Anesthesia

White walls, white sheets, whi...

White my ass! Matt couldn't see a damn thing!

After waking up, Daredevil Matt Murdock took three seconds to calm his thoughts, ten seconds to determine his situation, and the rest of the time to sink into chaotic memories.

"I wasn't..."

Matt was at a loss over his sudden memory gap, and he also realized that something was wrong!

"Well, well! You're awake! How much fake liquor did you drink to sleep this long?" An unfamiliar voice came from below him—or more accurately, downstairs.

For some reason, Matt was certain he had never heard this voice before, yet the moment he heard it, he felt inexplicably irritated!

Shaking his head, prompted by the voice downstairs, his memories gradually returned...

"What exactly do you want? Do we have some kind of grudge?"

Matt spoke calmly but quickly. "Whatever you want, I don't have time to fool around with you. If you're here for revenge, then respect me and give me a quick death. If not, I'm badly injured. Please let me leave."

Some said that when a man holding a sword suddenly started reasoning with you, it meant only one thing: you held a sharper sword.

That was indeed the case.

Matt was badly injured, but the Night Devil's reputation had not come from merely putting on a costume, going out at night, and beating up a couple of drunks. If he had been facing an ordinary person, he would have already taken them down and left.

But he wasn't.

Matt knew very well that although he had been careless, it was nearly impossible for an ordinary person to get so close to him on a quiet night like this without being noticed.

Besides, though most of Matt's enemies were ordinary people, after walking the night for so many years, he was not ignorant of everything.

There truly were many extraordinary people in this world. So, Matt was not surprised that one of them could fly.

That did not matter either.

Being able to fly did not mean he could withstand fists and sticks!

While that bastard babbled on endlessly, Matt decisively launched an attack. The result...

There was no result at all.

That guy was agile beyond human! Every attack was dodged, and Matt grew even more flustered. At a time like this, getting drawn into a prolonged fight was simply suicidal.

Run!

After feinting, Matt turned and ran behind him while the man sidestepped to evade!

Then there was no then.

Somehow, that person suddenly went whoosh and appeared in front of him, blocking his path. Then he made no further move. He merely stood there.

The pain beneath his ribs and the weakness in his calf muscles constantly reminded Matt that he was losing blood.

As an outstanding student and someone in a special profession—a hero!—Matt had some understanding of the things he might encounter and had prepared himself.

Of all the ways to die, bleeding to death was the one he least wanted to face.

That was why Matt had said those things. He also understood that if this person wanted to kill him, then today would probably be the day of his death.

That person did not even need to attack him. He only needed to stand there and watch quietly.

And so, the scene once again became two people standing face-to-face.

"Huh? What are you thinking about?"

Leon was confused too.

I already said I was a good person and wanted to give you an eighty-percent discount on treating your wounds. Why was this guy acting like this?

In this bright moonlit, gloomy alley, I descended from the sky in such handsome clothes and suddenly appeared behind you, scaring the hell out of you. How did that make me look like a bad guy?

"Uh..."

Now that you mentioned it, that was true!

"We don't have any grudge, and I don't want to hurt you. Otherwise, I'd have done it already, wouldn't I?"

Without giving Matt time to answer, Leon continued, "The reason I appeared here was to give Kingpin some trouble and add a little annoyance to his ordinary life. Whether you believe me or not, I believe it anyway."

Seeing Matt sweat more and more, Leon finally became serious for once. "From the looks of it, you should have enjoyed what was originally prepared for me."

Matt: You #(!)&[]!!!

"I saw you were hurt, and out of guilt and sympathy, I wanted to help treat you. No need to be polite. I really am a doctor."

Perhaps he sensed the sincerity in Leon's words, or perhaps he truly had no other choice. After weighing it over and over, Matt finally nodded. "Then... I'll trouble you."

"Oh, look at you. We're friends. Why the fuck are you being so polite with me?" Leon replied with equal politeness.

"Eighty percent! Ah! If I charge you even one cent more, go complain to Kingpin! Whether it's a finger with a splinter that needs amputating, a headache that needs everything below the eyebrows amputated, or a split stream that needs both thighs amputated—haven't I handled every one of those perfectly?"

"This old uncle loves money... ah, helping friends most of all! As long as you pay enough, I can even remove your appendix while I'm at it!"

"I need to anesthetize you first, so get ready! Isn't that why every organ God gave people has its use? If you didn't have an appendix, how would I make this money off you? Right?"

Matt had already lost too much blood, and the lack of oxygen to his brain had made him sluggish. Leon's Chinese-style English was fast and hard to understand, so even with his excellent hearing, Matt could only barely make out the guy wildly rattling on about arms and legs.

There seemed to be something about an appendix in there too?!

He wasn't going to cut out my kidney, was he?!

Just as he dazedly wondered about the anesthesia, Leon's voice suddenly boomed in his ears in a powerful shout.

"Take this, Physical Anesthesia Technique!!"

His nose hurt, and Matt lost consciousness.

By this point, Matt had remembered everything.

He touched his nose. It hurt!

There was still tissue stuffed into his nostrils.

Good lord, this was the anesthesia technique you were talking about!

No wonder it was physical! You could have hit my head or the back of my neck!

Do you have a grudge against me?!

Reaching up, he felt the leather mask still on his head. It seemed his identity had not been exposed, though it was also possible that the freak had seen his face and put the mask back on afterward.

He had escaped disaster—for now!

Carefully reaching for the wound beneath his ribs, Matt felt that someone like this was fully capable of cutting out his kidney and selling it!

Beneath the battle suit that had been sliced open by a knife, Matt touched his skin.

The wound... was gone!

Thud, thud, thud.

Leon came up the broken wooden stairs.

This was an abandoned building, long since ruined by neglect. If he were actually performing surgery, the environment here was clearly unacceptable.

But using a toothbrush or something was no problem. Besides, people in the superhero business had thick blood. They would not die from just any little thing, so there was no need to worry.

After coming upstairs, Leon said nothing. He merely stood quietly at the stairway entrance. Matt's thoughts were in turmoil as well, so he did not speak.

After a long while.

"Tha..."

"Thanks, fifty cents."

...Huh?

If you think it was alright, give me a few tickets. This is a new book by a new author, and they're still very important.

Also: Happy holidays, everyone. After a busy day, the author picked up his phone with one hand.