1:30 PM.
Manhattan, West Midtown.
This area was originally called Clinton, but due to certain unmentionable reasons, people gradually became more accustomed to calling it "Hells Kitchen".
This is a haven for criminals.
A place where the light of justice doesn't shine!
Here;
Even in broad daylight, any crime can occur, and no Police will arrive within half an hour!
Here, even the local Police department in West Midtown barely dares to intervene. No Police cars ever patrol here, and no fewer than five Police officers ever dare to step into this area.
This is the most chaotic place in Free City!
It's hard to imagine that Manhattan Island is the economic center of the entire Free City, the most prosperous commercial hub.
Yet, a place like Hells Kitchen exists here.
Hells Kitchen, Old Man Tavern.
This tavern has been in Hells Kitchen for some years. The owner of the tavern is a black uncle nicknamed "Old Man".
Old Man is very famous in Hells Kitchen; even the notorious Kingpin gives Old Man face.
And there's a rule in Old Man Tavern: no fighting allowed!
Even if you want to fight, you have to do it outside, otherwise, you're not giving Old Man face.
And not giving Old Man face is equivalent to not giving Kingpin face!
In Hells Kitchen, no one dares to disrespect Kingpin!!
Ever since this madman personally strangled his wife and child, everyone here knows that Kingpin has gone insane.
The old Kingpin, though ruthless, was not truly cold-blooded.
But ever since the death of his wife and child, Kingpin has completely transformed into a cold-blooded tyrant!
In Hells Kitchen, and even the entire underground World of Free City, Kingpin is the undisputed king.
With a single word, he can decide the fate of a gang.
With a single word, he can elevate a small-time crook into a major figure!
Some call Kingpin the Underground Emperor of Free City.
That statement is absolutely true!
In Free City, even U.S. official departments have to give Kingpin face.
One can imagine the extent of Kingpin's power!
With Kingpin's tacit approval and such status, no one would dare to break the rules of Old Man Tavern.
Even the most arrogant hooligans outside have to respectfully greet Old Man when they come here.
And this is where Luke Cage works!
...Super soldiers also need to earn money to support themselves.
Luke Cage isn't a rich man; before he became a super soldier, he was a gang member, so he's very familiar with the rules of Hells Kitchen.
Moreover;
Can someone like him, who has faked his real identity, really find a legitimate job?
Those bosses wouldn't hire someone like him at all.
Even if they did, they would relentlessly exploit his labor and wages.
But Old Man Tavern wouldn't.
Luke Cage receives basic respect here and earns a standard wage.
He isn't exploited or discriminated against.
So, after Luke Cage returned to live in Free City, he has been working here ever since.
Serving as the tavern's bartender!
Yes, Luke Cage also knows how to mix drinks.
Although he never formally learned, the customers here aren't the pretentious rich type; people come here mainly for the atmosphere, not because the drinks are exceptionally good.
Of course!
The cheap prices might also be a reason.
For Luke Cage, he is very satisfied with his current life.
Although he doesn't earn much, at least no trouble comes knocking.
Everyone here respects Old Man.
And by extension, they also show a little respect to Luke Cage, who works at Old Man Tavern.
So he gets along well here.
He's made quite a few so-called friends.
However;
Today, Luke Cage's peaceful life was about to be completely shattered.
As several sounds of screeching brakes came from outside the tavern, five black SUVs stopped on the road in front of the tavern, directly blocking the entire street!
The commotion outside quickly caught the attention of the customers inside the tavern.
How many good people live in Hells Kitchen?
Here, 99% are heinous criminals.
The remaining 1% are those who are forced to live here out of helplessness.
Obviously, there were no such people among the customers in the tavern today.
Therefore, when they saw a group of obviously ill-intentioned guys getting out of the cars, almost everyone subconsciously pulled out their weapons and silently prepared themselves.
Although Old Man Tavern has a rule against fighting, this group of people didn't look like they were from Hells Kitchen.
They looked more like lackeys raised by rich people!
Ding-a-ling!
The tavern door was pushed open.
Quinn walked in with his men from outside the tavern.
All of the people behind him were members of the Poison Squad, secretly trained by the Osborn Group, or rather, by the late Roman Osborn.
The Poison Squad had a total of 18 members, each of whom had undergone horrific experimental modifications, turning each of them into terrifying killing machines!
In terms of physical fitness, every member of the Poison Squad was comparable to Captain America during World War II.
And they had no emotions, only acting on command.
They were somewhat like the Winter Soldier.
However, unlike Captain America and the Winter Soldier, the members of the Poison Squad were monsters!
The term 'monsters' here doesn't mean they were incredibly strong.
It's literal!
Due to the cruel and incomplete experimental modifications, every member of the Poison Squad became neither human nor ghost.
Therefore, each of them wore a special mask on their face; this wasn't for show, but because their faces were truly unpresentable!
Not only their faces, but their bodies were also like this.
You know what Deadpool looks like, right?
These Poison Squad members looked even more terrifying than Deadpool!
Moreover—they were short-lived!
Theoretically, every member of the Poison Squad could only live for about one to three years after the experiment succeeded.
After that, their body genes would completely collapse, and their entire bodies would turn into a pool of pus!
The kind where there's no complete corpse left—it was truly miserable!