Kingpin, in the middle of signing a contract, looked up after hearing the outrageous news. He turned to his good brother Aaron Davis, asking in disbelief, "Are you serious?"
"That's what they said. Quentin finished that half-baked fishbowl, then his personality completely changed. He said he was going to take down Spider-Man himself," Aaron found it incredible too, but it was the truth. "I think he's planning to get revenge for Chameleon. After all, he and Chameleon had a good relationship."
This left Kingpin even more confused. "They had a good relationship?"
"Actually, it was just average, but considering he's usually very timid and insecure, and Chameleon was the only one who said a few nice words to him, I guess that's why," Aaron said, then countered, "Do you need to see him?"
"Send him to Octavia's lab. One fishbowl isn't enough to take down Spider-Man."
A few minutes later, Kingpin saw Otto Octavius marveling at Beck Quentin. At this moment, Quentin had somehow gotten himself a green suit of armor and put that large, fishbowl-like projector on his head. Kingpin remembered that thing was supposed to be transparent, but now he couldn't see Quentin's face.
"Ah, Mr. Kingpin." Otto, as usual, still refused to call him Fisk. "I had a chat with Mr. Beck. Although he's not an expert in optics, he's incredibly knowledgeable about related fields. He's truly a rare talent."
"I've completed a comprehensive upgrade of the light particle projector. It no longer has any venue restrictions and can even analyze invisible light. I can control all images within a five-hundred-meter radius, making people disappear or showing them incredible things."
Then, Mysterio uttered the most arrogant words since Kingpin had kidnapped him to work here. "Mr. Fisk, first of all, I demand a raise. I want my weekly salary to go from $300 to $500."
Kingpin was silent for a long time, looking at Aaron, who also remained silent for a long time. Then Kingpin sighed wearily and instructed his assistant, "Increase Mr. Beck's weekly salary to five thousand dollars, thank you."
Otto Octavius was puzzled. "You only paid him three hundred a week?"
"It was a thousand at first, but he seemed to be scared," Aaron explained for his boss. "He kept telling our people he only needed five hundred, then it dropped to three hundred."
"Do you have any other requests, Mr. Quentin?"
"I need a sturdy suit of armor that can defend against Spider-Man's attacks, and a complete set of drones that can be controlled by my brainwaves. Without these things, I can't defeat Spider-Man. I want to teach that guy a good lesson for Mr. Dimitri."
It really was for Chameleon... Kingpin, who completely couldn't understand Mysterio's thought process, also picked up on another troublesome detail: Mysterio didn't intend to kill Spider-Man; he just wanted to save face for Chameleon. After all, Spider-Man had only beaten Chameleon up, not killed him.
Forget it, it's perfect for a punching bag. Kingpin nodded helplessly, then looked at Mysterio again. "So, Mr. Quentin, can you show us what you can do?"
Kingpin heard the sound of a snap.
Instantly, the ground beneath him changed. Everyone suddenly appeared on the rooftop of a skyscraper, while Mysterio stood in mid-air. Kingpin looked down, and according to Quentin's previous explanation, what he saw was just an illusion.
However, no matter how he looked, the bustling traffic below showed no difference, except... there was no sound.
"With enough equipment, I can simulate corresponding auditory, olfactory, and even tactile effects, Mr. Fisk."
In that moment, Kingpin felt himself constantly growing larger, while everyone else was shrinking. Finally, everyone became like ants, and Mysterio looked up at him: "Just with a little well-timed help."
Kingpin smiled. He loved this flattery. Everyone was so tiny, even Mysterio himself was no exception. Only Kingpin was incredibly large.
"I will prepare everything you need, Mr. Quentin. You will get everything you want, as long as you deal with Spider-Man for me."
Africa, Wakanda.
After three days, the Avengers finally completed the task of pursuing the Vibranium smuggler, Ulysses Klaue. The entire plan inevitably became entangled in Wakanda's internal affairs: the leader of the White Ape Tribe received financial and equipment support from Ulysses Klaue, assassinated the former king T'Chaka, and then launched a civil war. In return, Klaue would gain Vibranium mining rights in the White Ape Tribe's controlled territory.
The Avengers also fought against Black Panther T'Challa, who had come to apprehend Ulysses.
But that wasn't the most awkward part. The most awkward part was that T'Challa didn't trust these American superheroes at all, and it turned out his trust was well-placed because Klaue's true backer was the CIA, and most of the Vibranium Klaue smuggled ended up in the US military's pockets.
Captain America ended up with a dark expression, beating up all the CIA informants and agents and handing them over to T'Challa. In return, T'Challa handed Ulysses Klaue over to the Avengers, but not before chopping off one of his arms according to Wakandan law, and announcing to the entire nation that the Avengers were good friends of Wakanda.
"When I woke up, I heard Jim (the original Human Torch) died, James (Wolverine) lost his memory, and we turned against former comrades. I've asked myself more than once if the price of our victory was too heavy," Steve sighed, uncharacteristically holding a bottle of vodka. "And now you tell me we've become fascists, huh? Plundering other countries' mineral resources? I'm starting to doubt if we truly won."
"I think you view America too romantically, Cap," Tony joked, comforting the Captain. "America was never truly on the side of justice—except for those few years in WWII. You just lived in an era when America happened to be just, and then you 'died' before it turned evil. Welcome back to the real America."
"I really miss wartime, when we all knew the Germans were evil enemies and Hydra were bad guys. We fought for justice and freedom, and everyone agreed. Unlike now, I fought fascists my whole life, and now I'm being told I'm a fascist myself."
The Hulk rested his chin on his hands, squatting inside the plane, and poked the Captain's shoulder with his finger. The Captain simply said, "I'm fine."
"On the bright side, T'Challa is willing to join the Avengers, isn't that great?" Wasp said, sharing some rare good news. Tony then pulled up the Avengers Tower records: "Jarvis, tell me what's been happening in New York these past few days. What's our friendly neighborhood hero been up to?"
"Hmm, everything's normal, the kid's doing great... What do you mean Nick Fury came to the Avengers Tower to poach someone?"
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi