Saving Frank's Daughter

"Have you seemed less proactive than before lately?" Heli sat in the passenger seat and wiped her mouth.

"Have I?" Harry, feeling refreshed, hit the brakes. They had arrived.

In fact, he had. The Spartan Bio-Modification Surgery had adjusted the body's endocrine hormones, and one noticeable effect was a sharp decline in that kind of desire.

But perhaps because he had spent too much time with Heli, he still enjoyed her "relaxing massages."

"A Vietnam veteran... with distinguished service. Are we preparing to form a private armed force? I have to remind you that our funding for the city police department and Prosecutor's Office over the past few months has already exceeded the original budget." The moment they got out of the car, both immediately returned to work mode. Heli kept flipping through the documents in her hands.

"Also, the acquisition of Stark Industries shares has been suspended because of this. We now hold 7% of Stark Industries, and they have already invited you to attend the next Board of Directors meeting."

"Not bad, but forget the Board of Directors. There's no point in going right now." Harry waved a hand.

Actually, if Tony still had no chance of returning, Harry would not have given Stark Industries so much as a glance.

And even if Tony returned, his energy technology was not exactly some miraculous black technology to Osborn Enterprises—Doctor Otto's dream of Nuclear Fusion was about to come true.

Of course, Cold Fusion and miniaturization would still need to be researched slowly, but Harry believed they would not be a problem for Doctor Otto.

His stake in Stark Industries was for the long term—if he could, he really wanted to crush Stark Industries while it was down. But on one hand, there was no benefit in doing so; on the other, Congress would not stand by and watch this arms giant collapse, at least not yet.

"Alright, I've noted that down. You won't regret it if I tell you their manager is a beauty, right?" Heli said as she wrote.

"Of course not, thanks. Tell me about Frank. Who is hospitalized? His wife, daughter, or son?"

Harry's destination was a hospital, one that had become packed to capacity because of the events of the past few weeks.

"His daughter. This Mr. Frank is a real tough guy, a Vietnam veteran with distinguished service. Just as we began a series of investments in Hell's Kitchen, his family witnessed gang activity. His wife and son were... killed on the spot. His daughter was saved by a masked man, but she was seriously injured."

Because of Harry's involvement, Kingpin was under immense pressure, which happened to give Matt an opening to save Frank's daughter... It really was the Butterfly Effect.

From a utilitarian perspective, this was good news. Harry did not need The Punisher, but he did need an experienced legendary veteran.

"I heard he became a military instructor after retiring?"

"He resigned a few weeks ago."

Harry nodded. He roughly understood Frank's current state. He signaled for Heli to find a doctor and ask about the situation, while he headed toward the intensive care unit.

Outside the intensive care unit, Harry recognized Frank at a glance—the man was absurdly muscular. But he did not look well. His face was somewhat pale, and gray hairs had appeared at his temples.

Harry did not conceal his purpose. The instant Harry approached, Frank stopped pacing.

"Mr. Frank Castle?"

"You're... Harry Osborn?" Of course Frank knew Harry. He was not an idiot.

When he had first given the police information about the bastards who hurt his family, they had not helped him, saying they were difficult to track down.

So he picked up a gun. Relying on his own methods and network, he found those people, as well as the ones behind them, and provided the Prosecutor's Office with the evidence.

To his despair, those bastards were all in league with one another!

Enraged, he decided to punish those people himself. But when he saw his daughter gravely injured in that hospital bed, he hesitated—then he saw Harry Osborn and his father Norman Osborn, as well as the changes in Hell's Kitchen, and decided to try one more time.

And this time, the law did not disappoint him—but he knew it was not because the law had suddenly opened its eyes. After experiencing something like that once, he was not stupid. He knew that Osborn's intervention was what had turned things around.

He did not know how to describe his thoughts or feelings about it, but he was still somewhat grateful to the father and son.

They had allowed him to stay by his daughter's side in peace.

"Mr. Osborn, are you here to see me?" Frank did not know why this Osborn had come here.

"Yes. First, thank you for your contributions to the country. Second, thank you for reporting the criminals in Hell's Kitchen—though it seems those words ought to come from the authorities."

The two shook hands, but Castle knew that could not be why Harry had come.

"You're a soldier, so I won't waste words. I can save your daughter."

What?

Frank suddenly lunged forward and viciously grabbed Harry by the collar!

"What did you say? You can save my daughter? Please, save her! I'll pay any price!"

Like a drowning man clutching at a lifeline, Frank shouted uncontrollably.

After Harry gestured for him to calm down, Frank sat in a chair and began speaking in a daze:

"The doctor said her liver took a severe blow and suffered massive bleeding. Though she was brought to the hospital early, she was too young, and her liver failed."

"It's all my fault. I should have been there with them..."

As Frank sank into depression, Heli returned as well.

"The situation is very serious. Her liver ruptured and then failed, accompanied by biliary peritonitis and infection."

Harry knew a little about medicine. Put simply, Frank's daughter was not far from death. The only solution was to first transplant a liver and stabilize her vital signs, then deal with the other inflammations.

But given his daughter's current condition... first, there was no suitable liver; second, her body was too weak to ensure that she would not die on the spot from rejection after the transplant.

But as it happened, Harry did have a way to solve these problems.

"Frank, I'm very sorry this happened, but I can tell you that Osborn does have technology capable of treating your daughter. However, this technology is still in the experimental stage, and I need you to understand the risks involved."

Heli took out documents she had prepared beforehand.

Harry was not lying. Although the technology given to him by the system included Artificial Organ technology, Conners's current research mainly involved artificial nerves and Prosthetic Limbs. Harry had planned to release Artificial Organ technology later, so he had never allowed them to work on it in the laboratory.

And if Frank agreed, Norman and Harry would personally oversee the development of his daughter's organs.

This would be the technology's first practical application. Objectively speaking, the success rate was not one hundred percent.

After reading the documents, Frank nodded decisively.

"I agree to let my daughter use this technology." He had no other choice.

Harry smiled inwardly—Frank had not asked what Harry wanted him to do, but that did not mean he would shamelessly assume Harry had truly come simply to offer help.