"Learn the Way in the Morning, Die at Dusk"

"After we destroyed The Hand's stronghold in Hell's Kitchen last time, I remember Lin Hai said you called Mr. Wilson and asked him to keep an eye on The Hand's movements, right?"

That sentence was like a key, instantly opening the floodgates of Lin Hai and Kingpin's memories. They both froze almost simultaneously, then realization dawned on their faces.

It really was no wonder they had not considered that possibility. When Lin Hai made that call to Kingpin, it had mostly been out of a cautious desire to be prepared for anything.

After receiving the call, Kingpin had indeed passed the matter on out of respect for Lin Hai and consideration for their partnership. But among his countless affairs and enemies, The Hand—an organization that had no direct conflict with him for the moment and had just suffered a devastating blow—naturally ranked low on his list of priorities. It had merely been issued as an ordinary intelligence-gathering order, without drawing much of his personal attention, and there had been no follow-up information worth reporting.

However, now that Harry had pointed it out, that overlooked clue suddenly became incomparably clear and crucial.

This was indeed the only recent point of contact between Kingpin's forces and The Hand. That meant the problem was very likely here!

Lin Hai immediately began reasoning along that line. "Last time, Matt and I uprooted The Hand's stronghold in Hell's Kitchen. We deliberately let a few ordinary ninjas go so they could deliver the message. They would definitely report the destruction of the stronghold, as well as the existence of the five of us, to The Hand's higher-ups."

His speech gradually quickened, and his thoughts became clearer and clearer. "Then, during this period, Mr. Wilson's men began asking around New York's underworld, keeping tabs on news and