The last sound of Daredevil disappearing into the night was completely swallowed by the wind.
"We have to go after him."
Danny's voice was squeezed from his throat, dry and hoarse.
He moved, turning to rush towards the broken window.
"Stop."
A heavy voice, like a ship's anchor, crashed onto the office floor.
Luke Cage didn't move; he simply held Bullseye by the collar with one hand, lifting the half-dead madman into the air, while his other hand blocked Danny's path.
That arm was as hard as steel.
"Get out of the way, Luke!"
Danny's breathing became rapid, his chest heaving violently, "He's going to die! Or worse than death! Did you hear what he just said? He's going to kill someone!"
"I heard him," Luke's voice was completely unruffled. He looked at Danny, his expression serious, "That's why we can't let you go crazy too."
"I'm not crazy!"
Danny roared, trying to bypass Luke's arm, but he was completely blocked by Luke's tall physique.
"In Matt's current state, he's no match for Kingpin! That place is a military fortress! Rushing in like that is suicide!"
"Then what about you?" Luke retorted, "The Iron Fist of K'un-Lun, are you planning to wipe Long Island off the map with your glowing fist?"
"I..." Danny was speechless.
His anger, regret, and panic shattered against Luke Cage's calm wall.
It was he who handed that knife to Matt.
It was he who made Matt witness the cruelest truth firsthand.
This guilt, like a poisonous vine, wrapped around his heart, making him desperate to do something to atone.
But Luke was right.
Impulsiveness, besides turning two graves into three, would change nothing.
"Haha... cough cough..."
A grating laugh interrupted their standoff.
Bullseye, held by Luke, coughed up blood, but his face wore a twisted, appreciative pleasure, as if enjoying a good show.
"Look at you... the heroes of Hell's Kitchen."
He spoke haltingly, his eyes full of mockery, "Falling into disarray for a woman... a woman who should have died long ago."
"How touching."
Luke Cage's fingers tightened suddenly.
"Crack."
The bones in Bullseye's neck made a startling sound, and his laughter instantly turned into a groan of pain.
"Shut your mouth, or I'll tear it off," Luke's voice was low, every word squeezed through gritted teeth.
But Bullseye seemed not to feel the pain. He rolled his eyes, still provoking with a whispered breath: "Kill me... just like your blind friend wants to... Come on... let me see where the bottom line of you 'good guys' is..."
"Bang!"
Luke punched Bullseye in the abdomen.
Bullseye doubled over like a shrimp, stomach acid and bloody foam spraying out together, splattering on the ground.
He was completely silent, only faint tremors remaining.
"Calm down, Luke," Danny was actually startled by Luke's actions.
"I am calm," Luke released his grip, letting Bullseye slump to the ground, "I'm just cleaning up trash."
He turned around, facing Danny Rand again.
"Matt has lost his mind," Luke's voice returned to normal, "We cannot."
He pointed to the laptop.
"You have intelligence, blueprints, and the weaknesses marked by that bastard William Rodriguez."
"That's not a weapon, Danny."
"That's a scalpel."
Danny stared at him, stunned.
"Matt is currently trying to cut down a mountain with an axe," Luke's logic was crystal clear, "And we, we need to use this scalpel to precisely cut out the tumor before he collapses the mountain."
"You mean..." Danny understood.
"Matt will go through the front door, using the most direct and violent methods to attract everyone's attention," Luke laid out his plan, "And we, we'll take another path."
A chill ran down Danny's spine.
This was more than just a rescue.
This was a race against his friend.
Before Matt Murdock was completely consumed by vengeance, they had to reach the finish line first.
Danny's fists clenched involuntarily.
A golden glow flashed between his fingers.
He walked to the computer, looking again at the weakness analysis file.
Point A, ventilation shaft, trapped.
Point B, cooling pipes, leading to a heavily guarded area.
Point C... his finger landed on that line of text.
"Point C," Danny's voice regained its composure, leaving only a cold determination, "Abandoned sewage treatment channel, directly to the core laboratory."
"This is it," Luke walked over, his tall figure casting a shadow, "We're going to get her out."
"No matter what she's... become now," Danny nodded, the confusion and guilt in his heart replaced by a clearer goal.
He wanted to save Elektra.
He wanted to save Matt Murdock even more.
Just then, a faint, hoarse laugh echoed from the ground again.
"Get her out...?"
Danny and Luke spun around, looking at Bullseye, who should have been unconscious on the floor.
He struggled to lift his head, his blood-stained face beaming like a demon.
"You think... you're going to save a woman?"
Bullseye's gaze swept over the two of them, full of pity.
"Too late, heroes."
"Kingpin never makes an uninsured investment."
Bullseye's voice was filled with malicious pleasure, as if sharing a huge secret, he said word by word:
"The 'black sky' activation procedure was already initiated the moment your friend saw that data."
"That's not a rescue."
"That's a countdown."
He bared his teeth, revealing his blood-stained fangs.
"By the time you arrive, she won't be anyone."
"She'll just be a weapon, a programmed weapon."
"And her first target directive is to eliminate all 'unstable elements' that intrude into the facility."
Bullseye watched the expressions on Danny and Luke's faces instantly freeze, and let out a satisfied, cackling laugh.
"Congratulations."
"You are about to face a hundred times more troublesome... your friend's ex-girlfriend."
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