Gathering

As the lights of the city began to flicker on, Chinatown buzzed with activity. Tourists and locals mingled, creating a dense, flowing tide. A group of people, moving with a sense of urgency, weaved through the crowd like a small boat navigating a vast ocean.

"Excuse us, coming through!"

They pushed past pedestrians with a rough disregard, as if being pursued. This immediately drew grumbles of discontent. A few burly male tourists tried to stop them, but a tall, dark-haired woman easily shoved them aside, as casually as knocking over building blocks, without any apparent effort.

"Damn, that woman's strong!" The tourists, once they saw the group disappear into the throng, finally came to their senses.

Boss He was a third-generation immigrant in New York. Using the culinary skills he learned from his parents, he opened a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. Its authentic flavors had always been popular with the local Chinese community and foreigners who appreciated Chinese food culture.

"Closing time." Boss He saw off his last customers and hung the "Closed" sign on the door, marking the end of a busy day.

If business continued to be this good, he was considering hiring a few more staff. After all, there were plenty of young Chinese people in Chinatown looking for work.

Bang!

The restaurant door was pushed open, then slammed shut.

The intrusion of an unwelcome group interrupted Boss He's pleasant thoughts. These people didn't look like they were here to eat. There was a tall, dark-haired woman, a curly-haired young man in a suit, a tall and strong Black man, a burly fellow covered in weapons, and a strange guy in a red devil suit. This bizarre combination made Boss He think he'd stumbled upon a gang of mad robbers, and he quickly raised his hands in fear.

"We're closed," Boss He said weakly, seeing that the group wasn't here to rob them.

The group that barged in completely ignored the restaurant owner's reminder. They nervously glanced out the window. The tall, dark-haired woman directly lifted a heavy, red-lacquered wooden cabinet with both hands, using it to block the restaurant door.

"She's really strong," the man dressed as a red devil remarked. "Sir, for your safety, we need to make this place look closed."

The young man with the brown curly hair then explained to the owner in fluent Chinese, "We won't hurt you, we're just borrowing this place temporarily." (For those who have seen the show, please disregard the fluent Chinese part.)

The man in the red devil suit, wearing a mask, pulled down the blinds. The Hand could appear at any moment. He listened intently, using his super-hearing to perceive everything outside. It seemed the ninjas hadn't followed them.

"Alright, this restaurant is temporarily ours now," the curly-haired young man said quietly to the owner. After a few words, the restaurant owner willingly left.

"What did you say to him?" the dark-haired woman asked curiously.

"I just gave him my credit card and promised to pay his rent for the next six months," the curly-haired young man replied casually. "I'm Danny. Danny Rand."

"Jessica," the dark-haired woman said coolly. "I know both of you. The Punisher and Daredevil from Hell's Kitchen."

"I thought people would have forgotten about me after I disappeared for so long," Daredevil said with a self-deprecating laugh.

He had originally gone with the Punisher to find help. Unexpectedly, they ran into Jessica Jones, who was tracking a lead. Following the exceptionally capable private investigator, the three of them arrived at the Hand's base of operations, Midtown Circle Financial.

Meanwhile, Iron Fist, Danny Rand, had also infiltrated the Hand's lair alone. He was investigating Luke Cage, who had mysteriously disappeared in Harlem. Luke Cage had also come to this real estate company controlled by the Hand. The five individuals, all pursuing the same goal, gathered under a series of coincidences and got caught in a chaotic battle with the Hand's thugs. The street heroes each used their abilities and, after a difficult struggle, managed to escape and hide in the crowded streets of Chinatown.

"I think it's time to answer some questions," Jessica said with a cold expression. "First, can anyone tell me who those people chasing us were?"

"The Hand," Danny Rand and the Punisher answered simultaneously.

After exchanging a glance, Danny Rand continued, "The Hand is an ancient criminal organization. They've always existed. The people in this organization have fanatical ideologies, and every member is willing to die defending their beliefs."

"Sounds like terrorists," Luke Cage frowned. He had lived in Harlem for so long and had never heard of this organization.

"No, terrorists want the world to know what they're doing. This organization is more mysterious, more evil, and their reach is global," Daredevil added. He had fought the Hand before and knew how terrifying the organization was.

"So what exactly do they want? Why are they recruiting young people in Harlem?" Luke Cage asked, confused. The reason he was tracking that real estate company was because, recently, young Black men in Harlem had been disappearing or dying.

"The Hand's objective is unclear for now, but it's obvious they have a reason for being in New York. I feel like they're looking for me," Danny Rand hesitated before revealing his identity, "I am the Immortal Iron Fist, the protector of K'un-Lun."

The scene suddenly fell silent. Whether it was the Punisher, holding a 9mm Browning Automatic Pistol, or Daredevil, wearing his mask, or Jessica, who maintained a cool demeanor, and Luke Cage, who listened intently, they all looked at Danny Rand with strange expressions.

"What did you take? Lithium?" Jessica taunted without mercy.

Danny Rand was about to defend himself, but the Punisher interrupted, "Alright, shouldn't we be discussing what to do next?"

The burly man, who looked like a walking arsenal, gripped his Browning pistol and scanned everyone with a cold gaze. "The Hand is planning an astonishing conspiracy. Their lair—beneath Midtown Circle Financial—has a massive pit. I don't know what's inside, but I'm sure they caused the earthquake a week ago!"

"Whether it's the disappearances and deaths of Black men in Harlem that Luke mentioned, or the missing architect Jessica was investigating, all of this is inextricably linked to the Hand! We now have only two paths: forget about this, walk out of this restaurant, and abandon our previous investigations; or, use our abilities to take down this massive organization!"

Everyone fell silent for a moment, each person contemplating. This crisis was different from any they had faced before. Their opponent wasn't some gang leader or street thug, but a tightly organized behemoth.

"I want to protect the peace of Harlem," Luke Cage was the first to answer. He had always been a heroic figure in Harlem.

"It seems I'm the first to admit I'm a bit overwhelmed by this. This is beyond my capabilities," Jessica replied immediately, declining the invitation to team up against the Hand.

After experiencing a disaster, Jessica just wanted to be a normal person. She opened her own detective agency precisely to forget her past difficult life. Therefore, no matter what, she didn't want to get involved in fighting evil organizations again.

"Oh, this is a great opportunity! I tried fighting the Hand alone, but I failed. Now we have so many capable people, and you're saying you don't want to participate?!" Danny Rand exclaimed in disappointment. The reason he had returned to New York was to completely eradicate the Hand and make those people experience the pain of losing everything.

"Not everyone wants to live this kind of life. When you choose to fight the darkness, it means you can't look after your friends and family. Those you want to protect might suffer misfortune because of this one decision."

Daredevil completely understood Jessica's feelings. He had gone through a similar phase. If he hadn't received news about Elektra, he might not have put on the suit again.

"Thank you. I think I should leave now." Jessica offered Daredevil a rare smile, then got up to leave.

Daredevil was about to say something when his expression suddenly turned serious. He listened carefully. Faint footsteps echoed on the street outside. The person had a strong, powerful heartbeat, like the beating of war drums, emitting a "thump-thump" sound. Even just by the sound, Daredevil could sense the extremely potent life force emanating from this person.

Creak.

The door, blocked by the red-lacquered wooden cabinet, was easily pushed open. A young man wearing a black mask walked in from outside. He slowly scanned the tense group and said with a smile, "Everyone's here."

"Then... let's go together."

ps: Uh, I went to sweep graves for Qingming Festival, so there's only one update...

I forgot to mention yesterday, thank you to the great "l477423" for the reward. My first "Duozhu" (a term for a high-tier supporter in Chinese webnovel platforms), I'm quite excited...

As for bonus updates, due to my clumsy hands, I'll postpone them until the weekend. I'll try to write more chapters (〜￣▽￣)〜