Dragon Bone, The Punisher

Dragon Qi!

That was Hong Fei's personal name for it.

If he had come a few hundred years earlier, with this land brimming with Dragon Qi, he would have taught those Anglo-Saxons a lesson, one way or another.

Too bad he was late.

The crimson light faded from his eyes, and the black-and-white world was once again filled with vivid, lively colors.

This had been Hong Fei's favorite pastime lately, much like someone who suddenly strikes it rich can't help sneaking peeks at their bank balance.

The appearance of Dragon Qi was a symbol, and the emergence of the dragon's phantom further proved that Hong Fei's speculation wasn't mere fantasy.

The only explanation was that beneath his building, there was indeed a set of Dragon Bones buried.

The Marvel Universe had seen many dragons, but the most well-known was the Immortal Dragon of Kunlun, the divine dragon Shoulao.

Of course, Hong Fei didn't quite accept the title of "divine dragon," since Shoulao's appearance was far from the divine dragons he knew. Even Yinglong, with its wings, didn't look like that; Shoulao's form was closer to the dragons in Western eyes.

Shoulao was the guardian of Kunlun, the manifestation of the Dragon Force. Usually, we never saw Shoulao unleash its full power. More often than not, we only witnessed it being defeated, dying to pass on the Dragon Force to a warrior, then turning into an egg to be reborn.

After Shoulao died, it left behind a set of Dragon Bones, which naturally became a treasured relic of Kunlun.

Over the long years, Kunlun used the Dragon Bones to create a weakened version of the Elixir of Immortality. Later, traitors emerged from within the alliance led by Kunlun. These people fled Kunlun, relying on the Dragon Bones they had taken to survive for centuries.

That's right—he was talking about those ingrates from the Hand.

Hong Fei didn't know how much Dragon Bone was needed to make one dose of the so-called Elixir of Immortality, but the traitors couldn't have taken that many Dragon Bones with them back then. Yet they had used them for centuries without running out. A simple deduction made it clear just how insane a complete set of Dragon Bones would be.

So, when Hall first came to his door wanting to buy this land, Hong Fei was already ready to kill him.

But he quickly realized the guy really was just after the plot of land.

Hall wasn't a real lawyer, but he had a father who was a senior lawyer. His father worked for Fisk Industries.

It was a well-known spice company, and its owner wasn't just a successful spice merchant but also a big philanthropist passionate about supporting education—Wilson Fisk.

If Hong Fei hadn't watched the movies and shows, he might have almost believed it.

New York's underworld had many components, mainly including the Hand, the Russian Mafia, the Mexican Cartel, and the men of Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin.

The existence and function of the Dragon Bones were the Hand's undisputed top secret.

The Hand and the Kingpin weren't in a master-subordinate relationship; they were partners.

If the Hand had discovered the Dragon Bones, they would never, under any circumstances, leak the information to anyone, especially the Kingpin, whose power and influence were at their peak.

If the Kingpin already knew and understood the Dragon Bones' purpose, he definitely wouldn't have sent a rookie to negotiate the purchase—not even the rookie's lawyer dad. He would most likely have come in person, so if Hong Fei refused, he could have twisted Hong Fei's head off right there.

So, Hall had managed to leave alive two days ago, and today he came back with a bunch of thugs to threaten him.

Using a bunch of lowlifes to pull such lowlife stunts was something the Kingpin, already a big shot, had probably stopped doing long ago.

With that, the whole picture became crystal clear.

Fisk Industries really did want Hong Fei's land, but it wasn't too big or too small, so the company just had Hall's dad handle it. The father, having taken the job, might have wanted to give his son some experience, or Hall might have volunteered. Either way, Hall ended up with the task.

Also, Hong Fei guessed that Hall might have been planning to pocket some of the purchase money. Otherwise, where did he get the authority to offer Hong Fei an extra 5%? He must have set aside a chunk from the start, and since Hong Fei hadn't budged, he was forced to give ground.

Living in New York, Hong Fei naturally kept an eye on the Kingpin.

News of the Kingpin negotiating spice deals with overseas partners was posted on Fisk Industries' website. During the Kingpin's absence, Hong Fei never saw any of his men out and about on the streets.

It seemed the Kingpin was about to pull off a big job, so everyone from top to bottom had suddenly gone low-key.

Hall's reluctance to act rashly made sense too; if he caused trouble, the police wouldn't even need to deal with him.

After analyzing all this, Hong Fei temporarily stopped focusing on the matter.

The next day.

Hong Fei got up early, drove his beat-up car to a construction site in southern New York.

At the site, a burly man swung a sledgehammer, smashing rocks. His breathing was steady as he repeated the mechanical motion, his eyes a bit hollow.

"Castioni! Someone's looking for you!"

A shout came from behind. He snapped to attention, put down the hammer, and turned. The foreman pointed toward the site entrance.

The man frowned, instinctively on guard.

He had no friends now, and no one should know the name he was using.

As he walked slowly toward the entrance, his mind raced through countless possibilities. He even thought he might be surrounded by a swarm of police the moment he showed his face.

But his current peaceful life was hard-won, and without solid evidence in front of him, he didn't want to act recklessly.

Even prison meant nothing to him; he could escape once, and he could do it again.

Yet when he reached the entrance and saw the person waving at him, his wariness turned into sheer astonishment.

Hong Fei was a bit excited.

In terms of appearance, the man matched the face in his memory perfectly.

Plus, the way he walked and the unusual glint in his eyes all hinted that this was no ordinary worker.

Frank Castle, the Punisher.

As the other approached, Hong Fei looked at his furrowed brow and broke into a smile. "Nice to meet you. I've been looking for you for a long time."

Frank naturally wore no smile on his face. His already resolute features now carried an added gravity. "Who are you?"

"Hello, I'm Hong Fei."

Facing Hong Fei's outstretched hand, Frank remained unmoved. "I don't know how you found me, nor how much you know about me, but..." He looked at Hong Fei again, speaking solemnly. "Young man, from this moment on, I hope you forget me and never mention what happened in this second to anyone. Otherwise, you will regret it for the rest of your life."

With that, Frank turned around directly, clearly intending to go back to swinging his sledgehammer.

Hong Fei had anticipated this. He raised his voice. "Castioni, do you want to slay a dragon?"

Frank didn't stop walking.

Hong Fei: "You've only been clearing away the ants surrounding the evil dragon, but the ants replenish quickly. One day, they'll still gnaw your house down."

Slap!

Frank stopped abruptly and whipped his head around. His previously calm face was instantly flooded with rage. Hong Fei could almost see the blazing flames of vengeance erupting in his heart.

Frank turned and strode forward, almost pressing against Hong Fei as he stared him down. "How much do you know?"

Hong Fei dropped his smile. "I know a lot. I think we can make a deal."

Frank's eyelid twitched. He glanced around and said, "How about we find a quiet place to talk properly?"

"No problem, though I have a feeling you want to hit me."

"Are you scared?"

"A little."