"Little sister, you have a tender pink lock, and I have a big, shiny black key. Why don't I help you open it?"
The greasy voice belonged to a man named Bob.
He was currently cornering a young female student in the middle of a busy street.
The girl was trembling, her back pressed against a cold brick wall as she looked for an escape that didn't exist.
Despite the crowded sidewalk, no one dared to intervene.
People intentionally looked away or sped up their pace.
It wasn't just because of Bob's massive, intimidating frame.
The real reason for their terror was the White Tiger Gang tattoo emblazoned on his arm.
It was the mark of one of the city's most ruthless criminal syndicates.
In this neighborhood, crossing a White Tiger member was the same as signing your own death warrant.
"Please, leave me alone! Someone, please help me!" the girl cried out.
Her eyes were wide and watery, darting around the sea of strangers for a savior.
"The more you resist, the more excited I get, hehe," Bob sneered.
His yellowed teeth were visible as his filthy hand reached out to grab her.
Before his fingers could touch her, a hand shot out from the crowd.
It caught Bob's wrist like an iron vice.
The sudden stop made Bob stumble, his momentum halted by a force he didn't expect.
"Is this kid insane? Risking his life for a girl against a member of the White Tiger Gang? He is dead meat."
A bystander whispered to another.
Max stood there with a cold, indifferent expression.
Only a few hours ago, he would have been one of the people walking faster to avoid trouble.
He would have been paralyzed by the fear of the consequences.
But things were different now.
With the Lust System flowing through his veins, a small-time thug was nothing more than an ant.
Bob sneered and tried to yank his arm back.
He pulled with all his might, but his arm didn't move an inch.
It felt like it was welded to a steel beam.
A flash of confusion crossed the thug's face before it turned into raw rage.
"Brat, do you know who my father is?" Bob barked, his face turning red.
Max tilted his head slightly.
A mocking, predatory glint appeared in his eyes.
"I don't know your dad, but I certainly know your mom. Last night she was staying with me, and she was screaming my name so loud I could barely get any sleep."
The crowd went silent.
Even the girl stopped crying for a moment, shocked by the audacity of the stranger.
"You son of a bitch! I'll kill you!"
Bob swung a heavy, amateurish fist toward Max's head.
To Max, the movement was pathetic.
It felt like it was happening in slow motion, like a fly buzzing lazily through the air.
With his Olympic level physical enhancement, his reflexes were on another planet.
Before Bob's punch could even get close, Max's fist blurred.
It connected squarely with the thug's jaw.
Crack!
The sound of shattering bone was loud enough to be heard across the street.
Bob didn't just fall.
He flew backward through the air for seven full meters.
He smashed into a stone wall, coughed up a spray of crimson blood, and slumped to the ground.
He was out cold before his head even hit the pavement.
The silence that followed was heavy with shock.
Then, the whispers exploded as people realized what they just saw.
Some people rushed over to check if the man was still breathing.
Others pulled out their phones to call for an ambulance, their hands shaking.
Max ignored them and turned to the girl.
She was staring at him with a mix of terror and pure awe.
"Thank you... I'm Selena, a student at Vanguard University. Thank you so much for saving me. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't intervened."
She trailed off, her voice still trembling with leftover adrenaline.
Selena bowed her head shyly.
Her natural blue hair fell over her shoulders like a silk curtain.
She was wearing a tight white dress that accentuated every alluring curve of her body.
As Max looked at her, a blue notification window pinged in his mind.
[Name: Selena]
[Age: 20]
[Sophomore at Vanguard University]
[Beauty Score: 75]
[Affection: 72/100]
Max was impressed by the system's efficiency.
It even had a built-in radar for this kind of information.
His eyes lingered on the affection score.
Saving her life had clearly done wonders for his standing in her mind.
"Vanguard? What a coincidence. I'm Max, a third-year student at the same university. It seems we are schoolmates."
Selena's face turned a deep shade of red.
She gripped the white fabric of her dress so hard her knuckles turned white.
She took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure.
Her voice was small and shy, her eyes refusing to meet his.
"What a coincidence... Senior... can I... can I have your IG? I want to find a way to thank you properly. Maybe I can treat you to a meal sometime to show my gratitude?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Selena quickly covered her mouth with her hands.
Her face was glowing like a ripe tomato.
She looked like she wanted to disappear into the ground.
Max felt a massive surge of pride.
Before the system, he was the one begging for a glance from girls like her.
Now, a beauty with a score of 75 was practically begging for his contact info.
Only losers had to chase.
A successful man had women chasing him.
"Of course, I'd be happy to."
They exchanged info, and Selena gave him a final, lingering look before leaving.
She said she had urgent business to attend to.
Max watched her walk away, his mind already calculating.
A beauty score of 75 was more than qualified for his newbie quest.
But he had another problem to solve first.
He looked down at his clothes.
They were cheap, second-hand rags from a discount bin.
If he wanted to walk into a high-end bar and close the deal, he needed to look the part.
Being a billionaire on paper meant nothing if he looked like a beggar.
He opened a ride-sharing app and called for a premium taxi to the nearest luxury mall.
Five minutes later, the roar of a high-performance engine filled the street.
A bright red Lamborghini pulled up to the curb.
The door swung upward, and a young man waved his hand.
"Are you Max? I'm Tod. Hop in."
Max was stunned for a split second.
Is every CEO in this city pretending to be a taxi driver for fun?
He didn't hesitate and climbed into the luxurious leather seat.
The smell of expensive upholstery filled his nostrils.
"That's me. I have to ask. You clearly aren't struggling for money. Why are you out here driving a taxi in a Lamborghini?"
Tod laughed, a casual and carefree sound.
"I'm just a normal university student, man. I do this to meet interesting people and see the world from a different perspective."
Max smirked.
Normal student? Yeah, right.
This guy was a master at the art of flexing.
He was doing exactly what Max intended to do.
Max decided to test the waters and speak with absolute dominance.
"Tell you what, Tod. Lend me this car for the night. In two weeks, I will lend you my car in return. We can consider it even."
Tod nearly swerved at the bold request.
He looked at Max, his eyes scanning the worn-out clothes and the cheap phone.
But there was something in Max's eyes.
It was a level of confidence and natural authority that simply couldn't be faked.
Tod had grown up around the elite, and he knew that look.
Did he just run into a fellow rich kid playing the humble game?
"Bro, this isn't a joke. Do you know how much this machine costs?"
Max leaned back, his posture relaxed and unshakable.
"Can it be more expensive than my limited edition hypercar? The one that only has forty units in the entire world?"
Tod's eyes widened.
He knew exactly which car Max was talking about.
The Bugatti Bolide.
"Let's make a bet. If you aren't satisfied with the car I show you in two weeks, I will pay you ten million dollars as compensation."
Tod froze.
The car came to a stop at a red light.
No sane person would joke about ten million dollars unless they had a hundred million behind them.
If this guy was for real, he was someone worth knowing.
If he was a lunatic, it would be an interesting story to tell his rich friends.
"No problem. But let me take a photo of you first. Just so I know who I'm betting against."
Max flashed a bright, confident grin.
With his newly enhanced visuals and sharp jawline, he looked like a movie star.
Tod snapped the photo and looked at it, his brows furrowing in curiosity.
This guy really did look like someone important.
"Alright, brother. Don't get into any trouble with my baby."
Tod pulled over at the entrance of the mall and tossed the keys to Max.
"Keep in touch, Tod. Soon, you'll realize that handing over these keys was the smartest decision you've made since the day you were born."
Tod watched the red Lamborghini roar away, driven by a man in thrift store clothes.
He shook his head in disbelief, wondering what kind of monster he just unleashed.
Max drove into the parking lot and headed straight for the main entrance.
He found the flagship store for Fortune.
It was one of the most exclusive fashion brands in the world.
It was the kind of place where you needed an appointment just to look at the shoes.
As soon as he stepped through the glass doors, a grating, high-pitched voice rang out.
"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in. Isn't this my sister's pathetic loser of an ex-boyfriend?"