"Is everything because of the dragon bones?"
After hearing what Madam Gao had said, Maverick sighed. This was completely different from the Qi Gong he had imagined.
"This is the Marvel world, after all, not some martial arts fantasy," Maverick thought.
He asked, "Madam Gao, you must have great aptitude. Why is it that after living for hundreds of years, your strength is still so low? Shouldn't you have reached your limit by now?"
"If it were fifty years ago, I could've easily killed you. Back then, I had nine dragon bone fragments in my body," Madam Gao replied with a snort. "But now, only three remain. The rest have become my life essence; otherwise, I'd have died of old age."
"So you've used up all the dragon bones you stole from Kunlun?" Maverick asked.
"They're exhausted, which is why the strength of our Hand has been declining for decades," Madam Gao sighed. "We've been searching for new dragon bones all these years, and now we've finally found them. We won't give up—they're our lifeline."
"Seems like you figured something out. Yes, I know the dragon bones are beneath that building," Maverick said with a smile. Mercury, standing beside him, blinked. She didn't grasp everything but knew one thing: the Blood God was up to something big.
"What does he want with this stuff?" Mercury wondered. To her, the dragon bones were useless—they were vampires; they could live forever.
Madam Gao proposed, "We can cooperate. I'll tell you how to use the dragon bones, and you give us half of them."
"No, I want all of it—the dragon bones and the method to use them," Maverick replied firmly. Then he asked, "Besides granting immortality, the dragon bones can also resurrect people, right?"
"Half right and half wrong. The dragon bones alone grant immortality. To resurrect someone, you need one more thing," Madam Gao said.
"The Beast," she continued.
"The Beast?" Maverick raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, the Beast—the extra-dimensional demon we in the Hand worship," Madam Gao explained. "With his power and the dragon bones, it's possible to resurrect people, but it comes at a cost. Every time we use the Beast's power, we have to offer many souls. That's why the Hand commits so many evil acts—to collect souls.
"Also, with each resurrection, the Beast takes a part of your soul. The more you resurrect, the more incomplete you become. Eventually, you'll turn into the Beast's puppet."
She sighed. "When the Hand was first formed, we weren't as evil as we are now. We just wanted to band together to fight Kunlun's pursuit. But since we started worshipping the Beast, we've lost our way. That's the price of using dark powers."
"Don't try to sound pitiful. The Hand's deeds are enough to send you to the deepest pits of hell," Maverick said dismissively. "What exactly do you need for resurrection?"
"Part of the body's tissue and the dragon bones," Madam Gao replied. "We've all left some of our tissues in safe places. So, Blood God, you can't kill me—I will come back, and those who oppose the Hand meet bad ends."
"Oh, I'm so scared," Maverick snorted. This was a bit different from the stories he'd heard, where cutting off their heads would do the trick.
No matter. If killing them leads to resurrection, he wouldn't kill them. He'd freeze them and toss them into the Arctic to keep Captain America company.
After thinking for a moment, Maverick said, "Let's move on. I've detected a layer of strange energy protecting the dragon bones beneath the apartment building. What's that energy?"
"Energy? It must be the power of the Kunlun Iron Fist," Madam Gao answered, momentarily surprised. "The Iron Fist's power is unmatched. If there's Iron Fist energy protecting it, then to get the dragon bones, you'll need to cooperate with us. Only we can capture this generation's Iron Fist and make him unlock the protection."
"Please, with an Iron Fist as weak as this one, I don't need to team up with you," Maverick scoffed. He'd seen the "Iron Fist" series and was thoroughly unimpressed.
"Weak?" Madam Gao was shocked and angry. "How can the Iron Fist be weak? We need the combined strength of five of us to deal with the Iron Fist every time."
Maverick didn't bother to reply. Danny Rand was probably on his way back to New York from Kunlun. With his limited IQ and strength, Maverick had plenty of ways to make him break the protection.
Seeing his silence, Madam Gao took a deep breath. "The difference between the Iron Fist and warriors like us is that he possesses the soul of a dragon, allowing him to break human limitations and accumulate vast amounts of Qi. The dragon soul greatly enhances the power of Qi.
"According to records, the first Iron Fist, Wu Ao-Shi, once killed a Phoenix that invaded from another dimension with a single punch."
"Phoenix?" Maverick was taken aback. "Isn't the Phoenix associated with the X-Men? Is this a different one? Either way, something called the Phoenix can't be weak."
"Wu Ao-Shi defeated the Phoenix? Are you pulling my leg?" Maverick asked skeptically. "How could the Iron Fist be that strong?"
"It's a fact," Madam Gao insisted. "Each time the dragon soul is inherited, it weakens slightly, so each generation's Iron Fist is a bit less powerful. But there's a limit to how weak they can become. This generation's Iron Fist should be emerging soon. If you want the dragon bones, you must cooperate with us."
"Not interested," Maverick replied flatly. He thought for a moment and then asked, "Besides the Iron Fist, is there another way to break the protection?"
"Yes, using dragon bones," Madam Gao admitted. "Dragon bones can counteract the Iron Fist's power. If you have enough, you can open a gap in the protection. But that's impossible unless Kunlun hands them over to you."
"Dragon bones can open the protection?" Maverick narrowed his eyes. "Do you still have any dragon bones? Or can you extract the ones inside you?"
"Absorbed dragon bones can't be removed," Madam Gao said. "We have only one small fragment left in the Hand, reserved for finding the Black Sky. Even if we gave it to you—which we won't—it would only open a tiny gap, maybe not even as thick as a chopstick. It's meaningless."
"A gap not even as thick as a chopstick?" Maverick was delighted. For others, such a gap would be useless, but not for him. He could turn into blood, and as long as there was a small opening, he could get through.
Previously, he'd used this trick to explore beneath the apartment building—transforming into a stream of blood to seep through small holes.
With this method, he didn't need to wait for Danny Rand. Who knew when he'd show up?
"Looks like it's time to go to war with the Hand," Maverick declared. "Well, your organization has committed countless atrocities. I'll be doing the world a favor."
"Don't act like you're in some martial arts novel," Madam Gao retorted. "And besides, you're a vampire—a natural villain."
Maverick ignored her. The Hand might be tough to deal with for others, but for him, taking them down wouldn't cost much.
Mercury wasn't scared either. She stepped forward confidently. "Blood God, I'm willing to lead the charge."
"I was counting on you," Maverick smiled. He turned to Madam Gao. "Now, please tell me how to practice Qi Gong and all the information you have about the Hand."
Madam Gao didn't want to speak but couldn't resist. Under the influence of the Purple Man virus, she obediently told Maverick everything.
Mercury glanced at Maverick, impressed. The Blood God's abilities were truly remarkable.
On the street near the café, Natasha Romanoff said to Matt Murdock with a smile, "See you tomorrow, Mr. Murdock."
"I look forward to it," Matt replied politely as he turned to leave. But inside, he sighed. Because of Natasha's interference, he couldn't hear what Madam Gao and Maverick were discussing—a bit of a setback.
"There's a connection between Maverick and Madam Gao. Is he a good guy or a bad guy? And when Natalie lied, her heartbeat didn't change at all. Who is she?" Matt wondered, deciding he'd need to keep a closer eye on both of them.
After Matt left, Natasha found a secluded spot to call Director Fury. She reported the conflict brewing between the vampires and the Hand.
"Just keep monitoring the situation. The Hand isn't exactly full of saints; let's see how the Blood God handles it," Director Fury said. "I've never been able to figure that guy out."
"Neither can I," Natasha agreed. "By the way, he's planning to short the Stark Group."
Fury was startled. "What? Short the Stark Group?"
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Director, that's quite a reaction."
Fury was silent for a moment. "Earlier today, Tony was attacked in the Middle East. He's missing—probably captured by terrorists."
Natasha was shocked. "Could the Blood God be behind it?"
"I don't think so," Fury said after a moment. "He has no ties to Tony, and if he were involved, he wouldn't be so obvious. But he might know something."
"True. The Blood God wants Tony to design things for him; he wouldn't have him killed," Natasha mused. "Director, I can't get this information unless you let me get closer to him."
"No, I'll have Ms. Carter ask. She has close ties to Stark and won't stand by if Tony's in trouble," Fury decided.
"Then I'll keep being his secretary. By the way, Director, how much of a kickback did you get from the vampires?" Natasha asked slyly.
"None at all. Do you think I'd stoop to that?" Fury replied indignantly before hanging up. Natasha smirked; not only had he taken kickbacks, but he'd taken plenty.
Shaking her head, she thought, "Director Fury, what are you planning with all that embezzled money?"
After listening to Madam Gao's information, Maverick stepped aside to call Frank Castle. Once connected, he said, "Frank, get ready. We might have a tough fight in a few days. I need you to bring the security company in."
"All of us? Sounds big," Frank replied eagerly. "What's the intel on the enemy? I need details to plan."
Maverick was surprised. "Aren't you going to ask who we're up against?"
"I trust you," Frank said simply. It wasn't flattery; he genuinely trusted Maverick, who had saved his entire family.
Nick Fury had sent Frank information about his former boss. After reading it, Frank was furious. To cover their tracks, those scumbags had planned to 'accidentally' kill his whole family.
He'd wanted to wipe them out with a Gatling gun—not just them but their entire families. They were monsters.
So Frank was deeply grateful to Maverick. Without him, his family would've been doomed. Because of this, Frank had given up on pardoning Billy Russo. He wasn't worth it.
"You can hurt me, but if you touch my family, I'll never forgive you—even in death."
"Glad to hear it," Maverick said. "Don't worry; this time we're dealing with a heartless organization that's committed countless atrocities—no different from demons."
"I'll bring the intel this afternoon. Let the Snowman know, and we'll plan it out," Maverick continued.
Frank nodded. "Got it."
After hanging up, Maverick instructed Madam Gao, "Call the other Fingers. Tell them you've been defeated, that the Blood God knows about the dragon bones, and he wants half of them."
Madam Gao felt a chill. "You want to gather us all together and take us out?"
Maverick snorted. "So what if I do? Make the call. Do I need to teach you what to say?"
Unable to resist, Madam Gao picked up the phone and dialed, putting it on speaker. Soon, the call connected. On the other end was the leader of the Hand, Alexandra.
After hearing what Madam Gao reported, Alexandra said with a sly smile, "Blood God, we can give you the dragon bones, but I want to meet and negotiate formally."
"Fine, let's meet somewhere neutral. By the way, Madam Gao will stay with me as a guest until then," Maverick replied.
"Agreed. But you need to return Murakami to me. He's not dead yet, is he?" Alexandra asked.
"He's still breathing. I'll hand him back to you," Maverick glanced at Murakami, unconscious on the ground. "Hand, don't disappoint my show of goodwill."
"Don't worry. The Hand is very sincere," Alexandra said with a chuckle.