Outside the car, Bullseye and his team handled the attackers with ruthless efficiency. The gunfire lasted only a short time before silence returned to the street. Bodies lay scattered across the pavement while the enhanced soldiers secured the area.
Bullseye walked over and tapped lightly on the car window. "Boss, it's all taken care of."
Ethan glanced outside briefly before giving instructions. "Have someone escort Jessica home safely. The rest of you stay nearby while I interrogate this female assassin."
He looked down at Elektra sitting across his lap and gave her a small shake. "Come on. You should confess while you still can, or things are going to get very unpleasant."
"Kill me!" Elektra snapped back immediately. Her anger burned fiercely in her eyes.
Ethan sighed theatrically. "Sweetheart, don't say something so cruel. It would absolutely break my heart if I had to hurt you."
With that deliberately wicked smile of his, he stabbed directly at her pride again. The tone sounded almost like some domineering corporate tycoon teasing a subordinate, but the humiliation behind it made Elektra furious.
Her teeth clenched so tightly that blood nearly seeped from her lips.
Ethan could tell immediately that he had thoroughly offended her. The playful mood disappeared from his face. He had no interest in continuing the game.
A portal opened instantly beside him.
Before Elektra could react, the swirling gateway pulled her straight into the divine realm.
Moments later, Ethan obtained exactly what he wanted.
Inside Elektra's memories, he located the hidden bases of the Hand and its remaining leaders. Two of the organization's last "fingers," Alexandra and Sowande, were currently hiding near the New York Harbor docks.
They were preparing to escape the city.
And this assassination attempt had been arranged by them.
Ethan called out to Bullseye and ordered the driver to head toward the docks.
The vehicle had barely traveled a few blocks before Bullseye turned around in the passenger seat again.
"Boss," he said quietly, "someone is still following us."
Ethan grinned.
So that's how it is. Cleaning out Hell's Kitchen must have put me at the top of every assassin's target list.
Sure enough, as the car turned the next corner, a figure appeared standing calmly in the middle of the road.
The man wore a red suit with small devil horns on the mask.
Ethan immediately understood.
Daredevil.
Ah, so he came to ask for his girlfriend.
But wasn't this guy currently entangled in a relationship with his assistant Peggy?
What a scumbag.
Ethan stepped out of the car and faced him directly. "Standing in the middle of the road in the middle of the night," he said casually, "aren't you afraid of getting run over?"
Daredevil's voice was low and serious. "Where is Elektra? Did you capture her?"
Ethan nodded calmly. "She attempted to assassinate me. Naturally, I caught her."
He shrugged slightly before continuing. "I'm planning to send her to the authorities."
Daredevil remained silent.
He opened his mouth several times but hesitated each time before speaking. Finally, after a long pause, he forced out the question.
"Could you let her go… just this once?"
"Why?" Ethan asked simply.
Daredevil said nothing.
Ethan chuckled softly. "Her attempt to assassinate me is already a serious crime. And she's an assassin from the Hand. She has countless lives on her hands."
He spoke slowly and clearly.
"I'm certain I can find enough evidence to convict her. According to American law, she'll probably spend the rest of her life in prison."
He smiled faintly.
"Don't worry. I own the most secure prison in the world. I guarantee she won't escape. She'll stay there until the day she dies."
"Justice will be served. The victims will receive their justice, and their families will get the closure they deserve."
Ethan looked directly at Daredevil.
"So tell me… can you accept that ending?"
Daredevil's body swayed slightly.
He was a lawyer.
He had professional ethics, moral beliefs, and a clear understanding of right and wrong. Yet he also carried another identity.
A man deeply in love.
He did not fully understand the man standing in front of him, but he certainly understood his power.
In only a few days, the entire criminal underworld of New York had nearly collapsed. Thousands of gangsters had been arrested, and dozens of criminal organizations had been wiped out.
"You don't have to decide right now," Ethan said calmly.
"Of course, I won't let the people behind this escape either. Two leaders from the Hand and the Society are currently hiding at the harbor docks."
He glanced toward the car.
"I'm heading there now."
Then he looked back at Daredevil.
"You can come with me. After we deal with the Hand tonight, you can give me your answer."
Daredevil hesitated briefly before nodding.
Soon, the group arrived at the dock district of New York Harbor.
Bullseye quickly took command of the operation. He climbed to the highest vantage point nearby and set up with a sniper rifle to provide overwatch.
The enhanced soldiers spread out across the area, forming a tightening encirclement that slowly closed around the target building.
Ethan gestured toward the warehouse ahead. "Let's go meet the masterminds."
Their arrival caused enough noise that Alexandra and Sowande quickly realized something was wrong.
The four individuals faced each other in the open dockyard.
Fear.
Anger.
Confusion.
Every expression appeared among them.
Daredevil stepped forward.
"Night Devil," Ethan said quietly. "They're yours."
The moon hung bright above the harbor that night.
And the Devil of Hell's Kitchen was unusually fierce.
There was an old saying that people who fell into darkness became three times stronger.
Tonight, Daredevil stood dangerously close to that darkness.
His attacks were savage and relentless. He fought without restraint, even exchanging blows that injured himself in the process.
By the time the fight ended, several of his ribs were likely broken. His right arm hung limp, clearly fractured.
At his feet, Alexandra and Sowande lay unconscious.
Daredevil spat out a mouthful of blood before slowly removing the leather mask from his head.
His face was covered with bruises and cuts. His eyes were bloodshot.
"Can I take her place?" he asked hoarsely.
Ethan was momentarily stunned.
Then he sighed softly.
Love really did blind people.
Daredevil was a lawyer, a vigilante who fought for justice in the shadows, and a man known for strong principles. Yet the request he had just made was something he should never have said.
"What about Peggy?" Ethan asked.
Daredevil froze.
After a long moment, he sighed heavily. "I'm sorry to her. But Elektra… I want to save her."
Ethan nodded slowly.
When a scumbag decided to be devoted, no one could stop him.
"Do you remember what I told you before?" Ethan continued calmly. "After I cleaned up Hell's Kitchen, I said you should give up being a vigilante."
"What do you think now?"
"Yes," Daredevil answered immediately.
Ethan laughed.
"I told you before that I had a job opportunity here. A position where you could openly uphold justice and protect the people."
He pointed toward the city behind them.
"That offer still stands."
"As for Elektra, go to Nahaide Prison tomorrow and pick her up."
He paused briefly.
"But you'll keep her under control. This is the only chance she gets."
After finishing his words, Ethan gestured to Bullseye. The unconscious criminals were quickly taken away along with the captured leaders.
Soon, Daredevil was left standing alone in the dockyard.
Just before getting back into the car, Ethan glanced back at him.
He was genuinely curious about something.
Would Daredevil still be the same man after breaking his own principles?
Batman once swore never to kill. But if he ever crossed that line, would he still be the same Batman?
Humans were emotional creatures by nature.
The moment Daredevil stepped into the road to stop him earlier, Ethan had already realized something.
The old Daredevil might no longer exist.
When the adrenaline faded, when the surge of dopamine and emotion disappeared, would he regret what he had done tonight?
After leaving the docks, Ethan did not return to Typhon Estate.
Instead, he drove directly to Nahaide Prison.
Besides releasing Elektra as promised, he also removed several other prisoners from their cells and transported them into the divine realm.
All of them were powerful figures from the New York underworld.
Wilson Fisk.
Madame Gao.
Murakami.
Leland Owlsley.
Cottonmouth.
Hammerhead.
And many others.
Including Alexandra and Sowande, who had just been captured, there were seventeen people in total.
These seventeen individuals were the key to Ethan's plan.
They would become the foundation of his control over the American underworld.
He had prepared this plan long ago. After meeting the Ancient One, he no longer had any reason to hold back.
Inside the divine realm, Ethan activated his Creator ability without hesitation.
The seventeen criminals were completely brainwashed.
Afterward, he granted each of them a weakened version of the Purple Man's ability.
This power would not allow them to enslave others like Kilgrave once had.
However, it would make it much easier for them to control their own subordinates.
According to Ethan's strategy, these individuals would soon return to the outside world.
Each of them would take their most capable followers and spread across major cities throughout the United States.
Boston.
Philadelphia.
Washington.
San Francisco.
Los Angeles.
With Ethan's secret financial backing, they would expand rapidly and seize control of the underground world in their respective territories.
This was Ethan Voss's true objective.
To take control of America's entire criminal underworld.
If the plan succeeded, he would possess enormous wealth, vast connections, and countless resources.
And all of it would become essential fuel for the continued expansion of his divine kingdom.
.....
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