Kaecilius betrayed me. It turns out he was a fervent follower of Dormammu. Just three days ago, he and his equally fanatical companions attacked the Sanctum Sanctorum library and stole the ritual texts for summoning Dormammu from it," the Ancient One said suddenly, with a cold and urgent tone, then observed Li Kang's expression.
"Who did you say? Kaecilius? That bastard who framed me? Haha... that's great! I said at the time that you were all being played, and that I was innocent!" Li Kang roared excitedly.
"I can't agree with that, because you did peek at that secret manual, and you did try to take it out of the library. Remember, that's my personal collection, and I put a spell on it. I know best who touched it. Besides, you used to be his best friend, and he was always respected, which is why I was misled. But some things can't be hidden from me." The Ancient One walked to Li Kang's desk and casually fanned out five magic playing cards: the 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of Hearts. This was a royal flush.
This was a warning, the Ancient One was telling Li Kang through her actions that his every move had never escaped her eyes.
"Kaecilius asked me to do it. He wanted to see that forbidden book, but the librarian said his abilities weren't enough. That dog of Dormammu played us all. So, Dormammu is targeting this world again. Why can't that old dog just stay in the Dark Dimension obediently?" Li Kang slammed his fist on the desk. Although he had suspected Kaecilius, he never expected the truth to be like this.
The great Dark Lord Dormammu, supreme ruler of the Dark Dimension, conqueror of realms, and dark evil god, is rumored to have been a human sorcerer tens of thousands of years ago who accidentally discovered the Dark Dimension. It didn't take long for Dormammu to conquer the Dark Dimension and extend his demonic claws to other dimensions. As a conqueror who never failed, his journey was only finally halted when he encountered Earth.
This also led Dormammu to view Earth as a thorn in his side, determined to bring it under his demonic control by any means necessary.
The Dark Dimension is a dimension beyond time. Dormammu's forbidden knowledge has always been coveted by sorcerers seeking power in this world, but only a very few sorcerers have the ability to wield this darkest power, so Dormammu's fanatics are not numerous.
"For years, I have been tracking Dormammu's fanatics, but when I discovered Kaecilius's plot, I immediately pursued him. Unfortunately, I failed. Although I killed several fanatics, Kaecilius still escaped with the scriptures. I think you should know that those are the rituals for summoning the Dark Dimension. If that text is deciphered, our world will suffer a catastrophe. This is not just about you and me; it concerns the safety of the entire world, Li Kang. I need your help." The Ancient One looked at Li Kang with bright, expectant eyes.
"I'll consider it," Li Kang said coldly, without immediately giving an answer. "Ancient One, I know your secret to immortality. In my opinion, the difference between you and Dormammu is not as great as you think. Have you been using the power of the Dark Dimension all this time?"
"That's none of your concern. Are you going to help or not?" the Ancient One responded indifferently.
"I'll show up when needed. As for now, your way is over there." Li Kang pointed a finger towards the door.
"I think, it's better not to go out that way. You have a visitor. If you change your mind, you know where to find me." The Ancient One left these words, opened a portal, and was about to step into it.
"Ancient One, actually, I wanted to say that your use of the Dark Dimension's power to fight Dormammu, while very risky, I think you've done it beautifully. This isn't a criticism, but a compliment," Li Kang suddenly said as the Ancient One was leaving.
The Ancient One smiled.
The portal closed immediately, and almost at the same time, a chubby man in a suit walked in from outside the door.
"Hello, my name is Foggy, I'm a lawyer. I represent Murdock & Associates and I'm here to entrust you with a case. We spoke on the phone earlier." The chubby man seemed a little flustered and handed over a business card.
Li Kang took the business card. He had heard of Murdock & Associates. It was a law firm founded by lawyer Matt Murdock, primarily providing legal aid to people in Hell's Kitchen who couldn't afford legal fees.
Lawyer Murdock had a very good reputation among the lower-class residents of Hell's Kitchen. Normally, a lawyer specializing in legal aid like him shouldn't have any dealings with a notorious private investigator like himself.
"Murdock & Associates, I've heard of you. Providing legal aid in a hellhole like Hell's Kitchen, how idealistic. With your abilities, I think you could make a name for yourselves anywhere, haha... When are you going bankrupt?" Li Kang smiled, putting the business card into his pocket.
"We... our business is doing very well right now." Foggy chuckled awkwardly, reaching to pull at the cheap suit he'd bought for twenty dollars.
"The more you do, the more you lose, right? Hell's Kitchen isn't a place for idealists like you. Tell me, what do you really want from me? As soon as we sit down, the money starts counting. My fee is a thousand per week." Li Kang showed a professional smile.
"A thousand, that's a bit too much, I don't know..." Mr. Foggy said, clearly somewhat embarrassed.
"You're in luck today. You're my ten-thousandth customer since I opened, so I can give you a half-price discount, five hundred a week. If it's less than a week, it's still counted as a week. How about that?" Seeing that the hard-won client was about to leave, Li Kang showed his most charming smile.
"Then I'm really lucky. Five hundred, that's no problem. So when do we start?" Foggy pulled out a white handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his face.
Can a defense lawyer like this really do a good job in court? I almost feel sorry for those criminals, Li Kang thought to himself.
"It's already started. Please pay two hundred and fifty dollars in advance, and you still haven't told me what you want to entrust me with." Li Kang said with immense patience. This was professional etiquette; even if the client was an idiot, he had to show eight teeth and nod with a smile.
Foggy was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized the rookie mistake he had made. With a visibly pained expression, he signed a check and began to explain the case.
It turned out that a few days ago, near Eighth Avenue, a robbery occurred. The stolen item was a heavy truck, property of the Osborn Group. The truck driver was shot thirteen times, and the truck was completely emptied.
Li Kang knew about this. The rumor on the streets was that the Russians did it.
The Osborn Group claimed it was a batch of flu vaccines, with the delivery address being a rehabilitation center for disabled soldiers in Queens.
But no one would go to such lengths to rob a truck carrying flu vaccines, and the route they took was clearly to the Osborn Group's private airport, definitely not the rehabilitation center in Queens. Obviously, the Osborn Group was lying, and Murdock and Foggy suspected there was some unspeakable secret involved.
Now the truck driver's wife and daughter were struggling financially. Although the Osborn Group had paid some compensation, it wasn't nearly enough. If it could be proven that the Osborn Group was transporting hazardous materials at the time, that evidence could be used to demand more compensation from them.
"You mean for me to infiltrate the Osborn Group and steal original records as evidence?" Li Kang, being experienced, immediately understood Foggy's meaning.
"Exactly, that's why we hired you. As long as you can download whether or not flu vaccines were shipped that day from their computer, and prove they're lying, that's enough. The Osborn Group's surveillance is too strict; at night, they activate bio-level monitoring. To succeed, you can only infiltrate during the day. I heard Mr. Li Kang has some special methods, which is why I came to hire you." Foggy laughed awkwardly.
Are you kidding? Infiltrating the Osborn Group to steal data, such a big job, for five hundred dollars? This damn chubby guy even dares to put on an innocent expression? Sure enough, all lawyers are scumbags. This guy looks harmless, but I didn't expect him to be so cunning. If it weren't for desperately needing money, Li Kang would definitely not jump into this pit so easily.
"Hahaha... your five hundred dollars is a bit of a steal, isn't it?" Li Kang said, gritting his teeth.
"Mr. Li Kang, it's okay even if you fail. We won't force you. If you fail, we won't take back the deposit, so don't worry." Foggy also felt that this task was difficult, so he didn't intend to pressure Li Kang.
"No problem, I have professional ethics. Since I've accepted this commission, I'll do my best. If anything goes wrong, I swear I won't expose you." Li Kang said coldly. They were all smart people; some things didn't need to be said aloud, they understood each other.
After seeing Foggy off, Li Kang put the check in his pocket. Now that he had a case, he had to get to work immediately. Infiltrating the Osborn Group was not an easy task. As Foggy said, once night fell, the Osborn Group's interior would activate a series of alarm systems, including far-infrared alarms, floor pressure alarms, temperature and humidity sensor alarms, and so on.
Even internal staff on duty had to undergo retinal, fingerprint, and voice-activated tests to move around inside, not to mention those damned cameras. Infiltrating the Osborn Group at night, even with magic, would be impossible.
But during the day, all these high-tech things would be turned off. To succeed, he had to find a way during the day.
In any case, for now, he would go to the Osborn Group to scout it out and look for a breakthrough. After buying two hot dogs on the street, Li Kang entered the subway.
Locals usually didn't come to the Hell's Kitchen subway. As soon as he entered the subway station entrance, Aunt Susan, who sold tickets, nervously pulled up the anti-theft gate, gripping a Desert Eagle in one hand.
"Hey! Susan, it's me, I'm Li Kang!" Li Kang shouted, waving the hot dogs in his hand.