Daredevil, or rather, the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.
He was like an urban legend, a shadow moving through the darkness. Unlike Spider-Man, no one had ever captured his photo, and even police files lacked a clear image of him. His existence could only be pieced together from the testimonies of bruised and battered gang members, or from the fleeting black blur occasionally glimpsed by passersby between tall buildings.
Some said he was a super-powered individual, some said he was a mutant, and even more outlandish rumors claimed Daredevil was a genuine demon, crawled back from hell to punish sin.
But Peter Parker knew Daredevil was not only real but also knew his true identity: the blind lawyer Matt Murdock. By day, he defended the vulnerable at Nelson & Murdock, the law firm he co-founded with his good friend Foggy Nelson. By night, he transformed into the devil, unleashing his fury with fists and a billy club, seeking truth and justice for his clients.
Tonight, Hell's Kitchen's night sky was still stained with neon and crime. Daredevil leaped between buildings, his acute hearing catching every whispered sin in every alleyway. Suddenly, he paused—the wind had changed. Not sirens, not gunshots, but a lighter, swifter whooshing sound, the sound of a human body moving back and forth in mid-air.
"Spider-Man, that's odd, you don't usually come to this area." He stopped, standing beside a water tower, his billy club retracted into his sleeve. "I rarely see you in Hell's Kitchen."
"Perhaps you mean 'hear,' Daredevil."
Peter landed on the water tank, not fully revealing that he knew Daredevil's identity. Then, as if realizing something, he asked, "Wait, didn't the Punisher tell you about me?"
"Frank and I aren't exactly close, and we both have our own things to deal with."
Daredevil heard the Punisher's name and relaxed a little. Regardless of what J. Jonah Jameson said about Spider-Man, since the Avengers had invited Spider-Man to join them, he shouldn't be an enemy. What he hadn't expected, though, was that Spider-Man knew an astonishing amount.
"I guess you're planning to send Wilson Fisk to prison for the third time," Peter said, understanding what Daredevil wanted to do. "Is that going to work? You've already put him away twice, but he keeps getting out. Not only that, he's even cleared of his previous charges and become a renowned philanthropic entrepreneur."
Honestly, the plot of this Earth-616 was incredibly messy. For example, the events of the three seasons of Daredevil, which theoretically should have happened in 2015, were somehow already concluded by 2010. And after the Battle of New York, Kingpin, whom Daredevil had sent to prison a second time, was released again. Not only that, Fisk leveraged contracting construction projects after the Battle of New York to become a billionaire within months, going public and washing his hands clean, looking like a normal businessman.
But at the same time, the Defenders storyline didn't seem to have happened, and the plot once again veered in directions Peter didn't understand. The entire world was like an unpredictable stage of fate; you thought you knew what would happen, but in reality, you knew nothing.
Daredevil awkwardly licked his dry lips. He'd thought Spider-Man would agree with his code of conduct. "You mean, kill Fisk? But that's not our responsibility…"
"But you also know that the court might never sentence him to death." Spider-Man finished, looking at Daredevil who didn't reply. Daredevil was different from him. Daredevil truly had a no-kill rule, like Batman. While Peter disliked and didn't wish to kill, it didn't mean he wouldn't do it under certain circumstances.
In fact, it seemed none of the Avengers, except for Ant-Man, were extreme pacifists when it came to killing.
"No institution gives us the right to judge them…"
"Actually, no institution gives us the right to go out and fight criminals either, but let's just skip that topic for now." Peter interrupted Daredevil, scratching his head, not wanting to get entangled in this issue with Daredevil. "Actually, I came to you because, well, I've been investigating those who have been excavating and smuggling Chitauri items from the ruins of the Battle of New York—"
"You think Fisk is behind it."
"Yeah, but I don't have any evidence. I infiltrated Fisk Tower twice, but I didn't find anything."
Peter squatted on the wall, watching Daredevil in silent contemplation. This was undoubtedly an invitation to cooperate, but Daredevil needed to consider whether accepting it would violate his principles.
Finally, Daredevil nodded, agreeing to Peter's invitation.
"Only one condition: no killing."
"? Okay, that's the first time anyone's told me not to kill."
Peter said, glancing to the side. His senses might not be as sharp as Daredevil's, but they were far beyond normal human capabilities. He naturally heard the crime happening nearby. Almost immediately, he rushed over, swinging on his web line, still wondering if Matt Murdock had some misunderstanding about him. Was Spider-Man some kind of natural-born killer?
Watching Spider-Man swing towards the scene of the crime, Daredevil immediately pursued him. However, compared to parkouring on rooftops, he wasn't as fast as web-slinging. By the time he arrived, several gang members were already webbed to the wall, their weapons broken and discarded.
Spider-Man hung upside down on a web line, looking at Daredevil and asking curiously, "Any questions now? If not, I'll ask mine."
Seeing this, Daredevil chuckled with a complicated expression and shook his head. "Ask away, kid. What do you want to know about Fisk?"
"His criminal evidence. You've sent him to prison twice; truly no leads at all?"
Daredevil fell silent, or rather, he was speechless. Peter's eyes widened in shock. What? You actually don't know?
"All of Fisk's current businesses appear to be legal," Peter could sense the frustration in Daredevil's voice. "I've tracked several gang operations, but they have no overt connection to Fisk, and there's no direct evidence linking them secretly either. His wife, Vanessa, used to manage his businesses, but now, she doesn't even touch them anymore."
Peter frowned. If the person he had been investigating all this time was Kingpin, then he should have a sizable weapon modification factory and other equipment. But reality told him there wasn't a single trace of any of that.
"Alright, I have a lead here. A missing private investigator, possibly hired by Kingpin to gather dirt and investigate our identities." Spider-Man pulled out a photo of MacDonald Gargan from his pocket and handed it to Daredevil. "His name is MacDonald Gargan. See if you can find any leads on him."