Chapter 36: Overestimated
"Sorry, kid."
As a long-time resident of Harlem, old man Poppy had lived through everything from the fall of the neighborhood after the Fisk years to the brief gentrification push following the Thunderbolts incident. He was well-informed, especially when it came to streets, buildings, and whispers not even S.H.I.E.L.D. picked up on.
Seeing his firm response, Henry who once served as a city hall liaison during the Heroes for Hire era—nodded and turned to Li Ran. "There's definitely no Willard Street or district here in Harlem. Maybe check further downtown. Manhattan's a beast, Harlem's just one block in the maze."
After a moment of uneasy silence, Henry looked at Li Ran, concern in his eyes. "Are you trying to find someone there? A friend? A relative? Maybe even... someone with abilities?"
Shamik, sitting slouched in the chair where Misty Knight once got her hair braided before her cybernetic arm went haywire, chimed in with a grin. "C'mon, Dad. The dude's been scammed. Or he made it up, no such thing as Willard."
Henry turned sharply. "Shamik, shut it. You sound like Diamondback before Luke flattened him with a single punch."
Scolding him, Henry returned his gaze to Li Ran. "Don't let Shamik get to you. Kid's got a mouth like J. Jonah Jameson on a bad press day." Despite his kind tone, Henry had doubts. In his mind, this Willard place didn't exist, and the kid had probably been played by some con artist out of Madripoor.
Li Ran sensed the doubt thick in the air, like smog after a Scarecrow gas attack in Gotham. It was time to clarify. After all, he wasn't here for some family reunion, he came for something more dangerous.
He shook his head, looked into Henry's questioning eyes, and replied evenly, "No. I'm not here for family. I'm looking for the place called Willard because that's where the ultimate murderer is hiding the Evil God of Fire Cloud."
> [Famousness from Luke Cage +5]
[Famousness from Henry +2]
[Famousness from Poppy +2]
[Famousness from Shamik +1]
[Famousness from Chico +0.1]
"..."
Luke Cage paused mid-sweep, putting down the broom he had once used to knock out a gang of Serpent Society thugs. He turned to his father and subtly shook his head. In all his years between Seagate prison and helping Daredevil during the Devil's Reign, he had never heard of any so-called Huoyun Heretic God.
He studied Li Ran's face. Whether the so-called "Evil God of Fire Cloud," with its almost mythic ring, was real or not, he couldn't say. The name itself sounded like something out of Doctor Strange's old scrolls or some obscure part of the Multiverse Wanda had tampered with.
Or maybe, it was just the delusion of the kid in front of him, another mystic-wannabe lost in Manhattan's shadows.
In the barbershop, where shades of Harlem's legends lingered in every mirror, everyone exchanged uneasy glances after Li Ran's sudden proclamation. Then Shamik broke the silence.
"Yo, you actually believe that? Huoyun Evil God?" he laughed. "That name sounds like one of those B-tier villains that Spider-Man whups before dinner. Hell, I like it. That'll be my new street name—Shamik the Fire God!"
Well, Li Ran thought, I overestimated how much they could handle.
Then again, despite Hell's Kitchen having masked vigilantes like Daredevil lurking at night, and Harlem surviving everything from mutant drug epidemics to alien fallout post-Avengers, people still weren't ready to accept a being like the Fire Cloud Evil God, especially not one with such deeply Eastern mythos. If this were Metropolis or even Wakanda, maybe they'd listen. But here?
Still, he hadn't come expecting immediate belief. His mission today wasn't conversion, it was planting seeds, especially in the mind of Luke Cage.
And even if they mocked him, the name was now lodged in their heads.
Frowning at Shamik's mockery, Li Ran replied coldly, "The Evil God of Fire Cloud isn't someone you can just turn into a punchline. Keep joking and he might decide to make you the first warning."
"Oh? You mad now?" Shamik sneered. Compared to Luke Cage, Li Ran looked like easy pickings. He stood, puffed out his chest, and grinned. "What, you gonna summon your little god on me, huh?"
Li Ran said nothing.
He wasn't in the mood to tolerate another provocateur. He had no interest in being another Spider-Man who lets people walk all over him.
His feet shifted. He was ready to act, just a simple leg move to teach the kid—
But a shadow stepped in.
A large figure blocked the space between them. Luke Cage, whose fists once dented Ultron drones during the Sokovia incident, stood firm.
"Shamik," Luke growled, "this is Pops' barbershop. Not a boxing ring. You want to throw hands, go out back. I'll be your opponent."
"Luke! It's none of your business!"
"As long as you're in here, it is my business."
For a moment, the air froze. Shamik clenched his jaw, glaring at the man who once took on the Bushmaster without flinching. Then, with a growl, he stepped back and turned to Li Ran.
"Lucky punk," he hissed.
Actually, Li Ran thought, you're the lucky one.
He looked at Luke's tall back, silent.
To everyone here, he was just a skinny outsider. But truthfully, Shamik wouldn't have lasted five seconds if Li Ran let loose.
Two confrontations in a row, both defused. Even someone like Shamik had enough pride to know when to leave. Slumping his shoulders, he stormed out.
Watching the door shut, Henry sighed. "I hope one day Shamik realizes fists aren't the only solution."
Poppy shook his head. "Henry, this is Harlem. You and I both know, you don't survive here without your fists. Ask anyone who ever faced Tombstone or Hammerhead."
"I know, Poppy. But Harlem's changing. Slowly. Maybe not fast as we hoped, but it is."
The two exchanged a look, brothers in resilience. Then Henry turned back to Li Ran.
Luke Cage had returned to silence, arms folded, like a sentinel.
If Henry didn't know better, he'd think Luke was just another man but he'd seen him lift a car once to save a kid.
Henry sighed again and addressed Li Ran, more gently. "Son, what Shamik said might've been rude, but he wasn't completely off. This Willard place might just be… a myth."
"No. Willard does exist."
Li Ran's gaze was unshakable. Henry felt the weight of it, a look he'd seen once before in Luke's eyes the day he decided to clean up Harlem, no matter the cost.
Still, Henry rubbed his temples. This wasn't easy.
"Alright," he said. "But son, New York's enormous. If you're gonna find this Willard, you'll need more than determination. You'll need information. And most importantly…"
He reached into his pocket, then paused.
"…you'll need money."
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