Matthew was silent, probably not expecting Mike to be so self-righteous, nor that he knew his true identity.
Mike said no more, clapped his hands, and went home.
Daredevil's philosophy of not killing stems from his profession and beliefs, and it is also the bottom line for a superhero, a defense when facing questions from opponents.
However, Mike never positioned himself as a hero; if he thought it was worth it, he would do it.
In a sense, Mike was a dangerous person.
Therefore, the small gangs in Hell's Kitchen dared not provoke Mike, but they dared to clamor about taking down Daredevil. Even his friend and partner, Foggy, after learning Matthew's true identity, accused him:
"You don't take down Kingpin through legal means; instead, you use violence to force others to speak. How is what you're doing any different from Kingpin's actions?"
It seemed reasonable, but was it really?
Mike didn't think so. In his opinion, Kingpin's violence victimized innocents, while Daredevil's violence victimized criminals.
This was the biggest difference, and it was enough.
Back home, Chloe lay on the sofa, covered with a blanket, her face still tear-stained, and even in her sleep, she looked terrified.
"Let's talk tomorrow, you're tired too," Mike said to Old Earl, who looked grateful.
Lying on the bed.
Mike entered his consciousness space; there was a gray soul fruit inside.
"Activate the fruit," Mike murmured.
As soon as the thought fell, the gray fruit split in the middle, emitting a white light.
When the light dissipated, a card floated in the system space.
At the same time, information about the card appeared in Mike's mind.
[Character: Roronoa Zoro]
[Type: Possession Card]
[Cost: 10,000 U.S. dollars/hour. (Less than an hour is calculated as one hour)]
[Remarks: 21-year-old Zoro, proficient in Observation Haki and Armament Haki, the coolest boss in the pirate world.]
Mike: "..."
Zoro was strong, but his function somewhat overlapped with Zabuza.
However, it was still the same saying—having it was better than not having it.
About twenty minutes after Mike left the warehouse, police cars and ambulances arrived late.
Brett Mahoney, a New York City Police Department officer, arrived at the scene, where his colleagues had already conducted initial interrogations and investigations.
Brett saw an acquaintance—Senior Agent Dina Madani from the Department of Homeland Security. Generally, the Department of Homeland Security did not handle gang cases, nor could they, so Brett subconsciously thought it was related to the Punisher, whom Madani was tracking.
"No, it's not his style at all."
Madani's partner, Sam Stein, denied it. He held the on-site investigation report and continued, "The Punisher is proficient in various firearms and close combat. His battle scenes are extremely rough and unrestrained, yet full of violent aesthetics, truly art."
Madani glared at Sam, who realized his impropriety and awkwardly said, "Ahem... Look, this perpetrator is extremely skilled in assassination, almost delivering a fatal blow without the victim's awareness. Except for 'Big Foot' Sean, that scumbag only bled to Death shortly before the ambulance arrived. What a terrifying killing machine."
Brett took the on-site investigation report, his eyes widening as he said, "The weapon is a katana? You're not kidding, right? A katana killed twenty-four heavily armed gunmen?"
Sam spread his hands: "Incredible, right? But it's not twenty-four... Six of those idiots were killed by their own men. According to the survivors, a strange dense fog appeared in the warehouse at the time, with visibility less than a meter. There was a strange voice in the White fog: 'Eight places: throat, spine, lungs, liver, carotid artery, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart. Which place do you want me to attack?' Under extreme tension, some of the Big Foot Gang members had a mental breakdown, fired wildly, and killed six of their own."
Sam grew more excited as he spoke, "That's so cool."
Seeing Brett deep in thought, Madani asked, "What's wrong?"
Brett said, "There are rumors among the local gangs of a 'Death Fog' and 'God of Death in the Fog.'"
At this moment, Madani saw a gentle-looking man in a suit with a receding hairline flash a badge at the guard, then walk into the warehouse.
Madani called out, "Why did you let him in? Hey! Who are you?"
The man in the suit stopped and said gently, "I'm F.B.I. Senior Agent Clark Gregg. Nice to meet you. This case involves some situations I'm currently investigating, so I came to understand it. Oh, don't worry, I'm not here to steal the case."
If Mike had been there, he would probably have been pleasantly surprised: "Oh, wow, captured a Marvel Beginner's Guide NPC—Coulson."
Finally, Madani did not stop Coulson, only telling him not to touch anything to avoid contaminating evidence.
Well, this case was not under Madani's jurisdiction, so she didn't want to cause more trouble.
Coulson walked around with an instrument and said into his earpiece, "According to the survivors' descriptions, a dense fog inexplicably appeared in the warehouse. Now the fog has disappeared, but the warehouse is very dry. Fitz, Simmons... I smell something supernatural."
Fitz on the other end said, "Could it be dry ice?"
Coulson rolled his eyes and said, "There's no abnormal carbon dioxide content, and dry ice sublimation absorbs heat, lowering the temperature and causing water vapor to condense into Water droplets. Are you kidding me, dry ice?"
Fitz said to Simmons, "Coulson is finally using his brain; it's rare."
Coulson: "I'm listening! (╬ ￣ dish ￣)"
The next day, Mike woke up relatively early, seeing the sunrise scene after a long time.
Mike hadn't exercised daily in a long time.
This was wrong.
However, all humans have inertia.
After washing up, he went downstairs.
Old Earl was very dedicated; the supermarket was already open, and Old Earl was wiping the glass. Chloe also held a rag, leaning on the counter, wiping hard.
"Boss, you're really early today," Old Earl said with a smile.
"Bo-boss," Chloe straightened up, her smile stiff.
She wiped even harder, probably afraid Mike would drive her away.
What exactly had this little girl gone through?
Privately, Mike asked Old Earl, "What are you going to do? You can't just keep her like this."
Old Earl hesitated, "Can't I just keep her like this?"
Could he?
Old Earl was sixty years old, and a lifelong bachelor, so there would definitely be issues with his adoption qualifications. And... everyone said Old Earl was sixty; did he have the energy to raise a young girl?
If Old Earl didn't adopt her, Chloe would probably be sent to a welfare institution, then move between various foster homes.
Mike asked, "Do you really want to adopt Chloe? This isn't an easy thing."
Old Earl nodded, saying sadly, "Yes, it's not easy, but it's the right thing to do. I used to be a scumbag and did many wrong things. Now I want to be a good person, to make amends. In the name of God, I want to do the right thing."
Mike had a headache, thought for a moment, and said, "Alright, I'll figure out the adoption."
Old Earl scratched his head, embarrassed, "Boss, there's also Chloe's schooling..."
Mike: "Oh, it's time for school."
U.S. children generally start elementary school at six.
Old Earl said, "Chloe is eight."
"Ah!"
Mike was stunned. Looking at Chloe's physique, he thought she was only five or six years old. Then, connecting it with Chloe's light weight, Mike understood: six words: severe malnutrition.
Mike took out yesterday's mission commission and put it into Old Earl's hand: "This money is a loan from me; I'll deduct it from your salary."
Yesterday, Mike had earned a good sum from the Big Foot Gang's safe, over ten thousand in cash, so he didn't care about this small commission, especially since it was just a loan.
"Boss..."
Old Earl's eyes welled up, "You're truly a good person."
Mike: "..."
In Marvel, a system worker, receiving a "good person card" from an elderly Black male.
Tears in his eyes...