Madame Gao Comes Calling

"Small Man Triumphant!"

Watching James leave, Mercury could not help cursing. That guy had not even been qualified to look up at her before, yet now he was actually on equal footing with her.

Natasha watched everything coldly. She knew all too well about the conflict between Purebloods and Half-bloods. Wasn't the reason Blood God Bert Wang had chosen Peggy Carter as President precisely to suppress the Purebloods?

Mercury glanced at Natasha, snorted, and strode over to Wang Bert's desk with the box. "Tony Stark had someone deliver this box. Blood God, do you know Tony Stark?"

"I gambled against him at a Casino. He lost and promised to make something for me!"

Wang Bert took the box and opened it. Inside was a Transparent Mask as thin as cicada wings!

The mask was somewhat larger than an ordinary mask and could cover the neck and ears. Furthermore, there were no openings around its eyes, nose, mouth, or ears—it was completely sealed. At the edge was a Switch resembling a Controller! Wang Bert picked up the mask and felt it. Its texture was very similar to human skin. He then set it down, picked up the Manual in the box, and flipped through it. His eyes immediately lit up! Wang Bert said to Mercury, "Mercury, this mask was designed based on your facial structure. Once you put it on and activate the Power Supply, it will automatically adhere to your skin, and no one will be able to tell you're wearing a mask!"

"No one can tell I'm wearing a mask?"

Mercury was somewhat surprised. She picked up the mask and put it on, then activated the Switch. The mask contracted and completely conformed to her face and neck! Mercury took out a Mirror and looked at herself. Aside from the Controller, there was truly no sign of the mask! Even more amazingly, although the mask was sealed, it did not affect her vision, breathing, or speech at all.

Mercury put down the Mirror and asked in confusion, "It's quite an interesting mask, but Blood God, what use is it?"

Wang Bert said, "Put on that Hat of yours that blocks Ultraviolet rays, then go stand in the Sunlight over there!"

"Stand in the Sunlight?"

Mercury thought of something, and her eyes immediately lit up. She hurriedly put on her Hat, then walked into the Sunlight with equal parts excitement and apprehension!

Nothing happened. The skin on Mercury's face showed no sign whatsoever of dissolving—her clothes could block Ultraviolet rays.

Mercury asked excitedly, "Blood God, can this mask block Ultraviolet rays?"

"That's right. As long as you cover the Controller with your hair, no one will discover that you're wearing a mask."

Wang Bert smiled. "That way, even if our Blood Clan doesn't wrap ourselves up completely, we can still move around freely during the day!"

"This is an amazing thing! Tony Stark truly deserves to be called a legendary genius. He can even invent something like this."

Mercury was beside herself with excitement. With this mask, she could follow the Blood God at any time in the future and would never have to fear Sunlight again.

Natasha looked at Mercury standing in the Sunlight and secretly frowned. This thing could greatly increase the Blood Clan's strength!

Thinking of something, Wang Bert glanced at Natasha. This mask was somewhat similar to Black Widow's disguise mask in "Captain America 2." Could it be the same technology? If they continue developing this, it might really become a disguise mask. A genius was a genius indeed—he could invent something in just a few days that others could never invent in their entire lives.

Wang Bert sighed inwardly. He picked up the Authorization Letter in the box and called to Natasha, "Natalie, check the Authorization Letter. If there's no problem, we'll find a way to mass-produce it!"

"Understood, Blood God!"

Natasha efficiently picked up the Authorization Letter and looked through it. After a while, she said, "Blood God, something is wrong. Although we own the Patent for this item, producing this mask requires Stark Industries' exclusive New Silicone and Micro Batteries!"

"Tony Stark really is petty!"

Wang Bert could not help laughing. Tony was clearly unwilling to accept defeat and had deliberately set up an obstacle for him. He said, "Check whether Stark Industries sells this New Silicone and these Micro Batteries!"

"Okay!"

Natasha immediately searched on her laptop. A moment later, she said, "They do sell them, but the price is extremely high. I did the calculations—one mask requires Silicone and batteries worth about eighty thousand dollars."

"In that case, we can't make it widely available for now!"

Wang Bert shook his head and said, "Place an order with Stark Industries and buy more. Also, Mercury, take the design documents and find someone to set up a factory. Start production as soon as possible. Oh, and pay special attention to the Chip. Don't let anyone leave a Backdoor."

Mercury stepped out of the Sunlight. As she put the mask back into the box, she said, "Understood, Blood God. I'll complete production of this mask as quickly as possible!"

Wang Bert said, "Mm. Once we can produce them, distribute them first among the upper ranks and the Security Company guards as a benefit. Then sell them externally for two hundred thousand dollars each. Uh, only sell them to Blood Clan members with registered identities. Do not sell to anyone unregistered!"

"Yes, Blood God!"

Mercury nodded. Natasha could not help glancing at Wang Bert. This guy was really ruthless—he would make twice the cost with one resale! The price is still too high. I need to find a way to get hold of the Silicone and battery technology!

Wang Bert rubbed his chin. Thinking of something, he asked Mercury, "By the way, have the Offshore Companies I told you to establish been set up?"

Mercury said, "They're already done, Blood God. Are you planning to enter the stock market?"

Wang Bert said, "Yes. Have our Financial Company start Short Selling Stark Industries. Throw in every dollar we have!"

"What? Short Selling Stark Industries?"

Both Mercury and Natasha were stunned. Natasha reminded him, "Blood God, Stark Industries' stock price has been rising because of the Jericho Missile. If we short it now, we'll lose a fortune!"

Short Selling, simply put, meant that you lost money when stock prices rose and made money when they fell! "I met Tony a few days ago and saw that he had a Dark Forehead. A Blood Disaster awaits him!"

Wang Bert said blandly, "Tony Stark is the core of Stark Industries. If something happens to him, Stark Industries' stock will definitely plunge. When that happens, we'll make a fortune!"

"Dark Forehead? Blood Disaster?"

The two women were utterly bewildered. What did that even mean? They could not understand it and needed a translation! "In any case, do as I say."

Wang Bert said. Mercury hesitated for a moment before saying, "Blood God, Stark Industries is the world's most powerful military-industrial group. If we short them, S.H.I.E.L.D. might have objections!"

"So what if they do? We aren't breaking the law!"

Wang Bert snorted coldly. "No one can stop us from doing something legal. Short Selling Stark Industries is merely the beginning of my grand plan. Just do as I say!"

After a pause, Wang Bert added, "You don't need to worry too much. I'm on pretty good terms with Director Fury. Just a couple of days ago, he took quite a few Rebates from me. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s name really is useful—it saved us quite a bit on Inheritance Tax and Factory Tax!"

Natasha was speechless. What was her Director doing, secretly trading with the Blood Clan? Should she report him, or should she report him?

"Yes, Blood God. I'll immediately instruct the Financial Company to do it!"

Upon hearing that, Mercury no longer objected and went to the next room to make a call and issue orders.

"A grand plan?"

Natasha's eyes flickered. She approached Wang Bert, bent forward, and asked, "Blood God, is there anything you need me to do for your grand plan?"

Wang Bert's eyes shamelessly drifted downward, but his tone remained very guarded. "You'll find out in a while!"

"Then I'll wait!"

Natasha straightened up and swayed gracefully back to her seat. Without intelligence, she would not let Wang Bert take advantage of her for free!

I have to report this to the Director. Tony Stark is extremely important to the world's security. Wang Bert probably got some kind of information.

At that moment, the phone rang. Natasha picked it up and answered it. A moment later, she said to Wang Bert, "Blood God, Lawyer Matt Murdock and Lawyer Foggy Nelson, who are handling the Long-Term Rental Apartment, wish to see you!"

"This world's Timeline really is a mess. Daredevil has made his debut so soon."

Wang Bert narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Let them in!"

Very soon, the two lawyers entered accompanied by the receptionist. To Natasha's surprise, Matt Murdock was actually blind. Uh, could a blind person even be a lawyer? Wang Bert narrowed his eyes slightly. Matt was no ordinary blind man. He was Daredevil, Hell's Kitchen's recently famous super boy! When Matt Murdock was young, he had saved someone and had his eyes contaminated by chemicals, causing him to go blind. Yet because of that, he gained powerful hearing, smell, and touch! Those powerful senses made Matt no different from an ordinary person, which was why he could become a lawyer!

Later, Matt discovered that studying law could not save Americans, so he worked as a lawyer during the day and donned red clothes at night to become Daredevil, fighting crime everywhere! Seeing Daredevil reminded Wang Bert of Jessica Jones, another street-level hero. That woman was far too ungrateful. After waking up, she had flown straight out of his castle without even saying thank you, and she had even broken one of his windows! Next time they met, he would definitely make her pay for it!

Wang Bert stood and shook hands with the two. "Lawyer Murdock, Lawyer Nelson, hello!"

"Hello, Mr. Wang!"

After exchanging pleasantries, Matt got straight to the point. "Mr. Wang, my clients have agreed to your terms in principle, but they hope you can provide more compensation."

"Lawyer Murdock, can you find a more generous landlord than me anywhere in America?"

Wang Bert said, "I specifically found them an apartment building to move into!"

Matt said, "Mr. Wang, you are indeed very generous, but my clients are all in poor financial circumstances. Relocating will be quite troublesome for them, so they need more compensation!"

"So they're trying to fleece a rich man?"

Wang Bert laughed. He said, "How about this? Those who can move out within three days will receive fifty percent more compensation. Those who move out within seven days will receive twenty percent more. Those who move out after seven days will receive no increase. How does that sound?"

Matt was somewhat surprised. "Mr. Wang, are you really in such a hurry to get that building?"

"I want to establish my group's headquarters there. The sooner, the better!"

Wang Bert smiled. Matt discussed it with Foggy, then said, "Mr. Wang, I'll convey your terms to my clients. If there are no issues, we can officially sign the contract tomorrow!"

"Very good. Thank you for your trouble! Natalie, see them out for me."

Wang Bert stood and shook hands with the two again. Just as Matt and Foggy were about to leave, Mercury emerged from the next room. Hearing her footsteps, Matt's expression changed slightly as he stared in shock at the approaching Mercury! What's going on? Why doesn't this woman have a heartbeat?

Matt was deeply puzzled. He could hear heartbeats and usually relied on that ability to determine who was around him, but he had never expected to encounter someone who could move without a heartbeat.

Vampires had no heartbeats, but Wang Bert did!

Naturally, Mercury had no idea what Matt was thinking. She stood beside Wang Bert and waited for the outsiders to leave. Matt had already returned to normal. Accompanied by Natasha, he left with his cane, but his ears perked up as he eavesdropped on Wang Bert and Mercury's conversation! Mercury said, "Blood God, Madame Gao called me. She wants to visit us!"

Wang Bert asked, "When?"

Mercury said, "Right now. She's almost here already!"

"Those who come mean trouble. Mercury, take out your Samurai Sword. We'll wait for them in the Underground Martial Arts Arena!"

Wang Bert sneered. The Underground Martial Arts Arena had been converted from the café's basement. After becoming the Blood God, he had not stopped his combat training!

This world was extremely dangerous! Mercury said excitedly, "All right! I've been wanting to see what those ninjas are capable of!"

"Madame Gao?"

Hearing that name, Matt secretly frowned. Madame Gao was no harmless old woman. She monopolized Hell's Kitchen's Illegal drugs business and recruited many people to prepare drugs for her—before entering the factory, those people would have their eyes blinded by her! This Blood God Group doesn't seem simple either!

Matt thought to himself. When he reached the entrance, he happened to "see" a little old woman leaning on a cane and an Asian man in a suit getting out of a car. His heart sank. Why was Madame Gao together with Giyohachiro? Giyohachiro was the Yakuza leader. Matt had fought him before, and neither had gained the upper hand.

Matt did not know that both Madame Gao and Giyohachiro belonged to The Hand. Madame Gao was one of The Hand's five fingers, while Giyohachiro was the trusted Jonin of Murakami, another of The Hand's fingers!

Natasha said to Matt, "Lawyer Murdock, I won't see you off any farther. Take care!"

Matt came back to himself and smiled. "Mm, let's have coffee together when we have time!"

Natasha smiled. "Are you asking me out?"

Matt was about to answer when he heard Giyohachiro get into a conflict with the guards. A guard said firmly, "We must search you and make sure you aren't carrying any dangerous weapons!"

Giyohachiro wanted to say something, but Madame Gao waved her hand. Just when everyone thought she was about to compromise, she pushed at the guard through the air. As if struck by a hammer, the guard involuntarily flew backward, slammed into the wall, and fell down.

"Let's go!"

Madame Gao leaned on her cane and trembled as she walked inside. If they had not witnessed that scene with their own eyes, no one would have imagined that such a frail old woman, who looked as though a gust of wind could knock her over, was actually a master!

"Trouble has come knocking!"

Natasha could not spare any attention for Matt and hurried inside. Matt stuffed his briefcase into Foggy's hands just as Foggy was about to say something. "Foggy, go back first. I'm going to look around nearby!"

"Matthew, there's an old lady..."

Foggy wanted to say more, only to discover that Matt had already run toward the back alley. He could only return alone in frustration!

In fact, Foggy and Matt were not the only ones who saw what had just happened. Two other women had seen it as well: Trish Walker and Jessica Jones, who had come out shopping. They were sisters without blood ties!