"Let's go. We can't stay here anymore. I'll take you back to the academy first," Daniel said, his tone calm but decisive.
The Hand's ninjas weren't idiots. If Daniel stayed here any longer, wave after wave of assassins would come.
The Hand wasn't a small clan with just a handful of killers — they were a relentless army. Even death meant little to them. Their dark rituals allowed their fallen ninjas to be resurrected quickly, making them a near-infinite threat.
If they decided to swarm the clinic like a flood, Daniel could keep himself alive — but Darcy Lewis? She'd be caught in the crossfire.
Darcy, clearly wanting to argue, stopped when she saw Daniel kneel to check the unconscious ninjas sprawled across the floor. The quiet focus on his face told her all she needed to know. She simply nodded.
Daniel didn't drive straight back to Empire State University. The bodies had to be dealt with first.
The night's darkness was on his side. Behind the clinic lay the expanse of Central Park. One by one, he dragged the black-clad ninjas into the park, their bodies vanishing into the shadows.
Killing them outright wasn't an option. Daniel knew the Hand better than most — their necromantic techniques allowed them to harvest power from their fallen warriors, reviving them with even greater fury. To kill them recklessly would give his enemies more data on him — something he couldn't afford.
And he definitely couldn't risk taking them to his hidden lab. For all he knew, they could be carrying Hydra's tracking tech. If the Hand traced him back there, his entire setup would be compromised.
So, he left them paralyzed in Central Park — his territory. If they dared follow him there, they'd be signing their own death warrants.
Daniel's car glided onto Central Avenue. His speed was fast enough to get away, but not reckless.
The Hand rarely struck in public. They weren't street-level thugs but silent assassins who thrived in shadows. A public confrontation would expose them to the authorities, something they avoided at all costs.
In fact, most of the world didn't even know they existed. If they were exposed, SHIELD wouldn't be the only group coming after them. Others — darker forces — would take notice.
By the time Daniel reached Empire State University, no further attacks had come. He parked, exhaling a slow breath.
The campus was quiet, illuminated by soft, golden lights. Few students wandered under the swaying shadows of the trees. A cold breeze swept through, carrying the stillness of the late night.
Daniel's instincts sharpened. Something felt off.
He moved Darcy behind him, his eyes narrowing as he caught the subtle shift of shadows. A grin — cold and amused — tugged at his lips.
'They're actually bold enough to try something here? On campus?'
If the Hand caused a bloodbath at Empire State University, it wouldn't just bring cops. It would bring Stark, the Fantastic Four — maybe even SHIELD. The Hand's entire secrecy could unravel in hours.
Unless… they intended to kill him so cleanly that nothing leaked.
Dozens of black-clad ninjas slid out from the shadows — silent, deadly shapes moving across the rooftops and behind the trees.
A storm of shuriken and kunai rained toward Daniel and Daisy.
But Daniel's hand rose, and with a faint hum, a hammer materialized — its surface etched with glowing runes, crackling with faint arcs of magic lightning.
Mjolnir.
The air boomed. A surge of magnetic force erupted as the hammer spun in Daniel's grip, swatting every projectile from the air like a storm scattering dry leaves.
This time, Daniel didn't hold back. If the Hand wanted a spectacle on university grounds, they'd get one.
The battle lasted seconds. The hammer struck with brutal precision, arcs of energy exploding with each swing. Ninjas dropped like puppets with their strings cut, their hearts burst in an instant.
In less than a heartbeat, dozens lay dead at his feet.
"Find a phone booth and call the police," Daniel said, turning to Darcy, who was still clinging to his arm. "And do it anonymously."
He hated attention. Even with his military status, a pile of ninja corpses could create complications.
"Okay!" Darcy stammered, blushing as she realized she'd been pressed so close to him. She hurried to a nearby phone booth, her voice trembling slightly as she made the call.
Meanwhile, Daniel surveyed the bodies. No blood — just subtle dents in their chests where his strikes had ended their lives. Their black masks hid the horror of their deaths, their faces locked in silent agony beneath the cloth.
When Darcy returned, Daniel simply said, "Let's go. I'll take you back."
They left.
Minutes passed. Not a single passerby had crossed the scene. Then, as the sound of distant sirens approached, a lone figure emerged.
A ninja in pure white.
He moved like a ghost among the corpses, silent and methodical. In mere breaths, the bodies dissolved into pools of blood — devoured by some corrosive substance that hissed faintly as it worked.
By the time the police cars arrived, the white ninja was gone.
From the rooftop, Daniel watched it all with narrowed eyes.
'Corpse-dissolving acid…'
He almost laughed. He'd thought such things only existed in martial arts novels. But the Hand had always dabbled in dark alchemy.
The blood would cause panic, but with no bodies, the authorities would hit a wall. No evidence, no leads and the case would fade into silence.
Not that the police could have handled the Hand anyway. Daniel knew their limits. By the time they filed their paperwork, the Hand would already be gone.
But this white-clad ninja? He was different. Skilled. Careful.
Daniel tightened his grip on the Mjolnir and cloaked himself in invisibility. The hunt was on.
The white ninja sprinted through the back alleys, moving with the precision of someone who knew every blind corner and escape route. Ordinary people wouldn't have stood a chance of tracking him. But Daniel was no ordinary man — he soared above, silent as a shadow, watching his every move.
The trail led to Roxxon Energy Building.
The ninja slipped inside. Daniel followed.
Moments later, he crouched within the elevator shaft of a hidden service elevator. Above him, the white ninja ascended swiftly, stopping at the 13th floor.
Daniel pried open the door on the 12th floor, ready to climb. But when he entered the stairwell, his brows furrowed.
The stairs only went down.
The path to the 13th floor was sealed.
"Interesting," Daniel murmured, his smile sharp.