Preparing the Purge

"Was it all because of the Dragon Bone?"

After hearing Madame Gao out, Wang Bert sighed. This was completely different from the Qigong he had imagined!

This is Marvel World, not a martial arts world!

Wang Bert asked, "Madame Gao, your aptitude should be excellent, right? Why are you still so weak after living for several centuries? You should have reached your limit long ago."

"If it were fifty years ago, I could have killed you easily, because I had nine Dragon Bone Fragments inside my body back then!"

Madame Gao snorted and said, "But not now. I only have three Dragon Bone Fragments left in my body. The others have all been converted into my lifespan. Otherwise, I would have died of old age long ago!"

Wang Bert asked, "Have you used up all the Dragon Bones The Hand stole from K'un-Lun?"

"We have, which is why The Hand has been steadily weakening over these past decades."

Madame Gao sighed. "We have been searching for new Dragon Bones all these years. Now that we have finally found them, we will never give up, because giving them up would be the same as giving up our lives!"

"Looks like you figured something out. I do know that the Dragon Bone is beneath that building."

Wang Bert smiled. Mercury blinked beside him. Although there was still much she did not understand, she had figured out one thing: Blood God and The Hand were fighting over the Dragon Bone, and it could grant immortality!

"What does Blood God want that useless thing for?"

Mercury was utterly confused. In her eyes, the Dragon Bone was worthless rubbish—Vampires could live forever, all right? Madame Gao proposed, "We can cooperate. I will tell you how to use the Dragon Bone, and you only need to give us half of it!"

"No, I want it all—both the Dragon Bone and the method for using it!"

Wang Bert smiled slightly and asked, "The Dragon Bone can do more than grant immortality. It can resurrect people too, right?"

"Half right, half wrong. The Dragon Bone alone can only grant immortality. To resurrect someone, you need one more thing!"

Madame Gao said, "The Beast!"

"The Beast?"

"That's right, The Beast! The Extraterrestrial Demon God worshipped by The Hand!"

Madame Gao said, "With Its power and the Dragon Bone, people can be resurrected. However, it does not come without a price. Every use of The Beast's power requires a great number of souls! The reason The Hand has committed so many evil deeds is, in fact, to obtain souls.

"Furthermore, every resurrection causes part of the soul to be taken by The Beast. The more times one is resurrected, the more incomplete one becomes. In the end, one becomes The Beast's puppet!"

At that, Madame Gao sighed. "When The Hand was first established, we were not as evil as we are now. We merely wanted to band together against K'un-Lun's pursuit. But after we began worshipping The Beast, we gradually became utterly devoid of conscience. That is the consequence of using evil power!"

"Don't make yourselves sound so pitiful. With all the things The Hand has done, even the eighteenth level of hell would be too good for you!"

Wang Bert dismissed her words. "What exactly do you need for resurrection?"

"A portion of the body and the Dragon Bone!"

Madame Gao said, "Each of us has left some of our bodily tissue in secure locations. So, Blood God, you cannot kill me, because I will resurrect. Those who oppose The Hand never meet a good end!"

"I'm so scared."

Wang Bert snorted. This was a little different from the TV series he had watched. In the show, cutting off their heads was enough to kill them.

Still, it was no big deal. If killing them only made them resurrect, then he simply would not kill them. He could freeze them and toss them into the Arctic Circle to keep Captain America company! After thinking for a moment, Wang Bert said, "Forget that. I scanned beneath the Long-Term Rental Apartment. A strange layer of energy is protecting the Dragon Bone inside. What is that energy?"

"Energy? It should be the power of K'un-Lun's Iron Fist!"

Madame Gao froze for a moment before saying, "Iron Fist Power is unmatched. If Iron Fist energy truly protects it, then you must cooperate with The Hand if you want the Dragon Bone. Only then can we capture this generation's Iron Fist and have him remove the protection!"

"Give me a break. Do I need to team up with you to deal with that pathetic Iron Fist?"

Wang Bert looked disdainful. He had watched the TV series Iron Fist. To be honest, he had been looking forward to it at first, since it involved K'un-Lun. But after finishing it, all he wanted was to curse the writers and director's ancestors for eighteen generations! It was one thing for Danny Rand, the protagonist, to be brain-dead, but since the series was called Iron Fist, shouldn't they at least have made Iron Fist formidable? In the end, Danny Rand's Iron Fist was just a glowing hammer! Put it this way: Frank could beat Danny Rand until he called him daddy with one hand!

"Weak?"

Madame Gao was both shocked and enraged. She shouted, "How could Iron Fist be weak? Every time, it takes all five of us together to deal with Iron Fist!"

Wang Bert could not be bothered answering. Danny Rand would probably return to New York from K'un-Lun soon. With his intelligence and strength, Wang Bert had plenty of ways to make him break the protection! Seeing Wang Bert remain silent, Madame Gao took a deep breath and said, "What makes Iron Fist different from martial artists like us is that he possesses the Dragon Soul, allowing him to break the human body's limits and accumulate vast amounts of Qi. At the same time, the Dragon Soul's power greatly enhances the power of Qi.

"According to records, Wu Fengji, the First Iron Fist, once killed an invading Phoenix from beyond this world with a single punch!"

"Phoenix?"

Wang Bert was stunned. Wasn't Phoenix from the X-Men? Could it have been another one? But something named Phoenix could not be weak, could it? "Fengji fought Phoenix? Are you sure you're not fooling me?"

Wang Bert asked suspiciously, "How could Iron Fist be that strong?"

"It is the truth."

Madame Gao said, "The Dragon Soul weakens slightly with each inheritance, so each generation of Iron Fists has grown weaker. But there is a limit to how weak it can become. This generation's Iron Fist should be leaving the mountain soon. If you want the Dragon Bone, you must cooperate with The Hand!"

"Not interested!"

Wang Bert was thoroughly dismissive. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Other than Iron Fist, is there no other way to break the protection of Iron Fist Power?"

"There is—the Dragon Bone!"

Madame Gao nodded unexpectedly. "The Dragon Bone can cancel out Iron Fist Power. If you possess enough Dragon Bones, you can open a gap in the protection. But that is impossible, unless K'un-Lun is willing to give them to you."

"The Dragon Bone can break the protection?"

Wang Bert narrowed his eyes. "Does The Hand still have any Dragon Bones? Or can we dig the Dragon Bones out of your bodies?"

"Absorbed Dragon Bones cannot be dug out!"

Madame Gao said, "The Hand only has one tiny Dragon Bone Fragment left. It is specifically reserved for finding Black Sky. Not only would we never give it to you, even if we did, such a tiny fragment could only open an extremely small gap, perhaps not even as thick as a chopstick. It would be meaningless."

"A gap not even as thick as a chopstick?"

Wang Bert's face lit up. For others, such a gap would certainly be insufficient. But Wang Bert was no ordinary person. He could turn into blood, and as long as there was even the slightest gap, he could seep through it! That was how he had investigated the underground area beneath the Long-Term Rental Apartment before—he had turned into a blood drill and bored a tiny hole! With this method, he would not have to stupidly wait for Danny Rand. Who knew when he would come down from the mountain? "Looks like I'll have to go to war with The Hand!"

Wang Bert said, "Fine. The Hand is steeped in evil anyway, so I'll consider it delivering justice on behalf of heaven!"

"I told you to read fewer martial arts novels. Besides, you're a Vampire, a natural-born villain!"

Madame Gao mocked him. "Your Blood Clan went through a major upheaval before. With your current strength, you cannot destroy The Hand at all! Even taking a step back, if you could destroy us, both sides would suffer terribly. By then, countless forces would be eager to eat your flesh and drink your blood!

"Blood God, cooperation is the best way for us to get along. When humanity tries to exterminate you in the future, The Hand can stand watch with you and help one another!"

Wang Bert could not be bothered replying. The Hand was indeed difficult to deal with, but only for others. For him, destroying The Hand would not cost much at all! Mercury was equally fearless. She stepped forward and shouted, "Blood God, I'm willing to be the vanguard!"

"You won't be left out."

Wang Bert smiled, then said to Madame Gao, "Madame Gao, tell me, in full detail, how to cultivate Qigong and everything you know about The Hand!"

Madame Gao had no desire to speak, but it was not up to her. Under the effects of the Purple Man Virus, she obediently told Wang Bert everything.

Mercury could not help glancing at Wang Bert. Blood God's ability was truly terrifying!

On a street beside the café, Black Widow Natasha smiled at Matt Murdock. "Lawyer Murdock, then I'll see you again tomorrow!"

"I'll be looking forward to seeing you again!"

Matt turned and left politely, but inwardly sighed. Because Natasha had stopped him, he had failed to hear what Madame Gao and that Mr. Wang had discussed. That was rather troublesome!

Mr. Wang is connected to Madame Gao, so is he a good person or a bad one? And when Natalie lies, her heartbeat doesn't change at all. Who exactly is she?

Matt frowned deeply and decided to spend more time keeping an eye on Mr. Wang and Madame Gao in the future!

After Matt left, Natasha found a secluded place and called Director Fury, reporting the conflict between the Blood Clan and The Hand. "Just keep a close watch on them. The Hand is no good either, so this is a perfect chance to see Blood God's methods."

Director Fury said, "I've never been able to see through that man!"

"Neither have I."

Natasha said, "Oh, and he intends to engage in Short Selling against Stark Industries!"

Director Fury was startled and hurriedly asked, "What? Short Selling Stark Industries?"

Natasha was a little surprised. "Director, that was quite a reaction!"

Director Fury fell silent for a moment before saying, "Tony was attacked in the Middle East during the day. He is missing now and has likely fallen into the hands of terrorists!"

Natasha was shocked as well. "Could Blood God have done it?"

Director Fury thought for a moment and shook his head. "Probably not. He has no grudge against Tony, and if he had done it, he would not be acting so openly. Still, he definitely knows something about it!"

"That's true. Blood God still needs Tony Stark to design things for him, so he would not kill him."

Natasha said, "Director, I can't get that information out of him unless you agree to let me get closer to him."

Director Fury said, "There's no need. I'll have Ms. Carter ask about it. Ms. Carter has deep ties to the Stark Family. She will not stand by and watch Tony come to harm!"

"Then I'll continue being his secretary. By the way, Director, how much Rebate did you get from the Blood Clan?"

"I've never taken any. Do you think I, Nick Fury, am the kind of person who takes Rebates?"

Director Fury hung up righteously. Natasha sneered. Not only had that black guy taken some, he had taken quite a lot!

Natasha shook her head to herself. Director Fury, what exactly do you intend to do with all that embezzled money?

After hearing Madame Gao's account, Wang Bert walked aside and called Frank. Once the call connected, he said, "Frank, make preparations. There may be a tough battle in a few days. I need you to take the entire Security Company into action."

"The whole company? Sounds like a major operation!"

Frank asked excitedly, "What intelligence do we have on the enemy? I need detailed information to formulate a battle plan."

Wang Bert asked in surprise, "You aren't even going to ask who we're fighting?"

"I trust you!"

Frank said. He was not flattering Wang Bert—nor did he know how to flatter anyone. He genuinely trusted Wang Bert because Wang Bert had saved his entire family!

Nick Fury had already sent Frank the intelligence on his former superior. After reading it, Frank had been so furious he had nearly coughed up blood. To avoid suspicion, those bastards had actually planned to fake an accident and kill his whole family!

At the time, Frank had desperately wanted to grab a Gatling gun and blast those bastards until not even scraps remained. Killing him was one thing, but they had wanted to kill his entire family too. Were they even human? Because of that, Frank was deeply grateful to Wang Bert. Without him, Frank's entire family would have been finished. And because of this, Frank had given up on pardoning Billy Russo. He was not worth saving!

You can kill me, but if you dare touch my family, I won't let you go even as a ghost!

"That's really good to hear. Don't worry, this time we're dealing with an utterly heartless organization that has committed every kind of evil. The atrocities they've committed are no different from those of demons!"

Wang Bert smiled. "I'll bring the files over this afternoon. Let Xue Ren know in advance, and we'll discuss the details then!"

Frank nodded. "All right!"

After hanging up, Wang Bert ordered Madame Gao, "Call the other Fingers. Tell them you lost, Blood God knows about the Dragon Bone, and he wants half of it!"

Madame Gao's heart turned cold. "You want to gather us together and wipe us out in one go?"

Wang Bert snorted. "What if I do? Make the call. You don't need me to teach you what to say, do you?"

Madame Gao could not resist. She could only pick up the phone, make the call, and turn on the speaker. Soon, the call connected. On the other end was Alexandra, the leader of The Hand!

After hearing Madame Gao's report, Alexandra said with a smile, "Blood God, we can give you the Dragon Bone, but I want to meet you formally for negotiations!"

Wang Bert said, "Fine. We'll meet at a neutral location. Oh, and Madame Gao will remain here as my guest until we meet!"

Alexandra said, "Fine, Madame Gao can stay with you. But you must return Giyohachiro to me. He isn't dead yet, is he?"

"He still has a breath left. I'll return him to you."

Wang Bert glanced at the unconscious Giyohachiro on the ground. "The Hand, don't disappoint my sincerity."

Alexandra smiled. "Rest assured, The Hand is equally sincere!"