As far as Noah knew,
Kingpin had never been someone who relied on brute force.
Even though his strength was terrifying.
What would Kingpin do in a situation like this?
Noah pondered.
Although he was quite gifted in research, strategy was not his forte.
It could be said that he had no need for it, or that he was simply not suited to it.
At least for now, he did not feel the need to employ any schemes.
With Goliath Giant and Tyrant leading the charge, they advanced at an astonishing speed.
Even if someone wanted to hide, no one could remain concealed from Fighting Wolf's sense of smell.
There was no need to hold back. Kill everyone in sight!
That was Noah's order!
There might be ordinary people among them.
But Noah had never considered himself a good man.
As long as he could ensure that the overwhelming majority were gang members, that was reason enough for him to act.
The troops had already pushed past the halfway point of the building.
Though the resistance along the way had been fierce, it was far below Noah's expectations.
What made Kingpin think that he could stop Noah, who had Tyrant, with this?
Kingpin could not possibly be unaware of Tyrant's capabilities.
Unless...
He was not here at all.
The thought flashed through Noah's mind, and his expression darkened slightly.
Come to think of it, that was highly possible.
Even though he had gathered his troops immediately,
the moment he decided to act at night, he had given Kingpin room to escape.
If Kingpin was sharp enough and had no intention of confronting him head-on, there was a good chance he was not upstairs right now.
But if he was not here, where could he be?
Although Kingpin had yet to become the underworld emperor who would later dominate the entire nation, he already had few rivals in New York.
Would an underworld emperor like that flee in disgrace?
Just as he was thinking,
a burst of police sirens sounded in the distance.
Noah froze. What the hell?
He had already blocked the signals here and, just like last time, cut power to the surrounding blocks.
How had the police arrived so quickly?
The next moment, he understood.
Kingpin had probably called the police himself.
Kingpin was different from other gangsters.
In public, he was even known as a great philanthropist.
Calling the police when something happened did not seem particularly strange.
Frowning, Noah gave the order directly.
"Frank, keep advancing!"
He had prepared for this before coming.
With Deadpool himself as a witness, even if his retaliation had gone a little too far, there was still room to negotiate.
At worst, it would just turn into a legal wrangle.
He had already hired a top-tier legal team.
Why hire them if not to give them something to do?
As a series of police cars came to a stop, large numbers of officers immediately got out and used the vehicles as cover to surround Noah's position.
The few Strategic Security Force members remaining beside Noah immediately moved to raise their weapons.
Noah waved a hand, signaling for them not to be nervous.
Start a fight with the police?
There was nothing wrong with his brain.
Seeing George Stacy hiding behind a police car door, Noah smiled.
"Director Stacy, may I ask why you are here?"
George Stacy did not hesitate before answering.
"Mr. Wilson Fisk called the police and reported that someone was attacking his company.
Mr. Allen, I did not expect the attackers to be you.
I advise you to immediately withdraw the people carrying out the attack and come back to the station with us. Otherwise, today's matter may be difficult to handle."
Noah's expression did not change.
Director Stacy sounded tough, but whether it was revealing Wilson Fisk's name or making those threats, it only proved that he did not want trouble.
So Noah spoke with a dissatisfied expression.
"Director Stacy, I believe this matter can be explained.
This afternoon, I was attacked on Wilson Fisk's orders and barely survived.
Originally, I only wanted to have a peaceful talk with him and discuss this matter properly.
But I never expected him to have a large number of gunmen lying in ambush inside his company, causing Umbrella to suffer heavy casualties.
So I suggest that you take your people and detain Wilson Fisk first. Then we can discuss how to resolve the issues that follow."
George Stacy said nothing.
Whether it was Wilson Fisk or Noah Allen, both looked like wolves in human skin to him.
Neither was a good person.
Take Noah Allen right now. He spoke with complete sincerity, yet showed no intention of stopping his men.
He was clearly stalling for time.
George Stacy's expression darkened. If this matter was not handled properly, it would become a major problem.
Just as he was about to continue,
a line of black cars sped over.
S.H.I.E.L.D. agents led by Coulson got out, and dozens of elite agents immediately took control of the situation.
After showing his identification, Coulson said,
"Mr. Allen, have your people withdraw immediately.
Your actions have now constituted a threat to public safety. If you refuse to comply, we will place you under arrest."
Noah's face immediately darkened at those words.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. certainly has quite the attitude.
When I met your director some time ago, I already got a taste of it. I thought that was merely his personal behavior, but now it seems this is how all of S.H.I.E.L.D. operates."
Coulson's expression remained unchanged, though he recalled the ugly look on the director's face after returning that time.
S.H.I.E.L.D. had paid far more than the military for Tyrant.
But he did not dare ask exactly how much more, in case the director beat him up.
"Sorry, every S.H.I.E.L.D. operation is for the safety of society.
Mr. Allen, please do not delay any longer. Otherwise, we will have to do it ourselves."
As he spoke, Coulson waved his hand, and several vans behind him opened.
Three Tyrants stepped out.
Noah narrowed his eyes.
He had not expected the merchandise he had handed over only days ago to be used by S.H.I.E.L.D. against him.
Did they really think he had made no preparations?
He even considered activating the backdoor he had left in Tyrant and using it to threaten Coulson instead.
But that was only a thought.
If he actually did it, Umbrella's products would probably be difficult to sell in the future.
Faced with Tyrant's threat, Noah said nothing and directly opened his communicator.
"Frank, bring everyone down first.
It looks like this ends here today."
Only after speaking did Noah look at Coulson and say coldly,
"Don't tell me you don't know why I came here. I may not be Tony Stark, but you had better give me an explanation!"
When Coulson heard the gunfire upstairs stop, his expression eased somewhat.
"Please rest assured. We will warn 'Kingpin' and ensure that nothing similar happens again."
Coulson deliberately said the name Kingpin to show that they already knew Kingpin's identity, allowing Noah to trust their promise.
It could even be seen as a warning to Noah.
Of course, it was more likely both.
But that was not important.
Noah sneered.
A warning?
Did they really think everyone would show S.H.I.E.L.D. respect?
But Noah did not say it aloud. He could give them that much face.
There was only one real reason he gave up.
Kingpin was not here. Since the target was absent, there was no need to fall out with S.H.I.E.L.D. over this.
After all, he was a businessman.
For a businessman, profit came first. At least, that was how it should be for now.
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P.S. Today's increase in bookmarks felt fairly average. I did not feel the boost from advancing in rank (＃￣~￣＃). Hopefully things pick up afterward.
P.S. 2: I originally planned to post two chapters together, but it got too late. The next chapter will have to wait a little longer. There was an emergency at home, and I have not finished writing it. I can only guarantee it will be updated before midnight...
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