His polished leather shoes, not a speck of black dust.
It wasn't dust; it was a death warrant.
A death warrant from the God of Death.
The wave of fear receded, revealing the cold reef named 'survival'.
The World's sounds vanished.
Only the drumbeat of his heart and the high-speed calculation module in his brain remained.
Running was a dead end.
Denial was self-deception.
It's over... As soon as these words surfaced in his mind, his professional instincts, honed over many years, kicked them away.
Calm down!
William Rodriguez!
The client is raising questions!
The client is expressing dissatisfaction!
This is just an extreme after-sales issue!
He raised his head, and the curve of his lips, far from receding, became even more precisely upturned.
Even the muscles around his eyes cooperated, squeezing out a few lines of a smile.
It was a million-dollar confident smile, reserved only for dealing with the most demanding top-tier clients.
"Me? Mr. Knight, I am still William Rodriguez, a risk consultant dedicated to providing comprehensive protection for high-risk professionals in New York City."
Instead of looking at that fatal speck of ash, he shifted his weight forward, and the heel of his leather shoe made a soft click on the ground.
This step wasn't large, but it was like stepping to the beat of war drums.
The White light under Moon Knight's cowl sharpened by a fraction.
"As for this," William gestured with his chin towards the depths of the alley.
"You can understand it as... a small, unplanned 'risk clearance operation'."
"Risk clearance?" Moon Knight repeated the words.
"Yes." William nodded emphatically.
His determined demeanor was exactly the same as when he introduced financial products with over a 30% return rate to major clients.
"The target was assessed to be highly contagious, aggressive, and posed a direct and irreconcilable physical threat to my business."
As he spoke, he actually pulled out the high-tech signing tablet from his briefcase.
The tablet screen lit up, and its cool light illuminated his calm face.
William's fingers danced skillfully across the virtual interface without the slightest tremor, pulling up a blank standard operating procedure report within seconds.
"According to Article 3.1 of our 'Emergency Response Plan for Hostile Biological Entities,' when effective communication is impossible and one's safety is severely threatened, the salesperson has the right to initiate the 'physical risk termination' procedure."
He turned the tablet towards Moon Knight, and the screen prominently displayed several large characters: "High-Risk Target Compensation and Clearance Report."
"The thing in the alley is dead." Moon Knight's voice deepened.
"Completely purified by high-energy electric arcs, leaving hardly any ash."
"Absolutely correct!" William snapped his fingers, his lips curling into a smile of 'meeting a kindred spirit'.
"This is thanks to our company's latest 'portable risk purification device'—efficient, environmentally friendly, and leaves no trace. It's very suitable for handling these... special incidents that tend to cause panic."
He pointed to the damage on his cuff.
"Of course, there was a little 'equipment wear and tear' during the process. I've already filled out the work injury and equipment repair application; I'm just waiting for my supervisor's signature."
"Moreover, I was forced. Do you remember the Vampire you eliminated last time when you saved me?" William continued.
"This time, his wife, a female Vampire, came for revenge. I guess she didn't dare to come to you, so she decided to pick on me, the easy target."
Moon Knight fell silent again.
His eyes were like two probes.
First, they lingered on William's face for two seconds, trying to dissect the authenticity of his smile, then slowly moved to the glowing tablet, scrutinizing the data on it.
The night wind blew.
It rustled a greasy pizza flyer across the ground, making a 'shala, shala' sound that was particularly jarring in the dead silence.
William's smile remained perfectly still.
Only a bead of cold sweat silently slid down his temple towards his collar.
This was the most important gamble of his professional career.
Gambling that this big shot's logic of action was different from ordinary people.
Gambling that he would be curious about a 'professionally aligned' madman like himself, rather than directly taking action.
Moon Knight finally spoke again.
The overlapping voices were still inhuman, but the friction seemed to have lessened, as if it had changed from a judgment to... an interview.
"Tell me about your company."
There's an opening!
He stifled the urge to let his lips curl up and gently swiped the tablet; the report instantly vanished.
In its place was a meticulously designed brochure—the words 'Superhero After-Sales Service List' shining brightly.
"For example, battle damage site cleanup, witness memory erasure (partner service), public opinion guidance for false information, rapid battle suit repair and performance upgrades..."
William's voice spread through the empty street.
Each word was like a carefully packaged candy, precisely hitting the client's sweetest needs.
"Think about it, after every arduous battle, do you really want to personally handle those troublesome clean-up tasks?"
"Leave professional matters to professionals, and you can dedicate your valuable energy to greater endeavors!"
Moon Knight slowly raised his hand.
William immediately closed his mouth, his muscles tensing again.
Moon Knight extended his gloved finger and gently swiped down on the tablet William had offered.
The service list on the screen scrolled, revealing more detailed items below.
His finger finally stopped on one line of text: "Multi-Personality External Image Unification and Crisis Public Relations."
William's Adam's apple unconsciously bobbed.
Moon Knight looked up.
The faint glow under his cowl seemed even brighter than before.
"How much does this cost?"
William was stunned.
A blank space lasted for two seconds in his brain, then was engulfed by a tsunami of euphoria.
It worked!
"First experience, free!" he blurted out without thinking, his face instantly blooming into a radiant smile, as if he had just signed a massive insurance policy that would allow him to retire early.
"Consider it... a small token of my gratitude for saving my life last time!"
Moon Knight withdrew his hand and said nothing more.
He looked at William deeply.
His gaze was too complex to describe.
It was as if he was looking at a monster, yet also an interesting toy.
The next second, he moved.
The White figure, like a streak of inverse moonlight, merged into the vertical jungle of the city's tall buildings after a few leaps, leaving no trace.
Only when the last hint of the Shadow disappeared at the edge of his vision did the suffocating pressure finally dissipate with a crash.
Huh?
Weren't we talking so well?
Why did he suddenly run off?
After the pressure vanished, William's legs immediately lost all strength.
If he hadn't quickly leaned against the wall, he would have slid to the ground.
He leaned against the cold brick wall, breathing greedily.
Even the polluted air, unique to New York and mixed with exhaust fumes and hot dog smells, felt as precious as pure oxygen at that moment.
His back was completely soaked with cold sweat.
"Phew... I'm a goddamn... genius."
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