black sky might have long been tired of being used as a power source by The Hand.
William stood before the one-way glass, his gaze piercing through the thick protective layer to look at Elektra in the isolation room.
She was curled up in a corner, hugging her knees, her hollow eyes occasionally flashing with a hint of clarity.
"Her biological indicators are stable."
Lei Ling's voice came through the communicator.
"Much calmer than when she first arrived."
William nodded.
After ensuring Elektra wouldn't leave the island, he still didn't let her go.
Further observation was needed.
The power within this woman was too dangerous; a rash release would only bring uncontrollable variables.
Moreover, judging by her reaction to Murakami's ancient blade just now, the black sky's ability seemed very weak at the moment, actively avoiding some more powerful existence.
Interesting.
William turned and left the observation room, his footsteps echoing in the metal corridor.
After resolving the invasion by The Hand, his thoughts had already turned to another major concern.
Kingpin.
This name didn't carry the ancient and mysterious aura of "The Hand."
Nor did it hide in the shadows of history like "HYDRA."
It was more like a heavy, cold, ballast stone, drenched in blood and intrigue, firmly anchoring the underground World of New York City.
It represented a purer, crueler, and more tangible order—the order of money and violence.
He recalled the intelligence on Wilson Fisk.
An apparent philanthropist and entrepreneur, but secretly the uncrowned king ruling New York City's underworld.
If The Hand were a group of madmen wielding knives in dark alleys, then Kingpin was a tyrant sitting in a top-floor office in Manhattan, capable of deciding countless lives and deaths with the flicker of a cigar.
An underground emperor who, by his own efforts, had united all of New York City's gang forces.
This man, not relying on superpowers or magic, but on unparalleled wisdom, cunning, and unfathomable ruthlessness, had built a vast criminal empire.
This was an opponent infinitely more terrifying than most superpowered villains.
Because you couldn't destroy him with simple physical means.
He was a symbol, a system.
"Jessica, what do you think of Kingpin?"
William turned around to look at the woman on the sofa.
"Now you want to go against Kingpin again? Xiao Wei, you collect enemies faster than I collect wine bottles. Shouldn't you consider buying yourself some insurance? I bet the premium would be an astronomical figure."
This sharp sarcasm, on the contrary, quickly calmed William's heart.
That's right, this was the rhythm he was familiar with.
Troubles came one after another, risks constantly escalating.
Isn't this the meaning of his "risk management company's" existence?
"Just a necessary stage of business expansion, my dear."
William turned around and gave Jessica a reassuring smile.
The smile carried a hint of "everything is under control" confidence.
"High risk usually comes with high reward. At least, this proves that our company has entered the sight of some big players."
Kingpin was very strong; his business empire and iron-fisted methods were formidable.
Moreover, this guy was an independent candidate for New York City mayor, and he might succeed at any time.
Once he became mayor, it would be difficult for William to deal with him.
But Kingpin was still a "person" after all.
And in his company, normal "people" had become a rare species.
Realizing this, William felt the huge stone pressing on his heart instantly lighten a lot.
The core of risk management, isn't it to assess and utilize the chips in one's hand to deal with unknown risks?
Now, his chips didn't seem to be few.
Diverting trouble.
William suddenly smiled like a fox who had just stolen a chicken.
He thought of another person, the most unpredictable card—Peter Parker.
That naive big boy, that Spider-Man full of a sense of justice.
His mind began to calculate rapidly.
Sending the information directly to Peter was too blunt, not in line with their friendship.
He had to find another way, a way that would better ignite his overflowing sense of justice.
A moment later, William picked up his private phone, skillfully found Peter Parker's number, and began to compose a text message.
His face instantly switched to an expression of righteous indignation and profound grief, as if he were the embodiment of justice, feeling immense disappointment and anger at the darkness of the World.
[Peter, my friend, I've just encountered something appalling that has filled me with unprecedented fear for this city we deeply love.]
As he typed, he calmly critiqued inwardly: Hmm, good opening, first build rapport, then create a heavy atmosphere.
[There's a man named Wilson Fisk. On the surface, he's a respected entrepreneur and philanthropist, but secretly, he's the king who controls the entire New York City underworld! Drugs, weapons, human trafficking… all the evils you can imagine are connected to him.]
[He's like a huge tumor, rooted in the heart of New York City, sucking the blood of this city!]
William's inner monologue: The wording must be intense and vivid. The word "tumor" is well-used; hot-blooded young people like Peter fall for this kind of thing.
[I'm sending you some information I managed to get my hands on with great difficulty. I know it's dangerous, but I can't think of anyone more trustworthy than you! You once told me, with great power comes great responsibility. And now, a huge responsibility lies before us. Peter, we cannot turn a blind eye to this evil!]
William gave himself a mental thumbs-up.
Perfect!
Binding himself with him, using the word "we," and quoting Uncle Ben's famous words—it was a critical hit!
He would definitely get fired up immediately!
He glanced at Jessica next to him, who was watching him with her arms crossed, an expression of "let's see what else you can act out."
William didn't care, he winked at her, then took a deep breath and pressed the send button.
After all that, William felt incredibly relieved.
He hadn't used a single soldier of his company; he had merely moved his fingers to arrange the most troublesome "account manager" for Kingpin, the underground emperor.
This was the most brilliant risk management—transferring risk to those best equipped to handle it.
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