The car slowly stopped beside an apartment building. The three of them got out of the car. Shiller didn't take the sniper rifle but picked up a handgun, then opened the trunk and threw the Punisher's gear to him.
The Punisher slung the compound bow on his back, held a rifle in his hands, and had daggers for close combat hanging from his waist. He nodded at Shiller.
"It's up to you now, Bruce." Shiller looked at Bruce and said, "Go into Dr. Pym's room and figure out who kidnapped him. The two of us will protect you."
Bruce nodded and walked toward the apartment building. The Punisher followed behind him, turning to Shiller and said, "Having such help makes things a lot easier for you, doesn't it?"
"I brought him exactly for this job." Shiller quickly followed Bruce.
This was a rather old apartment building located on the outskirts of Manhattan, so there were no security and property management, and no cameras either. Although convenient for the perpetrator, it was also convenient for the three investigators. They even took the elevator to the 18th floor.
Three apartments per floor. Pym's apartment was on the east side. The door had a fingerprint lock installed. Bruce carefully examined it and held out his hand to Shiller.
Shiller took out a pair of gloves from his pocket. After Bruce put them on, he fumbled around the fingerprint lock a bit, and suddenly a keyhole was exposed below the fingerprint lock.
He took out a lock pick from his pocket, fiddled with the keyhole, and the lock was soon picked open. He pushed the door open and walked in, explaining, "These older fingerprint locks are fake fingerprint locks. To prevent the inside electronic components from damage which would make it completely inoperable, they all have spare keyholes. They are very simple to pick open."
"Looks like he's not just into deduction." The Punisher looked at Shiller and said.
"Yes, he is quite good at being a petty thief as well."
The three of them walked into the apartment. As soon as they entered, they were startled by the chaotic scene in front of them. The entire living room was crisscrossed with charred traces: there were scar-like strip shapes, spot-like holes, and even a large section of the floor had been overturned, with all the pipes underneath burnt to a crisp.
The sofa, which should have been perpendicular to the door, was in complete disarray. The TV had fallen off the wall, laying on the ground with the screen shattered all over the place. The chandelier smashed not far from the TV. Even the curtains were half-torn, and a window's glass had shattered.
"Looks like there was a big fight here," Bruce said.
He squatted down to carefully examine the closest charred trace to him, then stood up and glanced around, shook his head after about four or five seconds, and said, "Not Doctor Strange."
"Aren't these traces left by magic?" Shiller asked.
Bruce shook his head and said, "This might be a coincidence."
The Punisher also observed the charred traces, half-squatted on the ground, supporting his knee with one hand, and said, "But these traces are not left by modern weapons. It's not firearms, definitely not a rocket launcher or Molotov cocktails. Flame thrower has some suspicion, but that should leave outwardly dispersed charred traces, which is completely different from this."
Shiller looked again at the long strip-shaped scars on the wall and said, "Laser weapon?"
"Possibly similar," Bruce said, "This is a new weapon never seen before, although similar to a laser weapon, it is more flexible and destructive. The traces on the wall weren't plowed by lasers but rather seemed whipped out by some energy-constructed whip."
"And because of this, it's easy to think of magic — because a magical energy whip can indeed leave such shapes. But this is not Doctor Strange's combat style, and it's even further from Iron Man's."
"Maybe it's intentional." The Punisher said, "The perpetrator wouldn't deliberately use their signature move to leave traces. Maybe they intentionally used some uncommon methods to confuse things."
"Totally wrong," Bruce said, "The biggest problem is, if it's Iron Man and Doctor Strange, there's no need to fight at all."
The Punisher was taken aback, then realized: Doctor Strange and Iron Man are acquaintances of Dr. Pym, although there might've been some quarrels before, it hasn't reached the point of enmity, they wouldn't start fighting upon meeting.
And Shiller thought even more. From the previous Spider Man's sketches, it was evident that Dr. Pym intended to admit his mistake, which showed he knew he was in the wrong; he probably wouldn't resist even if the police came to arrest him.
So if Doctor Strange and Iron Man wanted to take him away, there was no need to use force at all, they could just explain and then take him away. They didn't even need to come in person, just send a Stark Group employee to invite him to Stark Group.
But the traces in the room clearly indicated that Pym had put up fierce resistance — hitting walls, tearing up floors, it looked like he was swatting flies. It was possible that Pym transformed into Ant-Man, and the attacker did this to capture him.
"Energy weapon…" Shiller suddenly said, "Norton Experimental Science."
Bruce turned to look at him. The two exchanged a glance, clearly thinking of the same thing.
The Punisher, a former Marine Corps instructor, had almost dealt with every modern weapon, especially individual equipment. Not only had he seen them all, but there wasn't a single one he hadn't used, fully qualifying as a modern weapons master. Since he said the traces in the room weren't left by modern weapons, then they certainly weren't.
But if they're not modern weapons and Doctor Strange won't need to do such things, then only one possibility remains: it's a brand-new, never-before-seen energy weapon.
And Norton Experimental Science has always claimed to be researching particle energy weapons. Although Spider Man says they're conducting human experiments, this stuff can indeed be connected in a way. The same research direction can generate different byproducts, what if they indeed managed to develop it?
"Seems the previous arrangements weren't in vain," Shiller said, "What's the situation like in Manhattan? Has Kingpin made a move?"
"Not yet," the Punisher said, "I haven't received any news, he might still be observing..."
Just as he said this, his phone buzzed. The Punisher glanced down, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Right on time. Kingpin has made a move on Jigsaw, a friend of mine is already on the scene, let's head over there now."
The three of them got back into the car. As Shiller drove, he turned to Bruce and said, "I'll drop you back at the base first."
"No need," Bruce said, "I'll just stay in the car, I won't be wandering off. Besides, if you're heading to Long Island for a probe, you might need me."
Shiller didn't argue, he only said as they entered the Brooklyn Area, "You'd better stay put in the car. If you step out and get shot, no one can save you."
Bruce nodded, and then a gun was tossed from the back seat. The Punisher's head appeared at the passenger window and he said, "You know how to aim and pull the trigger, right? Good luck, kid."
Shiller and the Punisher headed into the alley. Before they could enter the street, they heard the crackling sound inside. The two's actions synchronized perfectly, retreating left and right, leaning against the wall to peek inside. Kingpin's men and Jigsaw's people had already started fighting, using the buildings in the alley for cover in a gun battle.
The Punisher gestured to Shiller, and they quickly circled this alley to the other side. There was a back door here, seemingly left ajar by someone who had just fled, letting out a faint light.
The Punisher quietly approached and gently pushed open the door, only to find another pair of eyes staring back.
"Jigsaw!" The Punisher whispered urgently.
He raised the gun in his hand, but the door was designed to open outwards. He couldn't push in, while Jigsaw effortlessly pushed out. With his face full of scars, Jigsaw shoved the door open, darting past the staggering Punisher to escape.
The Punisher was about to give chase but remembered Shiller was there to intercept — for a professional killer, capturing someone should be easy. So he only gripped his gun tighter and headed in that direction.
Unexpectedly, he only found Shiller standing alone at the back of the alley. He quickly ran over and asked, "Where's Jigsaw? Did you let him get away?"
"He won't get far," Shiller assured, "Was that room his hideout?"
"Seems like it."
"Let's go then,"
The Punisher grabbed him and sternly said, "Are you crazy? Kingpin will come soon, and he loves killing those who provoke him with his bare hands. You're walking right into trouble."
"Do I look like Jigsaw?"
"Uh..." The Punisher was momentarily speechless but said, "But if he fails to capture Jigsaw, he might take it out on you. Also, weren't his men killed by you? Aren't you afraid Kingpin will find out?"
"Since I dared to come, I'm certainly not afraid of him," Shiller said calmly, "This small commotion isn't enough to lure out the Manfredi family; I must make a deal with Kingpin."
With that, he pulled out his phone and walked towards the door. The Punisher had no choice but to follow him. As they entered one after the other, Kingpin also entered with his suited mob enforcers.
The moment Kingpin saw Shiller, his pupils narrowed, and his men immediately raised their guns. Shiller simply removed his hat and said, "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kingpin. Jigsaw has already escaped, so you might not be able to vent your anger for your subordinates today."
Hearing this, the Punisher's eyes widened: seriously, buddy, you're talking to Kingpin like this? Aren't you afraid he's going to attack you?
The Punisher wasn't afraid of this fat man, the issue was they were outnumbered. If you're here to make a deal, provoking them right off the bat, is that really wise?
"Killing you is just as good, Mr. Hitman." Kingpin's jowls twitched as he spoke, "How much did Jigsaw pay you? When did he ever have so much money?"
"You're smart, I'm not hired by Jigsaw. I'm not here to clean up his mess, I'm here to see you."
"To see me? Are you planning to kill me?"
"No one's buying your life. I'm here to discuss a deal with you — are you familiar with the Manfredi family?"
"You mean those Italians?"
"Exactly, although you've driven them out of Manhattan, they've never stopped showing their ambition. I can tell you with certainty, they've invested in Norton Experimental Science, which has developed a revolutionary energy weapon..." Shiller brought up a picture on his phone — a photo of charred marks he took at Dr. Pym's house.
"You should have someone among your subordinates who specializes in modern weapons, let them take a look if these marks are caused by any known modern weapon. Or you could ask your old adversary..." Shiller turned to look at the Punisher and said, "I trust, he's well aware of the proficiency in modern weaponry. His conclusion is the same as mine."
Upon seeing the burn marks, Kingpin immediately furrowed his brow. Although he fancied sumo wrestling and hand-to-hand combat, it didn't mean he was clueless about modern weapons. Those irregular charred marks were evidently not caused by a rifle and didn't look like they were from a laser aimed shot, definitely not something any known modern weapon could cause.
"How can you prove these aren't fabricated?"
Shiller shook his head and said, "I don't need to prove it. Because even if they don't have it now, they will soon. The place in the picture is Dr. Pym's house; if you haven't heard of him, surely you know Ant-Man, one of the founders of The Avengers."
Kingpin abruptly looked up at him. Shiller continued unhurriedly, "If the Manfredi family kidnapped Dr. Pym, what do you think they could create using his wisdom? When that time comes, will there be a place for you anywhere in New York, let alone Manhattan?"