Chapter 1 Life changing job

1933, Rochester

It was one of the darkest times in human history. Unemployment and economic downfall wreaked havoc, and the flames of the Second World War were nearly within reach. According to Bruce, it was the worst time to reincarnate, especially if you were from the twenty-first century. He hadn't expected to die suddenly, let alone be reincarnated. Yet he did, and when he reopened his eyes, he found himself in the body of a fourteen-year-old boy with the same name.

When he first arrived in his new reality four years ago, he thought it was a fantasy world like Marvel, or that he would have some overpowering gift. But he found no fantasy elements, no Stark Industries to indicate he was in Marvel. The only boon he received from his reincarnation was his new body, which was far superior to his previous body. He wasn't superhuman or anything, but his new body was extremely athletic, surpassing any average person in strength, speed, and reflexes.

He had a mother in this world. While he never thought of her as his true mother, he greatly respected her for providing for him in such a difficult time. Around a year ago, she lost her life to a disease. Bruce tried many ways to help her, but being part of the lower class rendered much of his future knowledge useless. He wished he could have done more for the woman, but even after involving himself in a few shady businesses, he couldn't help much.

All these events led to his current situation, drinking alone in a rundown pub without any real purpose in life. He wanted to thrive in his new life, but the fate seemed to be against him.

"Bruce, my man, how are you?" A voice interrupted his solitude. As Bruce turned toward the voice, he was greeted by a familiar face: a young man in his mid-twenties who had become friends with Bruce through his business dealings.

"Before you refuse, I'm not here to get you to join our gang. Well, you're always welcome to join, but today I have a job for you."

"Jack, I swear if this is about rich widows again, I'm going to punch you in the face," Bruce said, putting down his drink.

"No, no, my friend, this is about a rich man, a banker to be precise," Jack continued. "The man's name is Royce, the richest guy in all of Rochester. He's asked for men to bodyguard him. But we need our boys in the streets, Italians are getting rowdy these days. So this is your chance to shine."

"I think I'll pass, Jack. What am I supposed to do? This is different from your usual jobs."

"Come on, man. This is your ticket to get out of these streets. Kiss some ass and impress the man, and you'll be making a river of money. Except you're the champion of the underground fighting pits, just beat up anyone who gets too close."

"Fine, fine, I need some money anyway. What's your cut?" Bruce asked, raising an eyebrow. This was the way these jobs worked. Nothing was ever free, a lesson he'd learned long ago.

"Just thirty percent. And keep this," Jack said, handing a revolver to Bruce. "For safety. There are some strange rumors about people disappearing. People in this guy's circle."

"I'll manage," Bruce said yet he took the revolver. It was better than being sorry. He was confident in his ability to survive any situation. After all, this wasn't the first time he'd done mercenary work for Jack's gang. Bruce knew Jack liked to be dramatic, especially when it came to work details.

"Better be careful. Edmond will take you to your new employer." Jack said checking his watch.

" I'll catch up with you later. Boss is making me do his dirty work again," Waving at departing Jack, Bruce returned to his thoughts. There was a little bit of worry about this new job in his mind, but what could go wrong in a perfectly normal world?

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That evening, Bruce and Edmond, who was also assigned to the job, went to meet their employer. Initially, they went to a place that could only be described as a mansion. They were then redirected to a safe house with much less grandeur and more seclusion. They finally met their mysterious employer. According to Bruce, his living quarters were impressive. It was a reinforced room with only two openings, an air vent and a door that resembled a vault door. This was obviously a private vault possibly used for illegal caches. The man, Royce, was less impressive compared to the room. He must have possessed a towering frame once, but now he looked shrunken and sickly pale. He didn't talk much, other than giving the order not to let anyone other than the servants enter the room.

After patrolling around the safe house, Bruce gained an understanding of its structure. After a quick discussion with Edmond, they decided that one would guard the main door while the other would wait in the living room near their employer's room.

Minutes turned into hours, and night passed uneventfully. After a night without incident, Bruce became less tense. But around noon, a servant arrived at the safe house in a hurry. Bruce led him to Royce, and the servant whispered something to Royce. While Bruce didn't catch their words, he could tell it wasn't good news, as his employer became even paler.

"No, no, she took Johnny too," Royce mumbled in a haze. The servant tried to calm him, but it was to no avail. Soon, Royce's mumbling turned into screams.

"It's her, it's her, I'm sure of it. She is here to take revenge. She will kill us all," Royce yelled, shivering in fear. While Bruce silently questioned his employer's sanity, he received another order to always remain on guard in front of the vault door.