Inside a quiet art gallery in Manhattan, a massive bald man stood silently before a painting almost entirely covered in white paint. His broad shoulders and towering frame made him look more like a mountain than a person, and his presence filled the room with a heavy, oppressive calm.
The gallery owner approached him slowly, speaking in a gentle tone. "There's an old joke," she said thoughtfully. "A little boy picks up a blank sheet of paper and asks someone, 'What is this?'"
She smiled slightly and turned toward the man. "The answer is: a rabbit in a blizzard."
The bald man said nothing. The two of them remained silent for a moment, staring at the empty-looking painting as if trying to uncover its hidden meaning.
After a pause, the woman continued softly. "The real question isn't what it is. The real question is how it makes you feel."
The massive man slowly turned around. His lips parted slightly as if he were about to respond, but before he could speak, a cheerful voice suddenly interrupted from behind them.
"It's loneliness," the voice said with a faint laugh. "That's what it makes me feel. Loneliness."
The bald man froze for an instant, the words he had been about to say stuck in his throat.
Both of them turned at the same time and saw a young man standing behind them. He wore a perfectly tailored suit and carried himself with relaxed confidence.
With an easy smile, Ethan Voss gave the gallery owner a polite bow.
"Hello," he said warmly. "I'm Ethan Voss. Nice to meet you."
A hint of surprise flashed through the woman's eyes, though she maintained her composure.
"Hello," she replied. "I'm Vanessa, the owner of this gallery."
Ethan nodded politely before shifting his attention toward the enormous bald man beside her. He waited for a moment, clearly expecting an introduction.
The man said nothing.
His name was Wilson Fisk, better known as the Kingpin—the undisputed ruler of New York's criminal underworld.
Fisk's expression turned cold.
"How did you get in here?"
Ethan shrugged casually.
"You posted a few useless bodyguards outside the door," he said calmly. "But I don't believe they have the authority to stop me from visiting an art gallery."
He turned his head slightly and smiled at Vanessa.
"And I doubt Miss Vanessa would object to someone admiring her paintings."
Fisk stared at him for several seconds before slowly regaining his composure. He turned back toward Vanessa, forcing his voice into a calm tone.
"I like this painting very much," he said. "I would like to buy it."
"Of course," Vanessa replied with a pleasant smile.
Seeing Fisk suppress his anger so carefully made Ethan's mood even brighter. He decided to push things a little further.
He glanced around the gallery thoughtfully before speaking again.
"Miss Vanessa," he said with a friendly smile, "if I were to purchase all of the paintings here, would you consider having dinner with me tonight?"
The atmosphere in the room instantly turned cold.
Fisk's face darkened completely.
He stepped closer to Ethan, lowering his voice until it sounded almost like a growl.
"I don't know who you are," he said slowly, "but I do know that you're playing with fire."
Ethan leaned slightly closer as well, his voice dropping to match Fisk's tone.
"Are you sure I'm the one playing with fire?" he asked quietly. "Because from where I'm standing, it feels more like I'm playing with you."
Fisk's expression changed instantly.
His fists clenched tightly, each one the size of a heavy casserole dish. If Vanessa had not been standing nearby, he might have attacked immediately.
Just as the tension reached its peak, Ethan suddenly stepped back.
He slapped his forehead as if remembering something important.
"Oh no," he said lightly. "I just remembered that I have plans tonight."
He turned toward Vanessa with an apologetic smile.
"I'm terribly sorry, Miss Vanessa. I'll invite you to dinner another day."
Ethan bowed politely.
"Goodbye, Miss Vanessa," he said with a cheerful tone. Then he glanced at Fisk and added, "Goodbye… Boss Wilson."
With that, he turned and walked out of the gallery.
By the time he stepped onto the street outside, Ethan was in an exceptionally good mood. Seeing the beginning of Fisk and Vanessa's relationship with his own eyes had been surprisingly entertaining.
In his opinion, rushing over immediately after receiving the message from his subordinates had absolutely been worth it.
Later that day, after returning to Typhon Manor, Ethan entered the divine realm once again.
Inside the base located halfway up the mountain, several scientists were already preparing for a major experiment. Dr. Samuel Stern and Dr. Curt Connors moved between machines and instruments while assistants adjusted equipment and monitored displays.
The project they were preparing for was known as the Abomination modification experiment.
According to the information Ethan had gathered, the creature known as Abomination would eventually regain its sanity after a long period of imprisonment. Once that happened, it would develop the ability to transform between its monstrous form and a human body, much like the Hulk.
Recently, Ethan had instructed Dr. Stern and the others to study this possibility.
After weeks of research, they had finally developed an improved biochemical formula.
This new drug was designed specifically for Abomination. It would restructure the creature's body, restore its rational thinking, and allow it to transform freely between human form and its massive yellow monster body.
Most importantly, both forms would share the same personality and consciousness.
Unlike the Hulk, who required years of suffering before reconciling his divided mind, Abomination would remain mentally unified from the beginning.
Dr. Stern estimated the success rate of the procedure at roughly three percent.
Under normal circumstances, such odds would be unacceptable.
But in this situation, Ethan had a unique advantage.
His telekinetic powers could carefully regulate the entire process. By slowing the chemical reactions and stabilizing biological changes, he could guide the transformation step by step.
More importantly, he could protect the creature's brain from being overwhelmed by rage.
After all, it would be extremely unfortunate if the experiment succeeded physically but left Abomination mentally broken.
Within the divine realm, Ethan possessed a version of Professor Charles Xavier's telepathic ability that had been amplified to an extraordinary level.
In simple terms, his psychic power could almost reshape a person's soul.
Even if someone were reduced to a vegetative state, Ethan could theoretically rebuild a functioning mind within that empty consciousness according to his own design.
However, such work required immense effort and precision.
Although he could easily control another person's thoughts for a short time, maintaining realistic behavior over long periods demanded far more experience.
That was why Ethan usually implanted only subtle suggestions into the minds of soldiers, agents, or police officers working under him rather than completely rewriting their personalities.
The same principle applied to Abomination.
Directly enslaving the creature's mind would be too obvious, especially in front of powerful telepaths like Professor Charles. Instead, Ethan preferred a slower approach.
By planting psychological seeds and guiding the creature gradually, he could eventually earn its loyalty without revealing his methods.
With these plans in mind, Ethan felt extremely optimistic about the experiment. Abomination would become the perfect test subject for building experience before eventually creating an entire Hulk-level army.
Inside the laboratory, the massive Abomination roared helplessly while being restrained by heavy alloy shackles attached to a reinforced frame.
Several machines surrounded the creature, and the prepared drug waited inside a pressurized injection system. All it required was a single command to begin.
Once everything was ready, Ethan raised his hand.
His telekinetic power instantly enveloped the entire body of the monstrous creature.
In that moment, Ethan's perception expanded dramatically.
He seemed to see a vast cosmic map where every cell was a planet and every strand of DNA resembled a galaxy. Biological systems stretched before him like entire universes waiting to be reshaped.
He pressed the activation button.
The green drug surged into Abomination's body like a tidal wave, spreading through muscles and organs as if invading an entire universe.
Cells began to swell and mutate.
At that exact moment, Ethan's telekinetic power descended like the hand of a god, stopping the violent surge and stabilizing the transformation.
The biological universe paused for a moment before slowly adapting to the changes.
Altering the body was relatively simple.
The brain, however, was the true challenge.
Even the smallest mistake there could destroy everything.
Fortunately, Ethan possessed both immense telekinetic control and overwhelming psychic ability. He monitored every microscopic change in the creature's body and mind simultaneously.
Each adjustment was carefully compared to the previous state.
If a change improved stability, he allowed it to continue.
If something went wrong, he stopped it immediately.
The transformation process lasted an entire day and night.
Fortunately, Ethan's body possessed a top-tier version of Wolverine's regenerative abilities. His energy remained constant even without sleep.
Late the following afternoon, he finally stepped out of the laboratory.
Walking behind him was a calm-looking man.
Emil Blonsky.
After returning to Typhon Tower, Ethan soon received another important report.
Over the past few days, Frank had spent considerable time with Danny Rand. With Ethan's guidance operating behind the scenes, Frank helped Danny regain control of his family's corporation—Rand Enterprises.
Overnight, Iron Fist had become a billionaire.
Despite the sudden wealth, Danny showed little interest in the life of a corporate tycoon. Instead, he focused entirely on his responsibility to eliminate the Hand and the mysterious Society connected to them.
Two days earlier, Danny had ambushed several members of the Hand near the harbor district. After defeating them in battle, he rescued a kidnapped chemist.
Unfortunately, the man's daughter had already been abducted by Madam Gao—one of the Five Fingers of the Hand.
She intended to force the chemist to develop a new synthetic drug.
Iron Fist naturally refused to ignore the situation. In order to save the girl, he accepted a formal challenge issued by Madam Gao according to the ancient dueling traditions of Kunlun.
For Ethan, this was an event far too interesting to miss.
After a brief moment of consideration, he decided to attend personally.
He arrived at the location accompanied by his bodyguard, Colleen Wing.
After Frank's introduction, Danny reluctantly accepted Ethan's presence. However, his eyes kept drifting toward Colleen as if he were considering starting a conversation.
Ethan coughed softly and stepped forward, casually blocking Danny's line of sight.
Soon afterward, Madam Gao's appointed location for the duel was prepared.
Iron Fist and Madam Gao completed the traditional ceremony, confirming the rules of the challenge. If Danny could pass three separate trials, the chemist's daughter would be released.
The first opponent was the so-called Butcher Brothers.
Despite their intimidating appearance, they were far more skilled at showing off than actually fighting. Iron Fist defeated them easily within moments.
The second challenger stepped forward next.
She was a strikingly beautiful woman wearing revealing clothing and carrying several wicked-looking weapons. Her entire presence radiated cold brutality.
"Wait," Ethan suddenly said. "Let me handle this one. You two go ahead to the next stage."
Danny immediately refused, insisting that interfering would violate the rules of the duel.
Fortunately, Frank intervened and dragged him away before the argument could continue.
Ethan waved casually for Colleen to follow him.
What happened next was clearly not appropriate for children.
Colleen stared at him in disbelief before rolling her eyes in disgust.
"So this is why you came here?" she snapped. "You scumbag."
Despite her irritation, Ethan ignored the protest and remained completely determined.
After the others left, Ethan opened his arms toward the bewildered poison-wielding woman who had been watching everything unfold.
"Come on," he said casually.
"Let me try your poison. I want the kind that makes your head spin and leaves you floating like you're drunk. The kind that drains every bit of strength from your body."
He smiled slightly.
"Let's begin."
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