PFC Chapter 3949 MU Superbody Major Event (29)
Chapter 3949 MU Superbody Major Event (29)
Chapter 3949 MU: The Superbody Incident (Twenty-Nine)
The Punisher raised his gun. He carefully observed the young man opposite him. Years of walking the line between life and death had given him a keen insight far beyond that of ordinary people. This allowed him to see almost immediately that the other man was one of his kind—or rather, even more dangerous than him.
After years of living a life of constant danger, the Punisher learned a lesson: those who appear strong and ruthless, covered in bulging muscles, are often bluffing. Undeniably, he himself needed muscles, scars, and the indelible smell of gunpowder to make himself seem invincible. This would instill fear in his enemies, throw them into panic, and ultimately bring them death.
But there is another type of person who strives to conceal their sharpness, hiding all dangerous traits, making them look no different from office workers commuting to work on the subway in the morning or college students who have been working on their assignments all night. They have no fierce appearance, no cold demeanor, and look as ordinary as anyone around them—yet they hover above people's heads.
Before seeing the muzzle of a gun, no one would expect them to kill. Even seasoned veterans who have spent most of their lives on the battlefield never know when they might suddenly strike.
The Punisher was on edge, the gun never leaving his target's body. Looking at someone through the scope, humanity always seems so small, insignificant from birth to death; yet sometimes so immense. Concentrate, let the target fill your field of vision, as if the entire world has shrunk to just that one thing.
"Who are you?" he asked.
“An assassin. Looks like you’ve taken care of Kyle. I’ve wasted my time tonight.” The other person’s tone sounded light and cheerful.
Who do you work for?
"I can't say."
"you know me?"
“I’ve heard a little about it.” The other person nodded slightly and said, “However, I’m not just here to kill people. Do you know anything about Silvermane?”
"...That gang leader?"
"Yes, an Italian, the head of the Manfredi family."
"What are you doing with him?"
"I want to ask something."
“You won’t let anyone who’s seen your face live, right?” The Punisher said, taking a step forward with his gun at the ready. “Coincidentally, I’m a pretty good shot too. Keep your hands out of your pockets; I know you have a gun.”
“I didn’t mean that. You’re practically in the same line of work as me, and you won’t cooperate with the police, so it’s no big deal if you see me. I have no reason to kill you. I only showed up to see you to ask about that Italian.”
"How are you going to prove you're not with them?"
"Who are you talking about?"
"The puzzle. He's been looking for me and wants to kill me."
“If you’re talking about a New York mob boss, then I can only tell you that he can’t afford me. Your life isn’t worth that much either, and I’m not going to make this trip just to kill you.”
The Punisher weighed the veracity of these words in his mind. He was more inclined to believe it, because he could tell the other man was a highly professional assassin, definitely not the kind of local New York gangster. If the Puzzle could afford this guy, he'd probably be dead already.
“They’re on Long Island,” the Punisher said. “What’s the price you’re willing to pay for this intelligence?”
“I can kill the puzzle piece for you, if you have a grudge against him. But I’ll have to wait until I finish my business.” The other person nodded and said, “If you don’t need my help, you can pay me. How much do you want?”
The Punisher weighed his options, but didn't give a specific number. He only said, "We'll talk after you've done your job. Now, slowly turn around and walk out of the alley. Don't try anything funny."
He stared intently at the person in front of him, ready to fire the instant the man made a move. The person opposite him cooperated, slowly turning around and stepping forward.
Just as he was about to disappear from the Punisher's sight, the Punisher sensed a faint sound behind him. But he had been so focused that by the time he reacted, it was too late.
Bang! Something heavy slammed down on his head. The Punisher was knocked to the ground and immediately passed out.
After he fell, a pair of deep blue eyes were revealed. His eyelids drooped, and then he dropped the stone in his hand.
"Much better than your driving skills, Bruce."
"Thanks. But I still prefer driving. Do you know how many pounds that bow on his back weighs?"
"Killing you with one arrow shouldn't be a problem for you."
“That’s what I wanted to say. We agreed that you would be in charge of the fighting,” Bruce sighed. “I don’t have any superpowers in this universe; one bullet and I’m dead. Can’t I just be the driver?”
"I don't have superpowers, and he just pointed a gun at me. What are you so scared of?"
"I wasn't scared."
"That's not how your heart rate is supposed to be."
Bruce spread his hands in a helpless expression: "If I had known your investigative style was so risky, I wouldn't have come with you."
"Now that I know, it's too late."
Bruce sighed. He remembered what had happened that night—just as he was hesitating in the base's bar about who to go to the next world to investigate with, the agent's message arrived at the perfect time.
Less than ten minutes after Bruce replied with "meeting", Schiller, wearing a trench coat, came to the bar.
Although Bruce had seen a younger version of Schiller in the tower and the agent in previous instances, he still paused for a few seconds upon seeing him this time. The agent's demeanor was so different from the other Schillers that everyone tried to find similarities between him and Schiller.
In fact, they are similar, or more accurately, the same person. They both possess a detached quality, tinged with indifference and neuroticism. However, the difference lies in the fact that most Schillers do not choose to conceal this quality, while the agent hides it very well—if he doesn't look at you, he seems like a perfectly normal person.
But the moment he chooses to meet your gaze, the instant you see those grey eyes, you'll feel a danger even deeper than any other personality trait. This intimidating power is enough to make many people lose their composure.
“I’ve found a clue,” Schiller said. “I originally just asked the Spider-Men about the situation in the Dark Universe, but I found out that the Spider-Men from the main universe of the neighboring world didn’t come to help. Something seems to have happened in their universe.”
"You think it's related to electronic life?"
"Very likely. Because it looks like another infighting among superheroes, perhaps even instigated by cybernetic life. I'm going to investigate; I need to find out more about that guy. What do you think?"
“I originally wanted to go too. The investigation isn’t a problem for me, but the biggest problem is that I can’t use any of my superpowers there. I definitely can’t bring my angelic status with me, and although I can exchange dark energy for energy there, my magic level is limited. The uniform the Justice League made for me can only be used for self-defense, and the bat suit is nowhere to be found. I’m really in a precarious situation.”
"I can handle the fighting; you just need to deduce what's going on. Shall we go?"
“Aren’t you being a little too hasty?” Bruce said, wiping the glass with a rag. “We need a plan. Do you know exactly what’s going on in that other universe?”
"Someone has caused trouble, and the superheroes have differing opinions on it, so we're at a stalemate. But investigating from the superheroes' perspective would be too intensive. We need to approach it from another angle."
"what?"
"You will know when you go."
Bruce frowned. He studied Schiller's expression and, finding he wasn't lying, simply said, "You'd better understand how dangerous this is. We might both not come back."
"You lack confidence in yourself."
"I'm just being cautious."
“You’re just scared.” Schiller picked up the whiskey bottle, poured himself about a finger’s width, took a sip, and said, “Other Batmen are used to being ordinary people, but you’re used to being a superhuman and don’t want to leave your safe zone.”
"Because there's really no need for me to investigate this matter."
"Of course. The reason I chose you as my partner among so many Batmen is not because you are smarter than them, but because you are more free than them. Right now, all the Batmen have to protect their own universes, except for you, which is why I came to you."
“There’s no need to be so explicit,” Bruce sighed. “Batman is a selfless hero, but I’m not. I value my life. Selena and I are getting married soon.”
“It wouldn’t have been so dangerous if you hadn’t said that,” Schiller said with a smile. “I assured Selena that I would get you to the wedding safely. Is that alright?”
In a Brooklyn alley, Bruce looked at the blood-stained stone beside him and said, "Is that all you promised?"
“So it’s him who’s down now, not you. Enough talk, get him in the car.” Schiller waved him over. The two of them lifted the Punisher and shoved him into the trunk.
"As far as I know, he's also a superhero."
"But he doesn't have superpowers, so he's an easy target," Schiller said as he drove. "Don't look at me like that. I don't intend to do anything to him. I just need to keep him quiet for a while so he doesn't ruin our plans."
"So what exactly is our plan?" Bruce couldn't help but ask. "If no one were paying you, I would really think you're here to be an assassin."
“Hydra,” Schiller said succinctly.
“I don’t have mind-reading abilities, can you explain it more clearly?” Bruce turned to look at him and said, “Deduction also requires clues. Without enough clues, you can’t build a complete logical chain. You have to start from the beginning.”
"The New York underworld can be roughly divided into three forces: Kingpin, the Russian mafia, and the Italian mafia. The former is a rising star, while the latter two have been operating in New York for many years, with deeply entrenched influence that makes them very difficult to investigate."
"The Russian mafia is led by 'Hammerhead,' while the Italian mafia is led by the Manfredi family. The head of the Manfredi family is Silvio Manfredi, codenamed 'Silver Mane.'"
"What does this have to do with electronic life?"
"Some time ago, the Manfredi family was driven to Long Island, New York by Kingpin. Although it's a great vacation spot, it's tantamount to exile for gangsters. They want to return to Manhattan, so they invested a lot of money in a project called Norton Experimental Science."
"What does that project do?"
Schiller shook his head and said, "That's exactly what I'm investigating."
"You suspect this is related to the origin of electronic life?"
"Yes. I investigated the company behind this Norton Experimental Science project group, and they've gone through three bankruptcy reorganizations—sounds like a fraudulent company, right?"
“Three bankruptcies, and three successful reorganizations—this is no ordinary fraudulent company,” Bruce said. “They must have some special skills.”
"That's right. Generally speaking, such companies are universally reviled in the industry and shouldn't be able to undergo three restructurings in the first place. But the restructuring was still successful, which means they must have some real skills; otherwise, someone must be helping them behind the scenes."
Bruce immediately realized something. He shifted in his seat, turning towards Schiller, and said, "You mean, they're actually Hydra?"
"I only suspect it now, but it's very likely. Hydra supports many companies around the world, partly to make money and partly to conduct secret experiments. Norton Experimental Science may be one of their new money-making projects."
"This attracted the Manfredi family and secured a large investment, making the project quite successful. Yet, they didn't abscond with the money."
"This proves that this project is not just about making money. Manfred may not be the sucker to be ripped off, but rather their partner. This project must have some real substance."
"You mean that guy codenamed Silvermane knows that his partner is Hydra, and it's even possible that he joined Hydra himself?"
Schiller nodded.