Hell's Kitchen Bustles

"The plan is in motion."

Leaving his home, Martin Lee tapped the Bluetooth earpiece in his ear and issued the command to the Demon Gang members who were already prepared.

"Understood, boss."

A deep, hoarse voice crackled back through the radio waves. The Demon Gang members, hidden within New York's Chinatown, sprang into action, surging towards Hell's Kitchen, the largest gathering place for New York's gangs.

Soon, Martin Lee's phone began to ring incessantly.

"What do you want, Mr. Negative!"

A booming, thunderous question came through the phone.

"Just a personal grievance, Kingpin, you know how it is."

Martin Lee's appearance had changed at some point; his entire being was now black and white, like a photographic negative, and his voice had become as deep and hoarse as that of his Demon Gang members.

"Just causing trouble for Hammerhead?"

"Just causing him trouble."

"If you do anything unnecessary, you know the consequences, Mr. Negative."

"Don't worry, Kingpin, I have no intention of making enemies of all of New York's gangs."

"That's for the best."

After a few probing exchanges, Kingpin hung up the phone. He then instructed his subordinate, "Keep an eye on all of the Demon Gang's movements. As long as they don't encroach on our territory, do nothing."

Besides Kingpin, gangs of all sizes in Hell's Kitchen were stirred up by the Demon Gang's actions.

Those gangs who knew the inside story and could contact Martin Lee remained relatively calm. However, many more uninformed smaller gangs were trembling, gathering within their own territories, guarding against the Demon Gang's "invasion."

However, instead of the Demon Gang's invasion, many gangs took advantage of the chaos to begin wantonly annexing their rivals in the surrounding territories.

The superheroes active in Hell's Kitchen, such as Daredevil and The Punisher, all became tense because of this. However, after learning that it was a gang war, most superheroes chose to stand by and watch.

With no third-party forces interfering, the Demon Gang members advanced unimpeded, smoothly breaking into the Magia Gang's territory.

As the Demon Gang's old rivals, the Magia Gang had been keeping a close watch on the Demon Gang's movements. Therefore, they were not caught off guard and had already prepared themselves thoroughly within their territory.

Although the Magia Gang's boss, "Hammerhead" Joseph Haro, still couldn't figure out why the Demon Gang was constantly targeting him.

Martin Lee, transformed into Mr. Negative, possessed immense personal strength, and the Demon Gang's forces were slightly superior to the Magia Gang's. However, once the two sides clashed, they fell into a stalemate.

The Magia Gang had the advantage of fighting on their home turf, but more crucially, as a gang primarily composed of Chinese immigrants with their territory concentrated in Chinatown, they couldn't compare to the Magia Gang, who mingled in Hell's Kitchen, in terms of connections. Upon sensing the Demon Gang's movements, Hammerhead quickly contacted his allies in Hell's Kitchen, which allowed him to hold out against the Demon Gang's full-scale assault.

"Hmph! A bunch of trash!"

Although Mr. Negative didn't expect to wipe out the Magia Gang in one go, their resistance still exceeded his expectations. Mr. Negative snorted, used his negative energy to create a Mind Demon Mask, and put it on his face, intending to join the battle himself.

Martin's true identity was not particularly secret in New York's underground world. However, on the surface, he was still a philanthropist who had received the Medal of Freedom. Coupled with his concern for Kraft, he usually wore a Mind Demon Mask when operating as Mr. Negative to conceal his identity.

This was also why Hammerhead still hadn't figured out when he had offended the Demon Gang.

With the addition of Mr. Negative, the Demon Gang's offensive became unstoppable. Under Mr. Negative's leadership, the Demon Gang took over three important Magia Gang territories within an hour.

This finally made the big boss, Hammerhead, unable to sit still. He rushed to intercept with his men.

"Mr. Negative!"

As a Russian, the moment Hammerhead saw Mr. Negative, he raised his Chicago Typewriter and fired a burst at him.

However, Mr. Negative casually raised his arm, creating a Negative Energy Shield in front of him, which easily blocked the bullets.

"Die!"

Feeling no need to converse with Hammerhead, Mr. Negative waved his hand, ordering the Demon Gang members to continue attacking the Magia Gang, while he himself charged towards Hammerhead, wielding a Negative Energy Sword.

Compared to Martin Lee, Joseph Haro possessed no special abilities. He had merely suffered a severe head injury during a gang shootout and subsequently replaced it with an iron skull. This prevented him from being shot in the head again, and after some training, he could easily use his iron head to flip cars and smash through walls, which was also the origin of his nickname "Hammerhead."

However, in the face of Mr. Negative's negative energy, Hammerhead's iron head, which was invincible in ordinary gang fights, seemed insignificant.

Within a few minutes, Hammerhead was cut and bruised by Mr. Negative. His already scarred head was split open again, revealing a metallic-sheened skull within.

Although Hammerhead had never witnessed Mr. Negative's power firsthand, as an opponent, he had collected some information about Mr. Negative. He knew that Mr. Negative was a person with special abilities, and such individuals were not uncommon in Hell's Kitchen.

"Boom!"

A massive figure broke through the wall from a nearby building and slammed into the unsuspecting Mr. Negative with its shoulder. It then pushed him forward, smashing through several more walls before being sent flying by Mr. Negative, who unleashed his negative energy.

"Cough... Damn it..."

Mr. Negative struggled to stand up from a pile of rubble. He weakly pounded his left side and gently touched his left ribs, feeling a sharp pain. It was clear he was also seriously injured.

Although the negative energy obtained from human experimentation had given Martin Lee superhuman strength, this power was more inclined towards stimulating others' mental and energy attacks. While it did enhance his physical fitness, it wasn't by much.

"Alexei!"

Mr. Negative stared intently at the perpetrator of the sneak attack, squeezing his name through gritted teeth.

Like Joseph Haro, Alexei Mikhailovich Shiskov was also a Russian. However, unlike Hammerhead, who had carved out a large territory, the simple-minded Alexei had always operated as a hired muscle in Hell's Kitchen. Later, he was tricked into undergoing human experimentation, where he was forcibly covered in a layer of rhino hide, granting him near-invulnerability and far-surpassing-normal physical capabilities.

Rhino, Alexei, got up from the ground, shook his dazed head, and snorted through his nostrils, glaring back at Mr. Negative.

Alexei's intelligence was not high, but his combat power was among the best in Hell's Kitchen. His assistance to Hammerhead was not out of "fellow countryman's friendship" but purely because he was paid.

And if someone paid him, he would do the job. Alexei's thought process was that simple.

"Hah!"

Alexei lowered his head, aiming the rhino horn on his head at Mr. Negative. With a roar, he stomped his feet, charging at him like an enraged rhinoceros.

"Tsk... This is troublesome!"

Mr. Negative conjured several Negative Energy Spears and hurled them at Alexei, while simultaneously unleashing Negative Energy from his feet to propel himself aside.

The pitch-black spears struck Alexei, eliciting a cry of pain, but they failed to inflict significant damage on his body. Instead, Alexei snapped them in half as he charged.

Retreating back to his subordinates, Mr. Negative squinted and surveyed his surroundings. Hammerhead had vanished without a trace, leaving only a group of his men and Alexei to intercept him.

"Let's go!"

Pressing his lips together, Mr. Negative reluctantly gave the order to withdraw.

Besides creating blades and energy attacks, Mr. Negative's most potent ability was Negative Energy Infusion. Simply put, it amplified the negative emotions within people's hearts. This was naturally devastating against ordinary individuals or those who had experienced profound grief, but its effect was less pronounced against the villains in Hell's Kitchen.

If he hadn't been ambushed, he might have been able to continue engaging Alexei. However, he was now seriously injured and unable to stop the formidable Rhino. Apart from him, the Demon Gang had no other exceptionally strong individuals. Continuing the fight would only result in Alexei turning the place upside down.

"Still underestimated Hell's Kitchen..."

Mr. Negative left Hell's Kitchen under the protection of the Demon Gang members, casting a resentful glance back at the Magia Gang's territory.

As one of the biggest gang leaders in New York, Mr. Negative naturally paid attention to the unique place that was Hell's Kitchen. However, his sphere of influence was ultimately confined to Chinatown. Even though he was aware of the existence of special figures like Kingpin, Alexei, and Daredevil, he had no concrete dealings with them. Most of his interactions with Hell's Kitchen involved retaliating against the Magia Gang.

That's why he was caught off guard by Alexei.

Just as Mr. Negative didn't understand Hell's Kitchen, Hell's Kitchen hadn't fully grasped Mr. Negative's strength either. Therefore, he failed to achieve a decisive victory this time. It would be much more difficult to force Hammerhead out again, and even if he did, Hammerhead would undoubtedly be fully prepared.

However, eliminating the Magia Gang wasn't solely dependent on defeating Hammerhead. As long as their businesses and enterprises were continuously disrupted, the wolves in Hell's Kitchen would naturally seize the opportunity to prey on the Magia Gang, tearing them apart.

Even if this meant suffering heavy losses, Mr. Negative was willing to do anything for revenge. But as an outsider, the Demon Gang could launch a large-scale surprise attack on the Magia Gang. However, if it escalated into a prolonged conflict, major figures in Hell's Kitchen like Kingpin would not permit it. With the example of Alexei, Mr. Negative would no longer underestimate these people.

"Notify everyone else to retreat..."

Mr. Negative commanded resentfully, clutching his ribs.

"Assign a few more people to Kraft and ensure his safety."

Today, I took Zhongyuan for his second dose of the M3 vaccine. As soon as we got to the hospital, he became quiet. Then I thought I'd have the doctor trim his nails too. The moment they touched his paw, he started hissing, scaring the doctor... In the end, his nails still weren't trimmed. ┑(￣Д￣)┍