"Heh, there's someone who's been watching him for two years now," Frank said with a quiet laugh.
"What!?" Jimmy was stunned. He quickly asked, "Who!?"
"Here's a hint: he always wears a bulletproof vest with a skull symbol on it," Frank said, still smiling.
"Hiss…" In an instant, an image flashed in Jimmy's mind: a stern-looking middle-aged man, wearing a bulletproof vest with a large white skull on his chest, holding two shotguns…
"You mean…!" Jimmy stammered.
"Yeah. Him," Frank nodded. "Two years ago, when Kingpin first emerged, that guy noticed him. He's tried to take Kingpin down many times, but Kingpin always managed to slip away. Now, after two years of growth, Kingpin has become the king of Manhattan. Taking him down won't be easy."
Jimmy nodded, then asked, "What about Bullseye?"
"Bullseye is Kingpin's top assassin," Frank said quietly. "You think Kingpin sent Erika after you for no reason? Bullseye is away on an overseas mission. But he should be back any day now. When that happens, you better be ready."
Jimmy frowned deeply. Erika was one thing, but Kingpin and Bullseye… neither of them would be easy to handle. With his current strength, Jimmy didn't stand a chance.
After a moment of silence, Jimmy asked, "Can you get in touch with that guy?"
"That's nearly impossible. He's a lone wolf. The only time he comes to me is when he needs weapons," Frank shook his head.
"I see," Jimmy murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. To be honest, if he had to choose between Spider-Man and the Punisher, he'd pick the Punisher. The Punisher was notorious for his ruthlessness—totally different from Peter, who was still a rookie hero.
Jimmy sighed. "Just try your best. In the meantime, give me a thousand rounds of shotgun shells. And prepare some M92F magazines for me too."
After leaving Frank's workshop, Jimmy ran into Mafa, the young Black man.
"Boss, I found that Matt guy! He's interning at a law firm now," Mafa reported.
"Mm." Jimmy nodded. So Matt wasn't a full-fledged lawyer yet. Erika was still honing her skills, and Kingpin was only the king of Manhattan for now—not the ruler of a criminal empire.
"Seems like things aren't as bad as they could be," Jimmy muttered under his breath.
"Boss, what's our next move?" Mafa asked.
Jimmy looked at him and said quietly, "You can leave now."
"Huh!?" Mafa looked shocked, but then quickly nodded and ran off without looking back.
Jimmy narrowed his eyes. It was time to strike back. First, he needed to find out where Kingpin was hiding. He certainly didn't think Peter would be able to track down Kingpin's address.
Sitting on a rooftop, Jimmy methodically loaded his guns. He had a gut feeling—Erika would definitely come for him.
As the sun began to set, Jimmy enjoyed the view of the sunset—until he sensed someone behind him.
"So, you're here," Jimmy said softly without turning around.
"You were hoping I'd come?" Erika's voice rang out behind him.
"That's right," Jimmy turned his head, and in an instant, two sai appeared in his hands—the same ones Erika had dropped the night before.
Erika's eyes narrowed. She quickly drew two new sai from her waist. "Tell me… what exactly is your ability?" she asked.
"Heh… spatial summoning," Jimmy chuckled quietly. Then he lunged at Erika.
Erika dodged his initial attack, blocked his second strike with her left sai, and caught his other wrist with her free hand. In the next moment, she clamped her strong, shapely legs—firm and toned—around Jimmy's head.
Damn it!
Jimmy screamed in his mind. He immediately let go of the sai, grabbed Erika's hips, and, as he expected, she started twisting her waist violently. In an instant, Jimmy was slammed hard onto the ground. If he hadn't held onto her hips, he knew she would have snapped his neck like a twig.
But even so, the situation wasn't good. Jimmy lay flat on the ground, Erika's hips pinning his hands, her body straddling his chest.
"Goodbye," Erika whispered with a cold smile, raising her sai to stab down at Jimmy's head.
Jimmy struggled with all his might, but his weakened state made escape impossible. The blade drew closer and closer—
Then, suddenly, a trash can crashed down on Erika's head.
With a muffled grunt, Erika jumped back several meters, glaring at the sudden intruder.
Jimmy looked up in shock. "Karen! Why are you here!?"
"Jimmy! Run!" Karen shouted urgently, shielding him.
Jimmy gave a helpless smile. He pushed Karen aside. "You should be the one running! Get out of here now!"
While they argued, Erika lunged at Jimmy again. But this time, Jimmy was ready. He summoned a shotgun into his empty right hand without hesitation and fired at her.
Erika could dodge bullets from a handgun—but she couldn't escape the dense spray of a shotgun.
Four rapid shots rang out. Erika's arm was hit and wounded. She glared at Karen one last time, then turned and leaped off the building.
Jimmy rushed to the edge and saw her disappearing down the fire escape. "Karen! I'm going after her. Be careful! Here, take this!"
He handed Karen an M92F and a magazine from his storage ring.
"You… you be careful too!" Karen shouted, worried as she took the weapon.
"Don't worry!" Jimmy called back confidently. Then he leaped down the two-meter-high safety corridor and followed the trail of blood.
Karen stood still for a moment, then quickly took out her phone and anxiously dialed a number. "Hello? Gwen!? Do you have Peter's number!?"
…
Jimmy tracked Erika's blood trail to an abandoned house.
Narrowing his eyes, he drew an M92F from his storage ring and slowly crept toward the window. After scanning carefully and seeing no one inside, he frowned. Then he moved to the front door, cautiously pushing it open as he entered.
He searched the whole house but found no trace of Erika. Frustrated, he searched again more carefully—and finally discovered an entrance to a cellar hidden in a corner.
Jimmy's eyes narrowed. He slowly lifted the wooden cover and something fell out. He instinctively grabbed it—turning out to be a metal pipe. Relieved, he guessed it was meant as an alarm.
Carefully, Jimmy descended into the cellar, moving forward slowly and remaining on high alert. It was dark, but not damp at all.
He turned left at a corner and suddenly felt something underfoot.
Crash!
It sounded like a bottle smashing on the ground. The loud noise echoed sharply through the dark passage.
"Damn it!" Jimmy cursed, then broke into a run toward the end of the cellar.
Inside, Erika—bandaged and hiding—froze when she heard the noise. She grabbed her sai and hid just around the entrance passage, waiting.