Two days later, in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York.
A man, a little over two meters tall, wearing a custom suit, and built as robustly as an ox, sat in a comfortable chair, listening to the report from James Wesley, his legal counsel who was in fact the chief strategist for the Kingpin Group.
His face was so gloomy it looked like it could rain at any moment.
"...Besides those few properties in Hudson, our property in Brooklyn was also taken down.
The total loss is seven..."
"Enough, Wesley, don't say another word!"
After listening for a while, he interrupted James Wesley, closed his eyes, and fell silent.
He was the Kingpin, the head of the largest underground crime syndicate in New York, and even the entire United States.
It could be said that thirty to forty percent of all criminal activities in the US were, in fact, somewhat connected to him.
Not only that, but Kingpin also held shares in many major companies on the market.
His assets were greater than those of some small countries, making him a figure who could navigate both the legal and illegal worlds.
But at this moment, Kingpin was completely unable to be happy.
Because recently, the shares he controlled were being slowly reclaimed by others, causing him to lose another third of his capital.
The root of all this began with the loss of the Osborn Industries shares.
At that time, due to the Lizard monster incident, Osborn Industries' stock price had plummeted to its lowest point, and it was only a matter of time before it declared bankruptcy.
So, Kingpin sold off his Osborn Industries shares at a low price, abandoning the company.
However, what he never expected was that in just over ten days, Osborn Industries not only avoided bankruptcy but also, thanks to the regeneration serum, saw its stock price rise back to its original position and stabilize.
At this point, Kingpin wasn't overly concerned.
He understood the ways of capitalists very well.
Osborn Industries had been researching the regeneration serum for several years without success, so how could it possibly succeed in just over ten days?
All of this was merely a smokescreen thrown out by Norman Osborn to save the ailing Osborn Industries.
Once the smoke cleared, Osborn Industries would undoubtedly be in an even worse state than before.
At that point, Norman Osborn would be left with only two choices: endless imprisonment or jumping to his death.
However, what Kingpin even less expected was that a month later, Osborn Industries actually live-streamed the effects of the regeneration serum to the entire world, causing Osborn Industries' stock price to soar repeatedly, instantly elevating the company to an unprecedented height.
So Kingpin regretted his decision.
He sent people to reclaim the lost shares, but was informed that the shares had gone into the hands of a person named Ron.
Kingpin had also watched the news broadcast that day and knew that Ron was the one who had successfully developed the regeneration serum.
So Kingpin wanted to have Ron brought back, to directly control Ron himself, and make Ron a member of his criminal organization, working for him.
To ensure Ron was brought back smoothly, Kingpin even dispatched his most capable subordinate, Bullseye, to assist, just in case.
However, he later only received Bullseye's corpse, gaining nothing else.
According to those who were with Bullseye, Ron had a powerful super-powered bodyguard, which was why the mission failed.
Kingpin initially wanted to send more people, or even go himself to capture Ron, but at that moment, Kingpin received another piece of news: the shares of some legitimate companies he controlled were being reclaimed one by one, and his various illicit businesses were also being shut down one by one, resulting in countless losses.
Kingpin knew that the people targeting him were definitely not just a simple auditing department, but a mysterious organization called S.H.I.E.L.D., working in conjunction with the capitalists he had previously swallowed up.
Kingpin was tied up by this matter, and the more he thought about it, the more furious he became.
All of this was because of Ron.
If it weren't for Ron, he wouldn't have lost Bullseye, and so many of his own businesses wouldn't have been destroyed.
Kingpin's eyes sharpened, and a long-absent murderous aura began to manifest on him, gradually growing thicker.
"How long has it been since I truly took action? I truly miss it... A powerful super-powered bodyguard, huh? Heh heh..."
Days passed, and in these past few days, Jessica had successfully become a member of the Guardians Alliance, transforming into Jewel and undertaking various superhero activities.
As for Bullseye, who died that day?
Ron didn't bother with it, because he knew that S.H.I.E.L.D., behind Black Widow, would help clean up the mess.
Although S.H.I.E.L.D. only had Black Widow contact Ron and didn't monitor him too closely, S.H.I.E.L.D. could still see everything Ron did.
In the past two days, several news reports mentioned changes in the shares of several major companies, with shares being reclaimed by the largest shareholders or sold to other individuals, and so on.
Ron only did a quick check on the owners who lost these shares and found that these people were subtly connected to Kingpin, being part of the Kingpin Group.
It goes without saying that these events were very much related to S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. might not be able to take down Kingpin, a man who controlled a vast amount of capital, all at once, but they could certainly make Kingpin suffer some losses and lose some of the capital he previously controlled.
This way, individuals with close ties to S.H.I.E.L.D. could then control these assets, allowing S.H.I.E.L.D. to further entrench itself in this world and provide assistance.
It's important to know that while S.H.I.E.L.D. is subordinate to the World Security Council, the United States, one of the most powerful countries in the world, still has the most direct connection with S.H.I.E.L.D.
Therefore, the United States is the country S.H.I.E.L.D. can least ignore and least afford to offend.
However, the United States is a capitalist country, while S.H.I.E.L.D. is merely a special department.
If the United States were to truly challenge S.H.I.E.L.D., S.H.I.E.L.D. would absolutely be unable to withstand the power of capital and would gradually lose control over the United States.
And Kingpin was like a tumor attached to the large capitalist consortiums in the United States.
Although Kingpin possessed a lot of capital, all of this capital was stripped from other capitalist consortiums.
Dealing with Kingpin was definitely what these people wanted to do most.
Ron was content with the situation.
With these matters tying him down, Kingpin would certainly not have any thoughts about him in the next two days and would not come after him for the time being.
However, Ron would not let Kingpin off the hook.
Kingpin would definitely be the first major villain that the Guardians Alliance would eliminate to boost their reputation.
It should be known that although the Guardians Alliance had already gained some fame, this fame was only derived from minor incidents.
If they wanted to contend with the Avengers, who were under the regular government, their power was still somewhat weak.
Ron didn't even need to make a move next; he just had to wait for Kingpin to deliver himself to them.