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Anthony looked like a genuinely honest man.

John instantly realized something was wrong-these guys were here to loot the place!

He grabbed a chair beside the hallway and hurled it toward the entrance, blocking the doorway.

The thugs bursting through the front door shoved one another forward like zombies. Those in front tripped over the chair and the half-broken door, screaming as the people behind them trampled them to the floor.

Then John grabbed a long-handled umbrella and hurled that over too!

"Grab something! They're here to rob us!" John shouted at Anthony, still looking around for something handy to use as a weapon.

By the time he picked up another small stool, the thugs had squeezed inside, and Anthony finally reacted!

"Holy shit!"

A baseball bat swung toward Anthony. If that blow landed squarely on his head, he would get a concussion at the very least!

Bang!

The baseball bat struck the stool. John drove a front kick into the guy leading the charge, sending him backward, then hurriedly pulled Anthony back.

Lier had already run off, swearing at the top of his lungs. "Fuck, there aren't many people home right now! Hold them off!"

It was four thirty in the afternoon. The men were all out looking for work, and more than half the women were out too!

There was a small rectangular area at the apartment building's entrance, normally used for coats, umbrellas, and the like. There was also a table, where Rigordo had placed two potted plants.

John yanked Anthony over, then picked up a flowerpot and hurled it.

Anthony followed his lead and threw the other flowerpot. The thug at the front stood stunned after being hit, while those behind kept pushing. The whole scene descended into chaos, almost like one man holding off an army.

But that feeling lasted only a moment. A curly-haired thug charged out of the crowd with a steel pipe in his hand and slammed straight into Anthony. The two grappled!

John wanted to help, but more and more guys were rushing inside. The good news was that not all of them had weapons. The bad news was that they were acting like maniacs!

With his burly build, John blocked two guys trying to charge farther inside. They actually tried to persuade him to move!

"Get the fuck out of the way! We're only taking stuff! Watch yourself if you want to live!"

John flew into a rage. "You little shits, this is my home! My home! You're the ones who should get the fuck out!"

The commotion drew the attention of the other residents, and Lier's message sent them scrambling to reinforce their doors!

A few thugs slipped through and charged upstairs. Despite the number of people in the apartment building, one of them wasn't afraid at all.

Experience had taught him that most people were cowards. He could swagger inside and take their phones, wallets...

They wouldn't even fight back!

Thank God for gangs!

Bang!

An umbrella suddenly thrust out of Apartment 201-the kind of huge umbrella street vendors used. The thug crashed right into it. He turned his head just in time to see a fierce Russian woman swinging an iron pan at him!

The crisp clang added a beat to the chaos, and the building's owner stepped forward-

Rigordo's booming voice rang through the building. "This is our home! You're the ones who need to get out!"

As he shouted, he hurled flowerpots at the thugs climbing the stairs!

Everything was in utter chaos. A few thugs on their first looting spree began to lose their nerve! Why wasn't this anything like what the veterans had described?

Weren't they supposed to smash everything while people screamed and cried, standing helplessly to the side and shaking their heads, before they left with their arms full of loot?

Bang!

A gunshot shattered the chaos. Everyone stopped and looked toward the entrance-

A dreadlocked black man stood there with blood streaming from his head, holding a gun up while clutching his wound, his face twisted with fury. In his hand was a pistol!

"Fuck, we told you we were only taking stuff! You must have a death wish!"

The dreadlocked man pointed his gun at John-

Time seemed to stop. This wasn't the first time John had had a gun pointed at him, but he wasn't the kind of man who could stay calm in front of a firearm.

He still remembered being forced into his first crime. A gun just like this one had been pointed at his head while someone told him what to do and what would happen if he failed.

Back then, he had been terrified.

Crack!

The next instant, all anyone saw was the gunman flying backward, his waist looking as though it had been knocked out of alignment!

The man who struck him wore a black cloth over his eyes. Even his clothes were black, making him impossible to identify!

Lier sighed in relief at the sight-

Thankfully, he had some muscle on his side in this world too.

Otherwise, he really would have had to risk his life. The Sandevistan would definitely solve the problem, but it could end his life too.

Everyone in the building froze. The thugs, who had been emboldened by their leader firing his gun, stopped as well. They all stared in shock.

"You-you-you-my back-"

The dreadlocked man who had been kicked away could barely speak or straighten up. He writhed on the floor like a paraplegic.

Lier immediately brought down the brick in his hand.

Crack.

The brick knocked the guy out cold. Lier merely glanced at Matt in his Daredevil guise before shouting at the thugs:

"Squat down and stay put. Wait for our people to tie you up. Anyone who still wants to fight-beat them within an inch of their lives!"

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Someone tried to run. Still on the floor after finally breaking free of his opponent, Anthony grabbed the man's ankle.

The fleeing thug fell to his knees. John snapped out of his daze and slammed two punches into the man's face, staining his fists with blood.

"Aaaaaah!"

He was terrified, so he punched with all his strength, roaring to vent the fear inside him.

With their leader down, the thugs had no one to follow. After John's roar, they dropped what they were holding and shakily squatted down.

Seeing the commotion die down, Lier wanted to give Daredevil a thumbs-up, only to discover that he had already disappeared.

Lier clapped his hands. "All right-keep an eye on these people. We'll wait for someone to deal with them."

"First of all, congratulations on your Homeowners Association successfully fighting off a looting spree."

Some time later, Matt finally arrived after changing back into his regular clothes, looking as though nothing had happened.

If Lier hadn't already known the story, he would never have guessed this was the man who had nearly kicked a thug into quadriplegia.

"The real test has only just begun," Lier said, voicing Matt's thoughts.

One success didn't mean much, especially in a violent confrontation like this.

There was still a long way to go before people truly learned to stand up to injustice.

Matt nodded.

"You said what I was thinking-but this really is a huge step forward. In fact, there have been several home invasions like this over the past few months.

"Quite a few tenants moved away because they couldn't take it anymore. The owners were tormented just as badly and had no choice but to accept the United Construction Company's terms with their tails between their legs.

"But you not only caught these people, you even dared to call the police. There have been cases like this before, but afterward, the NYPD brought both sides down to the station to take statements.

"The outcome... was complicated, but nobody was detained. Not even these guys."

As he spoke, the dreadlocked black man on the floor, his face contorted with pain, snarled, "That's right. I'll be fine. And when I come back after a while, all your people will hide in their homes like rabbits..."

Lier didn't even want to look at scum like him.

This guy thought he was some kind of warrior and looked down on people who worked honest jobs.

Matt ignored him too, pulling Lier aside. "In a sense, he's right.

"Every time the NYPD comes here, that's all they do. They say there's no evidence of self-defense and treat everything in Hell's Kitchen as a fight between gangs.

"They punish both sides equally.

"That only wears down people's willingness to defend themselves. What are you going to do?"

"I have surveillance footage. Surely they can't just ignore the evidence?"

Matt glanced at Lier in surprise. "You fixed the building's surveillance cameras? That's good news. Most of the cameras in Hell's Kitchen are offline most of the time.

"With footage and the culprits caught, the NYPD will have to detain them for a few days, at least."

This old apartment building was probably fifty years old. The wiring was a filthy, tangled mess, and Rigordo couldn't even find anyone to repair it.

"That guy definitely doesn't have a gun permit. Can we get him locked up?" Lier added, looking at the dreadlocked black man. "I have footage of him firing."

"That's even better-but I remember that camera..." Matt paused.

In his perception, the camera had originally been facing the front entrance. It shouldn't have captured the spot where the thug had fired.

But now, the camera had moved on its own. Fascinating, since that normally required someone to control it.

"Anyway... I have some more data. Two other places nearby were robbed tonight, and I captured footage of those too.

"But I got that data from public cameras... do you think it'll help? If it does, I'll leave it with you."

Matt adjusted his sunglasses. "You really keep surprising me. Of course it'll help. Public safety cameras always seem to miss what they should be recording.

"I can go through the proper procedures to make this material legitimate. In the long run, it can help establish the existence of organized criminal activity.

"You know, someone keeps trying to blur these incidents into gang conflicts. With these videos, the truth will be clearer."

"Good." Lier paused. "The hard drive is with Mr. Rigordo."

Although USB flash drives were fairly common in 2011, their capacity wasn't that large, so a hard drive was still needed.

Mr. Rigordo did have a computer at home that served as the surveillance hub, though he clearly didn't really know how to use it.

Lier added, "Also, don't forget to clear that man in black's name. I doubt a masked vigilante has a great reputation.

"But we need him. Especially when it comes to public opinion, he needs to have the advantage. At the very least, people should be neutral toward him."

Matt's hand paused as he reached for the hard drive. "You think he's a good man?"

"No shit." Lier rolled his eyes, though Matt couldn't see it. "I even think the NYPD should give him a medal. He was stopping a crime, and I have the evidence to prove it.

"Helping each other is an act of courage in itself. He helped us, and now we need to help him.

"If people are too afraid even to defend themselves or step in to help others, isn't that just encouraging crime?"

"Maybe... but the NYPD will never acknowledge a masked man's actions as an act of courage. I'll go get the hard drive with you.

"Uh... is there someone else beside you?"

In Matt's perception, someone had been trailing right behind Lier the whole time... a girl?

Lier turned around and saw Skye staring at him with wide eyes.

Skye flashed a professional smile. "Boss, you were so cool just now! Could I crash at your place for a bit?"

For some reason, Lier hadn't felt this way earlier, but now he had the feeling this woman had latched onto him.