4 Learning Painting

That night, the headquarters and strongholds of several gangster forces in Brooklyn were taken down, and a large amount of money disappeared.

The losses ranged from several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars. At this time, the per capita annual income of the United States was less than 1,000.

While the group of gangsters was going crazy looking for the thief who stole their money, the thief was boarding a cargo ship bound for Europe.

During this period, the endurance of the air crafts was very poor.

No plane could travel the 5,000-6,000-kilometer voyage from America to Europe, so the slow ship became Ray's only choice.

Of course, Since Ray had no identification, he chose to go illegally.

Since sneaking into Max's Villa, Ray found that he liked playing the roles of assassins and thieves.

His body is close to the peak of human beings, its strength, agility, and perception are many times higher than ordinary people so Ray can easily sneak in without being discovered.

In addition, he can store anything in his space. Assassination and Thieving are pretty convenient for him.

It is mainly because Ray likes to achieve his goals at the least cost. Recklessness is not Ray's style.

After opening the last safe, Ray packed up his tools and began to count the harvest.

All the US dollars added up to more than 120,000, there was also a small number of gold bars and jewelry, as well as drugs.

What surprised Ray the most was the two M1911 pistols.

This pistol has served in the US military for more than 70 years. It is a classic high-power pistol. Its magazine capacity is 7 rounds.

For Ray, who has amazing strength and has a large space for magazines, it was a very good gun.

After more than ten days, the cargo ship finally arrived at the port of Liverpool, England.

Without waiting for dark, with his keen hearing and perception, Ray easily avoided the crew, quietly got off the boat, and stopped a taxi outside the dock to go straight to the nearest hotel.

Ray, who was alone, asked for the best suite, with two bedrooms and a spacious living room. Through the windows, he could see the classic and beautiful street view of Liverpool and the vast coastline in the distance.

Ray went to the soft and spacious bed and soon fell asleep.

In the early morning, the fine sunlight sprinkled on Ray's face through the curtains made of, and the warm feeling awakened him from his deep sleep.

He had a rare good night's sleep. Ray felt this refreshed after a long time.

Ray got up and walked slowly to the window, opened the window, and a gust of cold wind mixed with the early morning moisture blew into the room.

The month now is January and the year 1942, but Ray, who should have left immediately, wandered the streets of Liverpool leisurely.

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When World War II broke out, a group of Germans fled to Britain for asylum. Most of them were German elites, including Jews who were racially persecuted, communists, and 'degenerate artists' hated by Hitler.

Among them were doctors, lawyers, businessmen, and artists, but in the UK they were just a group of refugees from enemy countries.

After coming to the UK, their life was not easy.

First, they worked as coolies to help the British build fortifications, then they lived a hard life in thick fog and heavy rain.

After experiencing a period of ups and downs, out of fear of Nazi Germany, the British government confined all these "unstable elements" to several small islands near Liverpool.

Until the recent Pearl Harbor incident, nearly 30,000 Germans on the island were released. Most of them joined the British army, but many remained in Liverpool.

They were not very popular with the British. Those who can't find a regular job can only live on the streets and live a very hard life. Ray easily found an old German artist who made a living by painting other people's portraits in the square...

The old man had gray hair and was wearing a dark gray suit that was somewhat worn but very neat.

Even after living a hard life, there was not the slightest hint of pain and suffering on his face.

The old man was sitting on a broken wooden bench, holding a drawing board on his leg in one hand, a charcoal pen in the other, and an old leather case at his feet, which contained all his belongings.

"Sir, do you want a portrait?" the old man asked with a gentle smile.

"Why not?" Ray walked to the stool in front of the old man and sat down.

The old artist carefully observed Ray, quickly drew with the charcoal pen in his hand on the drawing board, and quickly completed a lifelike sketch.

The old artist's painting skills were superb. With just a few simple strokes, Ray's eyes and expressions were drawn very vividly.

Looking at the portrait drawn by the old man, Ray realized that he had undergone a big change without knowing it, but Ray preferred as he is now, the freedom and wantonness he has now.

Restraining and hiding are not conducive to the growth of strength.

'This is the real me'

Ray thought while looking at the sharp and aloof figure in the portrait.

The old artist reminded Ray of his Grandfather, and he needed to learn painting for the work he is going to do now anyway. So, he decided to employ him as his teacher.

When Ray explained his intention and offered a daily salary of £2 including room and food, the distressed old artist quickly put away his drawing board, packed his suitcase, and happily followed Ray into the hotel.

The old man's name is Eddie Albert. He is a painter and sculptor who was not very famous. He has been obsessed with artistic creation all his life. He is not married and has no children. He is still alone in his sixties.

Although this type of living gave him more creative inspiration and insights, his body could not support it. He was ready to die in a foreign land, but Ray's appearance gave him a glimmer of hope, and he chose to seize it.

After returning to the hotel and arranging for Albert to stay in the other bedroom of the suite, Ray took the old man to the best restaurant nearby for a big meal.

Albert ate the food elegantly. His posture and everything else were like a Noble, not a refugee.

From this day on, Ray began to learn sketching, oil painting, and sculpting with Albert.

His developed brain and precise control over his body allowed Ray to learn them quickly. It didn't take long for Ray's painting and sculpting skills to reach a fairly good level.

What surprised Albert, even more, was Ray's language talent.

Ray learned German from scratch. And In just one month, he began to speak like a local.