Shin did not answer the Punisher's question at all. He casually pointed a finger at the Punisher, who responded with a cold glint in his eyes and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Da-da-da-da! After a burst of gunfire, Shin's body was riddled with holes. However, instead of blood, only flashes of lightning and sparks burst from the wounds.
Then, a bolt of lightning flashed from Shin's hand. The Punisher let out a miserable howl, immediately breaking into a wild, involuntary dance from the electric shock.
When the lightning ceased, the Punisher, who initially had a tough, stoic expression, now had a scorched, blackened face. A puff of black smoke drifted from his mouth as he collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Shin paid him no further attention and made a quick phone call. Soon, a group of Kingpin's soldiers arrived and dragged the Punisher away.
As for whether the Punisher would survive, Shin wasn't too concerned. Although the man often operated alone, he had enough connections. Unless Kingpin chose to kill him on the spot, someone would likely rescue him within a couple of days.
Normally, Kingpin refrained from killing superheroes. Shin wasn't sure if he would extend that courtesy to an anti-hero like the Punisher.
Two days later, Kingpin approached Shin, an urgent look on his face.
"Master, I have important information to report," he said.
"Oh? What's going on? Speak," Shin replied, looking up from the documents he was studying.
"Sir, have you heard of Black Sky from the Hand?" Kingpin asked respectfully.
The Hand and Black Sky? Shin indeed knew a little.
The Hand was Daredevil's old enemy. They were said to be traitors from Kunlun, practicing a form of Chi cultivation similar to the internal energy of martial arts novels.
It was a rare system of power in the Marvel Universe, stable but with a frustratingly low upper limit. Even a lifetime of training would only produce warriors on par with Captain America.
Shin recalled that among the Hand's five-finger leaders, one old woman had cultivated for over 400 years. Yet even she might struggle against a brute like Kingpin, especially with Kingpin's high-tech cane. Chi cultivation, while mystical, ultimately only reached mid-level strength... insufficient against modern technology, and barely a threat among today's superheroes and villains.
As for Black Sky, it was touted as the Hand's ultimate weapon—likely a demon from hell or some extradimensional entity.
Despite the Hand's glorification of it, Black Sky's actual performance was underwhelming.
Perhaps it was a weak otherworldly creature, or perhaps only a fragment of its power could manifest. Either way, it might hold its own against enhanced humans like Captain America without plot armor but would struggle against Spider-Man. Against first-line heroes like the Hulk or Thor? Black Sky would barely be a footnote.
"I know a little. Why? Did the Hand approach you?" Shin asked.
"Yes," Kingpin nodded, a rare gleam of fanaticism in his eyes. "From my investigations, the five leaders of the Hand have lived for centuries, and their subordinates can be resurrected from the dead. It should be thanks to Black Sky's power!"
"Uh…" Shin couldn't help but blink at Kingpin's fanatical gaze. He hadn't expected the crime boss to be so interested.
But thinking it over, it wasn't surprising. In this era, with few superheroes around, the concepts of immortality and resurrection were genuinely awe-inspiring.
Give it another ten years, and Kingpin would stop caring about immortality. By then, New York would be crawling with hundreds of superheroes and villains. The stakes would rise absurdly high, and humanity would flirt with extinction once or twice every year.
In that future, dragging Black Sky out from another dimension wouldn't guarantee survival, let alone relying on some so-called immortal power.
Immortality? In the superpowered world, living twenty years would be considered a blessing. Dying of old age would practically be winning the lottery. If you fought to the death every few months, being immortal wouldn't mean much.
Still, Kingpin's words sparked Shin's memory about the Hand's deeper secrets.
The ninjas resurrected by Black Sky weren't truly alive. They were more like mindless puppets, akin to the shadow warriors (Shadowkhan) from Jackie Chan Adventures. Apart from a few elites, most had lost their individual will.
Moreover, the five leaders of the Hand hadn't achieved longevity through Black Sky. In Marvel lore, all magic comes with a price. Black Sky, as an extradimensional being, wasn't handing out miracles for free.
When borrowing Black Sky's power, one's soul effectively fell under its control. The five-finger leaders of the Hand, former Kunlun traitors, were no fools. They knew this trap well.
Their true secret wasn't Black Sky, it was the dragon bones.
Dragon bones were rare, priceless artifacts capable of restoring vitality without hidden costs.
Realizing this, Shin shared all the information with Kingpin, who listened intently.
"I see... So their true aim is the dragon bones?" Kingpin mused, his expression sharpening.
Once he understood the Hand's goal, Kingpin smiled coldly. As the underworld emperor of New York, intercepting them would now be easy.
Of course, beyond interception, other thoughts simmered in Kingpin's mind—such as acquiring the Hand's Chi cultivation techniques.
Shin, however, wasn't interested in Chi techniques. With his current strength, Chi was practically useless.
He already possessed Chakra, a higher-grade energy extracted from the body. Chakra and Chi fundamentally conflicted—after all, a person's physical and mental energy was limited. Mastering Chakra left no room for Chi.
Kingpin was different. Beyond his own physical talents and enhancements from the Super Soldier Serum, he lacked an internal cultivation system. At most, he had refined his combat skills. For someone like him, learning Chi cultivation would be a welcome boon.
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