Speaking of which… it seems I haven't had a proper meal since last night."
Karl had first single-handedly fought his way through HYDRA's Caucasus Base last night.
Then, he flew nearly 4 hours overnight, covering almost 10,000 kilometers to reach New York.
And he managed to complete the acquisition of The Daily Bugle this morning.
Afterward, Karl went to the hotel Zemo had booked for him in advance.
Only after confirming that everything was proceeding as planned did he choose to go to bed and catch up on sleep.
So, to be precise, he hadn't eaten anything for a whole day!
Even though he was now among the ranks of "superhumans."
He still couldn't change the fact that he had the physique of an ordinary person.
"It's incredible to think that as a Dimensional God of the Warp, and the helmsman of a business empire worth nearly a trillion… I actually pulled an all-nighter without even realizing it?!!!"
Karl muttered to himself.
It seems the plan to recruit talent must be put on the agenda as soon as possible.
Otherwise, how will I enjoy life to the fullest later on?!
He then quickly washed up and took the elevator down to the restaurant for a meal.
...…
…
"Hmm?"
Just as Karl finished his meal and was about to return to his room to continue sleeping.
A conversation from not far away caught his attention.
"Frank, I'm so glad you decided to retire early. How about we take the kids for a picnic in Central Park tomorrow…"
At a table against the wall, a blonde woman was gazing at a man with neat short hair across from her, her eyes full of love.
"Daddy, I want to ride the carousel!!"
Before the man could speak, a boy of about ten years old directly threw himself into his arms.
Then another little girl followed suit, hugging his arm, shaking it, and pleading coquettishly:
"That's right, the ice cream there is the best… Daddy, can we go play there~~"
Frank's hawk-like sharp eyes instantly softened.
A doting smile appeared on his resolute face as he reached out and gently patted the two mischievous little heads, nodding:
"No problem, no matter where you want to go in the future, Daddy will be by your side…"
At this point, Frank suddenly seemed to sense something, subtly glancing in a certain direction from the corner of his eye, then slowly stood up.
"Maria, you and the children wait here for a moment, I'll be right back after going to the restroom."
He then quietly followed a certain figure, walking out of the restaurant.
"Sir, why were you looking at my family just now?!"
As soon as Frank chased out of the restaurant, he saw his target standing there, smiling at him, and his heart immediately became extremely vigilant.
Clearly, the other party's anti-reconnaissance ability was very strong.
Or rather, the other party was deliberately luring him out!
If it weren't for the fact that the man in front of him wasn't very old.
Frank would probably have chosen a more crude but simple and effective way to interrogate him.
"Frank Castle, don't misunderstand, I have no ill will towards you or your family…"
Karl smiled mysteriously, saying meaningfully:
"But I can give you a free piece of advice: if you don't want to lose your family, then it's best not to take them to Central Park tomorrow!"
That's right, the man standing opposite Karl at this moment was the super soldier king who had been awarded war honor medals multiple times, was proficient in various individual and team special combat tactics, and possessed extremely high tactical literacy—Frank Castle.
And in the near future.
When Frank's wife and children tragically died, he would choose to fight violence with violence, single-handedly combat crime, and transform into the Punisher, striking fear into countless evil forces!
Although the Punisher was classified as an anti-hero.
Karl greatly admired this man.
In his opinion, the Punisher was far more upright and pure than Captain America, who was revered by the World and had many good reputations such as "Marvel's Moral Exemplar" and "Marvel's Living Saint."
Such a person was worth him actively recruiting!
"Who are you… and why do you know me?"
A hint of killing intent flashed in Frank's eyes.
His aura instantly became as murderous as a hellish Asura, as if he could go berserk at any moment.
Without a doubt, this man could slaughter the entire World for his family!
"If you want to know the answer, then wait for me here tomorrow at the same time."
Karl did not answer the other party's question, but said as he turned to leave: "Good luck, I hope this time, you can save your family."
"Stop, explain yourself before you go…"
Seeing this, Frank pounced towards Karl like a leopard.
But before he could touch the other party.
The scene before his eyes had already undergone a drastic change.
He suddenly found himself in a sunny park.
On the grass, "he" and his wife were enjoying a very warm family picnic with their son and daughter.
However.
Tragedy soon befell them.
Just as his wife was holding a camera, taking pictures of their son and daughter riding the carousel, she was shot dead on the spot by several gangsters who suddenly rushed out of the woods.
Even Frank himself was severely wounded, lying in a pool of blood…
"Oh, no!!!"
The scene stopped abruptly here.
Frank, who had regained consciousness, immediately clutched his head and let out a painful wail.
Although the scene just now was only an illusion, it still made him feel a heart-wrenching pain.
Frank did not fear death, and even often accompanied death during past missions.
But he could not bear to look at the tragic sight of his wife and children dying.
That was the only thing he cherished in his heart, a forbidden scale that no one could ever touch.
For this, even if he had to be an enemy of the entire World, he would not hesitate!
However.
When he looked up, preparing to ask Karl what that illusion was all about, he found that there was no one in front of him.
A Mutant?
Or a super-powered individual who had taken the Compound V?
With various questions, Frank returned to the restaurant with a heavy heart.
Looking at the expectant faces of his wife and children, he ultimately did not voice his idea of canceling tomorrow's picnic in Central Park.
His long military career had made him miss too much time with his family.
This was the first time his wife had made a request to him.
So Frank didn't want to disappoint his wife, nor did he want to disappoint his children!
Moreover, there was no sign at present that could prove what the mysterious man said, or that the illusion just now would truly play out.
However, to be safe…
Frank still decided to bring his 1935 Browning automatic pistol for self-defense tomorrow.
It's just a dozen or so gangsters, isn't it?
With prior preparation, this level of threat was nothing to him.
Alright!
At most, he'd bring a Gerber combat knife too!!!