"Lyn?"
Karen called out in surprise.
"Shh!"
Lynch put his finger to his lips, signalling Karen to stay quiet.
Karen glanced at the assassin lying on the ground, not knowing if he was dead or alive, and sensibly nodded in understanding.
"I'm here to help you. Stay quiet, close the door, and we'll talk."
With that, Lynch gently closed the door.
Leaving the assassin behind, the two went to the bedroom and sat down.
"Who are you really?"
Karen couldn't help but ask, her face filled with both the joy of surviving and confusion.
She couldn't understand why Lynch had coincidentally appeared here to save her. Was it just because of that brief eye contact under the streetlight?
Lynch hesitated for a moment.
"I'm… a good guy?"
"A... good guy?" Karen was stunned. "Just out of kindness?"
Facing Karen's skeptical gaze, Lynch decided to come clean.
"Alright, I go by the alias 'SuperBoy.'"
"Who?"
Karen looked puzzled.
"A superhero. Haven't you heard of me?"
Lynch felt a bit embarrassed; after all, not everyone could be as bold as Tony Stark in boasting about saving the world.
"No…"
Karen shook her head, then hesitantly said, "Should I have?"
Lynch took a deep breath and decided to skip the small talk and show her directly!
"If you're shocked, please don't scream!"
Karen hesitated but then scooted a little further away.
Lynch almost spat blood.
Do I look that suspicious?
Well... maybe a little.
If someone told me they were a warrior from a galaxy far, far away, I'd probably stay away too...
Just kidding, I'd totally believe them because I'm a man who believes in God!
Lost in thought, Lynch pulled out a cigarette.
Holding the cigarette, his eyes slowly began to glow. Two thin beams of heat vision accurately ignited the cigarette's tip.
In an instant, the tip sparked and started to burn.
Withdrawing his heat vision, Lynch put the cigarette in his mouth and took a slow puff. As he did, his body, while seated, began to float in the air.
Karen stared in wide-eyed amazement, her jaw practically dropping.
"Is this magic?"
Karen couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"No, I can fly and shoot beams."
"For a show?"
"No! To fight enemies. You didn't see the recent news? I took down that monster in Brooklyn."
Lynch said with some frustration.
Karen seemed to recall some recent headlines and then, looking surprised, asked, "You're that little Superman?"
Lynch fell silent for a moment.
"Yes, that's me. Now can you tell me what happened to you?"
After a moment's thought, Karen slowly began to speak.
…
Ten minutes later, Karen finished her story, and Lynch began to ponder.
Karen Page was one of the Marvel characters Lynch had liked in his previous life, ranking just below Natasha, Wanda, Jessica, and Peggy.
She appeared in the Daredevil series within the Marvel Universe. After discovering evidence of Kingpin's crimes, she was framed for killing a colleague but was saved by Matt Murdock, a.k.a. Daredevil. She later became an assistant at Matt's law firm.
She was beautiful, with a great figure, and even had a brief romantic relationship with Matt. When Matt was believed dead, she kept paying the rent for his apartment.
However, they didn't have a happy ending, as Matt's ex-girlfriend, Elektra, returned later in the series.
It was the classic "when the ex shows up, the current one loses."
Karen endured hardships in both life and love—a truly tragic woman.
Now, the situation was somewhat similar yet different from the original storyline, but one thing seemed certain: Kingpin was involved.
It was obvious. With Kingpin claiming to be connected to 40% of America's criminal activities, how could something happen in Hell's Kitchen without his involvement?
If Lynch were to help her, it would inevitably lead to a confrontation with Kingpin.
Helping her was a must—after all, how could he turn a blind eye to such a beautiful woman being persecuted by crime? What kind of hero would he be otherwise?
And confronting Kingpin was also necessary. If you visit Hell's Kitchen, how can you not face its ultimate villain?
However, how to help and how to confront needed careful consideration. It wasn't as simple as flying to Kingpin's house and burning him to death with heat vision.
From what Lynch remembered, Kingpin was a rather disciplined villain. He could be classified as "lawful evil" in a game setting.
Unlike other villains who constantly wanted to destroy the world, Kingpin focused on expanding his criminal empire and often squared off with various superheroes to protect his interests. In a way, he maintained a certain order, while superheroes, by contrast, brought chaos. Though his order was dark, it was still better than chaos.
Kingpin had a tragic childhood; his father frequently abused him and his mother. Later, he managed to build a successful family, with a loving wife and child, giving him a sense of belonging.
Despite his bulky appearance, most of his body was pure muscle, allowing him to go toe-to-toe with Spider-Man and even overpower Captain America.
And all of this was earned through his sheer hard work, punch by punch.
In some ways, his story was more inspiring than many superheroes who gained powers by chance.
After all, not everyone gets lucky enough to mutate or has the wealth to invest in technology.
But anyone can work hard. Wilson Fisk was a perfect example of a regular person who climbed to the top.
Of course, this doesn't mean endorsing crime or encouraging anyone to be a gangster, but his perseverance, determination, and spirit are worth learning from.
So Lynch believed that simply destroying Kingpin's body would be an insult to all his hard-earned efforts.
To deal with Kingpin, Lynch needed Daredevil, Matt Murdock.
Matt was the opposite of Kingpin. Though he grew up poor, his father left him with valuable lessons. After an accident that left him blind but enhanced his hearing, Matt trained hard, gaining impressive physical abilities.
After his father's murder, he worked hard to get into Columbia University and became a lawyer, fighting crime by day in the courtroom and by night as Daredevil.
He led a wild and unrestrained life, with many girlfriends but no lasting relationship.
He and Kingpin were sworn enemies; Kingpin was not only responsible for his father's death but also represented the root of all evil in Hell's Kitchen.
So, to take on Kingpin, Lynch had to find Daredevil.
The question was, how?
After thinking for a while, Lynch finally instructed Karen: "Tomorrow, go to the police and report that someone tried to kill you last night but a man in black saved you."
Karen looked confused and asked, "Why? What if they ask why someone tried to kill me?"
"Just tell them you don't know anything," Lynch continued. "After that, if a blind lawyer named Matt Murdock contacts you, tell him I'll be waiting for Hell's Kitchen's devil outside the police station."
Karen hesitated but eventually nodded.
"Now, you should rest. I'll be going."
With that, Lynch was about to leave.
"Lyn!"
Karen grabbed his hand.
"There's a body in the house… I'm scared. Can you stay?"
Lynch frowned.
"Fine. I'll sleep on the floor. Do you have an extra blanket?"
"I do, I'll get it for you!"
…
In the darkness, sounds of rustling came from the bed.
A moment later, Lynch felt a warm body slip under the covers with him.
"What are you…"
Before he could finish, his words turned into muffled groans.
Then, soft moans of pleasure filled the room.
[AN - Uhh- 💀 i can explain...]