The Primordial Demon, the Beast!
Although Russell didn't know which dimension the Beast belonged to, the fact that the Hand is still alive and kicking suggests that the Beast is a demon without great ambitions.
Otherwise, given the Hand's penchant for causing trouble, they would have been wiped out by the Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One and Kamar-Taj long ago.
Regarding the origin of the Hand, Russell remembers two versions.
One is that in 1588, a Japanese man named Kagenobu Yoshioka developed the Hand into an international organization, later changing its name to "The Snakeroot" and beginning to worship the Primordial Demon - the Beast, becoming a notorious group of ninja assassins.
The other is that the Hand is a ninja assassin organization created by K'un-Lun traitors like Madame Gao.
As disciples of K'un-Lun, Madame Gao and others were expelled from K'un-Lun for attempting to use Dragon Bones to extend their lifespan.
When they escaped K'un-Lun, they didn't forget to take the Dragon Bones with them, and using the various abilities they learned in K'un-Lun, they created the Hand and became its rulers, the "Five Fingers."
Russell had not dealt with the Hand before, but as a fellow practitioner, he had some understanding of them.
Firstly, the founders of the Hand in this world are Madame Gao and others.
Secondly, the Hand here also worships the Primordial Demon Beast, because when their ninjas are defeated or killed, they likewise turn into ash and disappear without a trace.
Lastly, the Hand ninjas here are very traditional, only using cold weapons for combat.
Kingpin did not rush Russell, patiently waiting for his answer.
After careful consideration, Russell finally made a decision.
Although it was unlikely that Kingpin could offer a reward that would particularly excite him, he still decided to accept the commission.
There were two reasons.
One was the presence of Dragon Bones within the Hand, and the other was because Madame Gao and others knew how to enter K'un-Lun.
He didn't know what Kingpin wanted the Dragon Bones for.
But he felt that since Dragon Bones could be used to extend lifespan, using them to strengthen the body shouldn't be much of a problem either.
Considering he had a stunning girlfriend like Diana, he felt it necessary to further enhance his physique.
Ah, it's not easy being a man!
Especially when you have a demigoddess girlfriend.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but recall the scene of himself leaning against the wall as he left.
"I can take this commission. However, I need more detailed information."
"Additionally, besides the reward you offer, I want half of the Dragon Bones we obtain!"
Russell looked at Kingpin and said slowly.
To avoid any unpleasant incidents in the future, he felt it was better to clarify things with Kingpin first.
"Alright!"
Kingpin did not hesitate at all and immediately agreed.
Although he knew about the existence of Dragon Bones, he didn't know much about them.
In his opinion, Russell wanting half of the Dragon Bones was simply due to some curiosity about this special existence.
Once he lost interest in the Dragon Bones, Kingpin could simply buy the half in his possession.
Finally, after some discussion, they reached an agreement on this collaboration.
Kingpin would provide a reward of 100 million US dollars and commission Russell for one operation.
Besides Russell, there would be two other people involved in this operation.
Bullseye, and, Mister Negative!
Bullseye and Mister Negative were not Kingpin's subordinates but external help he hired at a high price.
Bullseye was formerly a mercenary and is now a professional assassin, possessing an innate ability for precise throwing.
He can throw any object in his hand with incredible accuracy towards a target, including unconventional weapons like playing cards, paper airplanes, and toothpicks.
In addition to his extraordinary throwing ability, he is also a professional martial artist and a marksman skilled with both firearms and cold weapons.
Bullseye is Kingpin's hired chief assassin, and he has done a lot of dirty work for him.
When Daredevil attacked Kingpin back then, if Bullseye hadn't been present, Kingpin would never have been severely injured by Daredevil.
Russell wasn't surprised that Bullseye would be part of this commission.
However, the fact that Kingpin also hired Mister Negative was somewhat unexpected.
Mister Negative!
In the public eye, he is Martin Li, the philanthropist who built the homeless shelter FEAST.
Little Peter's beautiful aunt is currently volunteering at this shelter.
But in the New York underworld, Mister Negative is one of the biggest gang leaders in New York, the head of the "Demon Gang."
Mister Negative was originally a member of an unknown snakehead organization, and Martin Li is not his real name.
The real Martin Li was a Chinese stowaway who died while trying to sneak into America.
Mister Negative claimed to be Martin Li, successfully gaining the sympathy of the American government and receiving a Presidential Medal of Freedom, officially becoming an American citizen.
What his real name is, probably only he knows.
He possesses superhuman strength and stamina far beyond that of ordinary people, and is a master of street fighting.
Furthermore, he can catalyze the target's negative emotions by releasing negative energy, causing relatives, friends, lovers, and others to kill each other.
His negative energy can also be released as energy waves or materialized into physical weapons, such as swords, spears, and other cold weapons.
These superpowers of his originated from the inhumane comprehensive drug experiments conducted on him by the Maggia gang.
Although he survived the ordeal and gained extraordinary abilities, he also developed another insane personality.
It is precisely because of this that he harbors deep hatred for the Maggia gang led by another gang leader, "Hammerhead," and seeks to completely eradicate the Maggia gang and become the "Kingpin" of New York's Chinatown.
In the Marvel world, Mister Negative is not a particularly well-known supervillain.
The reason Russell knows so much about him is that he is the key figure in turning Venom into Anti-Venom, which is the Serum.
It was because of the fusion of his negative energy and Venom that the anomaly among symbiotes, the Anti-Venom Serum, was born.
When considering evolving Venom, Russell had already been contemplating whether to find an opportunity to contact Mister Negative and see if Venom could evolve into the Serum.
Although Venom is very useful now, compared to the Serum, Venom is clearly a bit weaker.
Leaving aside the Serum's ability to cure genetic mutations and drug addiction and other "diseases."
Just the fact that it is not afraid of sound waves and fire is enough to illustrate the point.
After accepting Kingpin's commission, Russell left the hotel and drove back to his apartment.
Although Kingpin is now eyeing the Dragon Bones held by the Hand, he has no immediate plans to attack the Hand.
In his own words, he still needs to make some related preparations.
Russell wasn't particularly concerned about what Kingpin's so-called preparations were; anyway, for him, taking Dragon Bones from the Hand shouldn't be a big problem.
Compared to the Dragon Bones, which are basically guaranteed to be obtained, he is now somewhat looking forward to meeting Mister Negative.
He now has a hunch that his Venom might be able to evolve into the Serum soon.