Peter felt as though he were listening to the most absurd thing in the world.
"You? Protecting the homeless? I won't even mention that new shelter you opened; even the old Kingpin claimed to be protecting them."
"I certainly was. And not just me. Those men you caught and threw into that prison for super-powered individuals—Hammerhead, Tombstone, Silvermane... they were all part of the defensive line protecting New York's homeless. I know this might seem inconceivable to you, but in truth, this is the reality."
Fisk stood up as he spoke. This massive man, nearly six feet four inches tall and built of pure muscle, loomed before Peter. "I don't know if you understand the lifestyle of the homeless... perhaps you do. They have no fixed residence and no source of income. They collect welfare, beg, steal, scam, sell the corpses of dead vagrants, and even commit robbery."
"They will do anything to get money. They'll even sell the food they struggled to obtain. They'll wait until another vagrant has overdosed, drunk too much, or fallen asleep, kill them, and then sell the body for cash. But ultimately, they need money."
Peter couldn't help but retort, "You were selling them enhancers. That's why you needed them. You needed customers. That's not protecting them at all."
"I wasn't the one selling them. Granted, when I first earned the name 'Kingpin' in prison while working under Silvermane, I did things like that. But once you become the true Kingpin, you don't need to do that anymore. The gangs will naturally rely on you. You don't have to get your hands dirty with that. Of course, you also have to provide sanctuary for these people within your own territory."
"However, you so-called superheroes swept us all up in one net. Perhaps we have ways to maintain contact with the outside world from in here, but at the end of the day, this gang war was lost from the start. Once upon a time, we were the primary enemies of the Hand. We protected these homeless people. We knew long ago that a massive number of undocumented people were flooding into New York and... vanishing. We just didn't know why they were coming."
It wasn't until the Hand began their massacre in New York that the city's mob bosses realized these undead ninjas were tools the Hand intended to use to wage war against them. A war between thousands of undead ninjas and New York's gang giants should have been imminent...
Then, all those leaders were arrested, leaving the gangs leaderless and easily purged. Consequently, the Defenders became the main force opposing the Hand's army.
But as Peter listened, it sounded like... there was a logic to it. The heroes had cleared out the New York crime lords, and so the Hand's primary opposition shifted to the heroes themselves.
Thinking of this, Peter immediately activated his invisibility and vanished. Nearby, the Prowler caught up and asked with some curiosity, "Will he...?"
"The greatest characteristic of heroes is that they won't break the rules unless absolutely necessary; they don't focus on profit itself. Besides, he understood my meaning. Let the heroes deal with that group of homeless people whom nobody wants. It's time for us to move into high society."
On the other side, after leaving the prison, Peter called Matt and informed him of the situation, suggesting he notify the Defenders. Then, Peter took out an old-fashioned mobile phone and dialed a number. A few minutes later, a high-end black sedan arrived at the prison gates. Nick Fury rolled down the window and beckoned Peter inside.
Once in the car, Peter asked curiously, "I thought the Bus team would be handling this. Why are you here personally?"
"Coulson and the others have other work to attend to. Franklin Hall—ever heard of him?"
The name sounded familiar to Peter. "I think so, but I can't quite place it."
"His research is in experimental physics. He's developing a device to control gravity. He's a bit like that Tech-Wizard fellow."
Wait... Franklin Hall? Controlling gravity? Isn't that Graviton? Come to think of it, Graviton did appear in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. storyline. But Peter had seen Coulson's "death" turn into an LMD and the first Kree turn into Mar-Vell, so he had assumed the S.H.I.E.L.D. plotline had been completely overhauled.
So, it was still going to follow that path? Does that mean the Inhumans will show up too?
After a moment's thought, Peter decided to leave that headache to S.H.I.E.L.D. He then brought up the matter of the CIA and added a question: "Is there any connection between that Donald Pierce from the CIA and your Alexander Pierce at S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"What? You suspect Alexander Pierce? He's a former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the current representative to the World Security Council. If he were Hydra, the consequences would be unimaginable."
Fury popped a piece of gum into his mouth as he spoke, then added dryly, "Which is why I suspect him too."
Peter: "..."
"But unfortunately, we initially thought that with Strucker imprisoned and Zemo dead, Pierce might slip up or reveal himself by taking over the leadership of Hydra. He didn't. We didn't learn the reason until that battle in the Savage Land: Zemo isn't dead."
Fury continued, sharing a piece of intel with Peter: "Remember the Chameleon? That guy was devoured by the Spiders, but his face-changing tech was a product of the Weapon Plus program, and someone retrieved it. My informant has reported that person was Zemo."
Peter looked at Fury with considerable surprise as the director continued his revelation. "Furthermore, Zemo has a plan. He has already infiltrated a certain hero team, assuming the identity of a superhero, intending to strike a fatal blow at the critical moment."
"Your informant... did they find out who he turned into?"
"I don't know, but it's not you." Fury handed a USB drive to Peter. "All the data on Donald Pierce is here. Be careful. The person behind him isn't Hydra—at least, his immediate superior isn't. In fact, he utterly loathes Hydra."
"Who?"
"Thaddeus Ross."
Daredevil, Matt Murdock, sat on his sofa at home. He took a sip of his drink, hung up one call, and dialed another. On the other end, Gorgon asked with a note of anticipation, "Have you reached a decision?"
"Not yet. But Spider-Man found something out from Fisk. The source of your undead ninjas."
There was a silence on the other end of the line before Gorgon spoke again. "As long as you lead the Hand, all its rules can be modified according to your requirements. You can stop all of it."
Matt fell silent as well. He then hung up the phone, tossed it aside, and went back to his drink.
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