The black Cadillac, like a ghost, slid into the night, silently disappearing at the end of Iron Fist's sight.
Danny, sitting back in his seat, pondered.
The dojo returned to its usual tranquility.
But that tranquility felt like a heavy curtain, making it hard to breathe.
William Rodriguez had left.
He left behind a USB drive and a favor, light as a feather yet heavy as a mountain.
Danny sat cross-legged on the tatami mat, unmoving.
The steam from the teacup in front of him had long dissipated, the tea now cold, just like his mood.
In his mind, the conversation he just had replayed over and over.
Danny took a deep breath.
The Kunlun Mind Technique slowly circulated within his body, trying to calm the restless feeling that originated from the unknown.
He knew what he had agreed to.
From the moment he picked up that USB drive, he and his friends were bound by an invisible shackles.
One day in the future.
When this man named William came to "cash in," they would be unable to refuse.
No matter what the request was.
The black sky was his destiny.
The Hand, those traitors of Kunlun... must be punished!
This was the most astute venture capital.
William Rodriguez, with information he "casually" obtained, bought the future of their vigilante team.
Danny's gaze fell on the small USB drive on the table.
It lay there silently, like a black chess piece that could decide the life and death of countless people.
"The black sky..."
He whispered the name, a chill rising from the bottom of his heart.
The Hand's ultimate weapon.
A sacrificed, living vessel filled with dark power.
Legend has it that it was an existence capable of destroying a civilization.
Kingpin.
That corpulent, evil king who controlled everything from the shadows, had actually obtained her.
And was currently subjecting her to some kind of "modification."
In Danny's mind, William's calm voice echoed again:
"Once this 'black sky' is activated or loses control... the entire Hell's Kitchen, and even all of Manhattan, could become a dead zone."
This was not an exaggeration.
Danny knew better than anyone the madness of The Hand and the horror of the "black sky" legend.
He had to stop all of this.
But his thoughts drifted uncontrollably in another direction.
In Danny's mind.
A scene flashed suddenly.
It was a rainy night.
He and Matt Murdock had just finished a tough fight, sitting on the rooftop of a building in Hell's Kitchen.
The rain washed away the city's sins, and also the bloodstains on them.
Matt, usually as tough as steel, showed a rare moment of fragility then.
He didn't talk about law, nor did he talk about justice.
He talked about a woman.
A woman named Elektra.
Danny remembered Matt's tone at the time, filled with complex, ineffable emotions.
There was love, nostalgia, pain, and even deeper regret.
"She was like a Fire, Danny," Matt said softly, looking at the city lights in the distance.
"She could bring light, but also burn everything to ashes. She... she was caught in The Hand's darkness, and I couldn't pull her out."
Elektra... The Hand... A terrifying thought, like a bolt of lightning, instantly cut through all the fog in Danny's mind!
He suddenly stood up, so violently that he even knocked over the tea set in front of him, spilling tea everywhere.
He couldn't bother with it.
His pupils constricted sharply, and his breathing became heavy.
Elektra Natchios!
The woman Matt had deeply loved, the World-class assassin, the woman with countless ties to The Hand!
Could it be... could she be the "black sky"?
This guess sent a chill down Danny's spine.
If this was true, then the nature of this matter changed completely.
It was no longer a raid against Kingpin's conspiracy.
It would become a... rescue.
Or rather, a judgment.
And the one to make the judgment should not be him, nor should it be Luke Cage or White.
It had to be Matt Murdock.
He had to know the truth.
Danny immediately pulled out his phone, his finger hovering over Matt's number, but he hesitated to press it.
What should he say?
Tell him on the phone, "Hey, Matt, remember your ex-girlfriend Elektra? She seems to have become The Hand's ultimate humanoid weapon, and now Kingpin has taken her for experiments."
"I just bought the address where she's being held from an insurance consultant. Want to go check it out sometime?"
No.
This was too cruel.
This would completely break him.
This information, this truth, like a burning hot iron, had to be delivered to him in person, by hand.
Danny's eyes became incredibly resolute.
He turned and strode out of the dojo, through the empty office area, and into his private elevator.
The elevator went directly to the top floor, the room that was never open to outsiders, belonging to Iron Fist.
A few minutes later.
When he reappeared, he was no longer the CEO in a training uniform.
A dark green, tight-fitting battle suit outlined his explosive muscle lines.
A yellow headscarf and mask covered his face, revealing only a pair of eyes burning with determination.
On his chest, the black dragon tattoo representing the Kunlun divine dragon "Shou-Lao" seemed to come alive.
He was no longer Danny Rand.
He was — the Immortal Iron Fist.
He walked to the large floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the brightly lit city below.
The night view of New York was like a sea of stars woven from countless desires and dreams.
And somewhere in this sea of stars, his friend was immersed in memories of the past, completely unaware that his deepest nightmare had become reality, quietly descending.
Iron Fist did not hesitate for a moment.
He pushed open the shaft door leading to the ground, and with a flash of his figure, he merged into it.
He moved like a nimble cheetah, swiftly traversing the tops of the concrete jungle.
The wind whistled in his ears, and the city below transformed into a flowing river of light.
His destination was clear — Hell's Kitchen, Nelson & Murdock Law Office.
A little over ten minutes later, he silently landed on the fire escape of that old office building.
The "Nelson & Murdock" sign looked a bit mottled in the night.
The office was pitch black.
Iron Fist's breathing was steady; his Kunlun-trained senses allowed him to easily detect the slightest changes in his surroundings.
He had anticipated many scenarios.
If the office was empty, he would need to find a way to get in and leave a message.
If Matt was there, he would need to carefully reveal that cruel truth.
But the current situation exceeded all his expectations.
Someone was in the office.
Not Matt.
He could sense the person's heartbeat inside, steady and strong, yet with an unsettling, Beast-like rhythm.
What made his heart clench even more was a sound he heard.
A highly rhythmic sound, infinitely amplified in the quiet night.
"Click."
A crisp metallic opening and closing sound.
"Click."
Another sound.
He was very familiar with that sound. It was the sound of an old Zippo lighter opening and closing.
Once, and again.
In Matt's office, which should have been empty, in the pitch-black darkness, there was an uninvited guest.
Casually playing with a lighter in his hand, as if waiting for something, or perhaps... provoking something.
Who was it?
Why was he here?
Could it be... a trap?
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"