Mike finally understood that Kingpin was displaying his dominant image as the Emperor of the Underworld, much like showcasing merchandise before a sale.
In Kingpin's eyes, everything was business.
Kingpin wasn't angry that Mike killed Amick; it was simply the law of the jungle, just like Mike breaking the legs of a small gang leader.
He hated the weakness of the beaten more than the one who did the beating, a typical primitive jungle logic.
Amick being killed was fine; the guy deserved to die, weakness was the original sin, as long as someone replaced his position. In Kingpin's view, Mike was the one who wanted to claim that position.
And before that, Kingpin needed to let Mike know who was boss!
Uh...
No wonder the conversation was so awkward; it turned out they weren't on the same wavelength at all. So, no matter what Kingpin said, Mike could just pretend not to hear it.
By the time Kingpin finished saying what he wanted, he had already eaten ten servings of raw beef tenderloin and chuck roll.
Mike decided to speak properly, otherwise Kingpin might become enraged out of humiliation.
No, he would absolutely be enraged out of humiliation.
After organizing his words, Mike said, "I think you misunderstood."
Kingpin: "Which part?"
"All of it."
Kingpin's face darkened: "So you're toying with me!"
The tempered glass tabletop couldn't withstand the force Kingpin applied, shattering into spiderweb-like cracks.
Mike's expression remained unchanged.
Tempered glass is nothing, what about trying titanium alloy steel plate?
"It's a long story, but regarding Amick, it was purely an accident."
If he hadn't met Mindy, Amick could indeed have been killed or not killed. As Mike said before, he just wanted to ask Amick for a favor, to pass a message. Unfortunately, a dead Amick could also help with this favor. Don't say that dead people can't speak; the forensic doctor and Mike would disagree.
"I was actually just looking for Bullseye; I heard he works for you."
Kingpin: "..."
Damn, is that what you call a "long story"? It's only two sentences!
Bullseye was a somewhat special subordinate of Kingpin, very free. When there were no missions, Kingpin hardly cared where Bullseye was or what he wanted to do, just like a school treats top students or a company treats technical backbone staff, there are always some special treatments.
Kingpin hadn't seen Bullseye for over a month, only knowing he was still alive, and that was enough.
"What do you want with him?" Kingpin didn't know about Bullseye sniping Mike and Pepper.
"He shot me twice." Mike pointed to his chest, "One shot hit here, it hurt quite a bit."
Bullseye killed people for the same reason he worked for Kingpin—boredom, to pass the time. Kingpin knew Bullseye often took assassination contracts on the dark web. It seemed this time the target was Mike, and the contract failed.
Kingpin was aware of Bullseye's talent in shooting and throwing. He was curious, how did Bullseye miss?
"At the time, I wasn't aware of Bullseye's identity. It might be fate, but his new target just happened to be my employer."
"Unfortunately, he got away again this time. He's like a slippery rabbit, incredibly fast and good at hiding, I can't find him. I thought, since you're his boss, finding your own employee should be relatively simple. So... I need a meeting, just like now."
Kingpin's face was grim: "Is that your reason for killing Amick?"
Mike spread his hands: "Let me explain again, Amick died not just because he deserved to, but mainly because of bad luck. I didn't intend to kill him."
Also, it was Mindy who killed Amick.
"Actually, I could be more patient, wait for a public meeting, then quietly follow you, and then appear at your bedside in the middle of the night. But if I did that, I'd have to flip the table directly, wouldn't I? That's not the business method you like, nor is it the outcome I want."
In previous commissions, Mike would appear in a rich businessman's room in the middle of the night, put a knife to his throat, and reason with him. But Kingpin was different from ordinary rich businessmen; a knife to his throat wouldn't work, and the final result would likely be a fight to the death.
The problem was, Mike just wanted to know Bullseye's hiding place.
"Hahaha..." Kingpin laughed loudly, then suddenly flipped the table with one hand.
The nearly hundred-pound tempered glass table flew ten meters away in Kingpin's hand like a plush toy.
"Making me betray my subordinate, what makes you think this is an acceptable method for me!" Kingpin roared in anger, his bulging muscles directly tearing his clothes, revealing his knotted physique.
"Alright, let's start bargaining—how about if I win, you tell me where Bullseye is?" From the beginning, Mike knew that language was too pale to persuade this Emperor. Sure enough, only fists would work.
"And if you lose?"
"If I lose... whether you kill me or whatever, it's up to you."
"Deal!" Kingpin said with a ferocious expression: "I hope you're not like those famous fighters; they couldn't even last 20 seconds, they disappointed me too much."
Bang!
Mike struck first, delivering a punch to Kingpin's stomach, but the latter remained unmoving.
"How was that punch?"
"So-so."
Kingpin's muscles were trained like steel; ordinary bullets would get caught by muscle fibers two centimeters deep. To seriously injure Kingpin with firearms, at least a rifle would be needed.
With that punch, Mike used about five-tenths of his strength, but the force couldn't penetrate the muscles to injure Kingpin's internal organs. Don't underestimate Mike's five-tenths strength; his current physique is at least equivalent to one and a half Captain Americas.
Kingpin deliberately took a punch and then counterattacked. His movements seemed clumsy, but the moment he struck, he was as fast as lightning, especially his jabs, which created a fist wind like a blade. No wonder the fighters Kingpin found couldn't last twenty seconds; taking such a jab would surely result in a shattered skull.
Fortunately, Mike had accumulated the combat experience of Momochi Zabuza and Zoro; their environments were more brutal, and the opponents they faced were more formidable.
"Are you just going to dodge like a monkey?!" As Kingpin's fists hammered away, he still had room to speak, and his breathing was steady.
Trying to provoke Mike?
Heh heh ~
Mike appeared to be swaying left and right amidst the flurry of punches, but it was actually much easier than Kingpin imagined. Without using an attachment card, he didn't want to clash head-on with Kingpin. But Kingpin was unexpectedly steady, with almost no weaknesses all over his body. The occasional weaknesses he showed were deliberate, meant to entice Mike into a slugfest and then win with his strong body—this was also one of the styles of Omega-system fighting: discarding what they considered flashy techniques and focusing on resistance to blows.
"To finish this quickly, it seems I still need to use an attachment card. Sigh~ Another loss, and I still have to make a fortune from Amick. It seems I'll have to make this 'robbing the rich to help the poor' a regular source of income in the future." Mike thought to himself, tilting his head to dodge Kingpin's jab.
"Distracted, you dare to be distracted!" Kingpin felt greatly insulted and roared loudly. Anger made Kingpin's skin red, and steam seemed to rise from his body, making him look like a demon.
"Sorry, sorry." Mike also knew that being distracted in combat was a very bad habit, "I'm just worried about my money."
"Whoosh~"
Mike took a step back, "I'm going to activate my cheat, you have one more punch..."