Each With Their Own Thoughts

Midtown Circle Financial, top-floor conference room.

"Does the boss behind you not intend to meet me personally?" a middle-aged woman in a white shawl asked, her brow furrowed slightly, her face etched with fine wrinkles, exuding an aura of authority.

"This is hardly a good attitude for doing business. Why would The Hand cooperate with a mysterious person who won't even show their face?"

Wesley, impeccably dressed in a suit, sat in the conference room with a polite, refined smile, his voice calm and unhurried. "I can fully represent my boss's opinions, and we are very sincere. Ms. Alexandra, please believe this."

Wesley was facing the helmswoman of Midtown Circle Financial, a woman with a legendary life experience. This middle-aged woman named Alexandra had always been a prominent figure in New York's high society. It was rumored that she had built a vast real estate company from scratch, with extensive business operations and widespread ventures. However, contrasting with her immense enterprise was her extremely low-key personal style; she rarely appeared in public, and even avoided social gatherings.

Of course, Wesley knew more than just these superficial details. This middle-aged woman, who had amassed a fortune in less than a few decades, was actually one of The Hand's five leaders. She hailed from the mysterious Eastern organization "K'un-Lun" and had dedicated her life to the elusive pursuit of immortality.

"Your boss certainly puts on airs. When Kingpin cooperated with us, he didn't dare to hide behind the scenes and direct everything remotely," Alexandra said coldly, showing little interest in this supposed collaboration.

Currently, all of The Hand's strength was focused on Danny Rand. As long as they captured the last guardian of K'un-Lun and used the power of the "Immortal Iron Fist" to break open the gate underground, the hope of eternal life would be within reach. Compared to extending her own life, Alexandra didn't care about any business, no matter how profitable.

After all, what could be more precious than life? Wasn't it their infinite craving for life that led to their expulsion from K'un-Lun back then!

"Business isn't really important. The Hand has countless business partners. My boss expects a closer connection with The Hand, such as preferential access to your resources, or even your intelligence network."

Wesley sat up straight, stating his intentions with a serious expression. To be honest, before a complete trust-based partnership was established, he was truly afraid of being killed on the spot if he made such an unreasonable demand.

However, with the boss being the ultimate authority, Wesley, as his representative, could only faithfully execute even the most impolite requests. This was also one of the reasons he had become Kingpin's confidant.

"Haha, your boss is truly an interesting person," Alexandra said, offering a perfunctory laugh before preparing to leave.

She had no time to waste on such trivial matters. She had initially thought that anyone capable of taking down Kingpin would be an excellent partner, but now it seemed he was just an arrogant fool who didn't know his place.

"How about Danny Rand as a gift to show sincerity?" Wesley said calmly, without trying to stop her.

Seeing Alexandra pause and then suddenly turn to look at him, Wesley knew his boss's information was accurate. The guardian of K'un-Lun, who bore the title "Immortal Iron Fist," was indeed the most important person to The Hand at the moment.

"How much do you know?" Alexandra asked softly, a flicker of killing intent in her eyes.

"The five fingers of The Hand, Ms. Alexandra is the supreme leader. Madame Gao, Sowande, Murakami, and Bokuto, who have cooperated with us, are all on their way to New York. As for The Hand's connection with K'un-Lun, I know a little as well."

Wesley met the cold gaze of the supreme leader of The Hand with a calm expression. Having learned her secret, he would either become The Hand's collaborator on behalf of his boss, or he would simply vanish from this world.

Running errands for important people was also a high-risk profession, Wesley thought wryly.

"Who is your boss?" Alexandra finally began to take the mysterious man behind the scenes seriously. Few people knew The Hand's history, and even fewer knew about K'un-Lun and Danny Rand's identity as Iron Fist.

"You can call him King, or Mr. K," Wesley reluctantly revealed his boss's alias, having long grown accustomed to his boss's peculiar tastes.

"And what does he want? Everyone has their own interests – what does he want from The Hand?" Alexandra's interest was piqued.

"Black Sky," Wesley stated his demand. "My boss wants to understand The Hand's most powerful weapon."

"That's not some cheap item sold in bulk on an assembly line," Alexandra said, somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected that this would be what he was asking for.

"My boss pursues individual strength, so he is very interested in Black Sky," Wesley said with a faint smile. "In return, he will hand over Danny Rand, along with some other troublesome individuals, to you."

Alexandra fell silent for a moment. Her time was running out. According to a medical report from a few days ago, many of her organs were failing, and her life was nearing its end.

The "Dragon Bone" stolen from K'un-Lun had been depleted. The last bit was used to resurrect the deceased Elektra and transform her into Black Sky. The death she had gradually forgotten over the years, like a cold wind, now clung to her body, and the immense fear that invaded her mind made Alexandra lose her usual calm and reason. To find new Dragon Bone, she was even willing to destroy the entire city of New York!

"If your boss can give me Danny Rand, I can agree to him becoming The Hand's sixth finger," Alexandra made her decision. Danny Rand was currently the key to opening that gate, and it was acceptable to pay a price for it.

"Then..." Wesley stood up, extended his hand, and said with a smile, "Here's to our successful cooperation."

"I hope next time I can meet your mysterious boss," Alexandra shook his hand, her eyes deep with meaning. From this moment on, The Hand would thoroughly investigate the boss behind Wesley.

A mysterious person who knew The Hand's origins and secrets made Alexandra uneasy. If it weren't for the time crunch, she would never have agreed to cooperate; instead, she would have dispatched Black Sky Elektra to eliminate such an unstable factor!

Watching Wesley leave, Alexandra's eyes turned grim. The cooperation was only temporary. Once Danny Rand was in her possession, she could open the gate underground and find new Dragon Bone. At that time, the entire foundation of New York would sink, and countless people would be buried with it.

The mysterious person calling himself Mr. K might be the most suitable scapegoat.

Alexandra stood before the massive floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at her reflection in the transparent glass, a fanatical expression appearing on her face. Time had caused her once youthful body to age, her elastic skin losing its vitality, her smooth face covered in fine wrinkles, and her internal organs nearing failure.

But all of this could be changed once she obtained the Dragon Bone and developed it into a potion!

That miraculous substance possessed powerful life energy, capable of resurrecting the dead and restoring youth.

Alexandra gazed at the distant steel jungle. Soon, this prosperous city would cease to exist, just like the ancient city of Pompeii with its brilliant civilization, disappearing in a catastrophe.