On the other side of the compound, Iron Fist had already completed the final trial.
Together with Frank and Colleen, he stood facing Madam Gao in the dimly lit hall. The atmosphere was tense, the air thick with hostility after the violent series of challenges.
Madam Gao's thin figure stood calmly before them, her hands folded as if everything were still perfectly under her control.
"You have broken the rules," she said coldly. "That means you have already lost this duel."
Frank clearly had no patience for such arguments. He shrugged dismissively and answered in a blunt tone.
"You sent four people, and we sent four people. Looks fair to me."
Madam Gao gave him a contemptuous smile.
"Rules are rules. If you break them, you lose."
"Yeah?"
Before the confrontation could escalate further, a calm voice suddenly spoke from behind them.
"But the law is the law," Ethan Voss said as he walked forward. "If someone breaks the law, shouldn't they die?"
Iron Fist, Frank, and Colleen all turned at the same time.
Ethan approached them with a relaxed expression, looking refreshed and perfectly composed. One detail immediately stood out to Colleen, however.
The poison-wielding woman who had been Ethan's opponent earlier was nowhere to be seen.
She muttered quietly under her breath.
"Tsk… that fast?"
Madam Gao's eyes narrowed sharply, her gaze turning cold as blades.
"Who are you?"
Ethan heard Colleen's muttering and shot her a brief glare before answering Madam Gao.
"Me?" he said casually.
He straightened his suit and spoke with theatrical confidence.
"I'm the spokesperson for justice, the defender of the law, the warrior against evil, and the executioner of criminals."
Then he added with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"Basically… the guy who shows villains the door."
Madam Gao gave a low, humorless chuckle.
"Young man," she said slowly, "it has been a long time since I've heard someone speak with such arrogance. Do you even know who you are dealing with?"
Ethan smiled faintly.
"Of course I do," he replied. "You're a traitor, a criminal, a murderer… or at best a miserable beggar hiding behind a mask of power."
Madam Gao immediately sensed that something was wrong.
The man in front of her clearly knew far too much.
Originally, everything tonight had been carefully arranged. Iron Fist had been guided step by step into a trap she controlled completely.
If the young martial artist had not been useful, she could have killed the reckless blond fool in dozens of different ways.
But Ethan's sudden appearance shattered that control.
For the first time that night, Madam Gao felt uncertainty.
After a moment of consideration, she decided to retreat.
She turned toward Iron Fist and spoke calmly.
"Let's end this here. Consider it a draw. I will allow you to take the hostages with you."
Ethan laughed softly.
"Madam Gao," he said, "it seems you still haven't understood the situation."
He spread his hands slightly.
"Today, I'm the one in charge."
The moment he finished speaking, armed soldiers suddenly appeared from every direction.
They poured into the room through surrounding corridors, weapons raised and perfectly coordinated.
These were the enhanced soldiers from Typhon Manor.
Ethan had opened a portal and summoned Bullseye along with his squad.
The room was instantly surrounded.
"Your performance is finished," Ethan said with a friendly smile. "There won't be any more scenes for you tonight."
He turned toward Bullseye.
"Take her away. I don't care what methods you use, but make sure she tells me everything she knows about the New York underworld and the Hand."
Madam Gao snorted coldly.
"You will get nothing from me."
"Really?"
Ethan tilted his head slightly before glancing back at Bullseye.
"If this old woman dies during interrogation," he said calmly, "remember to cut off her head and burn the body yourself."
Madam Gao finally lost her composure.
Her voice trembled with shock.
"Who exactly are you? What do you know?"
"Take her away," Ethan said without answering.
Bullseye immediately signaled his men.
Madam Gao was dragged away while still staring at Ethan with a mixture of anger and disbelief.
Iron Fist, Frank, and Colleen watched the entire scene in silence.
Ethan glanced at their expressions thoughtfully. Suddenly, a new idea formed in his mind.
He turned toward Colleen.
"Why don't you participate in the interrogation?"
The question caught her completely off guard.
"Me?" she said in confusion. "Why?"
Ethan shrugged casually.
"After all, you're technically a member of the Hand as well."
He paused before adding casually.
"Not to mention your master—Bakuto—is one of the five leaders of the organization. Aren't you curious about what's really going on?"
The moment those words were spoken, Iron Fist's expression changed dramatically.
"You're part of the Hand too?" he demanded.
His voice was filled with anger, and he even glanced suspiciously toward Frank and Ethan.
Colleen's face turned pale.
She had never expected Ethan to know her background.
Without hesitation, she immediately tried to explain.
"We're not the same as Madam Gao," she said quickly. "My master built a community that helps homeless people. We take them in and protect the neighborhood."
She spoke more urgently as she continued.
"The people working with us are good people. We're not criminals like Madam Gao's gangs."
Ethan stepped forward quickly.
"Relax," he said calmly.
He wrapped an arm around Colleen's shoulders in a reassuring gesture.
"I believe you. You're definitely innocent."
Unfortunately, Iron Fist was not so easily convinced.
"There are no good people in the Hand!" he shouted angrily.
"My parents were killed by people like you!"
Because Ethan had intervened earlier, Danny and Colleen had never built the connection they might otherwise have shared.
There was no friendship between them, let alone romance.
Perhaps fate had briefly tried to bring them together, but Danny's hatred for the organization that murdered his parents erased any chance of that.
Colleen stared at him angrily.
"You can't assume every member of the Hand is evil just because your parents were killed by some of them!"
She spoke passionately.
"My teacher, my fellow students, and I have helped countless people. We've taken them in, given them homes, and helped them build better lives."
Danny had no response.
He could only glare at her with frustration.
Frank stepped forward at exactly the right moment and grabbed Danny by the arm.
"Come on," he said firmly.
As he led Iron Fist away, he tried to calm him down.
"Don't get worked up. We already captured Madam Gao, and the truth will come out soon enough."
He added quietly.
"Trust me. Anyone who's guilty will pay for it."
Meanwhile, Ethan gently patted Colleen on the shoulder. His expression looked hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but was unsure.
Colleen frowned.
"You don't believe me either?"
"Of course I believe you," Ethan replied quickly. "But… you've probably been deceived."
She blinked in confusion.
Ethan sighed dramatically.
"You should go watch Madam Gao's interrogation," he said gently. "You're too kind, and that makes it easy for people to trick you."
Then he added quietly.
"Your master isn't the person you think he is."
Colleen froze.
"What?"
Meanwhile, after Bullseye's squad captured Madam Gao, they called for reinforcements. Several vehicles soon arrived and transported the prisoners away.
Madam Gao and her followers would be secretly imprisoned in Nahad Prison.
There would be no trial.
After the operation ended, everyone left except Bullseye, who followed quietly behind Ethan.
Ethan looked up at the sky.
It was clear and bright, without a single cloud.
A perfect day for a visit.
"Let's go," Ethan said casually. "We're going to talk to a lawyer."
Not long afterward, they arrived at a small law office.
The sign outside read: Nelson & Murdock.
Inside the office, Ethan immediately spotted the man he had come to see.
Matthew Murdock.
The blind lawyer who secretly operated as Daredevil.
Also present were his partner Foggy Nelson and their secretary Karen Page.
Matt greeted them with a polite smile behind his sunglasses.
"Hello," he said warmly. "How can we help you today?"
Ethan laughed lightly.
"I'd like to file a lawsuit," he said, "but unfortunately I don't know the defendant's real identity."
Foggy frowned.
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
Instead of answering directly, Ethan asked a question.
"Mr. Nelson, what do you think about the vigilante known as Daredevil? The man who fights crime at night in New York."
Matt felt a slight ripple of tension in his chest, though his expression remained perfectly calm.
Foggy looked surprised.
In his opinion, criminals should always be punished through the legal system.
"Criminals should be judged by the courts," Foggy said seriously. "Justice must come through the law."
Ethan nodded thoughtfully.
"Interesting," he said. "So in your view, would Daredevil himself be considered a criminal?"
At this point, Foggy still had no idea that his best friend was actually Daredevil.
He hesitated for a moment before answering.
"I suppose… technically yes."
Matt could no longer remain silent.
"But Daredevil stops criminals and protects innocent people," he argued.
Karen immediately responded.
"The law is still the best way to uphold justice. Replacing the legal system with personal judgment is dangerous."
Matt shook his head slightly.
"But the law doesn't always reach the people who deserve punishment."
Foggy sighed heavily.
"We've both seen it happen. Sometimes the system fails, and maybe someone like Daredevil is the only one who can stop those criminals."
Karen opened her mouth to continue arguing, but Ethan raised a hand.
"There's no need to debate," he said calmly. "Both of you make valid points."
He leaned back slightly.
"There's no perfect answer. It's simply a matter of belief."
Behind his sunglasses, Matt studied Ethan carefully.
He focused his enhanced senses on the man in front of him.
But something felt wrong.
His radar-like perception normally revealed every detail of a person's body—heartbeat, blood flow, breathing.
Yet Ethan felt strangely empty.
His heartbeat was calm.
His pulse steady.
Everything about him seemed… unnaturally quiet.
Foggy suddenly slapped his forehead.
"Wait," he said. "You still haven't told us who you want to sue."
Ethan smiled.
"I want to sue…" he began.
He looked directly at Matt before finishing the sentence.
"Daredevil."
.....
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