So He's Blind

Ethan rode his bicycle home in the gentle evening breeze, his mind reeling from the day's absurd events: Tony had updated and upgraded Mark I to create Mark II, and Vanax, the shop owner's employee who was as adorably naive as a child, had managed to tear Tony's Mark II apart with her bare hands!

That wasn't all. The boss pulled out a metal ball the size of a ping pong ball and managed to trade it for five hundred billion US dollars from Tony. Furthermore, the two of them had already developed a drug that could regenerate severed limbs and planned to establish a company to sell it publicly. What stirred Ethan the most was Yuri's intention to have him represent him on the board of this yet-to-be-established company!

Reaching the pinnacle of life couldn't be more fitting.

Ethan touched his smooth, bald head, a hint of wistful loss in his eyes. No matter how successful his career, how great his power and wealth, it couldn't bring him back to that war-torn town, nor could it save his wife and daughter, who were taken by the war.

"Whoosh—"

"Click!"

Ethan, lost in his memories, was startled by a spear suddenly lodged in his bicycle's front wheel. Fortunately, he was riding slowly, so even falling off the seat only resulted in minor scrapes. Before he could get up from the ground, he felt a chill at the back of his head. Then, a hand clad in a dark red suit reached out from behind him and pulled out the spear stuck in the wheel.

Amidst Ethan's choked gasp, the mysterious figure lifted him into the air. With a few blinks, they landed on the rooftop of a dilapidated building. Ethan looked down at the street and saw drug addicts and homeless people sprawled everywhere. Familiar with the surroundings, Ethan cursed inwardly, This is Hell's Kitchen!

"Ethan, employee of Ancestor's Handicraft Shop."

"Don't shout and attract attention. I just want to ask you a few questions."

A muffled, hoarse voice came from behind. Seeing Ethan, whose mouth was covered, give an OK gesture, the mysterious man released him and asked, "What do the Hell's Kitchen servers deliver to you every day?"

Ethan turned around and took a few steps back. He sized up the mysterious man who had abducted him, his gaze lingering on the short baton in his hand. He answered truthfully, "It's our three meals a day, sir. I did advise the boss not to order from Hell's Kitchen, but he didn't take it seriously."

The mysterious man twirled the short baton in his hand. His superhuman hearing allowed him to clearly perceive the frequency of Ethan's heartbeat—he wasn't lying.

Just as he was about to ask another question, he heard Ethan's slightly excited, somewhat suspicious voice: "Deep red suit, retractable baton... are you the legendary Daredevil of Hell's Kitchen?"

The agilely spinning baton paused for a moment. Daredevil, Matthew, whose identity had been revealed, dodged the question without a word. He was only suspicious of Ancestor's Handicraft Shop. Now, it seemed that even if it had some connection to New York's underground criminal forces, it wasn't something this ordinary shop assistant could know.

After some thought, he continued, "So, Ethan, where is your boss?"

"Bad boss, he just ruined Tony's mask. He promised he wouldn't punish me anymore, so why won't he let me mate with him tonight!"

Vanax grumbled resentfully from under the covers, complaining about a certain man's actions.

The other three, engrossed in learning within their respective fields of interest, acted as if they hadn't heard anything. Only Cheetah, unable to bear her incessant whining, spoke up, "Not punishing you doesn't mean no punishment. Isn't the boss upstairs dealing with Kate? If you ask me, this is your punishment."

Vanax's lips immediately pursed into a downward curve. She turned over and stopped complaining, muttering hatefully, "Damn Tony Stark!"

"Knock, knock!"

"Knock, knock!"

The four on the second floor exchanged glances. According to human schedules, no one should be here at this hour. What was going on today? Who was knocking again?

"It must be that Tony Stark again. I'll get the door!"

Vanax put on her clothes in bed and leaped out of bed with a "swish." She planned to give the boss some suggestions tomorrow. Even if she couldn't mate, her bed should be moved to the third floor. It was one thing when she couldn't transform, but now living in the same room with three men every day felt incredibly awkward.

The remaining three exchanged glances. Shark, the leader, sighed. He hadn't even taken off his clothes and said helplessly, "Let's go. The boss is busy, and we have to keep an eye on the silly bird."

Seeing the lights turn on on the second floor, Matthew, with a grim expression, pulled Ethan further away from the shop door. There must be something unspeakable going on in this shop, and the boss even knows about my abilities and has made corresponding countermeasures. With my hearing that can cover three streets, I can't hear a single sound from inside!

"Click."

The shop door creaked open, and a humanoid creature, drenched in blood like a tsunami and with a heartbeat as powerful as a drum, suddenly appeared in Matthew's auditory world. A deadly threat washed over his mind. Just as he was about to make a strategic retreat, he heard a slightly surprised, sweet female voice: "Not Tony Stark? Ethan? Is this your friend?"

"Silly bird."

Cheetah saw the short baton stuck in Ethan's neck and said with exasperated disappointment, "What friend? Vanax, look closely. This is clearly a kidnapping!"

"Kidnapping?"

Vanax's eyes lit up slightly. "So, that means he's an enemy?"

"Wait! Wait!"

Seeing her expression, Ethan immediately guessed what she was about to do. Although Daredevil might be suspected of kidnapping him, Ethan knew his intentions. This guy wasn't like Tony's Mark armor; if Vanax brushed against him, she'd be instantly killed and die with regret.

So, the hostage took the initiative to excuse the kidnapper behind him, "Daredevil isn't an enemy, and he's not a bad guy. Shark, he just has some minor misunderstandings about us."

"We'll talk about whether he's an enemy later. The most important thing now is to save you from this pervert in a tight suit."

In Matthew's auditory world, the blood flow in the speaker's legs suddenly accelerated. Then, the hard alloy short baton he had wedged in Ethan's throat made a chilling cracking sound. A gust of wind hit him, and he felt as if he had been hit head-on by a speeding truck, his entire body flying away like a tattered piece of cloth.

"Cheetah, grab him. I'll go notify the boss."

Still in mid-air, Matthew spat a mouthful of blood onto his mask. The sweet, metallic taste instantly filled his mind. Before he could land, Cheetah caught him. Seeing his pathetic state, Cheetah disdainfully muttered, "Weak human," before lightly crushing his fists, which he had thrown with all his might. Amidst Matthew's excruciating screams, he was thrown into the shop, whose door Vanax had flung wide open.

A hand yanked off his mask, revealing a blood-stained face beneath. The sweet voice sounded again, "Hey! You're blind!"