Typhoid Mary was brought into Kingpin's secret warehouse by two nurses in white coats. To be precise, she controlled the two nurses and brought them in. The two unfortunate men had blank stares, drool at the corners of their mouths, and walked unsteadily, typical aftereffects of Mind Stone control. Mary walked in front, her blonde hair a mess, her face full of excited and resentful smiles.
Kingpin sat in his custom-made office chair, big enough to fit three adults, his hands crossed over his stomach, a cigar dangling from his lips, his expression unreadable. Bullseye leaned against the corner, polishing his darts, not even lifting his head.
"You're back." Kingpin's voice was neither loud nor soft, his tone casual.
"You're back." Mary shoved the two caregivers aside, and they collapsed to the ground like puppets with their strings cut. "That bastard called Super Earthling didn't take me to the police station; he sent me to a mental hospital!"
"Stop with the nonsense, get to the point!"
"The key point is," Mary walked to Kingpin's desk, placed her hands on the surface, leaned forward, and had an unusual glint in her eyes, "I've found the breakthrough with the Super Earthling."
Kingpin took the cigar out of his mouth, gesturing for her to continue.
"That high school student named Peter Parker not only knows him, but is very familiar with the Super Earthling; the Super Earthling treats him like one of his own."
Kingpin's brow twitched very slightly, and he leaned forward a little.
Are you sure?
"I'm sure. I've been keeping an eye on him at school for days, getting a lot of information out of him. This kid's very tight-lipped. Every time I mention 'Super Earthling,' he gets nervous, and when he gets nervous, he stutters. And when he stutters, I know he not only knows them, but they're quite close."
"That big guy was seen at school?"
"No, not really. But just yesterday, I followed that kid, and he showed up. That Mutants kid humiliated me and even sent me to a mental hospital. I'm going to kill him."
Kingpin leaned back in his chair and remained silent for a few seconds.
Tell me, what exactly happened yesterday?
Mary squinted and said, "He was hanging upside down on a streetlamp, wearing that gaudy robe and his face was covered. He thought I was going to kiss him, hilariously, I almost stabbed him in the throat—"
So you failed.
"I haven't failed!" Mary's voice suddenly rose, slamming her hands on the table. "I just haven't succeeded yet! I know about his relationship with Peter, and if I get another chance, I can—"
" Bullseye said the same thing to me last time," Kingpin interrupted her, glancing at Scar-Eye, his voice still unhurried. "He said he found Connors, he said he'd bring the serum back soon, he said everything was under control. And then?"
Bullseye lowered his head even further and stopped what he was doing.
Mary's face flushed crimson. Her lips trembled several times, and her voice suddenly became sickeningly sweet. "Boss, don't worry, I've already figured out his relationship with Peter. As long as we catch that brat, he'll definitely—"
boom.
The ceiling exploded!
A tremendous force tore a two-meter-square hole in the steel plate at the top of the warehouse, and scraps of sheet metal rained down like snowflakes. Everyone instinctively looked up. Bullseye quickly gripped his dart, Mary took a step back, knocking over a trash can, Kingpin's men all drew their guns, aiming them at the hole. In the very center of the hole, a figure that blotted out the sky was falling at an utterly illogical speed.
The person who arrived was none other than Lin Xiao!
With a muffled thud, he landed steadily on Kingpin's desk.
The custom-made solid wood desk, strong enough to withstand a grenade explosion, let out a pitiful groan beneath his feet as three cracks appeared on its surface at a visible speed. Kingpin's cigar was knocked off the desk, rolled twice, and came to rest next to the cigar box.
Lin Xiao bent down and grinned.
"Mr. Jin, your delivery has arrived. But this place—" He sniffed and made an exaggerated frown, "... smells a bit off. Would you like some air freshener? I know someone who sells domestic products; I can give it to you at wholesale price."
The office was silent for a fraction of a second.
Bullseye was the first to react. With a flick of his wrist, two darts were already between his fingers, and he threw them toward Lin Xiao's face. The darts drew two silver streaks in the air, aiming straight for his eyes.
Lin Xiao didn't even try to dodge.
The dart struck him with a crisp "clang," then bounced off and embedded itself in the ceiling. Countless bullets then pelted Lin Xiao.
Lin Xiao, however, didn't seem to care and chuckled.
"Don't rush, one at a time."
He jumped off his desk, raised his right hand, drew a complex hand gesture in the air with his fingertips, and muttered some incantations. In reality, he was just humming a tune from "Gong Xi Fa Cai" (Wishing You Prosperity), because Lin Xiao felt that simply raising his hand without saying anything wouldn't convey the sophistication of the Lightning Summoning Spell.
A thin, purple arc of electricity shot from his fingertip, splitting into more than a dozen equally thick electric snakes in mid-air, flying in all directions. The arc struck the barrels of Kingpin's men's guns, instantly turning the metal barrels into conductors and distributing the current evenly to each gunman.
The gunfire in the office stopped almost simultaneously. The shooters were all shaking like leaves, their hair standing on end, and wisps of smoke rising from the shoulders of their suits. The subordinate closest to Lin Xiao had his mouth agape the most, his teeth still chattering, before he stammered, rolled his eyes, and collapsed to the ground.
Bullseye's reaction was indeed fast. The instant the first arc of electricity shot out, he somersaulted backward twice, crouching in the corner panting heavily, his legs bent like a shrimp, his eyes wide open. How did this monster get stronger again and learn witchcraft?
Typhoid Mary wasn't electrocuted either. But her condition was worse than if she had been electrocuted. She stared intently at Lin Xiao, her three personalities switching wildly—one personality wanted to pounce on him and tear him apart, another wanted to turn and run away, and the third still thought Lin Xiao was quite manly.
Lin Xiao chuckled and pulled a mask from his pocket. The mask was shaped like an exaggerated smiling face, with the corners of the mouth stretched to the ears and the eyes being two curved crescent moons. The color scheme was a colorful candy color.
"Don't be nervous, I just want to show you something good." Lin Xiao said, then put on his mask.
The Candy Clown's smiling face looked particularly eerie in the dimly lit warehouse. The one closest to Lin Xiao only glanced at it before screaming and falling backward, muttering incoherently and wetting his pants in fright. Lin Xiao frowned in disgust, skipped over the terrified boy, and looked up at Kingpin.
Kingpin tensed slightly, his fingers tightening their grip on his cane.
Bullseye gritted his teeth, terrified, but he knew what he had to do to regain his boss's approval. He sprang from the corner, throwing three darts in a triangular formation at Lin Xiao's mask. At the same time, Mary moved—she pounced from the side, her dagger aimed straight for Lin Xiao's ribs. The two coordinated perfectly; Bullseye's darts attacked Lin Xiao Lin Xiao's upper body, forcing him to defend, while Mary's dagger attacked his lower body, waiting for him to make an opening.
Lin Xiao didn't even have time to defend himself. He stood still, raised his right hand, palm facing outward, and a wave of energy exploded outward from him.
This was simply a palm strike. Using his knowledge of qi from the Flight Technique, he channeled his energy into his right arm and pushed forward. The shockwave struck Bullseye, causing them to pause briefly in mid-air before bouncing back at an even faster speed. Bullseye cursed and tumbled to the side in a sorry state, the darts grazing his ear and embedding themselves in the wall with a buzzing sound. Mary was also grazed by the shockwave, tumbling through the air before sliding several steps backward after landing and barely managing to regain her balance.
Lin Xiao flicked his wrist, producing a cracking sound.
"You two worked well together. But—" He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly turning to the side.
A cane flew past his ear and embedded itself in the wall. The ruby at the end of the cane shattered a brick in the wall, sending debris flying.
Kingpin made his move.
His large hands braced against the desk, and he stood up with a speed completely disproportionate to his size. With a powerful push of his feet, he rammed into Lin Xiao.
Lin Xiao turned around, stood still, and didn't dodge, a smirk playing on his lips. He raised his right leg, aiming the sole of his foot at Kingpin's chest.
The foot landed on Kingpin's chest muscle with an extremely dull thud.
Kingpin sent flying backward, crashing into his own desk. He slid three or four meters across the floor with the desk before coming to a stop. He lay on his back, a clear shoe print on his suit jacket, panting for a couple of breaths before struggling to his feet.
Lin Xiao raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Then he started moving again.
The Candy Clown Mask cast a colorful afterimage in the dimly lit warehouse. His right fist slammed into one of his henchmen's shoulders, sending the man flying like he'd been hit by a truck, crashing through two rows of metal shelves before coming to a stop. His left palm struck another henchman's chest, sending him flying backward with a muffled groan, slamming into a wall that cracked like a spiderweb. As he punched and slapped, he simultaneously cast Lightning Summoning Spell, purple arcs of electricity lashing out like whips at those around him—those who hadn't yet gotten up, those who were about to get up, and those still hesitating—were all electrocuted and forced back to their seats.
Bullseye attempted a sneak attack from the side. He held a short knife, aiming for Lin Xiao's leg. He thought he had succeeded with a single slash, but Lin Xiao kicked him to the ground, and he didn't get up for a long time.
A girl rushed in from the end of the corridor. Her eyes glowed with an unnatural red light, and she opened her mouth, unleashing a visible sonic wave towards Lin Xiao. The sonic wave hit him, and he slid back half a step, but only half a step. He turned his head to look at the girl, whose candy-colored smiling face on her mask tilted her head.
" Echo, is it? Kingpin's adopted daughter. I've seen the file." Another sonic wave came hurtling towards him, which Lin Xiao dodged to the side. "Your sonic attack is quite interesting. However, the frequency is too low. It's fine for an ultrasound, but not very effective in combat."
He raised his hand, and an arc of electricity struck the ground precisely at Echo's feet, the blast of debris causing her to instinctively take two steps back. Taking advantage of this opening, Lin Xiao took down three more of his men.
Half an hour later.
The warehouse was filled with people lying haphazardly. Bullseye was slumped in the corner, one leg dangling from an iron rack, a mouthful of bloody foam in his mouth. Typhoid Mary was pinned to the wall by her own dagger, her sleeve pinned to the wall. The madness in her eyes was gone, replaced by a blank stare, as if she had been utterly crushed. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
Echo leaned against the wall, panting heavily. The red light in her eyes had died down, and her hands hung limply at her sides, her ten fingers trembling slightly. She had completely lost any desire to resist.
Kingpin leaned against the overturned desk. His suit was covered in dust, two small bloodstains marred his bald head, and the shoe print on his chest was still there. But he still refused to fall. He had fought countless battles in his life, from street thugs to underground emperors, and the number of times he had been beaten down could be counted on one hand. But he had never encountered anything like this before—not a loss, but being completely unable to fight back, not even having a chance to get close.
Lin Xiao walked towards Kingpin, his steps slow but each one powerful, terrifying everyone around him. No one dared to move. He reached Kingpin, bent down, grabbed Kingpin the neck with one hand, and lifted him off the ground.
Kingpin's back slammed against the wall with a dull thud. His feet were at least half a meter off the ground, and Lin Xiao's one hand was gripping his neck like he was holding a chick.
Lin Xiao removed his mask, his face full of disdain.
"Mr. Jin, let me tell you the truth."
His voice was neither loud nor soft, as gentle as if he were chatting with an acquaintance, but his actions were extremely ruthless. Kingpin could feel the hand gripping his neck tightening at an extremely slow pace.
"I originally wanted to take it slow. Look, you build your crime empire, I earn my mission rewards, we go back and forth, a perfect turn-based game, wouldn't that be more interesting?"
Lin Xiao paused, then narrowed his eyes.
"But you've overreached."
Kingpin didn't speak, not because he didn't want to, but because his neck was being choked and he couldn't speak.
"Because of what you guys did yesterday, my girlfriend found out, and she threw a tantrum, not letting me touch her last night." Lin Xiao's expression suddenly turned extremely serious. "Do you know how miserable a man with nowhere to release his energy is? You don't know? You don't know! You only care about yourself! You've only lost twice—the first time Bullseye didn't come back, the second time Mary didn't come back. Are you as miserable as I was tonight?"
Lin Xiao thought about Peter today. After Peter, that brat, mentioned being followed and chased by the crazy woman to Mei, Mei threw a little tantrum at him. How could he tolerate that?
Kingpin's face flushed from its normal color, then turned deep red. His fingers twitched, but he didn't try to pry Lin Xiao's hand off. He knew one thing better than anyone else present—that resistance was futile against this monster.
"So I'm here today to teach you a lesson." Lin Xiao grabbed Kingpin's right arm with his free hand and twisted his wrist downwards with force. Crack. A clean and crisp sound rang out. The muscles on Kingpin's face twitched violently, and he let out an extremely restrained groan.
"This is the price you pay for your recklessness."
Click. Another click, Kingpin's left arm also drooped down at an unnatural angle.
"This time, I'm taking it for myself. I'm really annoyed that you've left me with nowhere to go tonight."
Lin Xiao released his grip, Kingpin slid to the ground, his arms hanging limply at his sides. He gasped for breath, head bowed, saying nothing.
Lin Xiao squatted down, looking Kingpin straight in the eyes. Kingpin pain, and his hands were trembling, but he still didn't say a word.
Lin Xiao looked at him and suddenly grinned.
"I'm a very fair person. If you cause me trouble, I'll teach you a lesson. I'll come a few times a month, depending on my mood, to teach your men what the rule of law means and what moral principles are. Don't be shy, it's my duty."
He straightened up and dusted off his hands.
"By the way, you're welcome to mess with me anytime. The more intense the better." He turned around and took two steps towards the door. "I don't care if you get into trouble—after all, you're the villains. What reason would I have to come to class if I didn't cause trouble? But teaching is my duty as a teacher, and that can't be waived."
A row of cars was parked in front of the entrance. Lin Xiao's gaze swept over them: Hummer, Mercedes, Lincoln, Cadillac—his eyes lingered on the Hummer on the far right, then moved to the Mercedes S600 on the left, and then returned to the Hummer. He took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and squatted down to examine the Hummer's tires and rims closely.
"Which one is more expensive?" he muttered to himself.
"A modified Hummer, military-grade chassis, bulletproof windows, market price is around seven hundred thousand dollars," Doupao suddenly replied.
Lin Xiao's eyes lit up.
He opened the door of the Hummer, about to get in, when he suddenly stopped. He turned around, looked at the group of people still sprawled on the floor inside, and a smile crept onto his lips, as if he had remembered something insignificant but worth mentioning.
"By the way, I'm with S.H.I.E.L.D.. A Level 6 agent, officially employed. If you're not happy about it, you can go to S.H.I.E.L.D.. and report me, especially that Black Baldy — Director Fury Nick Fury. Everything I've done was arranged by him."
After he finished speaking, the smile on his face deepened.
Kingpin leaned against the wall, his two severed arms hanging at his sides, and did not answer.
Lin Xiao added another sentence, his voice suddenly becoming very soft, so soft that it sounded like he was only talking to Kingpin.
"Mr. Jin, I know all your family members. Your wife is quite beautiful, and your son is quite honest. I'm not good at much else, but I'm quite skilled at inviting people for tea. Don't overthink it, I'm a reasonable person. Let's continue with our round-based game. If you want to play something else—"
Lin Xiao walked over again, leaned close to Kingpin's ear, and said two words.
The voice was very soft, so soft that Kingpin's men behind him couldn't hear a word. But Kingpin's expression changed. His face, which had remained calm despite being pinched, electrocuted, stepped on, and slapped, finally showed an extremely slight crack in the face of those two words.
Lin Xiao took a step back, put his hands in his pockets, and his smile returned to its lazy state.
"Of course, it's best if I don't get to that point. After all, I'm pretty lazy. Goodnight, Mr. Kim."
Lin Xiao nodded in satisfaction, opened the car door, and got into the driver's seat. The Hummer's engine let out a low growl. He rolled down the window and gave one last glance at the haphazardly scattered figures inside the house.
"Mr. Jin, you've worked hard tonight. See you next month."
The Hummer sped out of the warehouse gate like a black lightning bolt and disappeared into the night.
The warehouse remained silent for a long time. Only a few suppressed groans were heard. Two of his less seriously injured men staggered over and helped Kingpin up. One tore off a piece of his shirt to bandage his arm, while the other ran to call a doctor. Kingpin sat on the ground, his two severed arms temporarily secured with boards and strips of cloth. His face was expressionless, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the doorway, on the direction where the Hummer's taillights had disappeared.
"Boss... should we contact the Brotherhood of Mutants?" the subordinate next to him asked tremblingly.
Kingpin didn't answer immediately. He closed his eyes, his chest heaving several times, then opened them again.
"Wait a minute."
His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against sheet metal, but very steady. So steady that it sent a chill down the spines of his two henchmen beside him.
"Let's wait and see."