The best ingredients often require only the simplest preparation. After a long day, Chef Matt took out the leftover sandwich from the fridge.
By day, he's a lawyer; by night, he's the time-management master, Daredevil: Mr. Matt Murdock. Recently, life has been pretty good for him.
Kingpin has fallen.
Matt was one of the first to know. Even though he had just been ambushed and hadn't fully recovered, Kingpin's entire operation was wiped out, robbing him of the chance for personal revenge.
But, Matt thought, this feeling wasn't bad at all!
If it had been him, he would never have been so thorough, so… perfect!
When Matt heard that Kingpin's organization had disappeared, he had a pretty good idea who was behind it. And after learning more specific details—like how there were no survivors at the scene, how Bullseye and Wesley met their end before Kingpin died, and how even the bystanders like Owl were taken out—it became clear to him: it had to be that person.
Matt wondered, what if it had been him?
What if he had been the one who stormed Kingpin's lair? How would things have turned out?
If he could have defeated both Kingpin and Owl! If only!
Matt thought to himself.
Most likely, he would have handed Kingpin over to the law.
He took another bite of the not-so-tasty sandwich and continued thinking. Given Kingpin's methods and connections with the higher-ups, most likely, no! Definitely!
Kingpin wouldn't die, and he'd soon be released, starting a new cycle of the same old story… nothing would change…
"Thankfully… ha, it wasn't me!"
With that thought, Matt took another bite of the sandwich, which suddenly didn't taste so bad!
At that moment, Matt heard someone approaching the door, as if they were about to knock.
He checked the time—it was already past 1 a.m. Who could it be at this hour?
Standing silently, Matt grabbed his cane and moved to the door.
No knock came…
The person outside just stood there, motionless in front of his office door.
Someone he knew?
A friend?
Or an enemy?
Matt strained to recall the brief footsteps he had heard.
Judging by the footsteps, it was a man, a middle-aged man. Normal weight, no heavy weapons, and alone…
Who could it be…
Matt raised his cane, aiming it at chest height.
Who would show up at a blind man's door at this hour and say nothing? Probably not a friend…
…
Outside the door, Leon scratched his head.
It's the middle of the night, and when he called Coulson earlier, the man didn't sound too pleased!
Matt also had a habit of going out at night, so what if he wasn't home?
What if he knocked, and Matt's partner answered? Even worse, what if it was that woman—what's her name again… never mind. Why does Matt live with ordinary people if he's a superhero?
Right now, only I know his identity. If it were Kingpin or Bullseye instead, he'd be screwed!
Speaking of which…
I once lectured Matt about this kind of thing, and now my own identity is known to the enemy, and my house got burned down…
How embarrassing!
Everyone who knows about this needs to be eliminated!
Coulson… well, forget Coulson. Only Loki would eliminate a nice guy like Coulson.
So, should I knock or not?
Maybe I should take off the mask before knocking?
Ugh, what a hassle!
Why does Matt live with regular people anyway!
After much deliberation, Leon decided to knock. With his reflexes, he figured he could disappear quickly if someone other than Matt answered.
Hope he's home, and not asleep!
Maybe Matt likes watching late-night TV shows~
Well, that might be tough for Matt… maybe he listens to the radio instead!
With these unreliable thoughts swirling in his mind, Leon raised his right hand, curled his fingers, and prepared to knock.
At the same time, Matt focused, ready to jab the guy outside in the shoulder with his cane…
Knock!
Leon's knuckles rapped on the wooden door, startling Matt, who was so focused on listening that he almost instinctively jabbed his cane at the person's throat.
Knock, knock!
Two more knocks echoed.
Frowning, Matt stood to the side of the door and asked, "Who's out there? Who are you looking for?"
Three seconds of silence passed. Just as Matt was about to raise his cane again, the person outside finally spoke: "Uh, Matt? Is that you? Do you remember the guy who patched you up?"
Matt was stunned: How could it be him?
There's no way Daredevil, known for his sharp hearing, would forget a person's voice!
It's him! That… what's his name again…
"You're the doctor?"
Matt finally remembered a title.
"That's right!" The voice outside seemed happy, not realizing that Matt had also forgotten his name.
"It is you, Matt! Thank God, I hesitated so long before knocking, but at least you weren't asleep!"
Matt thought: No wonder you stood outside for so long without knocking. Do you know that if you'd waited one more second, I would've jabbed you with my cane!
You're a real pain in the neck!
But, Matt also felt relieved.
If he had jabbed with the cane, would he have ended up getting beaten up?
This guy took down Kingpin all by himself; I'm probably no match for him.
Realizing that he might have been cautious enough to get beaten up, Matt felt extremely frustrated.
Why is it that you can stand outside my door acting all mysterious, and I'm not even allowed to hit you with my cane?!
Shaking his head to clear the jumble of thoughts, Matt opened the door.
Since they had already come this far, and he had confirmed who was outside, whether the door was open or closed didn't matter anymore. If this acquaintance did have any ill intentions, a wooden door wouldn't stop him—Matt might even have to pay to fix it later.
To stop this guy, he'd at least need a steel door!
Yep, definitely.
With that in mind, Leon walked into the room, casually closing the door behind him.
Plopping down on the guest sofa, Leon noticed that the room was dark, but there was food on the table. So, he knew Matt was at the office.
"You haven't eaten, have you?"
Matt wasn't used to this kind of conversation that started with asking if someone had eaten. Besides, didn't he see the food on the table?
"…I was just eating."
"Aww, that stuff has no nutrition!" Leon said, wrapping up the half-eaten sandwich and putting it aside. Then he began pulling things out of thin air.
"Here! Let's have a proper meal!"
Thanks to a wooden barrel of infinite booze, Leon always had drinks on hand, though the amount was always too small—just enough to get a taste before the cup was empty.
And with his Voidborn bloodline, it seemed Leon could digest food faster than normal people. The space in his inventory wasn't large, but since he didn't have much else to store in it, Leon had packed it with food and drinks. Enough to serve a feast for three to five people anytime, anywhere.
Since there was no airflow in his inventory space, and everything was practically in stasis, the food and drinks came out pretty much the same as they went in.
So, Matt "watched" as Leon conjured food and drinks out of thin air.
One moment it was a hot dish, and the next a glass of chilled beer.
Matt could even hear the droplets of condensation falling from the glass onto the table!
Before long, the guest table was filled with an array of food.
Coach, I want to learn this!
At that moment, Matt remembered the sandwich he had just eaten.
It's definitely not because it tasted bad that I'm putting it aside! The doctor was right— that stuff has no nutrition!
—Steadfast and Unyielding Matt Murdock
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—Steadfast and Unyielding Author!