Kingpin's movements were massive so large that Nolan received word almost immediately.
But something about it didn't sit right with him.
Kingpin's actually bold enough to show himself again?
Nolan couldn't shake the feeling that the man was baiting him almost as if he were deliberately trying to lure him into a trap.
He studied the intel spread across his desk, his brows furrowing slightly.
Wilson Fisk, the man known across New York's underworld as Kingpin, was a name even the most ruthless criminals feared to utter.
The ninjas who had attacked Nolan days ago were clearly members of The Hand. He'd identified their techniques and combat patterns almost immediately.
And yet, Nolan had never crossed paths with The Hand before. There was no reason for them to target him unless someone had paid for it.
Someone like Kingpin.
If Fisk wanted to use assassins and shadows, that would've made sense. But challenging him openly?
That was suicide.
Nolan leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. No matter how he analyzed it, there was nothing Kingpin could do now that truly threatened him.
So he made a decision.
If Kingpin was inviting him to play, then he would accept that invitation and end him.
This time, Nolan wouldn't take any chances.
Wilson Grant Fisk was far more than just a crime boss. His power didn't come only from physical strength but also from his vast influence and resources.
He had built an empire on shadows and secrets, carefully keeping his true identity hidden behind a facade of philanthropy and wealth.
At one point, Nolan believed that Fisk's public persona as a charitable businessman was genuine. But after a few encounters, he realized that the "philanthropist" he met was merely a decoy.
The real Kingpin was still out there.
And tonight, Nolan had the perfect chance to find him thanks to Fisk himself.
When night fell, Kingpin arrived on the outskirts of the city, leading a convoy of armed men. The abandoned industrial zone stretched before them, cold and empty an ideal battlefield.
Or, as Fisk thought of it, the perfect grave for Nolan Lock.
Stepping out of the car, Kingpin's massive frame cast a long shadow across the wet pavement. The sky was heavy with storm clouds.
"Leland," he said calmly, his deep voice echoing. "Tell me what do you see?"
Leland Owlsley glanced around, shivering slightly in the autumn chill. The wind stirred fallen leaves, whispering through the skeletal trees.
"Sorry, boss," Leland replied. "I don't see anything."
Kingpin chuckled, spreading his thick arms wide as if to embrace the darkness.
"What I see," he said, "is a peaceful New York… soon to become Kingpin's paradise of crime."
His voice carried both arrogance and conviction.
But then, his gaze flicked to the left toward what appeared to be empty space.
Leaves rustled, and a masked ninja emerged from the shadows. One by one, more figures materialized around them silent, disciplined, lethal.
A dozen ninjas from The Hand appeared, startling Fisk's gunmen, who raised their weapons instinctively.
Kingpin didn't say a word.
Neither did the ninjas move.
Moments later, a cold voice broke the tension.
"Kingpin. Are you sure you're ready for this?"
It was Madame Gao, stepping calmly out of the darkness.
Fisk gave her a measured look and smiled faintly. "Of course I am."
"Then I hope you know what you're playing with," she said dryly.
Madame Gao wasn't afraid of Nolan Lock. Not here, far from his base of power and certainly not when she commanded forces that defied natural law.
But she knew something Kingpin didn't: if he failed tonight, Nolan Lock would unleash vengeance on a scale that would shake the entire underworld.
For Fisk, this wasn't just a confrontation. It was a war he could not afford to lose.
As the first raindrops began to fall, Fisk's lips curled into a cruel smile.
"Nolan Lock," he muttered. "Come on, then. Your grave's already waiting."
Meanwhile, at his command center, Nolan stood before a wall of monitors as new data streamed in.
The intel was too clean almost too easy.
Through Red Queen's surveillance systems, he confirmed Fisk's location. No traps. No hidden interference.
That alone made it suspicious.
"Boss," said Frank Castle, the Punisher, handing over the latest report. "Looks like you've got some trouble tonight."
Nolan smiled faintly. "A little trouble, maybe. But nothing I can't handle."
Frank nodded. He'd been with Lock Technologies long enough to know who Kingpin was. In the depths of New York's criminal world, that name was synonymous with fear.
But it didn't seem Nolan wanted him involved.
Still, Frank had already made up his mind.
When the night deepened and the hive grew quiet, the city seemed to hold its breath.
The air was cold. Perfect for bloodshed.
"Red Queen," Nolan said, standing up from his chair. "Deploy."
The massive steel doors of The Hive slid open, revealing rows upon rows of combat units Killers, every one of them gleaming under the cold light.
Their metal limbs clicked into motion, blades glinting with a deadly blue sheen.
Beside them, Nolan mounted his black combat bike. Around him, dozens of T-1000 units did the same, engines growling in perfect unison.
Headlights ignited, slicing through the darkness.
Then roar!
The thunder of engines filled the underground facility as a wave of steel surged forward, tearing down the tunnel toward Kingpin's location.
Tonight would know only one thing war.
Rain poured harder as Fisk watched the horizon. He raised his hand, raindrops streaming down his thick fingers.
"What a perfect night for killing," he said quietly.
Then, with a grunt, he slammed his fist into a nearby tree.
Boom!
The trunk shuddered, bark cracking as a deep crater formed where his knuckles struck.
His men stared in awe.
In the underworld, power was everything and tonight, Kingpin had just shown them why he ruled the jungle.
But Madame Gao remained still, her expression unreadable.
That punch… even she might not withstand it.
There was no doubt now Kingpin wasn't an ordinary man. He was something else.
A superhuman.
Suddenly, a ninja dropped from the treetops, landing silently before her.
"Madame," the ninja reported. "Nolan Lock is approaching."
Her face hardened. "He's coming himself? Then this just became a fool's game."
Drawing the enemy out could be advantageous but it also meant Nolan Lock would come fully prepared.
The outcome would rest on one thing only power.
Kingpin's grin widened, his eyes burning with excitement and murder.
Then, in the distance, the sound of engines echoed through the rain.
Whirring. Grinding. Mechanical.
"What's that sound?" Leland whispered.
Before anyone could answer, a storm of gunfire erupted from the darkness.
Tat-tat-tat-tat!
Bullets tore through the air. In seconds, a dozen of Fisk's men dropped to the ground.
"What the hell?!"
Shock rippled through the ranks.
By all reports, Nolan Lock shouldn't have arrived yet.
But deep within the forest, Frank Castle led the charge, piloting an APU combat mech with cold determination. Behind him, an entire squad of armored suits advanced, weapons blazing.
"Leave no one alive," Frank ordered, his eyes hard as steel.
Eliminating every threat to Lock Technologies that was his job.
And tonight, he was going to do it personally.
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