Before nightfall, at Rykers Island Prison.
A jailer walked into Kingpin's cell carrying a steak. After a respectful knock, he opened the cell door and placed the meal on Wilson Fisk's table. Fisk was currently reading; realizing the guard had not yet left, he closed his book. "Is there something else?"
"Your lawyer is here to see you, Mr. Fisk."
My lawyer.
Hearing this, Fisk couldn't help but chuckle. He sat at the table and picked up his knife and fork. "Tell him to wait a moment. Let me... finish eating first."
A few minutes later, Fisk arrived at the visiting room and saw Matt Murdock waiting there. He signaled for the guards to leave. Matt, listening to the room settle, couldn't help but smirk. "It seems you're living quite comfortably here, Fisk."
"Indeed. As long as... I remain a human, and my crimes are merely economic ones, I don't need to be locked up with your spandex-wearing friends, Devil."
Matt frowned, but he hadn't come to argue with Fisk today. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Lester attacked a friend of mine recently."
"Is that so? Was anyone hurt?"
"It seems you can't control him?"
"Do you think I can control him?"
Both men fell silent for a while. Then, Matt moved past the topic. "If you still intend to eliminate the Hand, tonight is an excellent time. I can draw them out—especially their leadership—and wipe them all out in one fell swoop."
"That sounds wonderful. Congratulations, Devil, you've defeated yet another of your enemies."
Matt let out an irritated sigh and stood up abruptly. "You know why I'm here, Fisk!"
"I know. Your friends are short-handed. You need someone to go and die, or to die in your place, and you believe I am the suitable candidate." Fisk looked at Matt and said calmly, "Rest assured, my people will act. But it won't be during the life-and-death struggle. I can only guarantee that if you win, the Hand will not escape. Nothing more."
Matt let out a long sigh and turned to leave, but at the door, he didn't forget to give Kingpin a warning.
"You'd better not break your word."
How could I break my word? Kingpin smiled slightly and asked the guard to bring him a telephone.
"Hello? Mr. Gorgon, is it?"
In September New York, the temperature remained sweltering. Fortunately, a light rain fell over Manhattan, lasting from the afternoon into the evening.
The water droplets falling from the sky could not hide the brilliance of the city. New York was as it always was, and Hell's Kitchen was no different. The neon lights in the alleys pierced through the fragile curtain of rain, splashing wantonly against the ground.
The droplets vanished into the pavement without a splash. A homeless man, having suffered through days of withdrawal, lay greedily on the ground, licking the moisture off the asphalt. He was both hungry and thirsty, his consciousness blurred; seeing the colorful lights hitting the hazy road reminded him of the psychedelic trips he had while on drugs.
He wanted to experience that hallucination again.
In his daze, he seemed to hear something. He looked up at the sky and saw only dark shadows leaping across the rooftops. Then, a wave of warmth surged from his throat. Accompanied by a fleeting, trippy sensation, he lost consciousness.
An undead ninja of the Hand withdrew his blade. He hadn't expected to encounter a vagrant in a place like this, but tonight's operation could leave no witnesses. It was simpler to just deal with him.
The mission objective was to purge the traitors. Now, it was time to move!
The Hand ninjas moved swiftly across the streets. Only after confirming they had all left did the "corpse" of the homeless man vanish in a distortion of light. The ninjas didn't notice this as they rapidly closed in on the Nelson & Murdock law firm. They chose the most crude and violent method to eliminate the traitors: they smashed the glass and tossed bombs directly inside.
As flames shot into the sky, no one jumped out from within. However, the undead ninjas possessed no emotion; they didn't find it strange as they walked into the ruins of the office to inspect the surroundings. Suddenly, beneath a slab of concrete, a large Black man roared upward, his fist punching straight through the chest of an undead ninja.
Immediately after, from under another slab, Logan—the Wolverine—erupted into action. He and Luke Cage began sweeping through the enemies who had entered the office.
In the distance, Gorgon judged the situation from afar with the help of Lady Bullseye. Almost as soon as he received word that Luke Cage and Wolverine had appeared, he reached a conclusion. "It seems our friends aren't quite so stupid after all. They actually knew how to set a trap for us."
"Set a trap? You're thinking too simply, Gorgon."
Daredevil's voice drifted over, though Gorgon didn't need to turn around to know they were behind him. Lady Bullseye and Typhoid Mary spun around instantly to see Daredevil, Iron Fist, and Elektra standing atop a water tank.
Simultaneously, other members of the Defenders—Mr. Negative, Cloak, and Dagger—began a fierce struggle against the massive influx of undead Hand ninjas.
A cold smirk played on the corner of Gorgon's mouth.
"It seems you have great confidence in your combat power, Daredevil. Do you truly believe the Hand can be dealt with by people like you?"
"Why don't you try us and find out?!"
Matt took the lead and charged, aiming straight for Gorgon, the leader of the Hand. As a blind man, Gorgon's petrification gaze had no effect on him. Gorgon was entirely unconcerned by this; he unsheathed his artifact, the "Godkiller" blade, and met Daredevil head-on.
Then Elektra squared off against Lady Bullseye, while Iron Fist faced Typhoid Mary. Everything was arranged with perfect clarity.
So, what about Spider-Man?
Peter was checking in on Gwen's status.
"How is it? Is Mysterio's helmet working?"
"It works great. It turns out that even zombie ninjas can be fooled by these helmets. The only problem is... you have to act well enough."
Gwen, wearing the helmet, said somewhat gloomily, "It's a bit... uncomfortable."
"—That can't be helped. The most important thing right now is to take down the Hand, and we need your help. I bet the Hand is wondering when I'll show up. The other Avengers might not join a fight like this, but they know I definitely will. So, the Hand is probably wondering what I'm waiting for."
Hearing this, Gwen looked up at Peter. "So, what are you waiting for?"
"I'm waiting for Kingpin."
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