After reaching a partnership with Osborn Industries, everything gradually got on track. Sean took his first solid step toward success. At Dr. Connors's repeated insistence, he shed his status as an intern and laboratory assistant and officially became a partner in the lab.
Once the new drug hit the market, Sean would abandon the laboratory at the State University of New York. The research facilities and environment here could no longer meet his needs. For a research team expanding at such a rapid pace, they were simply too crude and basic.
Sean and Connors selected a new laboratory site in the northern suburbs of Long Island, and construction had already begun. The land was on the East Coast and had originally been intended for a high-end villa district. Its landscaping and amenities had already been completed. Through Wesley's secret maneuvering and some government connections, Sean acquired this land with immense potential for appreciation at an extremely low price.
Before long, the brand-new laboratory would surely be completed and ready for preliminary use. By then, Sean would have his first real enterprise and no longer be an insignificant nobody.
When Sean returned home, he found Mindy packing in her room. Cute Tuzki plush toys filled two large boxes, alongside piles of clothes and her private collection: dozens of beautiful, razor-sharp butterfly knives, probably birthday gifts from the little girl's father, and an exquisite pistol treated with bluing and polishing. Even its grip was made of walnut wood. Rather than a weapon, it looked more like a collectible work of art.
"Looks like you have even more stuff than I do. I remember when you moved in, you only had one little backpack."
Sean looked at the cardboard boxes piled into a small mountain and was left speechless.
"These are my most precious collectibles. Teacher Jane said that in the future, I should become an elegant woman with a refined, stylish life... A shut-in like you, with nothing but comic books and robot models, wouldn't understand."
Mindy shot Sean a rather disdainful glance, then shook her head with an expression that said her life was far beyond his comprehension.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
With his face darkened by frustration, Sean grabbed the blonde little girl and gave her a rapid round of violent punishment. "Miss Mindy McCready, you have been corrupted by the evil of capitalism. To save your young and fragile soul, you're washing all the dishes next week."
After suffering ten thousand points of emotional damage, the little girl glared viciously at Sean as he hummed a tune. Still, considering that he usually gave her spending money and tirelessly washed dishes and cooked for her, she decided to forgive his rude behavior for now.
After mentally tormenting Sean ten thousand times, Mindy's smile returned as she happily sorted through her treasures. They were preparing for a major move. Now that Sean had entered the ranks of the wealthy, continuing to live in this old apartment was no longer appropriate. Harry Osborn had recommended a reliable real estate agent, and through that agent, Sean bought a luxury apartment in Manhattan. All the paperwork had been completed, and they were now preparing to move in.
Once they had finished packing, Mindy took Sean's hand and looked around the empty room. Pouting, she asked, "Are we really moving? I think it's nice here. There are comic book stores nearby, and delicious, cheap Burger King. Does Manhattan have those too?"
Sean rubbed Mindy's little head and said softly, "It will have all of that. There'll be bigger comic book stores, ice cream shops with more flavors, and fun amusement parks. We'll live in a bigger home than this one."
Mindy nodded, her eyes lighting up. Her earlier unhappiness vanished completely. She slipped her small hand into Sean's palm, her face shining with a bright smile. After losing her father, the empty place in the little girl's heart had long since been filled by Sean. Two equally lonely people living together had let Mindy experience the meaning and warmth of family for the first time.
"Will we always live together from now on?" Mindy asked, tilting her head up.
"We will." Sean smiled faintly. Perhaps bringing this little girl home had been the right decision. Struggling forward alone in this cold world was simply too lonely.
After loading the packed boxes into his newly purchased sedan, Sean and Mindy closed the apartment door. He gave one last look at the place where he had once lived. This was where he had taken the first step of his life. Drug lord Frank D'Amico, Kingpin, Green Goblin—these formidable figures had all fallen at his feet. Like stepping stones, they had helped Sean climb toward greater heights.
"Say goodbye to the past, Mindy." Sean took the little girl's hand. The tall and small figures exchanged smiles, then turned and left.
The lingering glow of sunset gradually sank below the horizon, and night arrived draped in a thin veil. While Sean was busy moving into his new home, a helicopter stirred the air as it slowly descended onto the open platform of Rand Corporation's private helipad.
A young man with curly brown hair stepped out of the helicopter, followed by a black-haired woman carrying luggage. They gazed at brightly lit New York, both of them showing relieved expressions.
"Being back in this city gives me a strange feeling," the young man said wistfully. The last time he had come to New York was to reclaim control of his family business from his enemies.
This travel-worn young man was Danny Rand. Years ago, while traveling by plane with his parents, he had suffered an air crash. After both his parents died, he was adopted by monks from the East and became a member of the mysterious organization known as K'un-Lun. After decades of brutal training, Danny earned the title of K'un-Lun's protector—the Iron Fist.
"The Hand told me there would be a war in New York, so I returned to this city." Danny looked at his girlfriend beside him, his gaze flickering as though he were recalling something. "I don't know what damned conspiracy The Hand is planning, but those people destroyed the only sanctuary that ever gave me peace. Colleen, I will find every last one of them!"
"I believe in you."
The black-haired woman clasped Danny's hand tightly. Just as they were about to leave the helipad, a violent tremor struck. Noisy sounds merged into a roaring wave. The brightly lit skyscrapers in the distance went dark one after another, as though a widespread blackout had occurred. A massive crack visible to the naked eye split open across the empty helipad. Danny pulled his girlfriend Colleen close and struggled to steady himself.
"An earthquake?" Danny looked toward the districts swallowed by darkness, filled with doubt.
All of Hell's Kitchen suffered violent shaking, like a shallow earthquake. Cars parked along the streets blared piercing alarms, while panicked crowds poured out of apartments and office buildings. Chaos spread like a tide. Even though the police tried to maintain order, their efforts achieved little.
With Hell's Kitchen at its center, the earthquake radiated outward into other districts. Whether it was Matt Murdock, who had given up being Daredevil, Jessica Jones, who was investigating a missing persons case, or Luke Cage, who had only recently been released from prison, all these street-level heroes living in Hell's Kitchen felt the violent tremors.
Meanwhile, Punisher, who had barely escaped Wesley's grasp, was being hunted by a group of Hand ninjas. Covered in blood, Frank tried to use Hell's Kitchen's complicated terrain and dense buildings to shake off the Hand ninjas close behind him. He had never expected that this mysterious organization hidden in Hell's Kitchen was plotting such a shocking conspiracy.
He had to get this terrible news to Matt. A war was about to erupt in Hell's Kitchen. He could not stop it alone. They had to gather everyone together to fight The Hand.
Before you continue