This isn't the territory of the Triads or the Yakuza; Hell's Kitchen has its own rules.
A mere Asian face shouldn't expect to run wild in Scottish gang territory.
Devil Face, with a slightly exaggerated provocative look, was actually trying to provoke Li Kang.
As long as Li Kang made the first move, then even if he was a gang member, acting on someone else's turf would be a death he deserved.
The other two thugs instantly understood their leader's intention.
One grabbed the girl by the hair, and the other drew a switchblade, backing up Devil Face.
"If I were you, I'd politely let go of the girl, sincerely apologize, and show some class.
Otherwise..." Li Kang grinned mischievously, the rest of the sentence didn't need to be said; everyone in Hell's Kitchen understood.
"Otherwise what? You, one person, what can you do to us? You've got a lot of nerve, daring to cause trouble on our Scottish gang's turf, sissy.
Don't even think about leaving; meddling in other people's business comes at a price!" Devil Face sneered, pulling a butterfly knife from his pocket, twirling it showily from side to side, and slowly approaching Li Kang.
Li Kang showed a terrified expression, "Don't kill me, spare my life! Don't use a knife, I'm most afraid of knives!"
"Begging for mercy now? Too late!" Devil Face roared, lunging forward.
The butterfly knife in his hand turned into a cold flash of light, swiftly stabbing towards Li Kang's neck.
The entire action was smooth and incredibly fast.
Devil Face was indeed the leader among the three thugs; his skills were quite impressive.
The chosen position for this stab was extremely tricky.
On the surface, it aimed for the neck, but if Li Kang raised his hand to block the butterfly knife, his middle and lower body would be exposed.
Devil Face only needed to drop his hand, and the butterfly knife would easily pierce Li Kang's stomach.
After succeeding, Devil Face only needed to bump him with his shoulder, and Li Kang would fly out, the butterfly knife smoothly withdrawn, and Li Kang's life would be completely over.
From his first move, it was clear that Devil Face was a master with rich street experience, no wonder he became a small-time leader.
But what Devil Face didn't expect was that his certain-kill stab actually missed.
Not only did it not stab Li Kang, but it passed directly through Li Kang's body.
Because of the excessive momentum, Devil Face lost his footing and fell to the ground.
Confused, he looked back and saw Li Kang still raising his hand, only he was facing away from him.
He raised his butterfly knife and lunged again, but once more, it passed through Li Kang's body.
"What exactly is going on? Are you a mutant?" Devil Face cautiously retreated two steps.
Even the Scottish gang wouldn't be foolish enough to provoke a mutant.
These superpowered mutants are all short-circuited idiots, always thinking that humans on Earth are persecuting them.
In fact, these freaks never consider that everyone is actually afraid of them, right?
"Idiot, of course, I'm not a mutant.
I'm just a magician.
This is Loki's Illusion, a spell from the trickster Loki in Norse mythology.
How about it? Fun, isn't it?" Li Kang's voice came from behind Devil Face, or more precisely, from behind the thug who was holding the girl.
The thug, startled, yelled "Oh my God," released the girl, and ran to Devil Face's side.
"Crimson Bands, in the name of the Elder God Cyttorak, bind these idiots!"
Li Kang was never a traditional spellcaster.
As early as when he transmigrated, by observing other Hellblazers, he had already understood that the incantation itself wasn't important; what mattered was what kind of spell you wanted to cast and what effect you wanted to achieve.
The most skilled magician, even if he said "Give me a cold cola," could freeze an enemy into a block of ice.
From Li Kang's hand, a red orb of light burst forth.
In a blink of an eye, three crimson chains flew out from the orb, binding the three thugs in mid-air.
"I told you, you're a mutant!" Devil Face shouted, while the other two thugs screamed in agony.
"Actually, I admire you.
On the verge of death, what you're most concerned about is whether I'm a mutant or not," Li Kang said with a smile to Devil Face.
"The Crimson Bands are a magic from the Crimson Cosmos.
The ruler of the Crimson Cosmos, the Elder God Cyttorak, is not a benevolent fellow.
That guy has his own research into pain and torment, something even I must treat with cautious respect.
The three of you are about to be tormented by his spell; I don't envy you at all!"
Li Kang exerted a little force, and the light of the Crimson Bands intensified.
A red glow flashed over Devil Face and his two accomplices, red smoke emanated from their bodies, and they simultaneously lost consciousness.
The Crimson Bands directly affected both body and soul; those bound by it, even if they knew soul-projection techniques, could not escape.
Even if Devil Face and his two henchmen survived this time, their souls would at least be trapped in the domain of the Crimson Elder God Cyttorak for three days, and those would be three days full of suffering.
"De... Devil..." The rescued black girl looked at Li Kang in fear.
"Hey, pretty lady, I'm not some mutant devil, you don't need to be scared." Li Kang bared his teeth, smiling what he thought was a friendly smile.
"If you were a mutant, it would be better.
You're scarier than a mutant, you're a demon! Help!" The black girl turned and ran, disappearing in a blink of an eye.
Cyttorak is the Elder God of the Crimson Cosmos.
When using his magic, a phantom image of Cyttorak appeared above Li Kang's body.
This is a characteristic of Cyttorak; this Elder God is an extremely narcissistic megalomaniac, who likes to brand everything that belongs to him.
The image of the Elder God Cyttorak would drive ordinary people insane with just one glance, and even a mere phantom image was more than an average person's sanity could bear.
Therefore, it was perfectly normal for the black girl to flee in terror.
Li Kang looked somewhat annoyed in the direction the girl disappeared, shaking his head and saying, "She can't even say thank you.
Next time you encounter bad guys, don't expect anyone to save you."
Despite his words, he had saved an innocent girl, and even though he was called a devil, Li Kang was in a good mood.
He walked over to Devil Face, took out the three men's wallets and looked through them.
Sure enough, they were three paupers; all their money combined didn't even amount to a hundred dollars.
"Pfft! To be in a gang and end up like you guys, you might as well be beggars." Li Kang kicked Devil Face.
Walking out of the alley and crossing two more blocks, next to a dilapidated small pub, was Li Kang's detective agency.
Outside, there was only a small LED sign, half of its bulbs already burnt out.
It had been three months now, and still no business had come in.
With a vigilante like Daredevil appearing in Hell's Kitchen recently, his business would probably be even harder to come by.
The most hateful thing about vigilantes was that they were free; that was unfair competition!
The rent for his home was due soon, and then that fierce Mrs. Jason would come with her shotgun to collect it.
Just thinking of that formidable old woman made Li Kang's head ache even more strangely.
Legend had it that four black gang members once broke into Mrs. Jason's shop, intending to rob her.
Unexpectedly, Mrs. Jason, with her shotgun, fought back fiercely.
During the intense half-minute shootout, Mrs. Jason miraculously fired eight bullets, killing three and crippling one.
And she was using a double-barreled shotgun; such shooting efficiency was truly astonishing.
To this day, Li Kang still couldn't understand.
If you want to rob someone, you should at least do some research, right?
Who was Mrs. Jason? She was a notoriously fierce person!
How many gangs offered exorbitant rewards to recruit her?
It was already good enough that such a person didn't rob you; yet you still wanted to rob her?
Anyone with a modicum of sense would stay far away from Mrs. Jason.
Since no clients were coming in anyway, Li Kang took out a deck of playing cards from his desk drawer.
These were his specialized magic playing cards.
Li Kang could easily see through the card faces, making them his cheating tool for gambling.
If no business came in soon, he would probably have to try his luck with this deck of cards.
The Russians' place was out of the question; he had already been there three days ago and won three thousand dollars with this deck of cards.
At the time, the Russians suspected him of cheating but couldn't find any evidence.
However, after leaving, Li Kang threw a wild party at home with several hot girls, and all the money was spent in less than two days.
There were rumors that the Russians suspected Li Kang of cheating and that it might be dangerous to try and trick them out of money again.
Joining a gang was an option, but even Li Kang hadn't fallen to that level.
The gangs in Hell's Kitchen—to call them scum was giving them too much credit.
This commission today was his last chance; he had to secure it no matter what.
As he was worrying, the space within the office suddenly twisted.
Someone politely touched the defensive magic circle around the office; this was a very courteous way for magicians to "knock."
Li Kang cautiously dispelled the magic circle.
Suddenly, a halo appeared before Li Kang; it was a magician's portal.
From the portal, a bald woman stepped out.
The woman wore a monk's robe, was exceptionally beautiful, and appeared to be only in her thirties.
However, her weathered, profoundly deep eyes betrayed her true age.
"Master Ancient One, long time no see.
Let me think, it was about five years ago when you all expelled me from the Sanctum Sanctorum.
Since then, we haven't met again," Li Kang said, raising an eyebrow.
Master Ancient One is the greatest Sorcerer Supreme in the current magical world, the guardian who protects Earth from being torn apart by other dark magical forces.
No one knows her age, only that since the beginning of magic, Master Ancient One has been using magic to protect this world.
The Sanctum Sanctorum is where Master Ancient One resides, located deep within the Himalayas, a magical fortress specifically for training sorcerers.
Li Kang had received a year of training there previously.
"Kang, you're still resentful about that matter.
At the time, you were reported for planning to steal forbidden books about the Dark Dimension.
Your banishment was a unanimous decision by the elders." Master Ancient One twitched her lips, her indifferent gaze sweeping across Li Kang's office.
"After all these years, you've been hiding in such a rat hole?
Your magical talent is very strong, perhaps the strongest I've ever seen.
This shouldn't be your life."
"But I like hiding in a rat hole, because it's my rat hole.
Oh, by the way, let me guess, what brings the noble Sorcerer Supreme to my rat hole?
Have you encountered something you can't solve?
Oh, I'm sorry! Please forgive my rudeness; there's nothing in this world that you, Master Ancient One, cannot solve." Li Kang unceremoniously teased Master Ancient One.