Leon actually had a special sympathy for Daredevil, Matt Murdock.
In his previous life, Daredevil was one of the earliest Marvel heroes to hit the big screen.
At that time, Leon was still in middle school and was deeply impressed by Ben Affleck's portrayal of Daredevil.
The dark red battle suit, the unique ability to use sound to navigate like a bat despite being blind, and the setting of fighting for justice in the night.
Everything about it made Leon, who was in his rebellious teenage years, fascinated.
Then, out of curiosity, he looked up some information about this character.
Tragic!
So tragic!
To be honest, in the world of superheroes—especially over at DC—you almost need a miserable life to make it big.
But Daredevil was different!
Other than his family background, where his father raised him and was later killed for refusing to throw a fight, Matt himself, though blind, didn't have that as his worst issue.
In Leon's memory, Matt had three girlfriends. His first girlfriend, Karen, was killed protecting him. His second girlfriend, who was also his wife, Donovan, later went insane and was confined to a mental hospital. His third girlfriend, his college lover Elektra, was killed by Bullseye. His fourth girlfriend, his assistant at the law firm, Karen, eventually became a porn star and was forced to reveal his identity.
Later, she was also killed by Bullseye right in front of him.
The fifth one...
...
Matt suddenly sensed that something was off. Why did it feel like the air was filled with pity?
"Sorry."
Not only was Matt handsome and kind, but he was also highly educated and well-mannered.
Even though the guy in front of him was clearly a lunatic, babbling nonsense, and Matt wasn't even sure if his kidneys were still intact, yet here this guy was, talking about medical fees!
Although it was obviously a joke.
Matt replied politely, "Clearly, I don't look like someone who can pull out cash from anywhere right now."
He coughed twice; the blood loss was really taking a toll.
"How about I owe you for now?"
Regardless of the situation, this man had undeniably saved Matt's life, and Matt had walked into a trap intended for someone else, so he couldn't blame anyone but himself.
Matt was very aware of this.
So, Matt figured that even though this guy didn't seem very sharp, he probably wasn't a bad person. The way he opposed Kingpin and helped him made that clear.
Besides, his combat skills aside, his impressive medical skills were definitely worth befriending.
By saying this, Matt was acknowledging that he owed the man a favor, opening the door for future interactions.
Matt thought the guy probably had the same idea; otherwise, was he really just asking for 50 cents in medical fees?
What a joke.
Leon didn't respond directly but instead started talking to himself.
"I have a friend who owes me 1000 bucks,"
"I asked him a few times, and he never paid me back."
Leon kept talking, so Matt could only keep listening.
"One time, he told me he wasn't going to pay me back and asked if I'd be mad."
"I said, no, I wouldn't be mad. We're good friends."
Matt thought he was starting to get it.
"His face turned red right away."
Matt was starting to feel a little embarrassed too.
"I punched him."
Matt: ...…
WTF?!
You went through all that just to tell me this?!
For 50 cents?
Then why didn't you just let me die!!! Why bother saving me?!
For once, even someone as emotionally intelligent as Matt didn't know how to react. Should he cry? Or laugh awkwardly to play along?
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward and quiet.
Just as Matt felt like the air was getting so heavy he might jump up, give this lunatic a slap, smash through the glass, and leave to never see this fool again—
Leon spoke.
"I'm the champion of both literary and martial arts in the seven provinces of Guangdong, known as the King of Kings, 'Lu Puncher'!"
"And you are?"
Matt: …
Matt swore that as a lawyer with a pretty high success rate, he had confidence in his ability to argue. But in the past ten hours, he had been left speechless more times than in his entire life!
Although Leon's English somewhat muddled the original joke, it was clear enough for Matt to understand.
"Uh… Mr. Lu…"
"Vulgar language!"
Matt: … Seriously?! (A type of plant)
Leon walked over to the wall, hands behind his back, and spoke in a low voice: "Those are just empty titles. I've long since seen through them. There's no need to mention them."
After thinking seriously for a moment, knowing how weak he was and understanding their difference in combat power, Matt took a deep breath and gave up on his dream of jumping up and slamming this guy into the wall.
"Then, how should I address you, *sir*?"
Grinding his teeth, Matt managed to maintain his composure and grace.
Leon turned to face him, chin slightly raised: "My name is: WasaGuakaWaquaLaka. Ahem. LalaBala."
Matt: …
Let's just fight!
Let's fight!!
Maybe if I hit him in the mouth, I can shut him up for good!
"Hoo!!!!"
"Mr. LalaBala, you can call me…"
Matt was a bit dazed, unsure how to introduce himself.
This kind of situation had never come up before!
Either he was a lawyer and gave his real name, or he was in his battle suit, and they just fought!
Uh…
After thinking it over, Matt decided to use his real name. After all, "Matt" was a common name, and there were plenty of Matts in Hell's Kitchen.
Calling himself Daredevil felt a little embarrassing.
"Matt."
"My name is Matt. Labrador… Doctor."
"Oh!"
Leon exclaimed like he had discovered something extraordinary.
"You're that blind lawyer! Matt Murdock!"
...
Silence.
Silence was the echo of the night.
Even the summer bugs went silent for me.
Matt felt like this guy had been messing with him the whole time!
His legs slightly bent, one hand bracing the mattress, muscles tense, Matt's voice naturally lowered.
"Mr. Labrador, you've got the wrong guy."
He had no choice but to fight.
It wasn't that Matt wanted to pick a fight, but if someone with ill intent knew his true identity, it wasn't just himself who'd be in danger.
Leon remained as nonchalant as ever, seemingly unaware of Matt's readiness to fight.
"No? That's impossible. The only blind guy named Matt I know is that famous blind lawyer, Matt Murdock."
Silence.
Silence was the echo of the night.
Just because of that?!
You guessed right by sheer dumb luck...
Wait!
Matt, sensitive as ever, realized that this self-proclaimed "Labrador" was lying and toying with him again.
"Isn't it a little late to start sounding all deep and mysterious now?"
"No need to be so tense~"
Just as Matt was about to make a move, Leon spoke again: "I don't care what your name is, or what your true identity is. I'm not interested, and I won't do anything about it."
"Otherwise, I would've done something already, wouldn't I?"
After a brief pause, Matt remained tense, saying nothing.
Leon continued: "As far as I'm concerned, as long as you don't commit any crimes, I couldn't care less."
"If you really don't want your identity to be exposed and hurt your friends, either leave them behind, gain more power, or act faster and get rid of whoever you need to!"
"Because, let's be real, you're never going to give up that suit, are you?"
For once, Leon spoke seriously, but Matt didn't know what to say.
(End of Chapter)