"What are your plans next?"
After everything settled, Tony asked Daredevil and The Punisher.
"I know a good underground clinic. Frank is seriously injured this time and needs immediate treatment…" Daredevil seemed to be deliberately changing the subject.
As for Frank, also known as The Punisher, this tough guy was already severely wounded, yet he endured another battle.
At this point, his injuries flared up, and he was in a semi-conscious state.
If Daredevil hadn't been supporting him, he probably would have struggled to stand.
"An underground clinic?…" Tony curled his lip in disdain at the unfamiliar term.
Considering The Punisher's current condition, if not properly treated, he might not die in this battle but on a quack clinic's operating table.
"Forget it." Tony decided to see his good deed through. He turned to Mike and said, "Transfer the two treatments you owe me to them."
"OK," Mike indicated he understood.
He then conjured two balls of Healing Power and threw them at The Punisher and Daredevil respectively.
As the Healing Power integrated, the bullet casings in The Punisher's body were slowly pushed out, and his wounds healed at a visible rate.
Before long, even his pale face, caused by excessive blood loss, gradually regained color.
As for Daredevil, whose injuries were not severe, he had already recovered his vitality.
"As expected of Guardian, I owe you my life." The Punisher, a man of few words, made a promise to Mike after he was out of danger.
Daredevil also expressed his gratitude to Mike.
"Hey, you two need to understand that I provided your treatment opportunity…" Tony, who had also contributed a lot, felt a sudden imbalance when he saw them only thanking Mike.
"Thank you too, Mr. Stark." x2
The Punisher and Daredevil exchanged glances, then also thanked Tony.
"You're welcome, it's nothing," Tony, with a touch of tsundere in his personality, was finally satisfied. He then said, "Continuing our previous topic, I plan to set up a 'Street Hero Mutual Aid Society' here in Hells Kitchen. Are you interested?"
The idea of a "Mutual Aid Society" had been brewing in Tony's mind after he encountered many street heroes facing difficulties.
This was a good opportunity, with Kingpin, the underground king, dead, to bring together the street heroes living in Hells Kitchen.
On one hand, it could provide a stable living environment for lone wolves like The Punisher. On the other hand, these street heroes could be used to control the impending chaos among the gangs after Kingpin's demise.
As for Tony, he only needed to provide some financial support to do another great deed.
For him, it was as simple as waving his hand.
"A street Hero Mutual Aid Society? Sounds cool." Peter, who was listening in, immediately became interested in the "Mutual Aid Society" and asked expectantly, "Can I join?"
"Of course," Tony nodded, then looked at The Punisher and Daredevil, asking, "What about you two? What do you think? You know, not everyone is worthy of my kindness."
Well, Tony was still the tsundere Tony; even when offering help, he was still sharp-tongued.
"I have no problem." The Punisher, whose goal was to punish evil and combat gangs, quickly came to a decision.
Moreover, having lost the help of Chip, his weapons expert, he now greatly needed a new support team to provide him with accommodation and weapons.
"A Hero Mutual Aid Society, I'll join too." Daredevil quickly expressed his stance.
As a lawyer, he considered more things than The Punisher.
That's why he knew how much trouble would be saved with a super-rich backer like Tony behind this mutual aid society.
At least, street heroes with a strong killing intent, like The Punisher, would have far fewer problems with their future actions.
Although Daredevil was a street hero who adhered to the "no-kill" principle, he was by no means a rigid person.
"OK, then I officially announce that the street Hero Mutual Aid Society is now formally established…" Seeing how sensible the two were and having achieved his goal, Tony smiled and planned, "Our organization must have a charter, and Matt, that work is yours. As for Frank, you're responsible for contacting more street heroes…"
"Oh, and there's a mercenary named Wade who's pretty capable. Don't forget to contact him later."
Daredevil and The Punisher, having received their tasks, nodded in understanding.
"What about me?" Peter, now part of an organization, looked eager to participate.
"You?" Tony glanced at the little Spider, saying, "Don't forget to report to Stark Tower on time tomorrow. I'll assign you work then, the kind that will satisfy you."
Just then, police sirens sounded from downstairs.
"These guys are always a step behind…" Tony grumbled about the NYPD's efficiency, then said to everyone present, "That's all for tonight. Everyone, let's retreat for now. See you next time."
The commotion here tonight was significant, so there was no need for everyone to stay and invite trouble.
…
"Phew, what a meaningful day," Tony, who had returned to Stark Tower through Mike's spatial portal, took off his armor and went to the wine cabinet to pour two glasses of red wine.
"To our once again upholding world peace, cheers," Tony, having done another great deed, seemed very excited at this moment.
However, after drinking the red wine, he slumped into the sofa and quickly became listless.
"It's getting late." Looking at the high-hanging moon outside the window, Mike expressed his desire to check out his new home nearby.
But before leaving, he conjured another ball of Healing Power and threw it at Tony, saying, "This one's free. I wish you a good dream."
Tony, who was almost asleep, hummed comfortably twice in thanks, then began to snore evenly.
Mike shook his head at the sight, then flew out of Stark Tower to the villa that had been built nearby.
Tony was quite thoughtful; the three-story villa had all the necessary daily necessities.
It was truly move-in ready, providing Mike with a lot of convenience.
Subsequently, as days passed, the Hero Mutual Aid Society in Hells Kitchen gradually got on track.
With Tony's financial help, poor individuals like Ant-Man and Deadpool all joined the mutual aid society.
They contributed to the peace of Hells Kitchen.
As for tactical elites like The Punisher and Big Daddy, with Tony's help, their weaponry and equipment underwent a major upgrade.
Meanwhile, after the last battle in Hells Kitchen, Tony had a clear understanding of the direction for improving his new armor.
For example, improvements to the air circulation system, and improvements to the armor's defense.
It's worth mentioning that Peter, who came to Stark Industries as a summer intern, unexpectedly became Tony's assistant.
He was brought into the lab.
While helping Tony improve his new armor, Tony would occasionally take time to guide him on his Spider-Suit and web-fluid research plans.
On the other side, Mike, who had moved into his new villa, welcomed a special "guest" this day.
"Mindy, did Big Daddy agree to you coming here to freeload food and drinks?" Mike asked, looking at the little girl who, after entering the villa with a small backpack and short legs, acted as if she was back in her own home.
Hit-Girl was an unconventional problem child who had previously lived with Big Daddy.
Logically, she should now be with Big Daddy at the Hero Mutual Aid Society headquarters in Hells Kitchen.
Yes, the Hero Mutual Aid Society had already established its own base in Hells Kitchen a few days ago.
"They said I'm too young for all the fighting and killing. So I came to you." Hit-Girl said, eating snacks she freeloaded and drinking a sparkling beverage, "But don't worry, I left a note for Daddy before I left."
"Left a note? So you ran away from home?" Mike folded his arms, looking down at the precocious little girl.
"Please, don't send me back—" Hit-Girl, feeling the pressure, blinked her big eyes and feigned pitifulness, "I don't like the atmosphere in Hells Kitchen, and those so-called street heroes in the mutual aid society, they all look so fierce, it will affect my mental development…"
"So, let me stay here with you. In return, I can help you clean and do chores."
Mindy McCready, hero name Hit-Girl, at eleven years old, could be considered the youngest street hero.
Of course, one couldn't be fooled by her cute appearance; having been with Big Daddy, she had probably killed no fewer gang members than The Punisher.
"Are you sure you can clean?" Mike frowned slightly, looking at Hit-Girl, who had made a mess of snack crumbs on the sofa.
"Don't look down on me. It's just cleaning, it's easy to learn…" Hit-Girl rolled off the sofa, then haphazardly pushed together the food crumbs and snack bags that had fallen on the sofa, then scooped them up with her hands and threw them into the trash can.
"How about it? Isn't it simple?" Hit-Girl, having done all this, again widened her big eyes to act cute.
However, in terms of thoroughness, her haphazard cleaning was truly worse than not cleaning at all.
But considering she was still young, it really wasn't good for her to stay in Hells Kitchen.
So Mike thought for a moment and said, "You can stay here, but you have to be obedient."
"That's great, I knew you were a good person," Hit-Girl cheered and was about to hug Mike's leg.
"Stop," Mike held out a hand to her head and said, "First, your first condition for staying here is to go back to school."
"School?" Hit-Girl looked as if struck by lightning, her eyes immediately losing their luster, and she protested, "The knowledge taught in school is too simple, it's a complete waste of time. And those kids my age are all so childish, I'll become stupid if I stay with them…"
The precocious Hit-Girl was not only proficient in various killing techniques but also an out-and-out genius. Besides textbook knowledge, she had also self-taught various advanced hacking techniques.
"How about this? I'll help you promote 'Guardian's' reputation online to offset going to school," Hit-Girl had a flash of inspiration and began to negotiate.
Clearly, the little girl had heard about Mike's little "quirk" from somewhere.
And she was using it as leverage.
Unfortunately, with Tony and S.H.I.E.L.D. helping to promote his reputation, Mike didn't need Hit-Girl's hacking skills.
Moreover, sending her to school was mainly to help her establish correct values; learning was secondary.
Therefore, Mike firmly shook his head and said, "No. If you want to stay here, you must go to school, otherwise, I'll notify Big Daddy to come and take you away right now."
"Okay, if it's just going to school, I agree." After rolling her eyes a few times, Hit-Girl chose to feign compliance.
"Don't think about skipping class, I'll have someone keep an eye on you later." Mike saw through the little girl's trick, then continued, "Now, let's talk about the second condition…"
"What, there's another condition? Just kill me." Hearing there was another condition, Hit-Girl threw herself onto the sofa, kicking her short legs, trying to be unreasonable and get away with it.
"The second condition is, you need to communicate well with Big Daddy and explain the situation here." Mike said the second condition expressionlessly.
This was very important.
Otherwise, if Big Daddy found his daughter missing, he would surely go crazy.
"Is that all?" Hit-Girl, hearing the second condition wasn't difficult, immediately perked up and took out her phone, saying, "I'll tell Big Daddy the situation here right now."
At this, Mike confirmed that Hit-Girl had indeed run away from home earlier.
As the call connected, Big Daddy, knowing Hit-Girl's situation, expressed support for his daughter going to school.
Then, after thanking Mike, he hung up the phone.
…
Over the next two days, Mike, who had exchanged a very small portion of the gold coins in his private storage space for common currency, successfully sent Hit-Girl to a prestigious private elementary school for further education after donating a considerable sum to it.
Thereafter, as time passed day by day, while Hit-Girl adapted to her new school life, Mike's "Guardian" reputation, with the continued efforts of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Tony, gradually spread beyond New York.
Mike himself once again returned to a leisurely life where he could earn a large amount of faith value just by lying down.
This day, Tony, who should have been busy researching his new armor, unexpectedly arrived at Mike's villa.
"Why is it you again? And you're even wearing your armor today." After school, Hit-Girl, who was playing games on the living room sofa, noticed Tony's arrival immediately.
Hit-Girl did not have a good impression of this famous playboy.
Firstly, Tony's self-proclaimed handsome uncle-like appearance was not appealing to Hit-Girl, a little girl.
Secondly, Tony had come to see Mike a few times before, but it was always to invite Mike to parties with ladies.
This further lowered Hit-Girl's evaluation of Tony, who was precocious for her age.
"Little Mindy, don't forget. The snacks you're eating and the toys you're playing with now are all sponsored by Uncle Tony…" Tony actually liked the clever and witty Hit-Girl, and he tried to pat her little head.
But Hit-Girl didn't buy it. After dodging the cool armored arm, she didn't forget to give Tony a glare.
"Tsk—"
Looking at the little girl's disgusted expression, Tony couldn't help but question the charm of his armor.
"Tony, are you here to play with Mindy again?" Just then, Mike, hearing the commotion downstairs, came down from the second floor.
The previous times Tony had visited, he would always actively interact with Hit-Girl.
Even if the little girl disliked him, he still enjoyed it.
"Mike, that annoying guy just tried to touch my head with his armor…" Seeing Mike appear, Hit-Girl happily ran over, complaining while affectionately rubbing her head against Mike's large hand.
At the same time, she didn't forget to turn back and glare provocatively at Tony.
"This isn't fair, what's wrong with me?" Tony, overcome with jealousy, complained for himself.
Snack gift packages, toys, and even deliberately trying to make her happy—Tony had put a lot of effort into Mindy.
Yet, he couldn't compare to Mike, who had done nothing.
"Alright, Tony. Tell me what brings you here this time?" Mike rubbed the little girl's head, then let her go play by herself, and then looked at Tony.
The other party had come wearing his armor this time, clearly indicating it was for official business.