Alexandra Loses Her Mind

"Norman Osborn has been discharged from the hospital."

"What? That's impossible!"

The mysterious man's news left Alexandra in disbelief—her ninjas had personally seen Norman Osborn lying on his deathbed, at death's door!

Her reaction nearly made the mysterious man laugh in anger.

"What's wrong with your brain? The plan was to tie down the Osborn Group, not to actually blow up their building right now! This is a terrorist attack, do you understand?!"

And on top of that, aside from some insignificant losses, the Osborn Group was completely fine—the Hand and Harmony Society hadn't even captured a single hostage.

If you had the guts, why not blow up the Fusion Power Station? Then this mysterious man might have nothing to say.

If they had taken the time to make a proper plan, maybe they could have caught Osborn off guard.

But now, at best, they'd only grazed Osborn's skin.

Alexandra calmed down, filled with nothing but regret.

Yet the more she regretted, the more uneasy she became, and that nameless rage only grew stronger!

"Talking about this is pointless. Norman is giving a speech tomorrow; we'll make our move then."

"We'll create chaos on-site and kidnap them in broad daylight, just like we've done before!"

"What? Do you even understand? This is the 21st century, and that's the Governor of New York! Your brain really is broken! The partnership is over!"

The communication cut off.

It seemed this mysterious man was truly scared—time to run while he could; this woman's mind seemed unstable.

But with the explosion having happened, the Hand and Harmony Society and the Osborn Group were now sworn enemies. Bending the knee now would be meaningless.

If Alexandra offered her own life as atonement and cut ties with the Hand and Harmony Society, she might earn forgiveness, but that was clearly impossible.

She wasn't the type to sacrifice herself for righteousness.

The mysterious man went offline, and the Five Fingers came online—though Madam Gao was absent from the meeting.

"Has Madam Gao not received the news yet?"

"Soon, she should be back shortly."

After a brief exchange, the atmosphere in the room fell into an eerie silence.

Borto spoke first: "This wasn't the plan. We put forward conditions, but that doesn't mean we make enemies of Osborn."

Sowanda agreed with the other two: "You should have watched how those Power Armors performed on the battlefield."

"We shouldn't have done that." Murakami's anger was greater than the other two's. "You're playing with fire. If your mind isn't clear, we wouldn't mind replacing the leader."

"Enough!" Alexandra said in a low voice. "He declared war first."

She tossed out a Recording Pen, which had Harry's voice recorded on it.

"Hand over the Secret Medicine, then get out of New York."

The group exchanged glances, speechless.

"Now do you understand? He decided to start the war, not me." Alexandra sat back down in her chair. "The question now is how to respond."

Silence fell over the room.

How to respond? That was the Governor of New York and the Osborn Group.

The three fingers present wished they could throw this crazy woman out, but at this critical juncture, they needed unity to figure out a way to appease Osborn.

"And now? Norman Osborn is about to give a speech at New York Plaza. What do we do?"

"All the people we could potentially use have had their families placed in Osborn's protected zones. The prosecutor's office has started investigating the company, and the NYPD is pushing through Hell's Kitchen again."

Sowanda laid out the difficulties they faced.

A terrifying expression appeared on Alexandra's face.

"Then we strike at the heart and take out Osborn."

On the other side, Norman reappeared before the public. Though his body was still a bit unwell, professional makeup easily concealed these minor issues.

"Citizens of New York. I apologize that, during my inauguration ceremony three days ago, I collapsed on the podium due to overexertion."

"This seems to have led the vermin hiding in the shadows to believe that New York State has grown weary."

"They have recklessly triggered large-scale explosions across New York, causing tens of thousands of casualties and losses!"

"Without a doubt, this is a heinous terrorist attack! It is the bitter fruit of our past lax law enforcement!"

"Tell me, can New York State tolerate terrorist attacks?"

Both the crowd on-site and those watching the broadcast through television shouted out:

"Never!"

"Therefore, I hereby declare that, effective immediately, New York will enter a state of emergency until the masterminds behind this are caught!"

"Citizens whose lives are affected by the state of emergency may apply for relief funds at aid stations. This relief fund will be sponsored by the Osborn Group!"

Harry stepped onto the stage, nodding and smiling at the crowd as he took his place beside Norman.

Those who had still harbored doubts about this measure immediately had many of their concerns dispelled.

Beyond the speech, Norman also ordered the continuous broadcast of last year's cleanup operation in Hell's Kitchen and the destruction caused by the gangs across all districts.

Of course, some media outlets were still reporting that the explosion was trouble the Osborn Group had brought on itself, but Harry assured them those outlets would change their tune by tomorrow.

Just then, the NYPD discovered that street cameras seemed to have been extensively sabotaged.

"Harry, there's a group of suit-wearing guys with black headbands closing in on the rally site. What the hell is up with their getup?"

Frank was monitoring the streets and buildings from the sky, reporting to Harry before he couldn't help throwing in a jab.

Frank wasn't the only one thinking that—Harry had already roasted it in his head several times.

Seriously, you guys are ninjas, Japanese ninjas, and now you're wearing headbands, suits, and even leather shoes...

Maybe they'd been assimilated by the gangs after all.

Harry shook his head and reactivated the cameras the Hand and Harmony Society had destroyed.

For a camera to work normally, the circuit needed to be intact, but Leining could punch through the air—as long as the distance wasn't too great, it could reconnect severed circuits.

Not every camera had the right conditions, but it was enough.

"Captain Stacy, the video's back! There's a group of weirdly dressed people with scythes approaching the venue..."

"What?"

The expressions in the command room all twisted into confusion.

Why did ninjas seem cool? Of course, it was their way of moving without a trace or shadow.

When they were exposed under surveillance, they just looked kind of goofy.

"...Well, the Governor called it. Is the Powered Armor Enforcement Unit in position?"

"All set."

Poor ninjas, they had no idea what was waiting for them.

"To ensure the safety of law enforcement personnel and citizens, the NYPD has introduced the latest model of Police Powered Armor from the Osborn Group!"

The crowd in the front rows cheered first, while those in the back erupted into screams!

Ninjas poured out of the buildings like a tide of cockroaches, but before they could even breach the cordon, armored vehicles quickly surrounded the scene, sealing them off from the rally!

Boom, boom—

Powered armor emblazoned with the police badge and Osborn Group logo stepped down from the vehicles, forming a steel wall that blocked the ninjas outside.

For a moment, the scene fell silent.

"Looks like these terrorists picked a bad day." Norman glanced at Harry, and father and son exchanged a knowing smile.

"Like when I was a kid and snuck a bottle of champagne open right when you got home." Harry shrugged.

The tension instantly dissolved. The fear brought by the ninjas' outfits and their terrifying weapons evaporated, and the citizens started flipping them off.

Among the audience were some special guests Harry had invited to cheer him on—the good-natured folks from Hell's Kitchen. Some of them dropped their pants on the spot and pissed toward the ninjas.

As it turned out, venting at bad guys with degrading acts was human nature. Soon, even people not from Hell's Kitchen joined in with all kinds of creative expressions.

Of course, the ones pissing were a tiny minority.

"Unforgivable!"

The ninjas charged the cordon like they were on steroids, but even a out-of-shape cop with a beer gut, boosted by a Powered Exoskeleton, could trade a few blows with these trained ninjas.

Let alone the ones equipped with Shock Gloves in powered armor.

Besides, the officers wearing the Powered Exoskeletons and Powered Armor had all been rigorously selected—their combat capability was fully guaranteed.

"Frank, how's the protected zone?"

Following the same protocol as last time, Harry had set up a protected zone—the families of everyone involved in the operation, as well as the families of officers equipped with new weapons, were sheltered there. Of course, some key witnesses were sent there too.

On the other side, Frank, clad in combat armor, snapped a ninja's neck in an alley.

Behind him, bodies already littered the ground.

"All eliminated."

Dropping the corpse, Frank leaped onto the wall. The gear on his feet let him glide across the surface like skating, and behind him, a bloodstained Flying Vehicle kept pace.

Even without gear, Frank could still shake Hell's Kitchen under the name of the Punisher.

With Harry's sponsorship, cutting through these grunts was like slicing vegetables.

Those damn gangs had killed his wife and kids. Now he had a chance to get revenge and bring his family back—he threw himself into it with plenty of enthusiasm.

He wasn't some soft-hearted superhero. He was a soldier.