Chapter 153: Jessica Jones
2023-05-02 Author: Yue Shang Xintou
At Jessica's warning, both the white man who had started cursing and the black woman complaining nearby wisely shut their mouths, fleeing from her presence.
"Hmph."
Turning to look at the fleeing figures and then scanning the wretched surroundings, Jessica curled her lip, her face a mask of clear disdain.
As a private detective who operated in Hell's Kitchen, Jessica was clearly used to all of this, and she was used to making certain annoying people shut up with her fists.
"Bullies who prey on the weak."
With a cold snort, Jessica raised the bottle in her hand and took a swig.
For Jessica Jones, her career as a Superhero was born entirely from an accident.
On the way to a trip to Disney, her father, who was driving, got distracted because she and her brother were fighting in the back seat. Their car crashed directly into a military vehicle loaded with radioactive chemicals, exposing everyone at the scene to the radiation. Only Jessica survived. She was subsequently sent to the hospital and fell into a coma.
When she woke up, she possessed superhuman strength and the ability to fly.
To forget the grief of her family's death, Jessica had once tried to do something with her Powers.
To that end, she became a Superhero, dedicating herself to saving others.
However, the life of a superhero wasn't as wonderful as she had imagined, which was why after being a superhero for a while, Jessica decisively gave it up and became a private detective instead. At the very least, this job could earn her enough money to get drunk.
Recalling her tragic career as a Superhero, a self-mocking look appeared on Jessica Jones's drunken face.
"Superheroes are bullshit!"
Shaking her head, she pushed down the awful memories of being a Superhero. She habitually lifted the bottle and took another sip, intending to use the alcohol to numb her mind and forget those terrible past experiences.
However, a single bottle of liquor was a mere drop in the bucket for an alcoholic like Jessica. In fact, before she had even taken a few steps, the bottle in her hand was already empty.
"Shit!"
Shaking the empty bottle, Jessica couldn't help but curse under her breath.
She walked with a drunken stagger in the direction of her private detective agency.
"Hmm?"
Just as her agency was getting closer, Jessica instinctively quickened her pace. However, a figure suddenly appeared, blocking the intersection and causing her to slow down slightly. Staring at the tall, motionless figure, Jessica subconsciously frowned.
"Don't you people have anything better to do?"
Ever since the Superhero Registration Act was announced, people like this had often come looking for trouble with Jessica Jones.
Even though she no longer admitted to being a Superhero, it was clear these people didn't believe her explanation, treating it as just an excuse.
The identity of a superhero was like an ugly scar, permanently branded on Jessica.
"Shit!"
Cursing under her breath with her head down, Jessica frowned and walked towards the intersection where the figure stood.
"I've already said it. From now on, I'm not a superhero anymore. So if you're looking for trouble, go find guys like Daredevil who are still playing hero..."
Bam!
As Jessica spoke, she flexed her slender wrists.
She figured if she couldn't convince him with words, she could at least use force to shut him up.
However, in the next second...
As she drew near, a fist struck her. Feeling the immense force from the figure's punch, she quickly controlled her body to float into mid-air.
"Who the hell are you?!"
Feeling the dull ache spreading from the side of her arm, Jessica's alcohol-numbed mind instantly cleared considerably. She stared at the figure with a solemn expression and asked.
Ever since she had gained this superhuman strength, she had rarely encountered anyone who could actually hurt her.
"Jessica Jones..."
The figure stepped out from the intersection, revealing his sturdy, dark-skinned physique.
Luke Cage looked up at Jessica in mid-air and replied in a deep voice.
"I'm Luke Cage, a member of the Thunderbolts. Your actions have violated the relevant regulations of the Superhero Registration Act. I hope you will cooperate with my work and not put up any pointless resistance. That would be better for both of us."
"The Thunderbolts? Luke Cage!"
Frowning, Jessica looked at Luke Cage, who had appeared in Hell's Kitchen.
Her expression was grim. She never thought she would one day attract the attention of the Thunderbolts.
"Did you guys get something wrong? I stopped being a superhero a long time ago. That... Superhero Registration Act has nothing to do with me. I'm just a private detective now."
In mid-air, Jessica took a deep breath and began to explain.
"In that case, you can simply cooperate with my work."
But it was clear Luke Cage didn't believe her excuse. Or rather, many of the Anti-Registration Faction members captured by the Thunderbolts had said the same thing.
That's right. Ever since the new regulations of the Superhero Registration Act were announced, the Thunderbolts, to which Luke Cage belonged, had been secretly carrying out operations to capture the Anti-Registration Faction throughout New York City.
Do you think I'd believe that?
Although Jessica Jones's skills as a private detective were quite poor, she had at least, thanks to her superhuman abilities, managed to uncover some clues and evidence that ordinary people couldn't.
For example, the secret operations conducted by the Thunderbolts.
From the intelligence Jessica had gathered, the Thunderbolts had already captured at least ten super-powered individuals. Among them were superheroes like herself who were unwilling to register, or former superheroes. But there were also super-human criminals who used their powers for crime.
But regardless of which category they fell into, their situations weren't good after being captured by the Thunderbolts.
The environment in Hell's Kitchen was terrible, but Jessica clearly had no intention of moving, especially not into a Thunderbolts prison cell.
As for joining and registering under the Superhero Registration Act, that was even more impossible.
She didn't even want to be a superhero anymore, so why would she register her identity?
Moreover, once registered, her identity would be made public, which meant her past and even her family would be exposed to danger.
This was the reason why the vast majority of heroes in the Anti-Registration Faction were unwilling to reveal their identities, choosing to operate in secret. Although the Superhuman Activities Oversight Committee had already made assurances that they would protect the families of the Registration Faction, how many promises had the government made and broken? They had once promised to win World War II.
Not everyone was rich and without a family like Harry Osborn.
Although Jessica had lost her family in the car accident and due to the radiation from the chemicals, she had been adopted by the Jones family after waking up from her coma.
She clearly didn't want to bring trouble to the Jones family because of her actions.
Especially when her trouble was anything but small.
(end of chapter)