's eyes widened like a curious kitten. As a hacker, she'd always believed the world held few secrets from her. But now, she realized how little she actually knew.
"Yeah," Finney nodded and motioned for her to sit on the couch.
She walked over and sat down, then asked, "Do Mom and Dad know?"
"Right now, only you know," Finney said, looking at her seriously. "And since you know, I'll be direct. This world is dangerous. Don't go snooping around weird stuff online—it could cause trouble."
"Are there many people like you—with powers?" she asked, her curiosity building. "So your superpower is... making people fall and making chicken nugget rolls? Do you have other abilities? When did you first discover them? Do you know others like you?"
The questions kept pouring out, faster than Finney could answer.
He rubbed his temple and replied, "I feel like there are a lot of people with special abilities out there. Mine seems to be innate. And no—I don't know anyone else like me."
Then, more seriously, he warned, "Skye, I'm not joking. This world really is dangerous. People like us don't get to influence society freely. There's definitely some organization or force behind the scenes, probably governmental."
"If you don't want me to get taken away and dissected in some lab, you need to keep this secret."
"No way..." Skye looked panicked. But she quickly pulled herself together. "I won't tell a soul."
Then she remembered something. "Those two... from earlier?"
"It's okay. They didn't see anything," Finney said.
He could already feel the 'Golden Great Technique' taking full effect. If everything worked as expected, the two would forget what happened and might even turn over a new leaf.
Seeing his confidence, Skye relaxed, but she still silently prayed the robbers would stay quiet.
As the room fell silent, she didn't ask any more questions. She was still worried about exposure and was already trying to think of ways to help if something happened.
Meanwhile, Finney's attention shifted to something else entirely—his skill extraction system.
The experience gauge was full.
Time for the third draw.
"Whew, it's freezing... and not a soul in sight..."