The Punisher raised his gun. He carefully observed the young man opposite him. Years of living on the edge of life and death had given him an insight far beyond that of ordinary people. This allowed him to immediately see that the other person was of the same ilk as him—or perhaps even more dangerous.
In his years of living on the razor's edge, the Punisher had learned one lesson: those who were hulking with muscle and looked strong and ferocious were often bluffing. It's undeniable that he himself needed muscles, scars, and the smell of gunpowder that couldn't be washed off, to make himself appear invincible. This could instill fear in his enemies, make them panic, and bring them death.
But there was another type of person who worked hard to conceal their edge, hiding all dangerous traits so thoroughly that they seemed indistinguishable from office workers squeezing onto a subway in the morning or college students who had been cramming for exams all night. They had no ferocious appearance, no chilling demeanor, seemed as ordinary as anyone around—but they hovered over people's heads.
Until one sees the muzzle of a gun, no one would think they would kill. Even seasoned veterans crawling across battlefields for most of their lives wouldn't know when they'd suddenly strike.
The Punisher tensed all his nerves, the muzzle never leaving the other person's body. Through the scope, people always appear insignificant, their life and death fleeting and trivial; but sometimes they also appear grand. Focusing one's attention, letting the target fill the field of vision, it seems the whole world is reduced to just that one entity.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"An assassin. It seems you've already dealt with Kyle. My trip tonight turns out to be for nothing." The other person's tone sounded light.
"Who do you work for?"
"I can't say."
"Do you know me?"
"I've heard a bit," the other nodded lightly and said, "However, I'm not just here to kill. Do you know about Silver鬃?"
"...That mob boss?"
"Yes, the Italian, head of the Manfredi family."
"What are you looking for him for?"
"I want to ask him something."
"You wouldn't let someone who has seen your face live, right?" The Punisher held his gun, stepping forward as he spoke, "Coincidentally, my gun skills aren't bad either. Keep your hands away from your pockets, I know you have a gun."
"That's not my intention. Consider you half my peer, you wouldn't work with the police, so there's no harm in seeing me. I don't need to kill you. I showed up to ask you about that Italian's whereabouts."
"How can you prove you're not with them?"
"Who do you mean?"
"Jigsaw. He's been looking for me and wants to kill me."
"If you're talking about a mob boss in New York, I can only tell you he couldn't afford to hire me. Your life isn't worth that much; I wouldn't make this trip to kill you."
The Punisher weighed the truth of these words in his heart. He was more inclined to believe it, because he saw that the other was a very professional assassin, definitely not at the level of a New York local mob enforcer. If Jigsaw could afford this guy, he might have been dead already.
"They're in Long Island." The Punisher said, "What are you willing to pay for this information?"
"I can help you kill Jigsaw, if you hold a grudge against him. But it has to wait until I finish my business." The other nodded and said, "If you don't need my help, money is also doable. How much do you want?"
The Punisher deliberated, but didn't give a specific figure, he only said: "We'll talk after you succeed. Now, slowly turn around, walk out of the alley. Don't try anything funny."
He stared fixedly at the person in front of him, ready to shoot the moment there was any movement. And the other cooperated well, turning his body slowly, stepping forward.
Just as he was about to walk out of the Punisher's line of sight, the Punisher sensed a slight noise behind him. But he was too focused earlier, so by the time he reacted, it was already too late.
Bam! Something heavy slammed into his head. The Punisher was knocked to the ground, passing out immediately.
As he fell, a pair of bright blue eyes came into view. The eyelids drooped down, then the hand discarded the stone it was holding.
"A lot better than your driving, Bruce."
"Thanks. But I still prefer driving. Do you know how many pounds of draw weight that bow on his back has?"
"One shot could probably kill you."
"That's exactly my point. We agreed you'd handle the combat," Bruce sighed and said, "I don't have superpowers in this universe, take a bullet and I'm done for. Can't I just be the driver?"
"I don't have superpowers either, and he was just pointing a gun at me. What are you so afraid of?"
"I'm not scared."
"Your heart rate says otherwise."
Bruce spread his hands with a helpless expression: "If I'd known your investigation style was this risky, I wouldn't have come with you."
"Now you know, too late."
Bruce sighed. He recalled the events of that night—just when he was hesitating at the bar in the base, pondering who to go with to investigate the neighboring world, the agent's message came just in time.
After Bruce replied with a "Meeting," less than ten minutes later, Shiller, dressed in a trench coat, appeared at the bar.
Even though Bruce had seen a younger version of Shiller at the High Tower and had encountered the agent in previous instances, he was still stunned for a few seconds upon seeing him this time. The agent's demeanor was so different from the other Shillers that everyone wanted to find parts of Shiller in him.
Indeed, they were similar, or more accurately, the same person. There was an air of detachment about them, a hint of aloofness and neuroticism. But the difference was that most Shillers did not choose to disguise this demeanor, while the agent hid it well—if he didn't lift his eyes to look at you, he looked just like a normal person.
But as long as he chooses to look you in the eye, the instant you see those gray eyes, you'll even feel a danger deeper than any other character trait. This deterrent power is enough to make many people lose their focus.
"I've found some clues," Shiller said, "I originally just asked the Spider-Men about the situation in the dark universe, but I discovered that Spider-Man from the neighboring Prime Universe didn't come over to assist. It seems something happened in their universe."
"Do you think it's related to Electronic Life?"
"Very likely. Because it appears to be another internal conflict among superheroes, perhaps stirred up by Electronic Life. I'm planning to investigate; I must find out what that guy's up to. What do you think?"
"I also intended to go. Investigation is not a problem for me, but the biggest issue is that none of my superpowers can be used over there. The Angel Rank surely can't be taken over, dark energy can be converted to energy there, but my Magic level is limited. The Justice League previously made me a suit, but it's only for self-defense, and the Bat Equipment is nowhere to be seen, it's really hard to rely on."
"I can handle the fighting, you just need to figure out what's going on. Are you in?"
"Aren't you a bit too impatient?" Bruce said while wiping a glass with a cloth, "We have to have some sort of plan. Do you know exactly what's happening in that universe?"
"Someone messed up, and the superheroes are divided on their opinion, hence the stalemate. But starting with superheroes, the difficulty is too high. We need to approach it from a different angle."
"What angle?"
"You'll know when you get there."
Bruce frowned. He scrutinized Shiller's expression and noticed he wasn't lying, so he simply said, "You better understand just how dangerous this is; we might not be able to return."
"You're lacking confidence in yourself."
"That's called caution."
"You're just scared," Shiller said, taking the whiskey bottle and pouring himself about a finger's worth. After sipping the drink, he continued, "Other Batmen have been accustomed to being ordinary people, whereas you're used to being a superpower user, unwilling to step out of your comfort zone."
"Because there's really no need for me to investigate this."
"Of course, there is. Among all these Batmen, I chose you as a partner not because you're smarter than them, but because you're more available than them. Now, all the Batmen have to guard their own universes, except for you, so that's why I came to you."
"No need to spell it out like that," Bruce sighed, "Batman is a self-sacrificing hero, unfortunately, not me, I still cherish my life. Selina and I are about to get married."
"It wouldn't be so dangerous if you hadn't mentioned that," Shiller chuckled, "I promised Selina that I'd get you to the wedding safely. Good enough?"
In a Brooklyn alley, Bruce looked at the bloodstained stones next to him and said, "Is this your idea of keeping your promise?"
"So now he's the one down, not you. Stop talking and help me get him into the car," Shiller waved at him. The two of them lifted Punisher together and crammed him into the car's trunk.
"As far as I know, he's also a superhero."
"But without superpowers, he's relatively easy to deal with," Shiller said while driving, "Don't look at me like that, I don't intend to do anything to him, just need him quiet for a while, so he doesn't ruin our plans."
"So what's our plan exactly?" Bruce couldn't help but ask, "If no one was paying you, I would really think you came here to be an assassin."
"Hydra," Shiller said concisely.
"I can't read minds, can you be clearer?" Bruce turned his head to look at him, "Detective work also requires clues; without enough clues, it's impossible to construct a complete logical chain. You need to start from the beginning."
"The New York underworld can roughly be divided into three forces: Kingpin, the Russian Mafia, and the Italian Mafia. The first is an upstart, while the latter two have been developing in New York for many years, with deep-rooted connections, making them very hard to investigate.
"The Russian Mafia is led by 'Hammerhead,' and the Italian Mafia is led by the Manfredi family. The head of the Manfredi family is Silvio Manfredi, codenamed 'Silver鬃.'"
"What's this got to do with Electronic Life?"
"Recently, the Manfredi family was driven by Kingpin to Long Island, New York. Although it's a nice vacation spot, for the Mafia, it's no different from exile. They want to return to Manhattan, so they invested a large sum of money into a project called Norton Experimental Science."
"What's the project about?"
Shiller shook his head and said, "That's what I need to investigate."
"Do you suspect it relates to the origin of Electronic Life?"
"Yes. I investigated the companies behind the Norton Experimental Science project; they've gone through three bankruptcies and reorganizations—it sounds like a scam company, right?"
"Three bankruptcies, yet three reorganizations, that's not your typical scam company," Bruce said, "They must have some real skills."
"Exactly. Generally speaking, this kind of company would usually be condemned by the industry and shouldn't be able to reorganize three times. But they managed, which means they have some real ability, or someone is backing them."
Bruce immediately realized something. He turned in his seat towards Shiller and said, "You're suggesting they're actually Hydra?"
"I'm just speculating right now, but it's very possible. Hydra supports many companies around the world, partly to make money, partly to conduct secret experiments. Norton Experimental Science might be their new profit-making project.
"It attracted the Manfredi family and managed to secure a large investment, making the project already quite successful. But they didn't take the money and run.
"This proves that the project is not just about making money. Manfredi might not just be the sucker to be fleeced, but their partner. This project must have some real essence."
"Are you saying that the guy codenamed Silver鬃 knows he is collaborating with Hydra and might even have joined Hydra himself?"
Shiller nodded in agreement.