Waiting For The Right Time

When Frank opened his eyes, he found his hands cuffed to a chair, unable to move his body at all. The surroundings were pitch black and silent, with only a metal table and a lit desk lamp in front of him.

"An interrogation?" As a former Marine, Frank was no stranger to this situation. He had been captured by the enemy, and the next step would naturally be torture.

A guy who killed Kingpin and Bullseye, and plundered all the inheritance of New York's mob bosses, could he really expect the other party to be a benevolent person?

Frank let out a cold laugh in his heart. He had experienced the most desperate pain in this world, so how could he possibly submit to the torment of torture? If the other party thought they could get any news or intelligence from him, that would be simply ridiculous!

The sound of footsteps echoed, and someone pushed the door open, pulled up a chair, and sat down. The person's face was hidden in the deep darkness, making it impossible to see their features clearly.

"Hello, Mr. Frank Castle." The person greeted him, then continued, "We can finally sit down and have a good talk. Honestly, you have a bad temper, and we have to resort to this method to communicate normally."

"Who are you?" the burly man known as the Punisher asked.

"Heh, the same old cliché question... I am the one who killed Kingpin, the mastermind who framed you, the man behind the Hellfire Club, and a law-abiding citizen of New York."

"Killing people, controlling gangs... you really are a 'good citizen' who abides by the law." Frank showed a sarcastic smile, not afraid of provoking the other party at all.

To Frank's surprise, the other party didn't seem to be angry. Instead, he chuckled softly, "From what standpoint are you saying this, Mr. Frank?"

"There's no need to elaborate on what kind of person Kingpin is. Why is it that by eliminating the gangs with brutal and bloody methods, you can consider yourself a hero fighting crime and punishing evil, while I, simply for getting rid of a mob boss for the citizens of New York, become a murderer? Mr. Frank, you are called the 'Punisher' in Hell's Kitchen, and the blood on your hands is probably far more than I can imagine!"

The man sitting in the darkness spoke with a hint of mockery in his tone, but Frank was speechless, unable to refute. In fact, besides killing Kingpin, there seemed to be no other criminal acts he could find.

"What do you want from me?" Frank shifted the topic.

The other person tapped his fingers on the table, seemingly in thought. After a while, he said, "Actually, I don't want anything from you at all, Mr. Frank. You barged into my club like a thug, injured my men, and then threatened Wesley... I had to fight you to avoid losing a capable assistant."

"And now you're questioning me, asking what I want from you? Frank Castle, does your family have a history of mental illness?"

The Punisher, who had always been decisive and unwavering, had his face turn red, veins bulging on his thick arms. The anger in his heart burned like a flame!

"Alright, I'll take back my previous statement. Let's have a good talk now, Mr. Punisher!"

The man retracted his teasing and flippant tone, becoming serious. "I know everything about your past, Frank Castle. An elite former US Marine, you witnessed your family being massacred by gangsters after retiring, and thus began your revenge against the criminal forces of Hell's Kitchen. During this time, you had conflicts with Daredevil, and were later arrested by the police. Matt Murdock, as Daredevil, served as your defense lawyer, but you were still sent to prison."

"You escaped from prison not long after. Carrying the blood feud of your family, you naturally couldn't be content to be confined in prison... You killed twenty-four people, all scoundrels bribed by the gangs who were prepared to end your life in prison. Due to misjudging your dangerousness, these people paid with their lives. After persistent investigation, you discovered the real culprit responsible for the tragic death of your family."

"The drug lord of Hell's Kitchen, 'The Blacksmith,' who was also your former superior officer in the Marines. This Officer Ray Schoonover had been secretly involved in drug smuggling businesses, and the tragic death of your family was caused by him. After blowing off this officer's head with a shot, you proclaimed yourself 'The Punisher' and began the great cause of fighting crime and eradicating evil... Is there anything else to add, Mr. Frank?"

Hearing the other person recount his experiences one by one, Frank fell silent. The painful, bloody memories resurfaced in his mind. Behind the title of the Punisher lay a tormented soul that could not find solace. Only by constantly eradicating those criminal forces and ensuring that villains and thugs received their due punishment could Frank's heart, which had lost all hope, find a sliver of comfort.

"Who exactly are you?" Frank's gaze was like a sharp sword, trying to pierce the darkness and glimpse the other person's true face.

"You can call me 'King,' because before long, I will become the new king of Hell's Kitchen." The man's calm voice was filled with confidence, as if he were merely stating a simple fact.

"You want to become the second Kingpin?" Frank frowned. If the other party harbored such ambitions, then Hell's Kitchen would once again be plunged into a bloody storm.

"Heh, Kingpin was just a failure. A rule formed by violence and fear can never last." The man sat in the darkness, a smile playing on his lips. "Hell's Kitchen is filled with drugs, prostitutes, criminals, and gangsters. There is no law or justice here. Can relying on street heroes like you eradicate the source of evil?"

"Using violence to maintain law and order can only address the symptoms, not the root cause, and it is destined to be a path without end. A guy named Bruce Wayne has summarized this lesson through his personal experience."

"Alright, let's first talk about The Hand. Wesley mentioned that you are investigating The Hand?" Sean didn't want to dwell too much on the topic of violence and vigilantes and turned to inquire about The Hand.

Frank, who initially intended to withhold all information, considered for a moment and then shared what he knew. The other party did not seem to be the evil criminal he had imagined, but rather showed a contemptuous disdain for those criminal forces in his words.

"It seems The Hand is about to make some big moves."

The man in the darkness let out an ambiguous laugh. It seemed he could use The Hand to gather the street heroes of Hell's Kitchen, which would make scoring easier, saving him the trouble of finding them one by one.

"Goodbye, Mr. Frank. This conversation was very pleasant." Sean stood up and pushed the door open to leave. The dark space returned to silence, leaving only Frank's heavy breaths.

"Boss, what's the plan?" Wesley, waiting outside, glanced at the iron door of the room and asked, "Do we keep him locked up, or do we encase him in concrete and throw him into the Hudson River?"

Sean, having completed the interrogation, felt a wave of speechlessness. He patted his subordinate's shoulder and said earnestly, "Wesley, don't bring Kingpin's methods here. Fighting and killing, isn't that too unpleasant! We are all law-abiding citizens of New York. What good would killing the Punisher do for us? Keep him locked up. Anyway, with his abilities, he should escape on his own soon enough."

If he killed the Punisher, who would gather the street heroes of Hell's Kitchen for him!?

A cold glint flashed in Sean's eyes. He was well aware of The Hand's plan, and it was bound to lead to conflicts with these street heroes in the future. It seemed like another grand hunting expedition.

And he just needed to wait patiently. Being good at finding the right timing and ensuring everything is foolproof before making a move – this is the excellent quality a hunter should possess.

ps: A friendly recommendation for a new author's book, "Director of Ten Thousand Realms." Readers who enjoy wild ideas can give it a try (￣▽￣)／

Also, daily ticket request~