"The Hand, your doom's here!"
Luke Cage seized the moment as a car neared the factory gate, lunging to its side. Shouting, he charged the entrance. Meanwhile, Daredevil scaled the wall cautiously, its cement top studded with glass shards—a trap for intruders. Undeterred, the vigilante lawyer vaulted over with a push of his batons.
His ears caught hundreds of workers at machines and a group of sluggish figures sleeping in a spacious area—likely the Hand's drug mules.
"You'd better leave, Daredevil."
A thickly accented voice sounded behind him. His only reply was a swift baton strike. It clashed with a katana, sparking briefly—a sight lost on the blind hero. He'd heard no sound beyond the wall, but as he crested it, he caught the faint rustle of movement. The Hand's ninjas, silent as death, only revealed themselves in motion. Even Daredevil's senses missed them when still.
Gunfire erupted from Luke's side, but Daredevil wasn't worried. Luke had bragged about being bulletproof—a fact proven in their first fight together.
"Come on, bastards!"
Luke charged through a hail of bullets, one arm shielding his eyes. His body was impervious, but his eyes were a rare weak point. A direct hit wouldn't blind him permanently, but it'd cost him vision temporarily. In moments, he crashed into the gunmen, scattering them like pins. His superhuman strength demanded restraint to avoid a bloodbath.
From the car, a frail, diminutive old woman stepped out, her cloudy eyes fixed on Luke's unstoppable assault. Her veined hand gripped a cane, trembling with rage.
Lost in the thrill of crushing weak foes, Luke didn't bother drawing his axe. These gunmen were nothing compared to the ninjas.
"Young man, do you know what you're doing?"
Her calm voice cut through the chaos, serene as if it were all a dream. Luke felled the last gunman and turned, puzzled by the strange old woman.
"Hm?"
He hadn't seen her exit the car, too caught up in the fight.
"Ma'am, this is a gang's drug factory. I don't know how you got here, but go home and forget this, or you'll get in trouble."
"I know this is the Hand's factory. But clearly, you don't know me."
She shuffled toward him, and a chill gripped Luke.
"I'm Madame Gao, one of the Hand's Five Fingers."
Her slow steps turned swift, and she stood before him in a blink, thrusting her cane at his abdomen like a deadly blade. Luke sensed danger, blocking with his arm. The impact sent him crashing into the factory gate, pain flaring in his arm—a sensation he hadn't felt since gaining his powers.
Scrambling up, he found her already in his face. The chill deepened, and he dodged, rolling across the ground. Rising, he gripped the axe from Bul-Kathos, its blade glinting coldly.
"Nice weapon. But can you use it?"
Gao eyed his clumsy stance, unimpressed. She lunged, cane tucked under her arm like a hidden rapier.
"Ha!"
Luke roared, trusting his durability to charge, axe arm cocked back for a heavy blow.
"Foolish."
Gao's cold words came as her cane struck, sending him flying again. But his delayed axe swing caught her cane, cleaving it in two. Only a dull thud sounded as the broken half hit the ground.
"I underestimated that weapon. But you're unworthy of it!"
Greed flashed in her eyes. With a wave, three black-clad ninjas appeared, rushing Luke. Another blow from Gao sent pain shooting through his ribs. Staggering upright, he faced the charging ninjas, then smashed through the factory wall behind him. His strength made wrecking structures easy. Avoiding that eerie woman, escape seemed feasible.
In their brief clash, he knew he couldn't beat her. But with his body's gifts, running wasn't hard. His thoughts turned to Daredevil's fate.
(End of Chapter)
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